“Can I help?” she asked.
He shook his head. “Clara sent another pie for dessert. Apple this time.”
“I thought I smelled cinnamon,” Poppy said, peering into the bag before pulling the dessert out.
“Who’s Clara?” Rowdy asked, still snapping away.
“My uncle Teddy’s new wife,” Toben said. “His first wife, Aunt Mags, died a while back. We all thought Uncle Teddy was done with romance, but Clara showed up and he was all flowers and valentines.”
“You like her?” Rowdy asked.
“I do.” Toben tossed the bacon and onions in the skillet. “Only person in my family I don’t always see eye to eye with is my cousin Archer. But he’s a mite better now that he’s married. Eden, his wife, and his two little girls seem to have taken some of the...starch out of him.”
“Starch?” Rowdy asked.
Toben glanced at Poppy, who was grinning. “He’s sort of...uptight. A know-it-all. A little...rough around the edges. But he’s better, for the most part.”
Toben had arrived with no expectations for their evening. He hoped it would go well. He hoped he’d drive away feeling like he and his son were growing closer—that Poppy was settling into this new arrangement. But laughing, sharing stories, working in the kitchen together, was so much more. Dinner was good, made better by the company. It was new and fragile, but there was a sense of family here. He wanted to protect it and watch it grow.
“Huh,” Rowdy said, between bites.
Toben couldn’t help but notice his son’s plate was almost empty. Green beans included. “Huh?” he repeated.
“They were good.” Rowdy winked.
“Bacon does that.” Toben winked back.
Poppy laughed. “I’ll start washing up. Since you cooked.”
But Toben couldn’t sit still. He helped clear off the table and took the trash out, returning to find the pie cut and on plates. Rowdy had a million questions about the scavenger hunt and the Fourth of July festivities.
“I’ve only been here for a couple of years—on the rodeo circuit long while before that,” Toben confessed. “My mother lives in Montana.”
“Miss her?” Rowdy asked.
Toben was aware that both Poppy and Rowdy were waiting for an answer. He sat his fork down, a small smile on his face. “Well, now, Rowdy. I’d like to say I’m as close to my mother as you are, but that’s not the case.”
“Because she won’t tell you who your dad is?” Rowdy asked, causing Poppy to cough and choke.
Toben patted her on the back while Rowdy got her a glass of water. She stared at him, her eyes wide over the rim of her glass.
“That’s part of it,” Toben agreed, not wanting to ruin the tone of their evening. Poppy was still staring at him. What he wouldn’t give to know what she was thinking.
Rowdy nodded. “I like apple pie.”
“Me, too,” he agreed. “All of Clara’s pies are good.” Which was true. And one of the reasons his uncle was getting a little belly on him. “After work sometime, how about we go to the veterinary hospital? You can meet my sister and see if there are any dogs looking for a home.”
“Really?” Rowdy asked.
“Really.” Toben nodded. Until he met Poppy’s eyes. She wasn’t happy. Dammit. “Maybe... I guess... You know a dog’s a lot of work?”
Rowdy nodded. “Yes, sir. So is Cheeto. And I keep him happy.” He looked at his mother. “Don’t I, Ma?”
Poppy nodded. “You do.”
Toben knew he’d messed up. Through the game of dominoes, she kept her eyes averted. She agreed to let him put Rowdy to bed without a single word. And when he walked down the hall, he felt the hostility rolling off her in waves. Best to start off with an apology and hope for the best. “I should have asked first—”
“Yes, you should have,” she agreed, packing up the leftovers into the brown paper bag. “We’re the adults, the two of us. We need to