“I…I…” It was the first time that she’d ever seen her brother lost for words. A favorite movie came to mind, and she couldn’t resist.
“Close your mouth, Jason. You are not a fish.”
“No, but he might just have a bad case of constipation.” Leesa nodded then pointed to a table close by. “You go sit and I’ll be right back with a big bowl of prunes. That ought to clean it out of you.”
Leesa turned and marched toward the kitchen. Alice looked from Leesa’s retreating back to Jason, whose attention was also on Leesa’s retreating back. And on his face she saw an expression she’d never seen on him before.
Hmmm, I wonder.
The sound of soft snickers reached her, and she turned to look at Grandma Kate. The older woman smiled and made a motion with her eyes that let Alice know that she, too, “wondered.”
“Come and sit, Jason.” Grandma Kate took his hand and began to lead him. “My, you’ve come a long way—and all to ensure yourself that your sister is well and happy. How sweet. There’s nothing quite like an older brother’s love, is there?”
Between Kate and Alice’s mother and Bailey, they got Jason to sit—once, of course, he’d greeted his elders in a proper fashion. There was room at that table for the three of them too, and they’d join their family, shortly.
Alice was left, for the moment, standing alone with her men. Sensing her emotions, they moved in close.
“You’re my hero,” Ken said. “If that’s any indication of what you’ve been dealing with all these years.”
“Now that’s sweet.” She stretched up and kissed Ken.
“I’m with Ken. But maybe you could explain to me why all the women—and I mean all the women in this restaurant—are giving your brother looks that say they think he’s toast?”
Alice looked toward the kitchen—that door still had a bit of swing happening, a testament to the feelings of one ex-military, very peeved and totally single woman who’d last passed through them. Then she thought of the expression in Leesa’s eyes as she’d approached.
Alice grinned. “Because this, my loves, is Lusty, Texas. And it seems to me that Jason C. Benedict is about to find out just exactly what that means.”
THE END

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