Noelle’s warm grin made heat crawl up the sides of his neck.
“So they turned to Lonesome Dove for inspiration.”
Patricia still looked confused.
His mother reached over and put a hand on Patricia’s arm. “Augustus McCrae is the loyal friend of the main character Woodrow Call.”
Duval leaned in against the table. “I thank God every day that they didn’t name me Woodrow or Call.”
Katie giggled. “Me, too.”
Duval looked at his sister, glaring at her. “You got a normal name.”
She shrugged. “True, but I can’t imagine having to introduce you as my brother Woodrow. Or my brother Call.”
Patricia smiled. “That would be a concern. McCrae sounds nice. And very unique.”
Noelle lifted her head to look at him as she set down the knife she’d been using far out of Ciela’s reach. “And Duval?”
He nodded. “In the original versions of the show, Call was played by Tommy Lee Jones.”
Patricia looked impressed at that. “He’s always been a ruggedly handsome man.”
Duval saw his mother fan herself and share a laugh with Patricia.
He gave Noelle a wink. “Gus McCrae was played by Robert-”
“Duval!” Patricia snapped her fingers. “That’s where the name came from?”
Duval shrugged. “It’s better than some. I consider myself lucky.”
Patricia nodded. “I think it’s fascinating.”
He felt something tug on his sleeve and he looked down to see Ciela looking up at him. “Do I get a team name, too?”
The team.
He’d been talking about the team.
They’d come close to talking about S.W.A.T. but they hadn’t talked about the Rangers.
He felt horrible.
He should have been more vigilant about their conversation.
“Mister King?”
He looked at Ciela and then lifted his gaze to Noelle.
He hoped she could read the worry he was feeling. And hopefully the plea in his eyes, too.
“Baby,” Noelle put her hand on Ciela’s shoulder trying to turn her around.
Ciela didn’t turn around. She kept her eyes on him and Duval felt himself start to panic.
“Well,” he swallowed, “having a team name is something that doesn’t always happen on the spot. It happens after we get to know each other. The name comes from an event or from something that means a lot to the person or their team.”
“See, baby? A team name could take some time. You just met Mister King and his friends.”
