Maggie laughed. “Go on over and look. Really, it’s pretty stunning. But noisy. Polly has requested a house full of babies, those are her words. So Tate and I thought we’d take them over. But we wanted to stop by to invite you two to lunch with us.”

“Oh, lunch with adults. Doesn’t it sound amazing?” Tate sighed happily and Beth felt a million times better.

“Yes, it does.”

“I’ve got one last cut in about fifteen minutes. It’s a quick one. I’ll be done by one. I can meet you guys.” Anne stood, stretching.

“We’ve got to drop off all the kids and stuff. It’ll be around one before we’re ready anyway. We were thinking about Chinese food.”

“Oooh! Riverton?”

“Yes.” Tate smiled. China Dish had been a favorite for as long as Beth could remember. A big treat now and then as they’d earned some money and wanted to celebrate. It wasn’t fancy by any stretch, but it had good memories, big tables and huge portions.

“Be back here at one then. We can carpool over.”

Maggie and Tate left.

“I’m going to run home to change. I’ll be back to help you close up.” Beth gave Anne a hug. “Thank you for listening.”

Anne waved it away. “Of course.”

She had dinner later on that night at Tate’s so she figured she’d put on a little makeup and change into something pretty. It was good to look nice. It’d pick up her spirits maybe.

And she was doubly glad she’d done it when she came out her front door to find Joe pulling up to the curb in his truck.

He got out and looked her up and down real slow. “Hey.” He shoved his hands into his pockets and loped over. She was glad she had her sunglasses on so she could check him out all sneaky-like.

“Hey. Everything all right?”

He sighed heavily. “Yeah. I’m sorry. About last night I mean. It was a family emergency.”

“You wanna talk about it?”

“God no.” He shoved a hand through his hair. “You free? I mean, I know you’re busy and all. I just thought—”

“I’m not. Not right now anyway. I’m having lunch with my sisters. You want to come to dinner with me tonight? At Tate’s? They’re setting up a screen in the backyard and watching a movie after we eat. It’s pretty fun. William will be there too.”

He hesitated, and she made herself a promise that if he blew her off she was done chasing the delicious Joe Harris.

“Okay. If you’re sure it’s not a problem.”

She grinned, cocking her head to look up at him. “Tate cooks enough for an army. One more person won’t hurt. Heck, she’ll be thrilled. Because she’s weird that way.”

He reached out and took her hand, bringing it to his mouth to kiss. “I really am sorry about last night.”

“Me too. I hope everything is okay now. With your family I mean.”

He sighed again. “Yeah.”

She gave him Tate’s address and told him she’d see him at seven for dinner. He walked her to her car and frowned when she started it.

“When’s the last time you had a tune-up?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s running fine.”

He bent, and she leaned out to kiss him because he looked so good. “Don’t try to change the subject.”

She laughed. “Am I so transparent?”

“Bring it by the shop on Monday morning. Leave it and it’ll be done by the time you get off work.”

“You’re being very nice to me.”

“I like you.” He stood before he said anything else, stepping back. “See you at seven.”

Chapter Seven

She watched Joe, his head bent toward William, a huge grin on his face.

“I think he’s good for William.” Tate handed Beth a cream soda. “It’s good for him to have friends around. I admit when Joe first came to town I wasn’t convinced he’d outgrown his past.”

“I feel like we’re talking about one of the kids.” Beth sipped her soda. “Maybe we should have Joe over for a playdate.”

“If so, can I play with him too?” Anne waggled her brows and Beth threw a piece of ice at her. A little harder than she needed to.

“Ouch! I was just joking.”

Beth giggled. “I laugh because it hurts. Remember that. Keep your mitts away.”

Anne gave her a surreptitious middle finger. “I’ve never seen you actually jealous before. It’s fascinating. You’re going to get a line on your forehead though, so stop. He’s too tall for my taste. But he’s got a great ass.”

“He’s the kind of kisser that makes a woman weak in the knees. Takes his time.” She shivered as she watched him with her brothers and the Chase boys.

“Man takes his time with your mouth, he’s good with other parts.” Tate looked wistfully over in her husband’s direction.

“You all should remember I am single at the moment. I’m not getting any and all this talk is making me antsy.” Anne sighed.

“Then why do you keep turning Royal down when he asks you to marry him?” Maggie Chase asked.

But Beth knew the answer. Anne had grown up smacked in the face with the worst marriage ever. Their parents were miserable people on their own. Together they’d been a train wreck of epic proportions. Anne didn’t believe any marriage could work. And Beth also knew despite how beautiful, smart and talented her sister was, she didn’t believe she was worthy of her happily ever after.