Half an hour later, they arrived at Cindy’s house. They’d barely pulled up to the curb when the front door slammed open and five-year-old Izzy came running down the walkway, her bare feet slapping the concrete.
Leslie got out of the car and scooped her niece into her arms. “You must’ve been watching for us, huh?”
Izzy nodded but kept her wide eyes on Clint as he got out of the car and started pulling bags of food from the back seat. “Who’s that?”
“That’s my friend, Officer Clint.”
“Izzy! What have I told you about closing the door behind you?” Cindy stood in the open doorway, her hands on her hips, and two-year-old Bree in her arms. “Your sister could follow you and get hurt or lost.”
“Sorry, Mama.” Izzy spared her mom a glance as Leslie set her back down.
Clint closed the door and smiled down at the little girl. “Do you want to help me take the food in?”
Izzy looked up at him with wide eyes and nodded.
He handed her a small plastic bag with handles. She clutched it close and carefully carried it inside as though it might hold something precious.
Clint waited for Leslie to lead the way. As they approached the door, she introduced her sister and youngest niece.
“He’s Auntie’s boyfriend,” Izzy declared as she marched right past her mom and into the house.
Chapter Fourteen
Clint did his best to keep a straight face as he carried the bags of food in behind the adorable little girl. Her declaration clearly embarrassed her aunt because poor Leslie’s face was bright red. He didn’t want her to feel self-conscious, but goodness, she was gorgeous when she blushed.
He remembered rolling his eyes and groaning when his dad said a man should always find new ways to make his bride blush. Dad certainly took that to heart, and Mom never seemed to mind.
Clint never understood that—until now. He wouldn’t mind seeing Leslie blush on a regular basis.
Intentionally shoving such ridiculous thoughts from his head, he set the bags down on the oval-shaped table in the dining room and turned to greet Cindy properly with a handshake. “Hey, it’s nice to meet you.”
“You, too.” Even Cindy’s cheeks were pink. “Don’t worry, I’ll have a talk with her later.” She glared at her oldest daughter, who had no clue she’d done anything wrong.
Instead, she climbed into one of the chairs and bounced up and down on her knees in anticipation. “Mama said you were bringing fried chicken. Ilovefried chicken.”
Cindy set Bree down. The little girl took one look at Clint and ran to Leslie, who happily picked her up.
“I do too, pumpkin.” Cindy affectionately tugged on her daughter’s little ponytail. “Why don’t you help me by getting some napkins and putting five of them on the table?”
“Okay.” Izzy hopped back down again and bounced over to the counter.
Clint chuckled. “She’s got a lot of energy.”
“Oh, you havenoidea.” Leslie lifted the younger girl in her arms. “So does this one, but she’s a little shy when she first meets new people. She’s also on the tail end of an ear infection, so that slows her down a little.” She patted her niece’s back. “Come on, honey, let’s get you set up in your highchair.”
It was momentarily chaotic, but soon they were all sitting around the table. Clint found himself between Leslie and Izzy.
Cindy started to pray over their food, and immediately, Izzy rested her little hand in his palm. A glance around the table told him that it was customary for the family to hold hands during prayer. He reached for Leslie’s and held it loosely in his hand.
When the prayer ended, she withdrew her hand, and they focused on fixing their plates. Everyone enjoyed the meal, and even little Bree asked for a second spoonful of mashed potatoes and gravy.
“That’s my favorite part, too,” he told her with a wink.
It’d taken most of the meal, but she finally stopped avoiding his gaze and gave him a big grin. White gravy rimmed her lips.
She was a cute little thing and looked just like her mom. Izzy, on the other hand, looked nothing like them. He had to assume she must take after her father. A man who, from what Leslie had mentioned and the little comments the girls made, must not make it home for dinner very often.
Leslie and Cindy managed dinner and getting the girls cleaned up like a well-oiled machine. While they did that, Clint cleared the table, took the trash out, and washed the few dishes they’d used.
