Page 41 of Daybreak

He gave the buffet a quick glance—eyeing the cheesy toppings on most of the casseroles, the buttery juices in bowls of vegetables, six versions of macaroni and cheese, and equal amounts of church potatoes—and knew none of that would appeal to someone with a queasy tummy.

He headed straight for a platter of biscuits, picked up two, forked up a thin slice of baked ham, and made her two little ham biscuits. Then he added a spoonful of dilled potato salad, slid a piece of coconut pie on the plate, swooped up a cup of sweet tea, and headed back to where she was sitting and set it in front of her. Travis was behind him with a plate for his granny and pie for his dad.

Holly looked at the plate, and then up at Gunner. “You are scary good at reading the room. Thank you.”

He felt her praise from the inside out. “I’ll be right back.”

Gunner and Travis walked back to the buffet together and then picked up their plates. Gunner could only guess what Travis was feeling, but he also knew that sympathy was not what he needed.

“Somebody raised you right, taking care of your grandmother’s needs first. You’re going to be okay, Travis. We make plans, and life drop-kicks us onto a new path, whether we like it or not, right?”

Travis paused, eyeing the man’s demeanor. Everybody in Crossroads knew their story. And everybody knew how Jacob Kingston’s three sons came to his rescue a couple of years ago, when he was nearly killed in a robbery at his bar. “Do you like my sister?” he asked.

“Yes. Not sure where she is with it, but is that okay with you?” Gunner asked.

Travis nodded.

Gunner put a spoonful of church potatoes on his plate and then ham and two kinds of salads, and he skipped dessert.

“What’s in those potatoes?” Travis asked.

Gunner shrugged. “Not real sure, but the jalapenos I saw decorating the top gives me hope that they have some spice to them. Mostly they’re scalloped potatoes with a buttload of cheese.”

Travis grinned, scooped some onto his plate, and by the time they got back to the table to sit down, he was walking with his head up and his shoulders back. Holly already told him whether he was ready for it or not, he’d been given big shoes to stand in. Lee was dead. His mother was dead. And he was still here, so that meant he needed to live his best life for the friend he’d lost and for the mother who’d wanted all of his dreams to come true.

By the time the meal was over, Carl Warwick had seen enough from where he and his mother were sitting to know his chances of snagging a distant cousin for a wife were slim to none.

And Holly had seen enough of Gunner to know that if he ever let someone love him, he would give it back a thousandfold. She wanted him. And she wanted to be that woman, but time would tell.

It was difficult to get a bite of food chewed and swallowed before someone from the community would stop by their table with the same words of sympathy and/or asking pointed questions too personal to answer.

Finally, it was Holly who initiated their exit. “Dad, can we please go home now?”

“Yes. I just need to thank the ladies for providing the food for us,” Garrett said and got up from the table.

At that point, the rest of them stood as well.

Gunner caught Carl Warwick eyeing Holly again and slid his arm around her shoulder.

“I’ll walk you out,” he said.

She leaned against him. “My white knight.”

Travis was right behind them with Trudy on his arm.

The limo from the funeral home was parked at the front door, and the driver was standing outside, waiting. When he saw them coming, he began opening doors.

The wind was whipping the skirt of Holly’s dress and putting more tangles in her curls that she would have to brush out later, but right now she didn’t care. She was so tired her legs were shaking.

Gunner could see she was moving on autopilot.

“Darlin’, I know you feel like the world’s been cut out from under you, and that’s part of the grief. But what you need to focus on now is that you are no longer on any schedule. Your time is your own, to sleep and rest when you want. To still cry when you want. Tomorrow will be the first day of a new reality for all of you. The business of death is behind you. It doesn’t alleviate any level of sadness or grief. But your responsibilities to your mom are over. Right?”

A wave of understanding moved through her. She nodded, stumbled, and he caught her. They stopped, giving her time to regain her composure.

“I know we made a promise to each other back in Dallas not to lose touch. If you’re on the same page, when you’re ready to be out in the world again or you just want company, call me. I owe you a meal at the Yellow Rose before you go back to Dallas,” Gunner said.

“Count on it. If it’s not too personal to ask, are you for sure moving home?”