Free Texas Hustle by Cynthia D’Alba Page B

dogs.”
    “We’re using sticks?” Her voice was aghast with amazement.
    Her mother had purchased specially designed stainless-steel roasting skewers when Porchia had come home from camp wanting to roast hot dogs every night. Their cook had allowed her to roast her wieners over the flame of the stove burner. Of course, her mother had made sure the wieners in their house were made only from the highest quality prime beef with no fillers. Those never tasted as good as the greasy ones from Brownie camp, but Porchia had made do.
    “Well, yeah. You got another suggestion for roasting these dogs?”
    “I don’t know. Some type of clean skewer?”
    He chuckled. “You’re funny. Here,” he said, handing her a freshly pointed stick. “This will be ours. It’s the best one.”
    She hesitated for a second. “Um, okay, I guess.”
    He laughed again and nudged her with his shoulder. “You hold our spot. I’ll go grab some dogs.”
    She twisted the stick around. It didn’t look too dirty. Still, maybe she should take it inside and give it a good washing. Before she could do much more than have that thought, Darren was back with four hot dogs.
    “Four? I might eat one.”
    “You just wait,” he said. “My dogs are to die for. And notice I was mature enough not to say wieners.”
    This time, she laughed. “Appreciate it.”
    He wasn’t lying. Within just a few minutes, she bit into the juiciest, most perfectly roasted hot dog. She immediately flashed back to Girl Scout camp and sighed.
    “Good?”
    “ So good,” she replied, embarrassed at answering him with food in her mouth. She could practically hear her mother and grandmother telling her not to talk with her mouth full. She devoured the first dog and really wished she hadn’t already declined the second.
    It must be the night air making her want to do things she knew she shouldn’t, like eating that second hot dog or nibbling on Darren’s neck instead of dinner.
    “You keep looking at me like that, and I’ll be chucking this stick into the fire and dragging you off to the cabin.”
    “What?” Porchia sat back in her chair. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
    Darren’s head turned to face her. “Yeah, you do.”
    Before he could elaborate, a truck pulled into the drive and Leo Mabee climbed out.
    “What’s Paige’s brother doing here?” she whispered. “Think something’s wrong?”
    Darren shrugged. “No clue. But I can’t imagine he drove two hours just to talk to her. Our phones work, remember?”
    Paige Ryan, Cash’s fiancée, looked up. Her face broke into a bright smile when she saw Leo.
    “You came,” she said.
    “Of course. What did you expect?”
    Confused glances flashed around the fire, except for Marc Singer. He acknowledged Leo with a knowing nod and finished eating. Leo was greeted warmly by the Montgomerys, which Porchia decided was the manner they greeted everyone.
    After declining offers of food and drink, Lane Montgomery asked, “So, Leo, what brings you all the way down here?”
    He smiled at his sister and then looked at Lane. “Not my story, sir. I’ll let Paige and Cash explain.”
    Heads turned toward Paige and Cash, who both stood. “We’ll be right back,” Cash said. He and Paige hurried off to their cabin.
    “Well, that was odd,” said Jackie. She looked at Travis. “Do you have any idea what these two are up to?”
    He shook his head. “No clue.”
    Porchia kept her eye on Marc Singer. He and Cash were best buds, but for Cash to have invited Marc to come on this family outing had to mean something.
    Marc had finished eating and had pulled some papers from his back pocket. He shuffled through the sheets of paper as though looking for something. Apparently, he either found what he was looking for or got them in the order he wanted.
    The sound of a cabin door slamming echoed. Marc stood and faced the group.
    “Cash and Paige have an announcement.”

Chapter Seven
    Cash and Paige stepped from