“Why sure, honey, I always got lots to eat,” Adelia said, and her tone was that of a woman talking to an adult whom she’d known since babyhood. “You sit here and I’ll fill you a plate.”
“No bacon,” Thomas said.
“Do you think I don’t remember that?” Adelia said, sounding hurt. “And where’s my kiss?”
When she said that, Madison saw Thomas’s face soften. And it was then that she saw the man he could be. Or was, she thought. He was another man under that scowl, and the sight of that man almost made Madison’s knees give way. His eyes were indeed round, and his mouth was as soft as a baby’s.
“Good to see you,” Thomas said, then he hugged Adelia as though he meant it and he planted a hearty kiss on her cheek. “Are you well?”
Adelia pushed him away. “You are not gonna practice your medicine on me. Now, sit down and eat and I’ll tell you everything about everybody.”
To Madison’s horror, Thomas sat down at a beat-up old pine table directly in front of her. Now what was she to do? Step out and say, “Excuse me, I was just hiding because I didn’t . . .” Didn’t what? Want to eat? Right now the plate of food that Adelia set before Thomas looked and smelled awfully good. But Madison was trapped. If she stepped out now and they saw that she’d been hiding like some six-year-old, she’d never recover from her embarrassment.
And, besides, the truth was, she didn’t really want to leave. She wanted to see and hear more of this man who was doing funny little things to her stomach.
“So who’s here?” Thomas asked as he picked up a fork and scooped up buttery scrambled eggs.
Madison watched those eggs all the way to his mouth. He had his scowl back on, so his mouth was back to being a tight line.
“Your mom and dad, Scotty and Nina, of course, your cousin Terri and also Robbie.” At that name Adelia paused and smiled at Thomas. She was standing on the other side of the table, across from him, smiling down at the top of his head fondly.
“Hmph!” Thomas said, not bothering to look up. “She bring any clothes with her this time?”
Adelia laughed. “I hope so. With you around she’ll freeze to death. I don’t know what you don’t like about her. It’s time you settled down.”
“Robbie is a spiteful little brat with too much money and time on her hands. How’s Mom?”
“Your momma is good. She looks real good. She likes the tall girl a lot.”
At that Madison sucked in her breath and held it. If she was going to make an honorable escape, now was the time to do it. But she knew that if a rattlesnake had bitten her big toe, she still wouldn’t have been able to move.
“Tall girl?”
“You know that boy Roger, the one that was here a few years ago?”
“Scotty’s clone?” Thomas asked derisively. “The football hero?”
“That’s the one. He’s usin’ a couple of canes now. Your momma said he was hurt real bad, but he’s better now, so what with Scotty and his broken leg—”
“The two of them can feel sorry for themselves together,” Thomas said, and Madison had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing out loud.
“So Roger is here?” Thomas asked.
“Him and his wife,” Adelia said with aplomb, glad to deliver this juicy bit of gossip.
“What kind of nincompoop would marry Roger?”
This time Madison had to stick both sides of her tongue between her back teeth and clamp down. Now I understand, she thought. How many other women had felt attracted to him, then been speared by his cynicism? It was one thing for Madison to feel she’d had enough of Roger, but what right did this man have to judge him—or her, for that matter?
“She’s a looker, I can tell you that,” Adelia said. “Beautiful doesn’t begin to describe her. I wonder what they feed them out there where that boy lives, because she’s at least three inches over six feet.”
Thomas gave a snort of laughter as he picked up a piece of pancake and ate it. “Roger isn’t that tall, is he?”
Taller than you, you little toad, Madison wanted to say to him. Six feet three indeed! She was half an inch short of six feet.
“So Roger married some tall Montana cowgirl and now he’s here sucking up to my little brother. What’s he want?”
Adelia seemed to consider that for a moment. “Not his tall wife, that’s for sure. Hardly looks at her. My guess is that he wants either your sister or Terri. You know Roger. He spent a whole summer chasing after Lucy, but she wouldn’t have him.”