McKettrick's Choice - Linda Lael Miller [101]
“I had deduced that on my own,” she said, drawing each word taut, and without looking up from her mush. It was delicious, swimming in fresh cream and generously laced with brown sugar. Before she was halfway through that serving, she wanted seconds, but she was damned if she would indulge the desire with Holt McKettrick watching every bite go into her mouth.
“Here’s them eggs,” Heddy thundered happily, from the doorway, nearly startling Lorelei out of her skin.
“Everybody better eat up. You look peaky, the whole lot of you.”
Mercifully, Heddy’s arrival shifted Holt’s attention away from Lorelei. She wondered at the bereft feeling that gave her, right along with the relief of a worm let off a hook.
“You’re the best cook in Texas, Heddy,” Holt said. The feckless charmer.
“And you’re the biggest liar,” Heddy responded fondly.
“That mush won’t be enough to hold you. Sit tight, and I’ll fry up some ham to go with these eggs.”
Lorelei’s greedy stomach rumbled, even as she filled it.
“No biscuits?” Holt teased.
Lorelei felt her ears heat up.
“If you want biscuits, I’ll make you up a batch,” Heddy offered, bustling cheerfully around the kitchen.
“Did Tillie tell you she’s stayin’ on here? Her and little Pearl.”
“I think it’s a good idea,” Holt said, with a nod in his voice. “Melina and Miss Fellows ought to do the same, it seems to me.”
Lorelei stood, carried her spoon and empty bowl briskly to the sink. If Holt decided to leave her behind, there wouldn’t be much she could do about it, so she didn’t say what she was thinking, though she had to bite her lower lip to keep the words back. She did meet his gaze, however, and she might have been glaring a little.
He started to say something, but John and the Captain came in from the barn just then, causing a stir. Through the open doorway, Lorelei saw Sorrowful lie down dejectedly at the foot of the steps.
When Heddy brought the aforementioned ham out of the pantry and set it on the table next to the stove, Lorelei snatched a scrap of fat from the side and took it out to the dog.
He ate it gratefully, and trotted after her when she made for the barn. She needed something to do while she waited for the shops to open, something that would keep her out of Holt’s path, and giving Seesaw a good brushing was all she could think of on short notice.
She’d been at the task for perhaps twenty minutes when Mr. McKettrick showed up in the barn, where his gelding was stabled. Rafe came with him, gnawing on a huge ham and egg sandwich as he walked.
She tried to ignore them both, but Rafe was in a friendly mood, as usual, and he further softened her heart by giving Sorrowful a generous piece of ham.
“Morning, Miss Lorelei,” Rafe said.
Holt banged into his horse’s stall without a word and reached for the saddle blanket draped over the top rail.
“Good morning, Rafe,” Lorelei said warmly, putting her brush aside and wiping her dusty hands down the legs of her trousers. She intended to change into the only dress she’d dared to bring along, given Holt’s mandate about the weight of the belongings she could carry—a practical calico—and pin up her hair before walking to the main part of town. She wasn’t out to impress Rafe McKettrick or his brother, but she wished she’d taken a little more care with her appearance just the same.
Rafe gave Sorrowful a piece of bread crust. “Holt says you’re going to the store,” he said, using his free hand to dig in one pants pocket. “I wonder if you’d mind choosing something for my wife and little girl. I don’t believe I’m going to get the time.” He gave his brother a grudging look at this, and handed Lorelei a five-dollar gold piece. “Emmeline likes combs for her hair, and Georgia would probably favor a nice doll.” He frowned, perhaps remembering the burial of Tillie’s china baby. “Better make it small, and all cloth.”
“I’d be happy to,” Lorelei said truthfully, and accepted