“I thought I was the handsomest,” Shane grumbled.

“Shane, you’re the biggest and bravest. Kyle is the kindest and most compassionate. Marc? He’s the sweetheart charmer. All of you are handsome, you know that so don’t try and play me. But Matthew here? Ahh, he’s nearly pretty he’s so handsome. Smart too, but handsome has done the work for him. He’s just realizing that now and he’s feeling a bit bad about it. Don’t feel bad, cookie. You’re a good man, a lot better than you give yourself credit for. You’ve found your special girl, that’s everything. You’ll build a life with her and she’ll be part of us and you’ll be part of her kin. Our family will get larger by eight, or fourteen because there are wives and children. Ahh, more grandchildren for me.” She smiled.

Matt wanted to put his head in her lap. No one understood him better than she did. He shouldn’t have waited so long. It felt so good that she knew him so well. He looked around the table at the family he loved and who had his back. Damned lucky.

“Go on. Tell her she’s invited here next week. Invite them all. I hear she’s a good cook. That so?”

Matt nearly choked on his tea, he wasn’t going there. “Sure. I won’t go hungry.”

“Better baker than Maggie?”

“Okay on that note, I’m going to get going. Thank you for the support.” He got up and kissed his mother’s cheek while his father chuckled.

“I’ll walk you out.”

His father walked to the door with him. “Nice one. She’s really better than Maggie or your momma?”

“Daddy, I’ve never eaten biscuits that I’d have sold my soul for until this morning. And she made them while she did three other things.”

Edward laughed again. “Look, Matt, her daddy, I didn’t want to say anything in front of the others, Shane may know it though, being sheriff and all. Her daddy is a thug and a violent one. Keep an eye out. He’s a wastrel too. I wouldn’t be surprised if he hit you up for cash. Watch yourself. And her too, it can’t be easy on her coming from that when she’s such a good person.”

“It isn’t, I can tell. But the rest of them are good people.”

“Course they are. You wouldn’t have loved her elsewise. Don’t rush up on the girl. Let her know how you feel but she’s a person who’s been abandoned and disappointed and lied to by people she should have been able to trust. It’s gonna be a bit like she’s a wounded animal, I know that’s not entirely an accurate comparison but it’s close enough for you to know what I mean.”

Matt’s father didn’t hand out advice right and left. He knew people better than most because he listened more than he spoke. Kyle was a lot like him, Matt realized.

“It’s hard. I want to scoop her up and protect her.”

Edward smiled and squeezed his son’s shoulder. “I know. That’s why you know this is real, the fear of losing it or her.”

“You’re pretty smart for an old guy.”

“Smartass. Now get on out of here. If you promised her you’d stop in, do it. Keep your promises to her, no matter what.”

“Thanks, Daddy.”

“That’s what I’m here for, boy.”

“Why don’t you call him?” Nathan asked her softly as she looked to the front door for the hundredth time.

“I don’t know what you’re…oh f**k me, he said he’d stop in after dinner. It’s not like it’s a date. He probably just forgot. It’s not a big deal.” Tate knew it was useless to try and lie to Nathan.

The house had been loud and chaotic and filled to the rafters with Murphys but now with bellies filled and coffee making to go with the cherry pie she’d baked earlier that day, things had quieted down. The kids played out back in the twilight.

“Tate, if the man made a promise, he’s meant to keep it. If he doesn’t, he’s not worth caring about.”

Tate put her head on Nathan’s shoulder a moment before Tim noticed. If Tim saw her in any distress at all he’d go into protective mode right away. So far that evening he’d been on kid duty so she’d been spared his usual close monitoring of her moods.

She moved into the kitchen when the coffeemaker beeped. Beth followed along with Anne to slice pie and get coffee for everyone. Tim came in to get milk and pie for the kids.

Tate smiled, her life was good. When she was Belle’s age she’d never have imagined her life would be so wonderful as an adult. Matt Chase or not.

But when she made her way back into the dining room with a tray of plates with pie, she caught sight of the man she’d been trying so hard not to think of come in through her front door.

He grinned as he caught sight of her. “I see I got here just in time. Do I smell cherry pie?”

She smiled back before she could even think about it. “There’s enough for you most likely. Have a seat there.” She indicated a chair with a tilt of her chin and he rolled his eyes, approaching to take the tray from her and place it on the table.

“Thank you.”

“I don’t suppose I need to even ask if this is scratch pie.”

Nathan snorted and grabbed a plate and a mug of coffee. “Better grab a slice now, there won’t be a flake of that crust left over in about three minutes.”

Matt sat and she smirked, pushing a plate to him following that with a mug of coffee. “It’s decaf.”