head. “Nope, she won’t. Granny Hayes is one step ahead of you, sweetheart. She brought her wagon to church today. Didn’t you notice it parked out at the edge of the lot? She likes to put it there so her mule can eat the grass on the other side of the driveway while he waits on her.”
“I was so busy wondering why the kids weren’t arguing this morning that I didn’t pay a lot of attention.” Lily slipped her hand into his. “But riding on a buckboard will be an experience for Holly.”
“Yep, it will.” Mack gently squeezed her hand.
“Mama! Mama!” Braden and Isaac ran up in front of her. “Can I go home with Isaac? His mama says it’s all right with her if you don’t care.”
“We’ve got to come back to town at three to visit my grandma in the nursing home, so we can bring him home then,” Isaac said.
“Pleeeease.” Braden looked up at her with his big brown puppy-dog eyes.
“It’s fine with me, but be home on time. You’ve still got math homework to do,” Lily told him.
“And I’ve got to help with the goats,” Braden said. “Thanks, Mama.” He and Isaac disappeared into the crowd.
“Looks like it’s me and you for Sunday dinner.” Mack grinned.
“Sally is joining us. Hope you don’t mind,” she said.
“Not a bit,” Mack replied.
Lily reached out to shake Drew’s hand as they passed by him. “Want to join us at the pizza place for dinner?”
“Thanks, but I wouldn’t dare. The sweet wife has made my favorite meal, and the boys are all home. Maybe another time,” Drew said, and then lowered his voice. “I was sad that Holly hasn’t been joining us for youth group.”
“She’ll be back, I’m sure,” Lily told him.
“That’s good to hear,” Drew said.
“We’ll have to make plans for y’all to come to the house some evening for supper,” Lily said.
“Love to.” Drew dropped her hand and extended it to the man right behind Lily.
They were in the truck and headed to the pizza place when Mack took her hand in his. “Why did you invite Drew to join us for dinner?”
“I want to get to know his wife better, and he’s your friend, and it seemed like the thing to do,” she answered. “Why are you asking?”
“You’re not worried about us being alone?” He countered with another question.
“No, Mack, I am most certainly not.” She chuckled. “But remember, Sally is joining us, too. And to be truthful, I’m actually looking forward to a dinner with no bickering kids and some adult conversation that doesn’t revolve around who ate more slices of pizza.”
He made a right turn into the restaurant’s parking lot. He snagged a good parking spot, and Sally pulled in right beside him. “Do you ever wonder if Sally will ever remarry or have children?”
“Whatever brought that question out of the blue skies?” Lily asked.
“I guess I’m wondering about you and Sally both,” he answered.
Lily shuddered at the idea of a baby at her age.
“I don’t know about Sally, but I really wouldn’t want to start over. Do the math—if I had another child now, Holly would be almost thirty when that child was just starting high school. What about you?”
“I wouldn’t mind a ready-made family.” He shrugged.
“Wouldn’t your folks want grandkids of their own?” she asked.
“Dad wouldn’t know if they were his biologically or not, and Mama gave up on that idea years ago. Adam can’t have children, and I . . .” He hesitated. “You know my story. Until you came along, I didn’t trust women anymore.”
“You’ve only been around me and the kids a short while,” she said.
“But it’s been a good time,” he declared.
Sally tapped on the truck window and motioned for her to lower the window. “We better get in there while there’s still a table.”
Lily nodded in agreement. “You’re right. It’ll fill up quick now that church is over.”
This time Sally beat Mack to the punch when the lady at the counter told them the cost for three of them to eat at the buffet that day. “My treat,” she said, “since I elbowed my way in on what could have been y’all’s private dinner.”
“The more the merrier,” Mack said, “but thank you.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Lily said. “Thank you. Next time maybe I’ll even have something cooked at home.”
“That’s why I’m bein’ nice.” Sally picked up a bowl and filled it with salad from the buffet.
Once they’d sat down in a booth, Sally said, “Hey, Ruth-Ann came by yesterday, mainly just