down on Clay's face, locking his brown eyes onto Clay's. "If you had it to do over, would you fight?"

"No."

Joe grinned. "I'm glad." He flopped to his back and looked at the sky.

Clay rolled over to his side and rose up on an elbow. "Why arc you glad?"

"On account if you'd do it different now, it'd mean you made the wrong choice the first time. And you

didn't."

Shaking his head, Clay gave his brother a rueful smile. "I think you and Josh think things too old for your age."

They heard a commotion behind them and glanced over their shoulders.

"I found somethin' better than pecans!" Josh yelled as he thrashed through the trees. "Miz Warner was

lookin' for a place to have a picnic. Told her she could share our spot. And guess what? She said we

could call her Miz Meg."

Clay scrambled to his feet as Meg emerged from the trees. Sweet Lord, but her blue dress did deepen the hue of her eyes. She'd caught her hair on some sort of lacy thing that made her hair look thick and heavy, and he wondered why it didn't break free and tumble down her back.

She gave Joe one of those rare smiles that needed to be carved for posterity. "Do you mind if I have my picnic here?"

"No, ma'am," Joe said, with an answering smile that could have blinded her if the sun reflected off it.

Her smile grew smaller as she looked at Clay. "Is it all right with you?"

He nodded, wishing he hadn't changed out of his church clothes. They weren't fancy, but she saw him in his worn work clothes every day.

"I brought a quilt," she said.

"The boys can spread it out for you."

"Why do we need a quilt?" Josh asked.

"Because ladies don't sit on the ground," Clay said.

"We ain't never had a picnic with a lady before," Joe said. "What else do ladies do?"

That beautiful smile returned to her face. "They bring lots of food."

Grabbing her hands, the boys pulled her to her horse. Her laughter filtered through the air as Clay yanked

their fishing poles out of the mud. His pride wanted to tell her they didn't need her charity, but his love for the twins was greater than his pride. He'd heard all about the desserts that graced the table the day before. The twins had dug into her apple cobbler with such enthusiasm that he'd just sat and watched. He hoped Meg had thought to pack a small piece of cake for them today.

"Gawd Almighty!"

Clay swung around and wished he had a heart of stone. Leaning against the tree, he watched the delight in Meg's face as she spread her picnic over the quilt. He didn't know how she'd managed to pack all that

food in that small basket, but she'd already set out three cakes and an apple cobbler. The boys' eyes grew as large as the two pies she was now lifting out of the basket.

Then she brought out fried chicken, and Clay felt the juices flow like a raging river within his mouth.

She brushed her hands together, then folded them in her lap. "That's it."

"Gawd Almighty. Can we have a piece of cake first?" Josh asked.

"That's up to your brother," she said softly.

Josh turned to Joe. "Can we have a piece of cake first?"

Laughing, she tapped Josh on the shoulder. "Your older brother."

"Clay, can we eat a piece of cake first?"

"I reckon."

She sat back on her heels and picked up a knife. "I have buttermilk cake, spice cake, and chocolate

cake. Which do you want?"

The boys glanced at each other, then looked at the cakes, then looked at each other. Clay rolled his eyes. They'd be here all day.

"How about a small piece of each?" Meg suggested.

"Yes, ma'am!"

If the woman called those pieces she was cutting small, Clay didn't think he wanted to see what she

called big. She handed the plates to the boys, and they were stuffing the cake into their mouths before the

thank you's had completely escaped.

Meg spread a napkin over her skirt. It never would have occurred to Clay to bring a napkin to a picnic.

She picked up a plate and, with dainty fingers, plucked a piece of chicken out of the pot and dropped it on her plate. Wiping her fingers on the napkin, she peered over at him. "I made enough for everyone."

"Come on, Clay," Josh said. "Bet you ain't never had nothin' this good before."

If he had, it was too long ago to remember. Clay shoved away from the tree, ambled over, and sat on the ground beside the quilt.

She handed him a plate. "Just help yourself."

Like the twins, he found the choices too many, the decision as to where to begin impossible to make. He

supposed he was too old to begin his meal with a piece of cake so he dug a chicken leg out of the pot

and bit into the succulent meat. He chewed it slowly, savoring the flavor. Swallowing, he glanced at her.

"How's your hand?"

Meg rubbed the area just below her thumb. "It's just a little bruised."

"I've hit my hand enough times to know it can smart. You're lucky he didn't break something."

"I think it hurt Robert's pride more than it hurt me."

He grimaced. "If he's like most in his family, I reckon yesterday was hard on him. They're used to doing for themselves."

Meg wanted to point out that yesterday had probably been hard on Clay as well, or hadn't he noticed?

He set his plate on the quilt, and she watched his gaze flick over the desserts. She wished she knew which was his favorite so she could just cut him a piece and slap it on his plate.

"Can I have a piece of your cobbler next?" Josh asked. "It's the best thing I ever ate in my life."

"Certainly," she said as she spooned out a generous helping.

"You ever gonna get married again?" Josh asked.

"It's none of your business," Clay said.

"How come?" Josh asked.

"Who do you think I should marry?" she asked, intending to aggravate Clay, but instead regretting the

words the moment they slipped past her lips. She knew who the twins admired most, knew they'd think

she held the same admiration for him.

Josh scrunched up his face. "Me and Joe will have to set our minds to thinkin' on that. We'll let you know when we figure it out."

Clay picked up his plate and walked to the river. He knelt at the bank, and Meg saw his hand glide over the plate as he dipped it in the water. He carried the plate back to the quilt and set it down. "I appreciate the meal. You boys, be sure and clean up when you're done."

Meg watched him walk away. All this food, and he'd eaten one chicken leg. The man was impossible to understand.

"Don't pay him no never mind," Joe said. "We was talkin' about him gettin' married before you got here.

Reckon it bothered him to be talkin' about it again."

"Who's he going to marry?" she asked.

"No one."

Meg set her plate down. "Eat as much as you want while I'm gone." She rose to her feet and walked

away from the picnic area. She hoped Clay had walked in a straight line and not wandered off and gotten lost. She had no earthly idea how to follow a trail. She thought the twins could probably help her find him, but she was in the mood for some of Mama Warner's low talking, and she didn't think the twins could talk in a low voice if she gagged them.