Confessing to the Cowboy - By Carla Cassidy Page 0,29
good ever comes out of lying.”
Mary’s guilty heart cringed when she thought of all the lies she’d told, all the lies she continued to tell, to live with each day that passed. She shoved these troubling thoughts aside, refusing to allow anything to ruin the rest of what had been a wonderful day.
It was over the main entrées that Matt asked Cameron about his brother. “I’ll bet you miss him, huh? What was his name?”
“Bobby, and I miss him every day,” Cameron replied. “He was the best of all of us, fun to be around and he loved working on my mom and dad’s ranch. He loved animals and had a very gentle heart.”
“How did he die?” Matt asked. Mary was ready to jump in and stop her son from asking questions that might be too personal, too painful, but Cameron gave her a look that indicated it was okay.
She remembered how difficult it had been for Cameron when Bobby had died. Cameron had shut down, turned off and she liked to think it had been those long nights after closing at the café that had finally brought him back to life, made him realize he wasn’t honoring Bobby by grieving so deeply he kept everyone else out.
“He fell from the hay loft and broke his neck,” Cameron replied. “We think he tried to pick up too big a bale of hay by himself and lost his balance.”
“That’s so sad,” Matt said. “I always wished I had a brother or a sister, but it looks like that isn’t going to happen anytime soon.” He cast Mary a calculating glance. “But if I’m never going to have a brother or sister, it would be nice to at least have a little dog.”
A burst of laughter escaped Mary as she gazed at her son and shook her head. “Whoa, I didn’t see that one coming at all.”
Matt leaned over his plate of General Tso’s chicken to gaze at his mother with wistful eyes. “Mom, I’ve been thinking about it all afternoon. Twinkie needs me. I could spend all my spare time with her. I’d take her outside and play with her and she could keep me company when you’re busy in the café.”
Wisely, Cameron didn’t say a word.
Mary took a bite of her sweet-and-sour chicken before replying to her son. “How about we finish dinner and discuss Twinkie as a new family member later,” she finally replied.
“Okay,” Matt replied although it was obvious he would have liked to continue to campaign for the pooch. “I need to go to the bathroom,” he said instead. “I’ll be right back.” He scooted from the booth and disappeared down the hallway to the restrooms.
Mary watched him go and then leaned back in her chair with a sigh. “He’s never asked for a dog before. He’s never even asked for a lizard or a hamster.”
Cameron smiled at her. “Ah, the charms of Ms. Twinkie.” His smile faded and he looked at her seriously. “Just let me know how you want me to play it. I can discourage the whole dog thing if you want me to.”
“Thanks.” She flashed him a grateful smile in return. “To tell the truth, I’m not sure if I’m altogether against the idea. I never considered that Matt might get lonely when he’s in the back of the café playing video games and watching television alone while I’m busy in the front. I suddenly feel like I’ve missed something, a loneliness, that he’s been feeling and I haven’t realized.”
“Mary,” Cameron reached across the table and covered her hand with his. Electric shocks zinged through her at his touch. So warm, so comforting, his big hand smothered hers with gentle care. “Mary, you’re a great mom, and Matt is a great kid and you shouldn’t beat yourself up about anything where he’s concerned.” He pulled his hand from hers and she was stunned by how much she wanted him to touch her again.
At that moment Matt came bounding back to the table and the conversation turned to what kind of ice cream went with which kind of cake.
“Chunky cherry ice cream and chocolate cake,” Mary said.
“My favorite is rocky road ice cream over vanilla cake,” Cameron replied.
Matt shrugged and grinned. “I just like cake and ice cream.”
After the meal was finished they returned to Cameron’s kitchen where he presented Matt with a cake big enough to feed a small army.
“Wow,” Matt exclaimed, his attention torn between the cake holding his name in fancy