Defending Harlow (Mountain Mercenaries #4)(60)

He had no idea how long he’d been waiting for Harlow to finish up the preparations for dinner, but it didn’t matter. He could stand there and watch her forever. He’d been chatting with a few of the residents, Kristen, Melinda, and Sue. Kristen told him she and Sue had found an apartment they could afford if they split the rent. He was happy they’d been able to get back on their feet enough to get a place of their own.

Melinda wasn’t quite there yet, but she was satisfied at the moment that Milo seemed to be doing much better in school. Before the pair moved into the shelter, his grades had been steadily going downhill because of the abuse at home with her ex. But they’d been slowly getting better, now that he had more stability in his life and his father was out of the picture.

Loretta came into the kitchen then—and Black immediately stiffened.

He could tell by looking at her face that something was wrong. She was trying to hide it, but it was obvious—at least to him.

“It smells delicious in here,” she said in a fake chipper tone.

Harlow obviously noticed something was wrong too, because she put down the dish towel she was holding and came over to the older woman. “Is everything all right?”

“Of course,” Loretta said.

Harlow frowned and looked over at Milo and Sammie, who were sitting at the table nearby, then at little Jody, who was playing with some hand-me-down Barbie dolls in a corner. “Are you sure?” she asked quietly.

“I’m sure,” Loretta said. “We’ll talk tomorrow. I gave you the night off, and you need to get started on that. You did way more than your share by getting the lasagna in the oven—I think we can manage to remove it before it’s burned.” She smiled to let Harlow know she was teasing.

“I’m going, I’m going,” Harlow said, returning the smile. Then she lowered her voice. “But you know if you need anything, all you have to do is call.”

“I know, child. Thank you. Don’t you worry about us. Edward should be here in about thirty minutes, and I’ve got Black’s number, as well as his friends’, all saved in my cell just in case.”

Black wanted to talk to Loretta privately to find out what was bothering her, but when he saw how stressed she looked at the thought of Harlow pressing the issue, he relented. Hopefully he’d get the information they needed out of Brian Pierce, and he’d have something positive to tell Loretta. It had to be stressful being responsible for all the women and children living in the shelter.

“The lasagna should have another forty minutes or so. I baked some fresh bread today, so when there’s ten minutes to go, slather some of the garlic butter I’ve already prepared over the top and inside, then pop it in with the lasagna for about five minutes. If you want, you can sprinkle some cheese over the top. There’s a salad in the fridge, and I made chocolate pudding for dessert.”

Black’s mouth was watering. He wasn’t the best cook, but he got by. Generally, he ate when he was hungry and didn’t care much about what he put in his mouth. But being around Harlow was making him change his thoughts on food. The things she made were absolutely delicious. Make-his-mouth-water good. He made a mental note to add thirty minutes to his workout schedule, because with Harlow cooking for him, he had a feeling he’d need it.

“We got it,” Loretta told Harlow again. “Shoo, girl. Get.”

She laughed, then hugged Loretta. “Thanks for giving me the night off. I know I worked alone when I first started, but I’d forgotten how much of a help Zoe is.”

Black would’ve missed the expression on Loretta’s face if he hadn’t been looking right at her. She looked like Harlow had just told her someone had died.

But by the time Harlow pulled back from the hug, the smile was back on Loretta’s face.

“Call if you have any questions,” Harlow said again. “I’ll be back tomorrow, probably around ten thirty or so.”

“Have a good time tonight. We’ll talk tomorrow,” Loretta told her.

Harlow nodded and turned to Black. “Ready?”

He nodded. He was super curious about what Loretta wanted to say to Harlow, but now wasn’t the time to press. As Harlow went to collect her purse, he approached Loretta and said softly, “Meat will be coming over after dinner. If you need something—anything—before then, don’t hesitate to call.”

“Thank you,” Loretta said. “It’s been nice having you boys around. Not only does it make this big ol’ place seem safer, it’s good for the kids and women to see how men should act.”

Black nodded, then spontaneously leaned down and kissed her cheek. He smiled when she blushed.

When Harlow came back over to them, Loretta said, “You better watch out, I might steal your man out from under your nose if you’re not careful.”

Harlow linked her arm with his and said breezily, “It would never work out between the two of you. He’s a morning person like me.”

Loretta laughed and mock frowned. “Darn.”

Black simply shook his head. “Ready?” he asked Harlow.

“Yeah.” Then she turned and called out, “I’ll see everyone tomorrow!”

Everyone waved and said their goodbyes. As Black walked her through the shelter, he had to laugh because it took her forever to get out the door. She had to make sure everyone around her had whatever they needed, and she talked to each resident before they left.