When A Man Loves A Woman(17)

Lively music filled the air as he continued to walk through the green. He was greeted warmly by most of the familiar faces who strolled by him. He’d long ago accepted the fact that the Donahue family was beloved in Breeze Point. In addition to their loving and giving personalities, his parents had gained a name for themselves with Sweet Treats, a full-scale bakery they owned that was located in the center of town.

A crowd had gathered by the stage that had been set up on the green next to town hall. Raul Martinez, a buddy of his from high school, spotted him as soon as he walked up. He greeted him enthusiastically with a clap on the shoulder.

“Hey, Mac. It’s been a long time. How are you? I’ve been meaning to stop in to Woodworks and check out the place. I hear it’s a big success.”

“I can’t complain. I’ve always wanted to make my living by using my hands to create pieces, so I consider myself to be extremely blessed.”

Mac nodded his head toward the makeshift stage and the crowd gathered around it. “What’s going on over there?”

“They’re auctioning off pies with the proceeds going to the youth center. It’s going pretty well at the moment. People are really stepping up to bid.”

Mac felt a jolt as he swung his gaze toward the stage. Delilah, looking jaw droppingly beautiful in a floral skirt, a bright pink sleeveless shirt and a pair of slingback heels, was standing in a row of ladies whose pies were being auctioned off.

“Did you bid on a pie yet?” Mac asked.

Raul made a face. “Not yet. I was considering bidding on Delilah’s pie since she’s an amazing baker, but Tim already put the word out that none of his friends better bid on Delilah’s pie.”

Mac frowned. “What? Are you serious?”

Raul nodded. “Dead serious. Tim and Delilah used to date. Delilah dumped him and he became really bitter about the situation. He’s been spreading nasty stories about her ever since.”

Fury began to rise up inside him. Mac gritted his teeth. “I haven’t heard any of them. And I better not.”

Raul suddenly looked nervous. “I-I like Delilah. A lot. She’s a really sweet person. It’s just that no one wants to get on Tim’s bad side, if you know what I mean.”

Mac met Raul’s gaze head-on without flinching. He knew he was glaring at his friend but he couldn’t help himself. It was pathetic that someone like Raul didn’t have the conviction to speak up against Tim’s badmouthing of Delilah. It made him sick to his stomach. He’d never liked Tim Sutton even when they were kids. And now he was discovering that he was a punk and a bully.

“Well, it’s too bad that there are so many cowards here in town.” He spit the words out as if they were poison. “Tim hasn’t changed one bit in all these years. Now I see why. Standing by silently while he does his dirt is despicable.”

Raul’s jaw dropped. “Hey Mac, I didn’t mean to—” Raul protested.

“Save it.” He glared at Raul and held up his hand to ward off any further conversation. The only way men like Tim could thrive was due to the weakness of men like Raul. Men who could stand by and watch a good woman like Delilah smeared and tarnished out of spite and meanness. And now she was standing on the stage trying to do her part for a charity auction when her slimy ex had already ensured that a great number of people wouldn’t bid on her pie.

With a final scowl in Raul’s direction he turned away from him and moved closer toward the stage. At that very moment Delilah stepped forward and held up her pie to the audience. She had a sweet smile on her face, one that radiated like the sun and projected kindness. There was no way in the world he was going to stand by and watch her get her feelings hurt. Not on his watch!

“Who likes peach pie?” The emcee, Olivia Sanders, called out to the crowd. Applause ensued in the audience. “I have it on good authority that Delilah Dalton’s peach pie is a town treasure. Why don’t we start the bidding out at ten dollars?”

A few bids crawled in at a snail’s pace. Mac clenched and unclenched his fists at his side. After a few minutes the bidding stalled out a twenty dollars. Having been to this pie auction countless times in the past, Mac knew that the bids should be way higher. Thanks to Tim and his dirty work, some of the men in town had been dissuaded from bidding. Although he no longer used his fists to solve his problems, for a moment Mac was tempted to find Tim in the crowd and teach him a lesson he would never forget.

He took a few deep, calming breaths. At times like this he needed to remember what the Bible had taught him in his darkest days. Psalm 11:5 had been one he’d read over and over, so much so that the page had been dog-eared. “The Lord trieth the righteous, but the wicked, those who love violence his soul hateth.”