“What kind of doughnuts are these?” Lark asked.
Cash turned and met her eyes. “My step-mom called them cowboy cookie crunch.” He grinned and stepped over to where he’d laid out the bacon, sausage patties, tater tot casserole, and yes, the doughnuts down at the end, where Lark stood.
“It’s a chocolate dough,” he said. “With a vanilla frosting with crushed cookie crumbs on top, and a vanilla custard filling.”
Lark’s eyes widened as he gave the synopsis, and when her lips tipped up, Cash sure wished he’d had a few more seconds alone with her in the bedroom. Now that he’d kissed her, he feltlike he was drowning and only her mouth against his would give him the oxygen he so required.
He cleared his throat. “Should we say grace?”
“Yep,” Wade said while Lark continued to look like Cash had thrown ice water in her face. “Jet, you wanna say it?”
“Sure thing,” Jet said easily, and Cash automatically reached up to pull down his cowboy hat. He realized a beat too late that he wasn’t wearing one, and he quickly folded his arms and tucked his chin, letting his eyes fall closed so he could disappear into himself for a minute.
“Dear Father in Heaven,” Jet said. “We’re grateful to be gathered together today as family, and we’re so grateful for this place we have to gather in. I know it means a lot to my momma and daddy that Cash is here to take care of the house, and we ask for a special blessing on our parents as they’re off serving in another country.”
Cash sure did love being prayed for, and a sense of comfort and peace settled over his shoulders. He’d enjoyed living in this house alone, but now that he’d had company, he knew how much life this place could hold. How much it had given to Wade, to Jet, and to Lark.
“Bless us that we can move forward in our lives with clear minds and helpful hands, and bless us all to travel back home safely when the time comes. We’re grateful for the bounteous blessings Thou continues to pour onto each of us, and bless Wade in his efforts with Theresa, and bless me that I can get the right man hired for the new milking operation, and bless Lark that she’ll ace her finals and end with that four-point-oh she works so hard for. Bless Cash that the construction happening on his ranch will get back on track and that he’ll have whatever else he needs.”
Beside him, Wade coughed, and Jet took in a long breath. “Bless this food, and bless us to have a low-key day together. Amen.”
“Amen,” Cash repeated, and this time, he turned and took Jet into a full hug. “Thank you, brother.” He slapped him on the back a couple of times and stepped back, nodding. Their eyes met, and so much more got said between them.
Things about brotherhood, and gratitude, and Lark. Cash nodded, because the last thing he wanted was to hurt her. At the same time, Jet and Wade would be leaving in two days, and Lark in three.
And then what?ran through his mind. It ticked around him, and Cash couldn’t stand the thought of being alone in this house come Sunday evening.
He pushed the thoughts away, because he wanted to enjoy breakfast, and then he had to get to work on their Thanksgiving Day dishes.
Lark went through the line first, and Cash waited for Jet and Wade to follow her. He watched as Lark sat at the end of the table, her back to the sliding door they used to get to the hot tub, and when she looked up at him, he quickly reached for the last remaining plate.
He piled his plate with casserole, bacon, and sausage, and put his doughnut on a separate plate. By the time he looked back to the table, unadulterated hope ran through him that he could sit next to Lark.
Thankfully, Wade and Jet had left the head of the table for Cash, as he’d gotten quite used to sitting there and eating over the past few months. He slid his plate onto the table and pulled out the chair.
After he sat, everyone started eating, and Cash looked over to Wade. “When is Theresa getting here?”
“Two,” he said. “She’s going to her granddad’s this morning.”
Cash nodded and looked over to Jet. “And you’re going to get your grandmother?”
“I’ll have her back here by two, too.” He grinned. “Two too.”
Cash chuckled and popped the end of his piece of bacon into his mouth. He looked over to Lark. “And what are you going to do until dinner?”
“I thought I was helping you.” She lifted her doughnut to her mouth and took a big bite.
Cash stared at her, every cell in his body rioting against his defenses. They wanted to run wild and free, and his heartbeat bumped against the back of his throat. “You’ve got a little cream there,” he croaked out, his eyes glued to the custard clinging to the corner of her mouth.
Lark simply smiled at him, and oh, Cash couldn’t have that. He practically shoved a napkin at her, but Lark ignored it. He tore his eyes from hers. “Yeah, you’re on potato duty.”
He was roasting a turkey—nothing fancy like the fryers Uncle Tex had used—and doing mashed potatoes and gravy, yams with brown sugar and marshmallow crème, and roasted veggies. To further his baking skills, he’d decided to do the rolls by hand, and he’d start on those immediately after putting the bird in the oven.
“At the risk of ruining breakfast and having sausage thrown at me, I’m wondering about the tree-cutting tomorrow.” He reached for his glass of orange juice and took a gulp of it.
“I can’t,” Wade said. “Theresa and I are going to decorate her place, and then I said I’d help in her classroom.”
“I don’t want to,” Jet said. “I want to wash all my clothes before I go home, and I have a couple of phone calls to make tomorrow.”
