Wild Cowboy Ways (Lucky Penny Ranch #1)(36)

“Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and I want ice cream on my pie for dessert,” Irene said.

Blake handed her the menu. “Same only with okra instead of mac and cheese.”

“Me, too, except I want corn casserole for my vegetable.” Allie’s arm brushed against Blake’s when she gave the waitress her menu, and the pictures in her head became even more vivid.

“I’ll have it right out.” The waitress hurried off to seat a family of six at the larger table and clean off a small four-person table for another group just arriving.

“So what are you ladies going to do all next week?” Blake asked.

“School.” Irene rolled her eyes. “I hope we don’t have homework every night.”

“Why is that?”

Allie had no doubts that Blake was a very good uncle to his nieces and nephew. He was a natural in the role.

Irene sighed dramatically. “If we have homework, then Hilda can’t come and play with me after school. Her mama won’t let her and my mama makes me sit at the kitchen table until it’s all done, and it takes hours.”

“Do you like Dry Creek?” Blake asked.

Irene shrugged. “It’s where I live so I have to like it. Someday I’m going to move away to a big place, though. I’m going to live in a house in town so I can go to the movies and to a café and have coffee in the mornings.”

Blake nodded seriously. “And do you like coffee, Miz Irene?”

“No, but I’ll learn if I can move away from Dry Creek. Why are you asking me so many questions?” Irene asked.

“I want to get to know my niece’s friend.” He smiled.

Lord, have mercy! One more of those killer smiles and knee touches and Allie would need one of her mother’s hot flash pills. Come to think of it, Blake should carry those little white pills in his shirt pocket and dole them out to the women he came in contact with. One if he smiled. Two if he strutted past them in tight jeans. Go ahead and fill up a coffee cup with them if he kissed a woman.

The waitress brought their food and drinks at the same time and Irene concentrated on her food. Allie was afraid to say anything at all because it could make her grandmother shift gears and suddenly not know either her or Blake.

“Allie.” Irene touched her on the arm. “What are we doing here?”

Allie laid a hand over her grandmother’s. “You had a forgetting moment, Granny. Deke’s friend asked us to go to dinner with him and you said you’d love some fried chicken.”

“This is Blake from the Lucky Penny. He’s not Deke’s friend,” Irene argued.

“Yes, he is. He and Deke are really good friends. Our fried chicken is here. Let’s eat it before it gets cold,” Allie said.

“I do like fried chicken. Did Grady and Mitch go home with Lizzy?” Irene asked.

Allie nodded.

“Well, I’m glad I came with you and Blake because I really don’t like either one of those guys.” Irene dug into her dinner with gusto.

Blake bit into a piece of fried chicken. “Is your chicken this good?” he asked Allie.

Irene laughed. “Oh, honey. Her fried chicken is even better than my mama’s was. And her biscuits would make the angels in heaven weep for joy.”

“Now you have to marry me.” Blake grinned.

Where were those hot flash pills? She needed a mug full to eat like candy corn.

“No, she’s not going to marry you. We might go to dinner with you when fried chicken is involved, but the women of Audrey’s Place do not marry the men from the Lucky Penny, and that’s a fact.” Irene’s mind and body both shifted from little girl to grown woman in the blink of an eye. “If we had some fried green tomatoes, this would be the ideal Sunday dinner.”

Without another word, she cleaned up her plate and pushed it back. “Now I want pecan pie with ice cream.”

Allie caught the waitress’s eye and the lady hurried right over to their table. “Ready for dessert? Three pecan pies with ice cream.”

Irene giggled. “No, three slices of pecan pie with ice cream. I can’t eat a whole pie.”

“Yes, ma’am.” The waitress patted her gently on the shoulder.

“Old people can say whatever they want and folks don’t even mind,” Irene said. “But I’m glad these people over here in Olney?we are in Olney, aren’t we?”

Blake nodded. “Yes, ma’am, we are. I heard you liked fried chicken and that this place served up a good Sunday special.”

“Well, I’m glad that we’re here and not in Dry Creek. That café has been closed for years in Dry Creek, hasn’t it?”

Allie’s head bobbed. “Yes, Granny. You are remembering very well today.”

“Some days are better than others,” she said.



Floating from one time period to the next always exhausted her grandmother. The poor old dear curled up next to the window on the way home and went to sleep. What little Allie and Blake did say to each other was said in low tones so they wouldn’t wake her. Twenty-five minutes from the time they’d left the restaurant, he drove past the church, the feed store, and the convenience store and on out to the lane that led back to Audrey’s Place. He parked in front of the big two-story house and Allie saw the house through his eyes.