FLAME SERIES #20 SO SWEET THE SMILE

CHAPTER 1

What is it you want?

Kitty reached in front of Matt to set a fresh plate of rolls on the table. As usual, he couldn't pass up the chance to brush his cheek against the side of her firm breast. Her chastising glance was met with an innocent boyish grin. She rolled her eyes and shook her head but that was just to conceal the arousal that his touch produced.

"What is it you want…ouch… us to do?" Calleigh asked as she struggled to tear one of the steaming rolls from the pan. "I've seen Mrs. Ragger at Jonas's a couple of times and I tried to talk to her but she just kind of smiles and walks away."

"I gotta agree with Calleigh. Mr. Ragger came in to the shop to get his gun repaired. He wasn't hateful or anything just real standoffish." Newly waited until his wife had wrestled the first piece free before passing the rest down the table. "He had a little girl with him. She hid behind him the whole time he was there. She looks to be about your age Cooper."

"Oooh hear that Cooper, a girl for you." Matt leaned into his son with a teasing smile and a wink. While both women exchanged a look that clearly said, their baby was NOT ready for that nonsense, the rest of the males at the table did their part in teasing the youngster. Cooper lowered his head hiding behind a veil of dark lashes and flushed cheeks.

Kitty cleared her throat to stop the harassment. "Well they have an older daughter too. I met her at the bank last week. She was with her mother and when she started to speak, Mrs. Ragger gave her a look. The girl did shut up but the tension between them was palpable."

"The way I understand it they moved here from the East wanting to get away from people." Doc didn't say how he knew but he did seem to have a lot of information. "He used to be some bigwig investment banker. The wife is a real nervous sort. I think he made the move mostly for her. Buying the Testerman's house is perfect for them. It's a beautiful home and so peaceful, nestled back in those cottonwoods."

"Then I say we leave them alone." Matt's solution was delivered in his usual blunt manner as he reached for another helping of potatoes.

"Secluded! That girl looks to be about eighteen." Kitty was astounded at how dense the two men could be. "What girl that age wants to be shut away on a secluded ranch no matter how nice it is? We should have a dance or something and invite her."

Matt gave his son a nudge silently alerting him to pay attention. "Hon, didn't you learn your lesson a few years back with young Cully Tate." Once again he donned his best impression of his wife. "Oh Cully the Holmes girls want you to come to their party. Oh Cully they asked me to invite you." Cooper loved watching his Daddy mimic his Momma. Especially when Matt added the fluttering eye lashes. "But they dooooo Cully. They doooo."

"Oh stop it!" Kitty didn't enjoy the performance or the memory.

Matt leaned down as if to confide in his boy. "Your momma looked so cute when she stomped away with her little nose out of joint."

While her verbal command did nothing to stop him, the deadly glare brought his discourse to a close. "That was different. He didn't want to come but I'm guessing this girl does. She has to be lonely."

"Now I wouldn't never be one to disagree with ya Miz Kitty but I'm a thinkin that gal aint as lonesome as yur a thinkin." Festus leaned back in his chair contented and well fed. "She's been slippin out to the ranch seein Gaith."

"Gaith? Our Gaith?" Kitty glanced at Calleigh but received nothing more than a blank look and a shrug. "How long has this been going on?"

"Caint say zactly but close on to a month. Sometimes durin the day but mostly at night when I'm figurin her folks is sleeping."

"But they've only been in town two months." Now Kitty was channeling her attention to the marshal. "You need to talk to him. We don't know anything about this girl. I don't want Gaith getting shot because some lovesick teenager is sneaking out of the house." She stretched back tossing her napkin onto the table. "Well, he's too young to be involved in something like this."

"Kitty, honey, Gaith is twenty two! He's not a baby. For heaven's sake he was in prison."

There were two shocked redheads uttering a shared gasp of disbelief. Calleigh was the first to recover. "I can't believe you said that! You know they are good boys."

Kitty leaned over stroking the fiery ringlets of her youngest child. Adding a dramatic flair to her words only frustrated the marshal even more. "We would not have this angel if it wasn't for Gaith Culbert."

Matt stared at his wife and daughter. His tone while displaying no anger was fraught with a most enjoyable note of sarcasm. "Your angel - is shoving green beans up her nose again."

His announcement did take a little of the wind out of Kitty's sails but even as she removed the abused vegetable her eyes never left him.

Matt pulled in a deep and irritated breath. "A few minutes ago you wanted to throw a party for the poor lonely Ragger girl. Now you want her run out of town on a rail. I swear, Kitty, not only do I not know what you want; I don't think you know either."

"Well maybe we both need some time to think things over and decide what we want!"

Matt followed her lead rising from his chair. "Well maybe I'll do my thinking in the barn."

"Fine!" Kitty was set to pull the toddler from the high chair and retreat to her room but there was no need. Before she could get Hadley in her arms all the males had vanished from the room. Only Calleigh was brave enough to face the dragon.

Kitty dropped back down onto the oak chair. For a few moments the two redheads just stared at each other. "That didn't exactly go the way I had planned."

"Yeah" Calleigh offered an encouraging smile. "I kinda saw it going sideways there at the end. You know Matt's right. About Gaith being a man I mean."

"I know. It's just that after all he's been through I wanted him to find a special girl."

Calleigh nodded. "You mean like Lem finding Nettie." A smile of approval sprouted between them. "They look so cute together. But how do you know this Ragger girl isn't something special?"

Kitty's sigh this time was one of doubt. "There's obviously a problem in that house and Gaith has been through so much already. I mean, I wanted to be nice to the girl but…"

"Enough said. I understand." Calleigh walked around the table giving her mom a comforting hug. "I'll take a ride out there tomorrow as a professional just to let them know medical help is only a yell away." She took another step around the table and scooped the little redhead from the high chair. "You know you're going to have to apologize to him."

The marshal's wife flashed a wicked smile. "Oh, I think I know a way to get back in your dads good graces."