Bar Bites: A Man of the Month Cookbook (Man of the Month 13)

"Shelby?" She was on the floor in front of him now, and he threaded his fingers into her hair, then held her face so that she had no choice but to look at him.

After a moment, she smiled, albeit weakly, then took a shaky breath, obviously working to hold back the tears.

"Hey," he said gently. "What is it? That doesn't look like happy crying to me."

"It is--oh, God, Nolan, it is. It's just that I was so afraid earlier, and now--to be this happy--it's all sort of a head rush."

A wave of cold caught him unaware. "Afraid?"

"The packages," she explained. "And there were phone calls. I thought--Well, I let my imagination run away. I guess I thought you were going to leave me, and I--"

She broke off with a ragged sob that almost shattered him.

"Oh, baby." He pulled her close, then held her tight. "I'm so sorry." God, he was an ass. "I was all about the show. The event. Making my proposal into a big to-do. I never thought--I never--"

She gripped his hand. "No. Oh, please, Nolan, don't think that. This is perfect. And my fears--well, I already knew how much I love you, but it wasn't until I thought you might be leaving that I had a sense of how hollow life would be without you. Honestly, I didn't see how I could even get up on a morning when you weren't beside me. I really didn't know if I could do it."

The tears fell again, and he gently brushed them away.

"Oh, baby," he said, still wanting to kick himself for scaring her even a little. "The good news is that you'll never have to find out."

Her wide smile filled his heart to bursting. "Happy anniversary," she said, then kissed him lightly. "But now the gauntlet's been thrown."

He cocked his head, looking at her curiously.

"I just mean that if this is what you pull together for an eight-month anniversary, then what will you manage for our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary?"

"Wait and see, baby," he said, pulling her close. "You're just going to have to wait and see."

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July ~ August ~ September

JULY

Fried Pickles and Pickled Okra

Oil for frying 2 (8 ounce) containers sour cream 1 (20 ounce) jar hamburger dill pickle slices, juice reserved 1 cup flour

1 cup cornmeal 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning 1 (16 ounce) jar pickled okra

In a Dutch oven or deep fryer, bring about 6 cups of oil to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, combine the sour cream with the pickle juice from the jar. Next, mix together the flour, cornmeal and Cajun seasoning in a medium bowl. Dip each piece of okra and pickle slices into the sour cream mixture and then into the dry mixture. Add about 6 pieces at a time to the fryer and cook for 1-2 minutes. Repeat until all okra and pickles have been fried. Dra

in on paper towels.

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Catfish Bites with Loaded Hush Puppies

1/2 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup Cajun seasoning 2 cups whole milk 2 tablespoons garlic powder 2 cups flour

Oil for frying

1 cup cornmeal

10-12 catfish fillets, cut into 3-inch pieces

Combine mayonnaise and milk in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, cornmeal, Cajun seasoning and garlic powder. In a Dutch oven or deep fryer, bring oil to 350 degrees. Dredge each piece of fish in the wet mixture and then the dry mixture. Place in the oil and fry for about 4-6 minutes until done. Drain on a paper bag and serve immediately.