And when he’d talked on the phone with Ward about the things he would want to see in a home kitchen, Major had experienced jealousy unlike anything he’d ever want to go through again. Not just for the fact he was talking to the man he thought Meredith was falling for, but because he couldn’t foresee ever being able to afford a kitchen like that for himself. But now...

The drive to Maggie and Errol’s sprawling mini-mansion didn’t take long, and he and Meredith were among the first to arrive.

“Do my eyes deceive me, or is that Major O’Hara?” Maggie Babineaux stopped stirring the contents of a pot on the stove and came across the ginormous kitchen to hug him. He could understand Maggie’s having a kitchen like this—after all, she’d been a caterer and cake decorator for years—but he still didn’t quite understand why Meredith, who didn’t cook at all, wanted a gourmet-quality kitchen.

“It’s good to see you, Maggie.”

“I’m glad one of our girls finally wised up and brought you around.” Maggie winked at him. “The first time I met you, I knew you were destined to become part of this family.”

He endured the ebullient greetings from the rest of Meredith’s aunts—and the more reserved welcome from her grandmother. The only outward sign of surprise Mairee gave when she entered a few minutes later was the slight lifting of one eyebrow.

While he’d had an intellectual understanding of just how large Meredith’s extended family was, to experience it in reality soon became almost overwhelming. The table in the cavernous dining room seated all the adults, while teens sat at the long central island in the kitchen, and children, at tables set up on the sunporch.

“Anne called before their flight left Atlanta,” Maggie announced after Meredith’s grandfather asked the blessing and food began making the rounds of the table.

“Did she sound like she was coping okay?” Meredith passed him the bowl of mashed potatoes.

“She admitted she had gotten sick to her stomach before they boarded the plane here, but since the flight to Atlanta was smooth, she’s feeling okay about the flight to New York. Still, I could tell she’s worrying about the flight to London.”

“It’s a miracle she’s flying at all.” Rafe shook his head. “If it hadn’t been for George, she might never have had the motivation to get on a plane again.”

“Well, she asked everyone to pray that she doesn’t have a panic attack along the way, because she doesn’t want to ruin this trip for George.”

Though the food was what most French-trained chefs would consider “rustic,” Major loved every morsel that passed his lips, from the fall-apart-tender roast beef with rich gravy, to the corn pudding, to the mustard greens that had been cooked with a ham hock. Every family should have a meal like this once a week.

After dinner was finished, the women cleared the dishes and returned from the kitchen with thick slices of cake garnished with fresh berries, which they served to everyone at the table. Meredith set Major’s in front of him, and he immediately recognized the cake.

“There was this much wedding cake left over? I’m surprised there was any.”

“Aunt Maggie made an extra tier that she ended up not using. So now we get to have it for dessert.” Meredith scraped a thick swirl of frosting off her piece with her fork and ate it, closing her eyes with a sigh.

Major wasn’t a big fan of cake, but Maggie’s creations were in a class by themselves. He enjoyed every bite but wished he could take a piece to his mother, who loved cake and never got a chance to eat any but the dry, grocery store cakes that they occasionally served at BPC for someone’s birthday.

As soon as the last crumb was eaten, the last dollop of frosting scraped off the plates, the men all stood and collected the dishes. Forbes indicated with a nod of his head over his shoulder for Major to join them. He took his and Meredith’s plates and followed Forbes into the kitchen.

Led by Errol, the men scraped and rinsed all of the dinner dishes and put them into the three dishwashers hidden behind panels that matched the cabinet doors.

“Major, how long have you known our Meredith?” her grandfather asked as he scraped the few spoonfuls of mashed potatoes from the serving dish into a plastic container.

“Eight years, sir.”

“And it’s taken that long for her to invite you to Sunday dinner?” The old gentleman’s brown eyes twinkled—just like Meredith’s did when she teased him.

“I’m a slow learner.”

The head of the Guidry clan threw his head back and laughed. The self-deprecating humor seemed to be all the men in Meredith’s family needed to accept him as one of their own, as no one else questioned his presence and what it meant.

But as soon as the dishwashers hummed and swished in the background, Major approached Lawson Guidry. “May I have a word with you, sir?”

“I hoped you might want to.” Lawson cuffed his shoulder and led him to a study beyond the kitchen. He closed the door then motioned for Major to take one of the wingback chairs that flanked the fireplace.

Major had occasionally imagined the day when he would sit down with the father of the woman he loved and confess his feelings and ask for the father’s blessing. Now that it was here, he wasn’t exactly sure where to start.

“Mairee and I cannot thank you enough for the exemplary job you and your staff did at Anne’s reception last night. I know Anne appreciated every effort you made on her behalf.”

“Thank you, sir. It was my pleasure to give her the best of everything.” He wiped his hands on the knees of his slacks. “Mr. Guidry, I’m in love with your daughter.”

“Which one? I have four.” The corner of his mouth twitched.

Major stopped fidgeting, Lawson’s humor breaking the tension in the room. “You mean, I can have my pick?”

Lawson finally gave in and smiled. “I’ve been aware that Meredith has carried a torch for you for a while now. We were quite surprised when we learned she had started seeing someone else. And when you told me two weeks ago that you couldn’t take the restaurant deal due to your need to tend to your mother, I almost wanted to tell you then that Meredith would be the perfect helpmate.”

Major swallowed hard. “I haven’t told her about my mother just yet.”

The humor seeped out of Lawson’s face. “Why not?”

Because I’m chicken. “The right opportunity hasn’t presented itself yet. But I will tell her, soon.”

“See that you do. Honesty is of the utmost importance in any relationship.”

“I will.”

“Good. Now, if that’s all.” Lawson rose.

Major stood as well.

Meredith’s father extended his right hand. “Welcome to the Guidry family, Major.”

His stomach flip-flopped. “Thank you, sir.” Following Lawson out of the study, Major looked at his watch. One thirty. Not too bad. As long as he made it out to BPC by three o’clock, Ma should be okay.

When he walked into the dining room with Forbes, Rafe, Kevin, and Jonathan, Meredith’s face was beet red. The intrusion of men into the room broke up the hen party, and couples started discussing getting their kids home for naps or homework.

Meredith jumped up from her seat. “Major, are you ready to go see the house?”

“Sure, if you are.” He had the distinct impression that her aunts, cousins, and sisters had been giving her a hard time about him, thus her eagerness to escape.

“Let’s go, then.” She bade a hasty and general farewell to her relatives and practically dragged him from the house, muttering. He caught random words, such as “meddling” and “privacy,” which confirmed his suspicions.

She didn’t slow down until they arrived at her SUV. “Are you following again or riding?”

“I might as well just follow you over there.” Because he could go straight out to BPC instead of taking the time to come all the way back over here.

Meredith’s house sat deep within the Plantation Grove area of town, where the lots were enormous and the houses no newer than seventy or eighty years old.

From the street, the craftsman bungalow was half hidden by the two huge oak trees in the front yard. Azalea bushes, which were starting to show hints that they’d be blooming soon, lined the base of the porch on either side of the wide steps. From the outside, the house appeared in perfect condition—until the driveway took him around to the back. A large Dumpster blocked access to the carport and detached garage, and construction detritus littered the side yard.

Meredith climbed out of her SUV and held her arms open wide. “Welcome to my house, such as it is.”

“It’s great.” He pocketed his keys and met her at the gate to the backyard. A high-pitched bark seemed to be coming from nearby. “Is there a dog here?”

“I dropped my puppy off over here this morning before church, since I knew I’d be coming by this afternoon to check on the progress.” A much larger puppy than Major had pictured trundled over. Meredith bent down to scoop it up—then apparently changed her mind. “Your feet are muddy.”

Major crouched down beside her, drawing the little guy’s attention—and muddy paw prints on his pant leg. He scratched behind the floppy ears, then on the tubby tummy when the pup rolled onto his back. “What’s his name?”

“I haven’t named him yet.”

“How long have you had him?”

“Since January first. I found him under the back porch.”

“You’ve had him almost two months and you haven’t named him?”

Meredith stood and started for the raised deck. “I don’t really have the time to commit to a puppy—housebreaking, obedience training, and paying attention to him in general.”

Major rocked back onto his heels. If she didn’t think she would have time for a puppy, how could she have time to deal with his mother if he needed her to? But a puppy and a person were different, and her priorities would probably change in that case. “If you were going to keep him, what would you name him?” He joined her on the porch.

“Duke.” She had to jiggle the key in the knob to get it to unlatch. She swung the door open and closed a couple of times. “Good. They rehung this door so it doesn’t scrape the floor anymore.”

“Duke—any special significance?” He followed her into the house.

“It was John Wayne’s nickname.” She flipped a couple of switches, and light flooded the room they were in—the kitchen.

But for the moment, Major had no attention for anything other than what she’d just said. “John Wayne?”

“I know. I’m a weirdo for liking John Wayne movies. But he’s my favorite, and I refuse to apologize for it.” She faced him, arms crossed as if daring him to contradict or tease her.

“Have I ever told you my full name?” He bit the sides of his tongue to keep from smiling.

She frowned, appearing uncertain as to the seemingly random change of subject. “No.”

“Major Daniel Xavier Kirby O’Hara.”

She repeated the name slowly. And a second time. Then understanding flickered in her nutmeg eyes. “Major Dan Kirby ... the character Duke played in Flying Leathernecks?”

“None other. I like John Wayne movies, too. But I am partial to the war movies.”

She braced her hands on the edge of her kitchen island. “I knew there was something I liked about you. But I have to disagree—I like his westerns best.”

How could he ever have doubted that God meant for the two of them to be together? Once he could drag his gaze away from her, he finally took in the sight that surrounded him, and it quickened his heart. The cherry cabinets had been stained to exactly match the original woodwork of the window casings and crown molding. The grayish green granite countertops needed a good cleaning but looked exactly how he’d imagined. All the room lacked were the appliances—the six-burner, commercial-grade stove with double oven; the stainless-steel refrigerator and dishwasher; and the hood with the warming shelf built in.

Oh, yes, he could create the perfect romantic meals for the two of them in this kitchen. As a matter of fact, that would be a great way to celebrate the completion of this room, as well as a perfect time for him to tell Meredith all about Ma.

It would mean talking to Ward Breaux to find out when construction would be finished—and he wondered if Alaine’s crew would mind shooting a segment here, since she said she’d like to get him in some home kitchens every so often.

Meredith toured him through the rest of the house, but Major’s mind was occupied with creating the perfect romantic menu—one that would hopefully make up for the fact he’d been keeping a pretty big secret from her.