Lone Star Burn: Love On Tap (Kindle Worlds Novella) by Judy Kentrus Page A

her questions. He was already thinking about his day ahead when he became aware of a delicious scent. Jennie set a platter of French toast in the center of the table that had been set for two, along with glasses of orange juice.
    “Sit. Breakfast is ready. I couldn’t find any powdered sugar, so you’ll have to settle for pancake syrup.”
    “This is a treat. I don’t think about eating until lunchtime. I depend on coffee to keep me going.”
    Matt came running into the kitchen and stopped at the sight of his uncle sitting at the table. Panic filled his young features. “Uncle Gray, I don’t have a sleeping bag! We need to get one for my party!”
    “Jennie is going to order you one today.” Gray placed a piece of French toast on Matt’s plate. “Sit and eat breakfast. Jennie made us a special treat.”
    The adults were puzzled when Matt sat down and just stared at the food on his plate.
    “If you don’t like French toast, you can have cereal,” Jennie said quietly.
    “My mom used to make this for me and spread it with peanut butter. Sometimes she’d put bananas on it and make a face with jelly.”
    Jennie’s heart was breaking for this very special boy, and she forced a teary-eyed smile. “We don’t have any bananas, but I’m sure I can make something similar.” She smoothed the peanut butter on his slice and quickly outlined a smiley face in jelly. The grin he gave her when she set the plate in front of him couldn’t be purchased for a million dollars.
    A plethora of emotions gripped Gray’s insides. This was the first time Matt had offered something personal about his relationship with his mother or father. While in foster care, he received some counseling because of the accident, but since coming to live with Gray he’d been a normal kid. Gray refrained from talking about Crystal and Todd because he was afraid it would upset Mathew. This was something else he’d been doing wrong. It was time to tell Matt about his wonderful mother’s growing-up years.
    Gray glanced at his second slice of French toast and decided, When in Rome. “I feel slighted. Where’s my smiley face? You can hold the peanut butter.”
    “Coming right up!” Jennie wished she was able to kiss him for his beautiful gesture, and was thrilled they ate the six pieces of toast she’d made.
    “Matt, the bus will be here in ten minutes and you still have to brush your teeth. Before you go, how about thanking Jennie for a great breakfast?”
    “I don’t want a thank-you, I want a hug.” Jennie helped herself to a small squeeze and whispered in his ear, “Do you want me to feed Tiger?”
    He nodded and smiled before running into the bathroom.
    Gray stood up and slipped his arms around her. “I want a hug, too. Is there something going on with Matt that I should know about?”
    “Nope! If he wants you to know, he’ll tell you himself.” Jennie stepped closer and his arms tightened. “Will you be home for dinner?”
    “That sounds very domestic. I should be home by five. I’m making quite a few changes in my life, and spending more time with Matt is one of them. I just realized you don’t have my cell. It’s written on a sheet next to the house phone. Call if you have any problems.”
    “I’m not use to being housebound, so I’m going to need a set of wheels.” She wasn’t about to confess she’d played snoop and knew about the cars in the barn.
    “I hadn’t thought of that. Wait here.”
    Jennie had just finished loading the dishwasher when Gray returned and held out a set of keys.
    “My Maserati is in the barn.”
    “Why do you drive a three-year-old truck when you have a Maserati?” It wasn’t like she wasn’t accustomed to driving expense cars. At home, she drove her brother’s Aston Martin.
    “It’s from a lifetime ago, and driving one around here would make me stick out like a sore thumb. I run it every week, so you shouldn’t have any problems. There’s a second car. A red Mustang that belonged to