Lauren laughed harder with Hedy and Ruby, realizing that she hadn't laughed so much in ages, till she arrived in Wildcat Bluff. If laughter truly was the best medicine, she was in the right place to get lots of it.

"I'm all for breaking out Slade's pie." Hedy glanced up on the countertop. "May we at least see his latest culinary delight?"

"Hannah, I think you started something," Ruby said. "Dessert first."

"Yay!" Hannah bounced in her chair. "Barbeque second."

"If he doesn't get here soon, I'm for letting him eat leftovers." Lauren chuckled as she glanced out the front window, knowing none of them would ever do such a rude thing. The sun was low in the west and night was coming on fast, but still no Kent. She felt a little bit of worry blossom inside her, but surely he was okay. Maybe she just antic.i.p.ated trouble so she could try to avoid it. Jeffrey's sudden demise hadn't helped her belief that only good things happened to good people. She'd found life had a funny way of taking unexpected turns.

"Manners," Hedy reminded Hannah.

"Right," Hannah quickly agreed. "Even if he isn't a horse, we ought to be polite."

Once more, Lauren surrendered to laughter and realized how much she'd missed the easy closeness of longtime friends and family. She felt doubly blessed that she'd been able to bring Hannah to Wildcat Bluff.

"If he'd gotten called out, he'd have let us know," Hedy said. "I bet he's just tidying up and switching the phones to the police department so there's always somebody available to take fire or other 9-1-1 calls."

"How long can that take?" Ruby asked, glancing out the kitchen window.

"Who knows," Hedy said. "He got hung-up, that's all. If I don't miss my guess, he'll be here soon."

And about that time, Lauren looked out the window again and saw a pickup pull up in front beside Hedy's van. She did a double take as Kent stepped out of his vehicle because she hadn't recognized the truck as the one she'd seen earlier. This one had a Texas Firefighter license plate, but the main difference was that she could see the shiny, dark-blue exterior of what had earlier been covered in dirt and mud. He'd washed his pickup? Surely he didn't do it just to please her.

"Kent's here," Hedy called as she wheeled over to the windows. "Ruby, would you look at that! He washed his truck."

Ruby walked over to the windows and glanced outside. "As I live and breathe, he got a burr under his saddle for some reason or he'd never, and I mean not in a million years, have wasted a moment of his time at a car wash."

Lauren cleared her throat. "I guess I did mention something about his truck being a little on the dirty side earlier. But I didn't think-"

Hedy and Ruby turned toward her as one, looking beyond shocked as they laughed together.

"I doubt it has anything to do with me."

"Oh sure," Hedy teased as she wheeled back to the table. "I'm not saying a word about it. Not one single word."

"Me neither." Ruby hurried back to the kitchen. "Best pretend we didn't notice or it'll be another five years before he washes his truck again."

"Mom washes our car all the time," Hannah said helpfully.

Hedy and Ruby laughed even harder.

Lauren felt obliged to defend her innocence again, but she stopped in shock the moment the door opened and Kent stepped inside.

He jerked off his big cowboy hat as he scuffed the soles of his mud-splashed cowboy boots on the yellow doormat. His faded jeans and T-shirt were dark with water, but that only served to emphasize the hard, sculpted muscles of his chest and thighs.

Immediately, he sought out Lauren and glared at her with hazel eyes gone dark. "There's a good reason for a guy not to wash his truck." He looked down at his wet jeans and muddy boots.

Hedy and Ruby snorted, choked, and finally burst into laughter while Lauren determinedly pinched her lips together.

"Not funny," Kent grumbled. "At least I had the sense not to vacuum out the inside. Otherwise, I might not ever have gotten here."

Hedy crossed her arms on the table and put her head down, but her shoulders still shook with her m.u.f.fled laughter.

Ruby didn't even bother to hide her mirth. "Good thing. We're mighty hungry."

Hannah stood up, obviously not getting what was funny, and walked cautiously over to Kent. She stopped and examined him from the tips of his boots to the hat in his hands. Finally, she craned her neck, looked up at his face, and threw her small arms around his legs.

"Cowboy Daddy!"

Chapter 12.

"Huh?" Kent looked down in confusion at the top of the blond head of a little girl clinging to his legs.

"Cowboy Daddy!" She grasped his legs harder.

He tried to dislodge her gently by moving his legs a little, but she stuck to him like a tick on a cow. He wouldn't think such a little bit of a girl would have so much strength. All he wanted was to do sit down and eat barbeque while he dried off from his trip to the car wash. Teach him to try to impress a gal. Pickups were meant to be dirty or they weren't doing their job.

If he could get hold of the girl's arms he might be able to pull her off him, but she looked too delicate to manhandle. He figured one good jerk and she might come apart. Slade would know what to do, because he was used to being an adoring uncle who knew how to play with kids. Kent knew how to rope and wrangle and hog-tie animals. Somehow, he didn't figure those skills were going to do him much good here and now.

"There now, li'l dogie." He patted the top of her blond head like he would rea.s.sure a calf, but he wasn't at all sure if it'd work on a kid.

She looked up and gave a big grin, revealing tiny white teeth. "Oh!" She threw out her arms and wheeled around several times. "Cowboy Daddy gave me my very own cowgirl name. He's the best!"

He stepped back. That wasn't the result he'd expected, but he guessed the pat on her head had done some good. He walked over to Ruby in the kitchen who looked like an ally. But she wasn't paying him any attention. She stared at the little girl with her eyes wide in surprise. He glanced back.

The front of the kid's top was wet and muddy from her run-in with him. The mess wasn't his fault. He'd been blindsided the moment he'd walked in the door. But now he was under the microscope of Ruby, Hedy, and Lauren. They'd probably blame him.

"Sorry about that." Kent looked out the front windows longingly at his truck. He supposed he couldn't just leave and go fix fence or something else completely under his control.

"That's okay. Kids and messes go together," Lauren said, chuckling. "Kent, I'd like you to meet my daughter Hannah. Sweetie, this is Kent Duval."

"Hey, Hannah." He should've realized from the first moment that this little whirlwind had to be Lauren's daughter, but he'd had his mind on his truck and been caught by surprise.

Hannah gave him a big grin, grabbed his hand, and tugged him toward the table. "Cowboy Daddy, we got cookies. And I made them with Aunt Ruby's help."

"That's good."

"You can have one."

"Maybe later."

"Mommy and aunties like them."

He hesitated, hearing the hurt in her voice. What had he said that could cause such a reaction? He glanced down her. Were those tears in her eyes? Over cookies? He looked from Ruby to Hedy to Lauren. They appeared to be holding their breaths as to what would happen next.

"They're real good, I think," Hannah said, voice dropping downward.

He caught the hesitation in her voice that hadn't been there before and he silently kicked himself for making her doubt her own abilities. Chalk it up to a clueless cowboy. "On second thought." He nodded at Lauren to let her know that he was getting the message. "I can't wait to try your cookies."

"Yay!" Hannah hurried over to the table and struggled to pull out the chair across from Lauren, but it was too heavy for her.

He set his hat on the bar beside Ruby's, then walked over and pulled the chair back from the table for her.

"Cowboy Daddy, this one, too." Hannah pointed at the chair next to the one she'd designated for him.

He pulled that chair out, but not as far. As he watched, she sat down and smiled up at him, looking just as pleased as punch about the whole deal.

"Better sit." Hannah patted the chair seat beside her.

He cast a look around the room, but he could see that he wasn't going to get any help from the ones who probably had a clue. They were backing the girl's play with supportive silence.

"Join us?" Hannah patted the cushion on the chair again.

He felt as if he'd stumbled into a little girl's tea party where she knew all the correct, polite, ladylike rules and he knew none of them. But he sat down anyway, even though he felt like a bull in a china shop on top of being wet and grumpy from washing his truck.

"Can you wait for your cookie?" Hannah asked in her high, lilting voice. "You missed sweets first."

"Yep." He refused to commit himself any further when he didn't know what she was talking about. Besides which, he could wait till the cows came home for a cookie. Now, barbeque? That was a whole other matter.

"Mommy, please put the lid on the cookie jar." Hannah said. "Cowboy Daddy loves my cookies so much he'll fuss if he has to smell them and not get one."

Kent didn't say a word, but he c.o.c.ked his head at Lauren as if to inquire about the situation. All she did was smile and put a lid on the cookie jar.

"Thank you," Hannah said in a polite voice as she turned toward Kent. "Cowboy Daddy, are you hungry?"

"I could eat." He decided to remain noncommittal till he got the lay of this land, if he ever did.

"Barbeque?" Hannah asked sweetly.

"Yeah." He thought about the section of fence that needed a little attention as something he could wrap his head around. He started to count the number of U-nails he thought he'd need, but a small hand on his arm brought his mind back to the present.

"You're tired after a long day in the saddle, aren't you?" Hannah nodded at him in understanding with big, dark eyes.

For a moment she reminded him so much of the old Lauren that he felt like he'd stepped back in time. She'd been a handful. Guess her daughter was chip off the old block. And a cute one at that.

"He took care of a fire in Sure-Shot." Lauren finally joined the conversation, as if Kent had pa.s.sed some type of initiation. "He's a cowboy firefighter."

"And Cowboy Daddy," Hannah insisted with a determined nod of her blond head.

"Why don't we all chow down on barbeque?" Ruby moved the two cowboy hats out of the way and then lined up the barbequed beef, potato salad, baked beans, and coleslaw in their open containers. She finished off the row of food with Slade's pie. "We're eatin' easy tonight-buffet style." She took the pitcher of tea out of the refrigerator, filled the gla.s.ses, and set it on the tabletop.

"Hannah, I'll fix you a plate," Lauren said.

"Thank you, Mommy, but-" Hannah gave Kent a sweet smile. "Cowboy Daddy wants to do that, don't you?"

Kent swallowed hard, glanced at Lauren, and got a nod in return. "Yeah, sure. What do you like?"

"I like what you like," Hannah said.

He quickly stood up as he glanced down at Hedy. "What can I get you? Looks like I'm fixing plates around here."

"Man of the hour." Hedy chuckled, shaking her head. "Think I'll just save my appet.i.te for pie."

"Auntie Hedy," Hannah piped up. "Remember, sweets second."

Hedy laughed. "Okay. I guess I'm outnumbered. Bring me a little bit of it all."

"Good choice." Lauren gave Kent a warm smile.

He felt that smile all the way to his gut with a little zing along the way. Life had sure been easier in high school. Maybe he was doing okay with the womenfolk after all. But he sure as h.e.l.l wouldn't get c.o.c.ky.

After they maneuvered around the bar, loaded up plates, pa.s.sed out plates, and then finally settled around the table, Kent was so hungry he could eat a bear. He picked up his fork, but small fingers on his hand stopped him. He looked over at what was turning out to be his nemesis-one pint-sized little girl.

"Cowboy Daddy gives thanks, doesn't he?" she asked.

He locked gazes with Lauren, who gave him another encouraging smile. He set down his fork. "Okay. Thanks for good vittles and good family."

He picked up his fork, but that soft, little hand stopped him again. This time he just set down his fork and waited for her. Hannah was nothing if not determined that things be done to her satisfaction.

"What about horses?" Hannah asked.

"Okay. We're all mighty thankful for horses, cattle, buffalo, and all the critters out on the plains."

"Amen," Hannah said. "That was real good."

He glanced over and was rewarded with a serious nod of appreciation. He looked across the table at Lauren, who appeared as if she was about to break out in laughter or tears. He hoped she was happy. He was doing his best. He picked up his fork and dug into the potato salad. About the time he raised the fork to his mouth, he felt a rub against his leg. He looked down. Temple was staring up at him with pale-blue eyes, trying to appear as if he hadn't eaten in a month of Sundays.

"Ruby, did you feed your cat?" He pointed down with one hand while he held onto his fork with the other.

"Is he begging?" Ruby asked.

"No. He's demanding."

Hedy chuckled as she pushed food around on her plate. "Better feed him. Temple can be one determined cat."

Kent reluctantly set down his fork, cut off a piece of beef, and chucked it toward the blue bowl. Temple started eating the moment the meat touched down. And Kent finally followed his example with a big bite of delicious potato salad.

"Cowboy Daddy, would you please cut up my meat for me? Mommy's across the table."

"Hannah," Lauren said. "You've been handling your own food for some time now."