Taking her hand, he tucked it in the crook of his elbow. He had to confess he was relieved by her joking about leaving town. Throughout dinner she’d talked mainly to GG, and Patience had charmed them with her openness and honesty.
“I love food, too,” Cade said honestly. “I’m usually a nut about eating healthy and exercise. Of course, all that flies out the window when I smell my grandmother’s cooking. But I plan to work it all off at the ranch this trip.”
“I’d like to see it.”
“The ranch?”
She nodded. “I’ve never been to a real working ranch.”
“Sure, although I don’t exactly have it working just yet. But my foreman and I are at least making some headway. I’ll take you out there anytime you want to go. But no judgments. The old house where I spent part of my childhood looks pretty beat-up on the outside, though the inside really isn’t so bad.”
The house had been in the family for more than eighty years, and his grandmother and all her sisters and brothers had been born there. His father had also been born and raised in the house.
Cade had to clear this throat. His father was the good man his grandmother always claimed him to be. She and Cade’s mother were the only people in town who had believed his father hadn’t run off with some woman.
“Cade?”
“What?”
Cocking her head, Patience watched him carefully with those beautiful green eyes of hers. “You look upset.”
He forced a smile. “Sorry, I was thinking about my dad. His reputation was maligned by most of the town. Eventually, I even believed the rumors. Now I feel so guilty for all the mean words I said about him. I hated him for so long and now—”
“You were a kid, that couldn’t have been easy.”
“No, for the first couple of months I caused my mom and grandmother so much grief. Fistfights every day, and I was small so I came home with a lot of black eyes.”
“You were defending your family and I find that quite honorable.”
Cade took a deep interest in the dust sprinkling the top of his boots. There was absolutely nothing honorable about the thoughts he’d had about his dad.
“Every night I prayed he’d come home to us. Then after six months, I just gave up on him.”
“Like I said before you were—” Patience was interrupted by a loud shriek and then a string of foul words.
“Sounds like that came from the park.” Cade pulled her along with him as he went to investigate the source. They rounded the corner by Tom’s Hard ware Store and found the park crowded with people working on various booths.
“What is all this?” Patience asked as they walked down the path to where the booths were being built.
“The town is getting ready for the annual Firefly Festival,” Cade answered. “Andy was that you howling like a dog in heat?” he joked with his old friend.
Andy held a towel around his fingers and from the hammer on the ground Cade knew exactly what had happened.
“Well, Mr. Big Man is gracing us with his presence.” With his good hand he punched Cade in the shoulder. “Great to see ya.”
“Same here.” Cade smiled at his friend. He hadn’t seen him since they’d had drinks a year ago when Andy had come to Austin for an auction. He and his wife, Celia, who had been one of their high school friends, owned the antique shop on the square in downtown Phosphor.
“Where is your better half? I thought she banned you from all tools, especially hammers and saws.”
Andy hung his head. “Why do you have to make me look bad in front of your lady friend? And why—” he faced Patience “—is someone as beautiful as you hanging out with this runt?”
She laughed and held out her hand. “I’m Patience.”
Andy held out his left hand for an awkward shake. “Nice to meet you.”
“Patience is investigating my dad’s case.”
Andy’s face grew solemn. “I heard about that. I’m sorry. I can’t imagine what you’ve been going through and—” Cade knew Andy must have realized he’d said too much in front of Patience.
“Sorry,” he said. “My mouth doesn’t work any better than my hands. But I’m glad you finally have the truth. If I can help find the bastard who killed him, you know I’m all in.”
Cade couldn’t have asked for a better friend, and he felt a world of guilt for letting so much time pass since their last meeting. “I appreciate the offer. I really do. So where is that wife of yours?”
“You just missed her. I was worried she was getting tired and she looked a little pale.”
Cade frowned. “Is she sick?”
Andy’s face widened into the biggest smile Cade had ever seen. “Nah, she’s pregnant. Five months.”
Cade put a hand on Andy’s shoulder. “That’s one lucky kid.”
His friend nodded. “Going to be one ornery little ankle-biter with Cel and I as parents. We’re going to spoil the kid rotten.”
“You look like the happiest man in the world,” Patience said. “Congratulations.”
“We’d all but given up on having our own and were looking into adopting, so it was quite a surprise.” Andy shook his head. “Celia’s about to bust at the seams she’s so happy.” He rolled his eyes. “Don’t tell her I said anything about busting out. She’s very self-conscious about her weight, but I think she looks more beautiful than ever.” Andy flexed his injured hand.
“What were you trying to do?” Cade picked up the hammer from the ground where his friend had tossed it.
“I thought I’d better get some supports up for the booth, before the storm got here, didn’t want the booth flying around like Dorothy’s house in the Wizard of Oz. Figured I could handle three or four two-by-fours.”
Cade turned to Patience. “I’m going to take a few minutes and help him out.”
She smiled. “I’ll help him pack up the rest of the tools.”
“Now that’s right nice of both of you,” Andy said.
“No problem. I’ve been eating Cade’s grandmother’s food and I feel like I’ve gone up two jean sizes in an hour.”
Andy laughed.
Cade picked up the boards and a sack of nails. As he added the supports and fixed the counter in front, he listened to his friend and Patience chat.
He couldn’t believe his friend was going to be a father, though he hadn’t lied. Andy and Celia would be incredible parents. They were loyal, loving, funny and smart. And some of the best people he knew.
Cade often invited them to come up to his house on Lake Austin for laid-back weekends. But the past year… He hadn’t made time for anyone, not even his family. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been on a date.
That had to be why he was so into Patience. It had been a while since he’d been with a woman—a long while.
Patience stacked the rest of the boards while Andy searched for loose nails. They talked back and forth as if they had been friends for years. Cade felt the same way about her and secretly it pleased him.
Why?
Oh, I think you know exactly why.
Patience was beautiful and smart, and…
Yep. He was in trouble.
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