Tamara Jones packed more punch than a jet engine hitting Mach 2, and she didn’t even seem to realize it.
Of course he and Henry both understood they’d knocked her off balance right from the first moment. They planned to keep her there, too. At least until they sank balls-deep into her.
He’d know, then, if she was the one meant to be theirs, or not.
Liar. You know already.
“Hey, Morgan, hey, Henry. Y’all just missed the lunch crowd. We had a lively one today.”
Morgan smiled at Ginny Rose, Kelsey’s newest waitress. The young woman had been a member of their community for just over six months, and it seemed to him she was finally coming into her own. Today she had her hair pulled back with a pretty clip, and if he wasn’t mistaken, she was wearing a bit of makeup.
“Hey there, Ginny, how are you doing today? Meet Tamara Jones. Her plane had an engine failure, and she managed to bring it down out on the strip.”
“Oh my word!” Ginny’s eyes widened in sympathy. She put her whole attention on Tamara. “Why, that must have scared you silly!” Ginny shuddered as she said that. Morgan was left with no doubt Ginny would be a nervous flyer.
Tamara smiled at Ginny. “Well, it certainly was exciting for a little bit, there. But I’m mostly over it.”
“Well, I’m glad you were able to land it okay. Now, the special today is Country-fried steak with fries and slaw. Here’s the menu if you want to look at what else we have. Y’all want some tea or a soda to start with?”
“I’d like a Coke, and I don’t need to read the menu, thanks. I like the sound of the special,” Tamara said.
Both he and Henry decided to have the same. “Could you tell Tracy that we’re here?” he asked Ginny. “I think she’s expecting us.”
“I’ll do that. And I’ll be back in a few moments with your drinks.”
Ginny went into the kitchen. Tamara turned to him. “So, who’s she married to? Ginny?”
“No one, yet,” Morgan said. “Our brother Adam seems taken with her, though.”
“Jake, too,” Henry said.
“Why am I not surprised? Anyway,” he turned his attention back to Tamara, “Ginny moved here from Waco a few months back, so she’s still trying to acclimate.”
“She gets months to acclimate, and you want me to get used to you in just a few days?” Tamara blushed, and he knew she hadn’t meant to say that.
“As Henry said, you’re not confused at all,” Morgan said.
The kitchen door opened, and a petite blonde, her hair pulled up in a knot on top of her head, practically exploded into the dining room. She carried two shopping bags and made a beeline straight for them.
“Hey, Morgan, Hey, Henry.”
“Tracy, this is Tamara Jones. Tamara, this is our cousin, Tracy Jessop.”
“Another cousin?”
“The town is lousy with them.” Tracy laughed. “I threw together a couple bags of clothing for you. The flyboys here said you landed without luggage. This should be enough to last you a few days.”
“Oh!” Tamara’s cheeks turned pink.
It was all Morgan could do not to laugh. In the time between when he first wrapped his arms around the little spitfire, to towing the Piper into the hangar, to huddling in the office, making calls to arrange her accommodations for the duration, Tamara hadn’t seemed to notice that she didn’t even have so much as a change of clothes or a toothbrush. Unless, of course, she carried one in that tiny fanny pack she wore.
“Thank you, Tracy. I don’t want to—”
“Impose?” Tracy smiled. “You’re not. I’m glad to be of help.” She paused and gave Tamara a look. “Henry was right. We are about the same size. Oh, and before I forget, Terry called me about ten minutes ago, when he couldn’t get an answer out at the field. Said he’ll be here Saturday, and he’d be glad to lend a hand. Between you and me, he sounded eager as all get-out. With any luck, he’ll leave our cars be this time.”
“That’s great. Really. Thank you.” Tamara’s voice came out the quietest he’d heard it.
“Like I said, happy to help. Well, I have to get back to work before the boss gets back.” Tracy winked and headed straight back to the kitchen.
Morgan raised one eyebrow as he looked at Henry. Apparently all that was necessary to render Red speechless was to do something nice for her. By Henry’s expression, he’d noticed that, too.
He had the feeling she wasn’t used to people being kind to her—especially if those people were total strangers. As elated as he felt to have a key to her already, knowing she’d not experienced much kindness in her life made him mad as hell.
Ginny came back with their drinks. “Here you go. Lunch will be out in a bit.”
“It all smells so good in here,” Tamara said. She took a sip of her soda, then set it down.
“Kelsey and Tracy are both excellent chefs,” Henry said. “Kelsey has been trying to convince Tracy to go after her chef’s certification—she’s sous-chef here now, and a genius when it comes to desserts.”
“Maybe she likes where she is in life.”
“That would be one of my guesses,” Henry said. He leaned forward and set his arms on the table. “We haven’t spent as much time in town lately, having been stationed in different places over the last few years. We’d come home on leave, of course. But it’s not the same as settling in and settling down.”
“You both went into the Air Force. I always imagined siblings would want to go out on their own path, so to speak.”
“You don’t have any brothers or sisters?” Morgan asked her.
Tamara shrugged, which in itself was an odd response to the question.
“I have a half brother,” she said. “We share a mother, and nothing else. He was born when I was fourteen, with mom’s second, no, sorry, her third husband. She’s on
