Page 22 of Tribulation Pass

Before he could open the door to the restaurant for her she put her hand on his arm and stopped him.

“I’ve about had my fill of being steamrolled by O’Haras today. I don’t know if it’s hereditary or if you’re just used to being in charge, but how about you ask questions every now and again instead of giving orders?”

His lips twitched and he nodded. “I can do that,” he said. “If it makes you feel better, I did it on purpose. You’re beautiful when your mad is up.”

Her mouth opened in shock just as he ushered her inside the diner.

“Hey, stranger,” Mac called out. She ran at him and gave him a huge hug, and he swung her around before putting her back on her feet.

And then Mac did the same to Hattie. “I wondered when you’d be back.”

“You mean you wondered if she survived the drive out to the lake house?” Duncan asked pointedly.

“Geez,” she said. “I already got a strip torn off me from Mom. I don’t need you to lay in too.”

“Oh, no,” Hattie said, patting Mac on the back reassuringly. “It wasn’t her fault. She did try to stop me.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Mac said. “Alice and I both felt guilty for letting you leave. I worried about you all afternoon until I got home and I heard the news about you on the network. It’s a miracle you ended up falling into Duncan’s arms.” And then she winked at her cousin. “Seems like fate if you ask me.”

ChapterNine

“Nobody asked you,”Duncan said, tapping Mac on the nose. “But we’ll be taking the corner booth.” Then he turned to Hattie. “Do you want the special? It’s what I always get. You can’t go wrong with Johan’s cooking. Aunt Simone brought him here all the way from Sweden when she opened this place several years ago. She posted on the network this morning he’s serving bison meat loaf and mashed potatoes.”

Hattie had no clue what was going on, or why people kept talking about a network.

“Why do y’all keep talking about a network? What network?”

“The O’Hara network,” Mac said. “How else are we supposed to know what’s going on?”

“It’s a lot,” Duncan said. “I mostly ignore it. You’d think the family didn’t see each other every day or have Sunday dinners once a week by the way they carry on.”

“The O’Hara network is better than the news,” Mac boasted proudly. “We work all over town, so we can keep our finger on the pulse of all the interesting stuff going on. And right now, you’re interesting stuff.”

Hattie had no idea how to respond so she said, “I think I’ll have the special.” And then she slid into the booth across from Duncan.

“Drinks?” Mac asked.

“Sparkling water,” Hattie said. “With lemon.”

“Same for me,” Duncan said.

“Two sparklings with lemon and two specials,” Mac said. “Coming right up.”

Several people greeted Duncan by name, and she looked on with jealousy. How incredible it must be to be interwoven into this community for generations so that everyone knows your name. And then she realized all eyes were on Duncan.

“Why is everyone staring at you?” Hattie asked.

“They’re not,” he said. “They’re staring at you. Can’t say I blame them.”

“Do you have an evil twin or something?” she asked. “You are the same Duncan O’Hara I met three days ago? The one with the perpetual scowl and penchant for making people feel welcome?”

He smiled unrepentantly and she wished she didn’t find it so charming. He looked like a little kid who’d gotten his hand stuck in the cookie jar.

“I told you,” he said. “You interrupted my work three days ago. I’m over it now. I’ve been working nonstop the last couple of days. I’ve been incredibly productive. And now I’m hungry.”

“Congratulations,” she said. “I’ve basically slept the entire time since I saw you last.”

“I figured you would,” he said. “I wasn’t sure how much longer you would be able to stay upright. My mom tried to stop by a couple of times and see if you needed anything, but she said it looked like the place was deserted. My dad had to talk her down from breaking in and making sure you were okay.”

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