Chapter 17
Brodie parked in the driveway beside Audrey’s truck and eased out of his vehicle. He’d only gone a few feet when a tall, lanky man wearing overalls rounded the end of the porch and nodded.
“Hello again, Brodie,” Walter said.
“Walter, right?” Brodie asked.
“Yep, we met that one time.” Walter backed up to Audrey’s truck and propped a leg on the running board. “You kids know you are stirring up a hornet’s nest, right?”
“Yes, sir, we do,” Brodie answered, not sure if Walter was the first line of defense and would pull a pistol from his bib pocket if Brodie didn’t leave.
“Audrey is facing down a dragon to go out with you, so she must like you. I’m sure that you are doing the same, and I just got one thing to say to you, son.
Audrey is the granddaughter I never had.
She’s strong-willed, is as stubborn as a cross-eyed Missouri mule, and never backs down from a fight.
I love her in spite of her faults. But she’s also got a heart of gold, and if you break that precious heart, I will come for you.
Are you still willin’ to knock on that door? ” Walter asked.
“Yes, sir, I am,” Brodie answered.
“Then you are a brave man,” Walter told him, and walked up on the porch with him.
Brodie wasn’t sure what to do next, so he just knocked and waited. Audrey slung open the door and smiled. “You are right on time.” Then she saw Walter and the grin faded. “Is something wrong?”
“Nope,” Walter answered. “I just came to see my girl going out on the first date she’s had since she took over the farm. You look mighty pretty tonight. You kids have a good time, but don’t stay out too late. We’ve got work to do until noon tomorrow.”
Her smile came back. “Thank you, Walter.”
“I take care of what’s mine,” he said with a crooked smile. “See you in the morning.” He turned and left.
“Are you ready?” Brodie asked.
“Yes, I am, and I’m starving,” she answered as she came out onto the porch.
“Me, too, and Walter was wrong.” Brodie escorted her out to his truck with his hand on her back.
“How’s that?” she asked.
“You don’t just look pretty, Audrey. You are downright gorgeous,” Brodie answered, and opened the door for her.
“Well, thank you, and you clean up pretty good for an organic farmer,” she teased.
“That’s a bit of a backhanded compliment, but I’ll take it,” he said.
She tossed her purse over into the back seat. “Sorry that Walter kind of hijacked us, but I’ve got to admit, I was glad to get some support. Aunt Hettie sure didn’t give me any.”
“I’m willing to fight the odds against us.” Brodie closed the door and jogged around the back of the truck. When he was in the driver’s seat, he turned to her and asked, “Where do you want to go for dinner? Looks like we’ve got a choice in Nocona of Mexican, pizza, barbecue—”
“I’m a cheap date,” she said. “I would love a cheeseburger, fries, and a chocolate milk shake.”
“Then Dairy Queen it is,” he said, still feeling like he might be dreaming.
“Music?” he asked.
“Let’s just talk,” she answered. “Other than the dates that Bernie set up for you, how many times have you been out in the last two years?”
“In the last fifteen months, none. Maybe twice in the months before that. I went on a couple of dates the last year that I was in the army. Then it was time for me to put my name on the paper for a third enlistment, and my mother got terminal cancer. She required all of my attention. I’m not complaining.
We had a beautiful year together. Then this last few months, I’ve been busy with the farm,” he said.
“That’s a long explanation when I could have just said two. ”
“I already told you that when my grandpa passed away two years ago, I resigned from the school where I was teaching Vo-Ag and came to Spanish Fort to take over the business. With Aunt Hettie constantly underfoot, there was no time”—she paused—“no, that’s not right.
I could have made time, but there were no guys around that interested me or, for that matter, seemed interested in me. ”
“Then I interest you?” Brodie tried to bite back the grin but it was impossible.
“Yep, you do,” she said.
He made a turn onto Highway 82, which led to the Dairy Queen. “Why is that?”
She giggled softly and said, “Aunt Hettie says that men don’t want an independent woman who is full of spit and vinegar—whatever that means. In her opinion most men want a woman who makes them feel all macho, but you didn’t back down from me, so that means you aren’t looking for a wimpy woman.”
“Guess I’m not most men, then,” Brodie said. “In my book a little spit and vinegar adds a lot of spice to a relationship.” He made a left turn into the Dairy Queen parking lot and parked not far from the entrance.
Brodie and Audrey found the place totally packed except for one booth at the very back of the smallest of the three dining areas off to the side.
“I’ll go take up homesteader’s rights on that table if you’ll order for us,” Audrey said.
“Double cheeseburger with bacon, fries, and a chocolate shake?” he asked.
“Just a single cheeseburger and no bacon. The rest is good.”
He was still watching her walk away when the lady behind the counter cleared her throat and asked, “What can I get you?”
“Two of the cheeseburger meal deals with fries and chocolate shakes, and add two sweet teas to that, also.” He took out his wallet and paid for the food, then started back to join Audrey.
He had just settled into the booth across from Audrey when Knox and Tripp slid in beside him. He gave both of them a dirty look and asked, “What are you doing here?”
“We just finished ordering some nachos. When we get done eating them, we’re going to the bar for a few beers and to flirt with the ladies,” Tripp answered. “Figured we’d better have something on our stomachs before we start drinking.”
“What are y’all doing here?” Knox raised his eyebrows and asked. “If I was going out with a woman who looks like Audrey does tonight, I’d take her somewhere fancier than the Dairy Queen on the first date.”
“This is my choice. I love burgers and fries,” Audrey told him.
Brodie bit back a groan. To be honest, he had only told his brothers that he and Audrey were going out to dinner. He had not mentioned the bar or dancing, but still, of all the rotten luck.
“Guess that’s our cue,” Knox said and nodded toward the window. “I see half a dozen vehicles leaving the parking lot. We can probably go get our own table now and not interfere with y’all’s date anymore.”
Tripp slid out of the booth and tipped his hat toward Audrey. “Y’all have a good time. See you tomorrow morning at the barn, Brodie.”
“Enjoy your nachos,” Audrey said.
“Sorry about that,” Brodie said, “but in their defense I didn’t tell them where we were going or that we were going to the bar for some beers and dancing afterward.”
Audrey sighed and pointed out the window. “No need to apologize. Looks like maybe we might as well have told everyone where we were going.”
Brodie followed her finger to see Hettie and Walter getting out of his truck and heading into the Dairy Queen. “The Universe appears to be testing us this evening.”
“We passed the first round. I’m not so sure about this one—or that one.” She pointed in a different direction.
“Holy smoke,” Brodie groaned when he saw Bernie and her friend Gladys getting out of a compact car.
“Fire sirens will be sounding any minute,” she said.
“You think the café will be blazing soon?”
“Yep, and we’re boxed in,” Audrey said. “The waitress is bringing our order to us right now.”
A young girl smiled and set the tray in the middle of the table. “Y’all enjoy. Can I get you anything else?”
“Yes,” Brodie said quickly before she could walk away. “We would like a sack to take this food with us.”
“Yes, sir, coming right up,” she said, and hurried back to the counter.
She brought a sack and a cardboard container to hold the drinks back to the table in only a few seconds. “Sorry to be in a hurry, but my shift just began, and it looks like we’ve got more customers. Mabel, the lady who was on the counter before me, said that we’ve really been hopping.”
“Looks like it,” Brodie said as he packed the burgers and the fries into the sack.
Audrey placed the tea and milk shakes in the carrier and picked it up. “I’ll take care of these.”
“Come back to see us,” the girl said, and ran back to the counter, where Hettie and Walter waited.
There were two ways out of the café. Brodie would have taken the back door, but Audrey led the way and marched right past Hettie and Walter.
“I didn’t know y’all were out tonight,” she said.
“I told you Brodie was a dud,” Hettie hissed. “A man should take a woman to a nice place to eat. Not just expect her to be happy with hamburgers.”
“Don’t you call Brodie a dud,” Bernie said as she crossed the room and got in line behind Hettie and Walter. “Just because we’re in a public place don’t mean I won’t slap the fire out of you for talking like that.”
Hettie bowed up to Bernie, looked her right in the eye without blinking, and said, “You better think twice before you do something stupid.”
“Let’s get out of here,” Audrey whispered.
“Lead the way,” Brodie said.
They had barely gotten seated inside his truck when Bernie tapped on the window.
Brodie rolled it down and raised an eyebrow.
“We decided to forego the burgers and go have Mexican food before we hit the bar. I want to see how Bo and Maverick are doing. I’m buying if you kids want to join us, and I’ll spring for the first round of beers if you want to go dancing afterward. ”
“No, thanks,” Brodie said. “We’ve seen enough family for one night.”
“It will be a date neither of you ever forget.” Bernie giggled and hurried off to get into the car with Gladys.
“She didn’t say a mean word to me,” Audrey gasped.