Millicent beamed ear-to-ear. Elizabeth forgave him the lie. Millicent was one of her favorite people.
“Aw, heck, Milly,” the Sheriff called from the back of the restaurant. “I called you ma’am last week and I didn’t get no apple pie.”
Millicent snorted inelegantly as she waved Asa and Elizabeth to the table vacated by the blond railroader. “Who you think you’re kidding, Sheriff? You only called me ma’am cause you were being sarcastic.”
“Be fair, Milly.”
“Letting you eat my cooking is as fair as I’m getting!” She turned back to Elizabeth and Asa. “Now, what’ll you be having, Elly?”
Elizabeth unfolded her napkin across her lap. “I’d love a sweet potato.”
“As an appetizer, that’ll do, but what are you planning on for the meal?”
“I’m really not hungry.”
“Child, we’ve been over and over this. You won’t start putting meat on your bones unless you start putting food in your belly.”
“I’ll eat a big breakfast in the morning,” she promised, excruciatingly aware that Asa watched the exchange.
“So you say now, but I won’t be around to witness it.” Millicent heaved a sigh from her toes. The men at the next table got up to leave. She started piling their dishes onto her tray. “I know your daddy had a thing about how he thought a woman should look, but you gotta let it go.”
Elizabeth felt the old tightening in her belly. The churning nausea. She was aware of Asa’s eyes on her. “I’m just not hungry, Millicent.”
If she ate anything now, she’d be violently sick. She pinched the napkin between her fingers.
“Hrrmph!” Millicent wasn’t buying her excuse.
Elizabeth felt warm callused fingers slide over hers and found Asa looking at her. He nodded his head once and gave her fingers a soft squeeze. As his fingers wove between hers and loosened their grip from her napkin, he said, “I’ll take care of her, Miss Foster.”
This earned him a disbelieving snort and a hard glare. With a practiced hitch of her shoulder, Millicent balanced the loaded tray. “I’ve heard that before.”
“Not from me.”
Millicent stood and stared at Asa, saying nothing. Elizabeth felt the tension like a knife. She wanted Millicent to like Asa. After what seemed an eternity, Millicent proclaimed abruptly, “I’ve a feeling I’m going to like you.”
“Well, now, I was just having the same thought,” Asa replied. His hand now rested calmly on Elizabeth’s.
Millicent let loose with her booming laugh, causing all heads to turn their way. “Just for that, you get my chicken and dumplings to go with that pie.”
Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief. If Millicent and Asa had taken to feuding, she couldn’t have borne it. Millicent was as close to a mother as she’d ever had. “You’re being honored,” she informed Asa as Millicent wove her way back to the kitchen.
Asa’s smile was gentle as he said, “I’ll reserve judgment on that until I taste her dumplings.”
* * * * *
The plate Millicent placed in front of Asa was laden with food. “You eat all that and I’ll get that pie.”
If he ate all that, Elizabeth decided, he’d be over to Doc’s getting medicine for a stomach ache.
“Check back in about ten minutes,” Asa said, his voice laced with confidence and anticipation.
Millicent beamed. “I do like a man who can eat.”
“In that case, ma’am,” Asa said as she placed a glass of water before him, “we’re going to get along fine.”
Millicent chuckled and turned to Elizabeth. Elizabeth braced herself for the disapproval she knew was coming. It landed in the thud of her sweet potato before her. “Here’s your order.”
Millicent jerked her thumb in Asa’s direction. “How you expecting to keep up with a man like that, let alone hold onto him, when you don’t have an ounce of meat on your bones?”
“Mr. MacIntyre is free to leave anytime he wants.” Elizabeth’s stomach clenched even as she made the statement.
Millicent could be brutal with her disapproval. “What kind of—”
Asa’s low drawl cut her off. “Don’t suppose she’s too worried about it, because she knows I’m not going anywhere.”
Millicent spun on him. “It’s a man’s nature to wander.” Her ever present wooden spoon punctuated the statement.
Asa calmly took a bite of dumpling. His expression melted into one of pure bliss as he chewed. “You sure can cook, Miss Foster.”
The spoon waggled ominously. “Don’t try to get around me with that slow-talking sugar.”
Asa wiped his mouth on his napkin. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Harrumph!”
She was going to whap him, Elizabeth just knew it. He was going to provoke Millicent with his teasing ways, and then she was going to whap him. If she did, he’d be nursing a headache for days. Elizabeth stabbed her fork into the sweet potato, fragrant with butter and a touch of cinnamon. “You’re right, Millicent. I’ve got to start eating more now that I have a husband.”
She put a bite of the potato in her mouth. It sat like a lump of dirt. She didn’t know how she’d force it down her throat without choking.