A Match Made in Wilde (Wilde, Nevada Beginnings 2)

“Look, Mama, what I can do.” Toby picked up his glass of milk and drank all of it.

“Mama, look at me,” Heath said, stuffing an entire fish stick into his mouth.

Before he had a chance to correct the boys, Maude said, “That’s absolutely fabulous, boys. But let’s slow down and enjoy our meal together. We want Nate and Seth to see what big boys you can be.”

And like magic, the boys settled completely down.

Giving the boys their chocolate pudding, the three of them finished their meal, learning more about each other.

“That was wonderful,” she said, placing her fork on the plate. “Thank you.”

“Our pleasure,” Grant said, clearing the table. “But I hope you saved room for dessert. We have chocolate pie for the adults. Aunt Carol’s recipe, though I’m sure it won’t be as good as hers.”

“Don’t let him kid you,” Greg said, cleaning off the two little ones. As usual, they’d gotten as much of their meals on their trays and the floor as they had in their mouths. “Grant makes an incredible chocolate pie.”

“I believe you. Chocolate anything is always my favorite.” Maude was wiping off Toby and Heath’s faces.

“Mama, let’s go play,” Heath said. “I want you to see Buttermilk.”

“Buttermilk?”

“Yeah. Come on. Come on, Toby.” Heath slid out of his chair and onto the floor.

“I need to help your daddies with the dishes, and then I can play.”

“Go ahead,” Grant said, turning to him. “Greg and I can manage.”

“If you’re sure, I would love to play with the boys.” The light in her eyes and the smile on her face were something to behold. She seemed just as excited as they were.

“Go. Have fun.”

She picked up the two little ones and followed Toby and Heath into the play area.

As he and Grant cleaned up, they kept their voices low.

“God, she takes my breath away, bro,” Grant confessed.

“You? I thought I was going to pass out from lack of oxygen during the entire meal. She’s the whole package. Looks. Brains. And most importantly, heart. God. So much heart.”

Hearing the boys and her laughing together was music to Greg’s ears.

“We must not screw this up,” he said, wiping off the table. “I want her. I want her forever.”

“Same here,” Grant said. “But we really don’t know what we’re doing. If I was on this date alone with her, I’d know exactly what to do. But I’m not. How do we proceed?”

“I haven’t a clue.” Which was the absolute truth. He and Grant were definitely in uncharted waters. “All I can suggest is that we take it slow and just do what feels natural.”

“Why don’t you go join her and the boys?” Grant brought out the pie with little chips of chocolate sprinkled on top of the thick layer of whipped cream. “I’ll put on a pot of coffee for us.”

“Don’t have to ask me twice.” He slapped his brother on the back and headed into the play area.

He found Toby on her back as she was playing “horsey.”

Heath was following behind. “My turn, Mama. My turn.”

“It’s Nate’s turn,” she said sweetly. “Then you can go next.”

“Maude, it seems you have more cowboys than horses.” He got down on all fours. “How about I help out? Climb on, Heath.”