on the rug. “Rough way to wake up, huh? Did you have a good nap?”
“I don’t take naps.”
“As a rule.” Brett carried him into the kitchen and set him on the counter. He examined Tyler’s head and stepped back. “I don’t think it needs ice, do you?”
The boy contemplated the question, then shrugged. “Naw. And Derringer didn’t mean to do it.”
“No.”
“He was just rolling over, right?”
“Right.”
“And he likes kids.”
“Hasn’t eaten one yet.” Brett offered that response with an easy grin.
Tyler replied in kind. “But the day ain’t over.”
“You’re learning, kid. Hey, how about you and Todd set the table so we can have some supper?”
“Oh, Brett, thank you, but—” Haley offered the protest, but he’d already figured out she didn’t accept help easily and that probably had a story behind it. Well, who didn’t have a story? Considering her current circumstances, he was determined to help because it was advantageous to her and...
If he was being honest with himself...
Just being with her felt good to him. End of discussion.
“No buts.” He flashed an over-the-shoulder smile her way, but didn’t pretend he’d take no for an answer. The boys had to eat and so did she, even if resistance was her first line of defense. For an established soldier like him, it wasn’t much of a battle. “If your entrepreneurial nature must be kept busy 24/7, then help the boys set the table. Plates are there.” He shifted his chin up and to the left. “Silverware in the drawer next to the sink. And cups are above the plates.”
“But—”
He sent her a look that quashed her protest much like it had with troops at home and abroad, and decided that look might come in handy. Or maybe he hoped it would come in handy. Either way, her response was to help the boys while he poured pasta into a pot of salted, boiling water.
“You cooked for us?”
“Way easier than cooking for a legion of troops.” He handed her a loaf of crusty bread from the deli area of the store. “And I did that often enough as I worked my way up the ranks.”
“You served.”
“Twenty-five years.”
“Army?”
“Yup.”
“Wow.” She turned and stared straight at him, and a part of him hoped the surprise wasn’t because that made him seem really old. Because no way did he want her thinking he was too old. Or off his game. Which was ridiculous because he was both, but right now, here, with her, he didn’t want to be.
She stepped his way and lay a cool, slim hand against his cheek. “Thank you for doing that.”
“I was young when I signed up.”
His words made her flash him a knowing smile. Kind of flirty. And fun.
“Real young.” He added the qualifier in a deep, rugged tone, driving his point home. It worked. She grinned.
“Barely out of diapers, no doubt.”
“Well.” He hedged that one slightly. “Barely old enough to drive, at any rate.”
“So I shouldn’t think of you as old,” she mused aloud as she set out silverware. “Just seasoned.”
“Exactly.”
“Or aged, like vintage wine.”
“I like seasoned better.”
“So do I.” She turned and met his look full on and he realized right there and then that his age meant little to her and that felt good. “My mother used to say I was like a little old woman, old before my time.”
“Was that a compliment?”
The look she sent him said more than the word. “No.”
“Ah.” He brought over a big bowl of red sauce and meatballs, but decided they’d share stories another time. Maybe. “Luckily I like mature women.”
She laughed out loud.
He liked that she let herself react to a given situation. She didn’t mince words or pretend, she reacted, and while these days that wasn’t considered socially advantageous, he found her spontaneity contagious. And inspiring.
“I’m so hungry.” Tyler sucked in a deep breath of sauce-scented air. “Brett, I think you’re a really good cooker.”
“Well, thank you.” He pulled out a chair for Haley and that simple, gentlemanly gesture delighted her. He read it in her face, her smile, her eyes. Her look of pleasure made him feel taller. Broader. Nicer.
And somewhat adolescent.
He helped Todd settle himself into the chair, then drained the pasta into a strainer too small to hold the whole pot.
“Not exactly accustomed to cooking for a crew, huh?”
He shot Haley a grin. “As you’ll note by the mismatched plates and silverware, LuAnn outfitted me with whatever leftover spoils she had in her kitchen. When you’re on your own, it doesn’t make sense to spend money on things. If I’m eating alone, I can pick any plate I want and it doesn’t need to match anything else.”
“Matching is overrated,” she assured him as she held up her fork and her knife.
“Good girl.”
She preened his way and he had to stop himself from reaching out. Touching her. Damp tendrils of hair were drying in the heat of the small kitchen, leaving curls in their wake, and the sight of those curls made him wonder what it might be like to have a little girl some day, a tiny girl with a head full of blond ringlets. And because he’d never in his life entertained thoughts like this, the fear might have overwhelmed the enticement of home, family and forever if she hadn’t held his gaze with the warm, open smile that was simply Haley Jennings. But she did and he felt like a superhero as a result.
“I love sketti.” Todd started to dive into the bowl of pasta before him, but Haley held up a hand of caution.
“Grace first.”
“Aww...”
“Do we—”
Brett solved the objections by taking Tyler’s hand on one side and folding Haley’s into his on the other. Soft, slim and tapered, her fingers fit as if meant to be tucked inside his bigger, broader hands. Once they’d completed the circle he offered a quick grace, pretty sure starving boys wouldn’t sit still for a longer version.
“Nice
