The problem with the best meat loaf sandwiches he’d ever eaten in his life was that he ate two of them, along with a second helping of macaroni salad, which made him want a nap.
Josh groaned, his hand to his stomach. “I told you we should ride first and then eat, Rosie. Now I don’t want to move.”
“Nobody made you eat seconds.”
“There’s not a man born who could have resisted, Rose,” Matt said, rubbing his own belly.
She gave him a smile that made him feel like a chosen child. “I can see why certain women in this town want to see you sweep Hailey off her feet.”
Luckily, he’d been prepared for this and he smiled. “Hailey seems to like her feet firmly on the ground.”
Her eyes narrowed a little, as if he’d issued a challenge. “She’s been waiting for the right man to come along.”
“Speaking of waiting,” he turned to face Josh. “I stopped at the general store to grab some snacks for today’s ride and, when I mentioned I was on my way here, the woman—Fran, right?—offered me five dollars off my next purchase of twenty dollars or more if I could get a wedding date out of you.”
They all laughed, while Josh shook his head. “That’s up to Katie and she can’t decide if she wants a summer wedding or a winter wedding. She wants to get married here and then she wants to go to some tropical island and get married on a cruise ship. As soon as she figures out what she wants, I’ll have her call you. Wouldn’t want you to miss out on five bucks.”
“You boys want dessert?” Rose asked, standing to clear plates.
Matt stood, too, and picked up his plate. “If I eat another bite, I’m going to have to rent a room from you and lay down for a while. Maybe until tomorrow.”
“It’s homemade banana cream pie.”
He looked at Josh, and then Andy. “How important is it we hit the trails today?”
“Trust me, son, I know how you feel,” Andy said. “We’ll go do a run now, then have some pie when we get back. How about that?”
“It’ll be too close to supper,” Rose protested, taking Matt’s plate from him.
“I’m so full, a slice of banana cream pie will be supper,” he told her.
“You stop by here any time you need a good meal.” She patted his face as though he were a boy.
“Thank you, Rose. Between you and Hailey, I certainly won’t go hungry.”
She turned a laser-sharp gaze on him. “Hailey’s feeding you?”
He had to get better at this small-town thing. “She made me a shepherd’s pie, to welcome me to the neighborhood. It was a huge pan and I’ve been enjoying the leftovers.”
“Hmm.” She searched his face, as if looking for any sign a welcome to the neighborhood dish was a euphemism for something a lot more gossip-worthy. “She makes the best shepherd’s pie in town. Refuses to give me the recipe.”
“I told her it was better than my mother’s and she told me it was the seasonings.”
“Well, that could mean almost anything. And never, ever admit out loud a woman’s cooking is better than your mama’s.”
“Yes, ma’am. Rose.”
“Let’s get out of here before I have to put on my wading boots.” Josh kissed Rose’s cheek. “Thanks for lunch.”
Figuring this was a woman whose good graces he wanted to be in, Matt stepped up and did the same. “It was delicious.”
“Ride hard. Burn those sandwiches off so you can have some pie.”
He walked back out to his truck while the other two guys went to one of the barns where, he assumed, their machines were stored. He undid his tie-down straps, then dragged out the ramps that were shoved beside the ATV. After fastening the safety straps to the hitch of his truck, he climbed onto the tailgate with a groan. Those meatloaf sandwiches were going to stay with him a while.
After firing up his machine, he backed it down the ramps and parked it off to the side. He didn’t bother stowing the ramps, since he’d drive right back up them when they were done and he wasn’t blocking any parking spaces.
By the time he’d put the bag of snacks and his water bottle in the cargo box and grabbed his helmet and gloves, the other two guys were ready to go. Josh drove over and handed him a folded map.
“You wanted a copy of this?”
Matt took the map and unfolded it. It was fairly rough, but he didn’t have much trouble finding the lodge. He had a couple of permanent markers in his pocket, and he fired up the GPS unit mounted on the handlebar. He not only wanted to get his bearings, but he wanted to see how good a job the Northern Star ATV club had done on their trail map.