“Are you hungry, Emmett?” she asked innocently. God, if she only knew what she was asking.
“I am. Are you?”
She turned and nodded.
Silently, he’d craved what his parents had and had listened intently to the fatherly advice all those years ago. Cody and Bryant had been riveted by the discussion, though of course Cody, ever the romantic, had tons of questions for their dads.
His brothers were completely lost to her, acting like cavemen or more like two lovesick schoolboys. Hell, those two were in the kitchen cooking. Cooking? Neither of them had a clue about what went on in a kitchen beyond grabbing a beer from the fridge or nuking something in the microwave for a quick hot meal. What in the world they were going to present to Amber to eat, he had no idea.
When it came to Amber, Cody was going to be hard to rein in, Bryant, a bit easier, though Emmett had seen something in his eyes that might mean trouble. He didn’t want to disappoint his brothers. God knew how much they’d suffered. But he had to be the responsible one. They depended on him. Better to do the right thing and keep the pain to a minimum than to give in to long-buried hopes and be tortured by the loss. Until they knew m
ore, hands off.
“There you go again, Emmett. Off on some thought vacation.” She giggled, and his hard heart melted inside his chest.
Marriage had seemed so distant, in the faraway future. There were plenty of wild oats to sow still. Until Amber.
“Let’s go see what my two brothers have burnt for you.” He grabbed her hand and led her out of the bathroom. Silently, he hoped against all odds that Amber didn’t have a claim on her by any other man.
Chapter Five
Amber inhaled the delicious aromas of the food Cody and Bryant had prepared for her before actually seeing the meal. “Wow, this is quite the meal, fellows.”
Cody smiled and pulled out a chair from the kitchen table. “Sweetheart, this is for you.”
“Thank you.” The table was filled with trays of eggs, prepared in every fashion possible—scrambled, fried, sunny-side-up, poached, and even boiled. On another tray was a pile of crisp bacon that couldn’t dare hold another piece. Fresh biscuits were in a breadbasket next to a bowl of cream gravy. Three kinds of jam sat next to her bone-white plate, the only one on the table. A pitcher of orange juice was paired with a carafe that she guessed was filled with hot coffee. “This is way too much. Are you going to make me eat this all by myself?”
Emmett shook his head. “Dumb-asses, you forgot to set plates for us. I thought you were starving.”
Cody punched his eldest brother in the arm. “Ladies first, or have you forgot your manners?”
She sat in the chair Cody was holding for her. “Seriously, I would like you guys to join me. It would be strange to eat while you watch.”
“I, for one, am starving. I can’t believe you two pulled this off,” Emmett said, opening the cabinet closest to him and pulling out three plates.
“I know it’s dinnertime, but breakfast foods are my specialty,” Cody said, taking the seat next to her.
Bryant smiled and sat in the seat opposite her, leaving the other side for Emmett.
Amber stared at the feast. “Thank you so much.”
“Enjoy,” Bryant said, motioning her to dive in.
She did, loading her plate to the brim. Emmett filled her juice glass up with the OJ, and Cody poured her a cup of steamy coffee.
They didn’t move to fill their plates, but instead were staring at her like a jury of three.
“Cowboys,” she mocked. “I never knew they were so demanding. I suppose you won’t fill your plates until I’ve at least taken a bite. Is that it?”
“Smart girl.” Cody grabbed her hand and squeezed. “And you can’t imagine how demanding we can be, sweetheart.”
“That’s enough,” Emmett growled. “Let her eat her meal in peace, Cody.”
What was it about these two that kept them on edge? Was it something about her? She wasn’t sure, but the tension was thick between them.
Hoping to relax the strain, she took a bite of the biscuit she’d placed on her plate. It was flaky and warm. “Yummy.”
Bryant grinned and Cody nodded. They had clearly been worried about what they’d put in front of her to eat. She found that so very sweet of them.