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He stole a glance at Macie, who was mostly preoccupied with cutting up the chicken for Ruby and asking her to eat with her fork, not her fingers.
“I was saying that Macie should come out with me,” Barb said, her gaze on Macie.
Macie set down her fork. “Oh, I don’t want to intrude.”
“No intrusion,” Barb said. “Girls’ night out is for having fun, getting to know new people, and you’re new people. Since you don’t have a husband anymore, maybe you’ll wanna meet a few fellows, too.”
Macie’s face was definitely flushed now, and she cut a quick glance at Ruby. “Ruby doesn’t get to bed until about eight, and then—”
“Racoons doesn’t get hopping until around nine anyway,” Barb said. “Small-town bar, and all.”
“You should go, Macie,” his mother cut in. “Not to meet other fellows, of course, but to become friends with the townsfolk.”
Holt stared at his mom. Where was this coming from?
“We’ll be home Friday night,” his mom continued, “and if Ruby wakes up, we can deal with her.”
The hesitation was clear on Macie’s face. “I’m not much for socializing,” she said at last. “I wouldn’t even know where to begin.”
“Oh, is your divorce recent?” Barb asked in a hushed voice, although everyone at the table could hear, including Ruby.
Holt cleared his throat, but no one paid him any mind, and Ruby seemed intent on mixing her salad into her potatoes.
“Not recent,” Macie said.
Barb’s brows rose. “Well, hon, that’s what alcohol’s for.” She slapped a hand over her mouth. “Can I say that word in front of a kid?”
That’s the least of it,Holt thought. It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep his mouth shut at this dinner table.
Macie’s smile was tight. “How about I let you know about Friday later on? See how the rest of the week goes with . . . everything.”
“Sure thing, hon,” Barb said. “Let me see your phone, and I’ll put my number into it.”
Macie seemed reluctant to hand over her phone, but she did so. Barb added her number with a flourish.
All Holt could think was that Macie was a brave woman.
“You know, Macie dear, we call it girls’ night out, but men always happen to show up, too.” She winked at Holt. “It’s not like we can block them from coming into the bar.”
Macie nodded and gave her a faint smile.
Dinner ended not a moment too soon, and it was time for the men to clean up. When Ruby heard that if the women cooked, then men did the dishes, she said, “What about little girls?”
Rex chuckled. “I think there’s room right here for a little girl,” he said, scooting a chair in front of the sink. “Is there a little girl in here somewhere?”
Ruby giggled and scrambled up on the chair.
Needless to say, Holt got quite wet with Ruby “helping” with the dishes, and truthfully, it was nice to have a break from Barb. But that didn’t stop him from worrying about how Macie was handling her blatant questions. When they’d finished, he could hear the women’s voices coming from the living room. He’d have to pass by them to get back to the barn. And sure enough, Barb rose to her feet as soon as he headed to the front door and snatched his hat from the coat rack.
“I should be going,” she gushed. “Thanks for dinner, Heidi, and it was great to meet you, Macie.”
Barb was right behind him as he stepped onto the porch. The sun had set, the fading golden light turned violet, and the night air cooled considerably.
“Have a nice evening, Barb,” he told her, putting on his cowboy hat.
Barb gazed up at him and set her hands on her skinny hips. “Well, well, Holt Prosper, you’ve got your hands full here. What do you say we head on over to Racoons for a night cap? Get some of that worry out of your baby blues?”
“I’m not worried,” he said, walking down the steps of the porch.
