their pants make their butts look too big." Tracy smirked as she said that, and Kelsey laughed.
"Okay, that's it. I'm entering deputy sheriff stealth mode. I am not here." Matt raised his book up so that he couldn't see them. "And I'm almost wishing that SOB would try to break in here in the next couple of minutes, because I'm in the mood to pound on something."
Kelsey and Tracy were both chuckling. Carrie found herself fighting the urge to do the same. Since Matt was there, basically, for her benefit, she thought it behooved her to do what she could so as not to ridicule him.
"All right, my curiosity is roused. What particular dragons did the women of this town slay recently?"
Carrie couldn't help but grin as Kelsey and Tracy exchanged sly looks. Then Kelsey put the turkeys in the oven, washed her hands at the sink, and came over next to her.
Carrie was working on the daily salads. She'd already prepared the rotini and the rice. Both had been strained and were cooling in the large bowls she'd use to mix them in. She only needed to finish adding the other ingredients, and then the dressings, for the salads to be ready to serve. The lunch hour was fast approaching, so she needed to work quickly.
Kelsey took a moment to survey the array of vegetables on the working table, then picked up a knife, grabbed a stool, sat, and got to work chopping vegetables.
"The first hombre to meet a sad fate at the hands of the women of Lusty" - she grinned and winked at Carrie and then looked over toward her husband - "while the men were off protecting the wrong place primarily due to their flawed logic, I might add, was a very dangerous and more than slightly demented drug lord who'd painted a target on Peter's back. He'd put a contract out on him and when that didn't work, came after him in person."
Matt lowered his book and skewered his wife with a very direct stare. "You have no idea how frantic we were when we found out what y'all were doing. Swear to God, y'all were lucky you weren't turned over your men's knees for that one." His glance took in Tracy, who had the cheek to stick out her tongue at the deputy.
"You took on a drug lord?" Carrie guessed her horror sounded plain, because Matt pointed at her.
"See? Carrie understands how reckless and foolhardy that was!"
Carrie was all about making Matt feel appreciated on account of he was there guarding her, but there was a limit. "Um, I never said that, Matt." She gave him a sweet smile to soften the blow.
He grunted then pointed at his wife. "Wait until you hear what Ginny did. Go on, tell her."
Kelsey said, "How come you don't want me to tell her what I did, before we got married?"
"Because there is only so much stress I can take. Now, are you going to tell her what our sweet, shy little Ginny did, or not?"
Just then Ginny Kendall came into the kitchen. "I need an order of breakfast tacos, extra hot, and to know why y'all are staring at me as if I have two heads."
"I'll get the order," Tracy said.
Carrie met Ginny's gaze. "Kelsey was fixin' to tell me what you did that got the men's masculinity all twisted up in a knot."
Ginny's cheeks turned pink. "Oh, that." She waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. "I don't know why the men keep harpin' on that. It's not like I planned to do anything dangerous. Things just happened. The truth of the matter is I - "
"Just got so mad!"
Ginny's eyes widened as Tracy, Kelsey, and Matt cut her off to say that in perfect unison. The women grinned, and Matt said, "Why do you think we men treat you with such respect, Mrs. Kendall, ma'am? We've all seen what you do when you get mad and we aim not to put you in that state. Ever."
"I have a feeling that this is a story I have to hear." Carrie looked at each of them in turn.
"Order up." Tracy set a plate under the hot lights.
Ginny waved her hand again. "I have to give Uncle Albert his breakfast. Y'all can fill her in. As long as you also let her know what Kelsey, Susan, and Tamara did. Boy howdy, you'd think I was the only woman in town to stand up for herself."
"Well, sweetheart, you are