Free Mountain Sanctuary by Lenora Worth

up noodles. “Mr. Adam said it’s a secret family recipe.”
    Wally gave Stella a measured look that Adam didn’t miss. He reckoned the other two adults at this table might think he was showing off by cooking his mother’s famous spaghetti sauce. And maybe he was. But how could he explain that he needed to stay busy and focused, that he was so used to long hours and double-duty stress that just puttering and doing was a joy and a blessing in his life?
    Stella took a bite, then closed her eyes. “Mmm, that is pretty tasty. Maybe I can get Mr. Adam to share his recipe one day.”
    “Can you cook it the same way?” Kyle asked, his eyes going big with disbelief.
    “I doubt it,” Stella replied, her smile so sweet no one noticed the disdain in her eyes.
    No one but Adam, of course. What was he doing wrong here? Should he just back off? He’d have to ask her about that later. Right now, he needed to do some serious damage control. “It’s easy,” he said to salvage the situation. “Mostly just throw stuff together and let it simmer.”
    Wally grunted. “Yeah, that makes sense to me.”
    Adam noticed another meaningful look passing between Stella’s father and her son. He didn’t know if the two men in her life approved of him or not. Were they trying to make a match, or put out a potential fire?
    Stella took a long drink of tea. “It is good, Adam,” she said, her smile as soft as the sunset off to the west. And just as full of sizzle. “Thank you for being so thoughtful. I do feel better after my nap.”
    He took that as a compliment. Then he decided to take matters into his own hands. “Look, y’all, I don’t want to overstep my bounds here, so if me cooking dinner upset anyone, I’m sorry, too.”
    “I’m not upset,” Kyle said, tearing into his bread. “But I’m sure gettin’ full.”
    “Then why don’t you go wash up and get your jammies on,” Stella said, her eyes still on Adam. “Since you did your homework earlier, you can watch a video until I come to tuck you in.”
    Kyle grinned. “Thanks.” Then he turned to Adam. “She doesn’t like me watching too much television and stuff. I think that nap did help her.”
    Wally shook his head as he watched his grandson running toward the house. “That boy is way beyond his years.”
    “That’s what scares me,” Stella said, looking down at her food. “He’s too smart for his own good.”
    Her daddy took a swig of tea. “Or he just has a keen sense of intuition. Probably got that from Estelle. That woman could figure things out long before anyone else saw them coming.”
    Stella stopped eating, then put her fork down on her plate, her whole demeanor changing. She seemed to shrink within herself. “Kyle is not like my mama, not at all.”
    Then she got up, gathered Kyle’s plate on top of the remains of her own food then whirled to head back toward the house, her back ramrod straight.
    Wally glanced over at Adam with an apologetic twist to his mouth. “She doesn’t like to discuss her mother. And she sure doesn’t like me comparing her and Kyle to Estelle.” He sighed, then swirled the tea at the bottom of his glass. “I forgave my wife years ago, but Stella, well, she can sure hold a grudge for a very long time.”
    “I’ll have to bear that in mind,” Adam replied, still reeling from Stella’s quicksilver mood change. Then he looked over at Wally. “And remind me never to cook dinner again without clearing it with her first.”
    “I’ll be glad to,” Wally replied. “But we do appreciate it anyway.” Wally sopped the last of his bread in the spaghetti sauce on his plate. “Stella is a good woman. She’s just used to being in control. Been that way since the day her mama left us. I blame myself for some of her ways. I should have been more of a father to her. But I was young and heartbroken back then. Couldn’t see the blessings right there in front of me.” He finished his tea, then got up. “Don’t judge her too