Page 72 of The Cowboy Who Looked Again

“But for special occasions, surely you had something like this.”

“Momma.” Link shook his head, and Misty looked over to him.

“It’s okay, Link,” she said.

He gestured with his fork, hoping this wouldn’t be a disaster.

Misty took a moment, wherein everyone at the table didn’t make a peep. Shockingly. “Uh, when I say my mother didn’t cook, I mean it. Not even for Thanksgiving or Christmas or Easter.” She cleared her throat. “We didn’t exactly have special occasions.” She glanced at Link’s siblings sitting across from them, and both Sunnie and Heather seemed completely stunned.

“In fact,” Misty said. “It was a special occasion when we had food in the house.”

Link wanted to jump in front of her to shield her from all the stares of his family members. They simply had never experienced such a thing, and yes, it was horrible and not something Link liked thinking about.

“It’s okay,” Misty finally said into the stretching silence. “I didn’t mean to kill the mood.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Sammy Glover swore her heart had stopped beating. She first looked at Bear for help, but he simply raised his eyebrows. She had pressed the issue about cooking, but how could she have known? Misty talked about cooking like she loved it, and most people learned to cook from their momma’s or grandmother’s.

“I’m so sorry, honey,” she said when Link didn’t offer any help either. To his credit, he had tried to warn her. She covered Misty’s hand with hers. “I apologize for bringing it up.”

“It’s okay,” Misty said. “My fault. I’ll keep the conversation lighter.” She glanced over to Link. “You said it would be lively.”

“It usually is,” he grumbled. “Heather, didn’t you have a story from the pool today?”

“Oh, dove tails,” she said. “You would not believe what people try to take into the pool with them.” From there, his sister let her mouth run, telling a story about a package of chocolate cakes that had gotten loose from a child and looked like something terrible.

Everyone laughed, and the mood lightened. Until Daddy asked, “Do you have brothers and sisters, Misty?”

Sammy tensed again, but Misty easily said, “Yeah, just one brother, though. Nothing like this.” She smiled around at everyone. “You guys don’t know how lucky you are.” She sure seemed to radiate light, and Sammy sure did like her for Link.

She was bright and fun and outgoing while he tended to stand on sidelines and observe. Together, they’d be a perfect team, and as Sammy watched her son, she could see he’d fallen. He was completely smitten with Misty, though he’d probably tell her as much if she asked.

Misty grinned at him, touched him, and seemed perfectly at-ease with him too. They knew each other, and she appeared to be just as into the relationship as Link. Thankfully.

Misty didn’t name her brother or tell them where he was or what he was doing, and Sammy sure wasn’t going to ask. Bear had gotten the memo too, because he didn’t follow up with the most logical question either.

She couldn’t comprehend not even having Thanksgiving dinner, or something special for Christmas. Even a grilled ham and cheese sandwich on Easter.

What about her birthday? Sammy thought, the question growing inside her. Everyone deserved something amazing and special on their birthday, even if the item was trivial. It meant someone, somewhere, had been thinking about them.

“When’s your birthday, Misty?” she asked, trying to sound casual.

Both Misty and Link looked at her, and Link didn’t jump in to answer for his girlfriend.

“Momma celebrates her birthday early,” Smiles said.

That brought another drape over the table, but Sammy smiled at her son. “I do,” she said. “My sister and her husband died close to my birthday, and I didn’t want to be thinking about that when I should be celebrating.” She casually stabbed another piece of turkey and swiped it through her pile of mashed potatoes and gravy.

“Mine’s in March,” Misty said.

“Oh, same as Link,” Sammy said.

They both nodded, and Sammy would ask him what day later. Perhaps they could stage a big party for the two of them in True Blue.

“Momma,” Link said, already shaking his head. “It’s not necessary.”

“What?” Sammy asked innocently. “You’ll be twenty-seven in a few months. That’s a big milestone.”

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