“What was she thinking?” Catalina shook her head, her lips pursing together for a moment. “That man is not who I would have chosen for you.”
Evie squelched a groan, suspicion rising in her mind, as she voiced her question. “Were you in on the husband hunt, too?”
“Well, not exactly. Lucy had mentioned it.” Toughie squirmed in her arms and tried to escape, but she held him tightly, which didn’t please him at all. “But I told her she shouldn’t do it.”
“Just for curiosity’s sake, what kind of man would you have chosen for me?”
The smile disappeared from Catalina’s face as she considered the question. “He’d have to be kind. And love children and animals.” She thought for a moment longer, and said, “He should be handsome, but that’s not the most important thing. He’d have to have a sense of humor.”
Funny, Catalina described Jake Hannigan. He was kind. And he did like children. More importantly, they seemed to like him. She’d seen Miguel and Savannah sitting on bales of hay and pestering him with questions as he mucked out the barn, and she was impressed with the way he interacted with them. He answered all their questions patiently, which said a lot. One could easily get frustrated with Savannah, for whom every answer had three more questions. To say the girl was inquisitive would be an understatement.
Animals liked him as well, as evidenced by Flower, who jumped into his lap every time the man sat down. Apparently, the cat also slept with him, settling at the foot of Jake’s bunk, or so Grub had told her, and the other cats and the dog followed him as he went about his chores, hoping for a bit of affection, which he supplied without hesitation. Even the horses liked him, quickly running up to the side of the corral as he passed by.
And he was handsome, with his black hair liberally streaked with silver and startling tawny eyes. His smile still did funny things to her insides. The only thing she didn’t know about yet was his sense of humor.
“Let’s go take that nap, young man.” Catalina gave her son an affectionate squeeze but didn’t dare let him down. He’d be off in a shot, faster than a bullet leaving the barrel. “You know,TiaEvie, if I’m not mistaken, I believe there’s someone here who has all those qualities.”
“And who would that be?”
“Why, Mr. Hannigan, of course.” And with that, she walked down the hall to her room, leaving Evie to stare at her departing back in wonder, as if the woman had read her mind. Toughie waved a cookie at her before he took a big bite, his grin spreading as crumbs floated to the floor. She’d have to sweep them up before they became imbedded in the carpet runner.
After cleaning up the crumbs, Evie headed into the kitchen. Hilde had the coffee service spread out on its silver tray on the butcher block worktable and was just finishing pouring the brew into the server. Steam rose, scenting the air with her wonderful coffee.
Aunt Felicity sat at the table, the latest issue of theLadies’ Home Journal and Practical Housekeeperspread out before her. Her hat and a pair of gloves were within easy reach, as if she was just waiting to head out. She smiled and offered her cheek. Evie obliged and planted a light kiss on her pale skin, though itwas obvious, she had interrupted their conversation. It was also apparent, by the pinkish glow on Felicity’s cheek, that she—and her recent visitor—were the subjects of that discussion.
“I was just going to have Ana bring in the coffee.” Hilde glanced in her direction. Her cheeks, too, held a slightly pink hue, confirming Evie’s suspicions.
“No need. Mr. Quinn has left.”
Hilde stilled, the coffee pot still in her hand. “So you chased off another one?”
“Another one? How can you say that? Mr. Hannigan and Mr. Peña are still here. Besides, I didn’t chase Mr. Quinn off at all. He left of his own accord. Rather quickly, I might add.”
“Oh? And you had nothing to do with that?”
Evie laughed. “Actually, I didn’t. It was Toughie.”
“Toughie?” The woman’s hazel eyes narrowed, and she could just see the wheels of her mind turning.
“Yes, Toughie. It appears Mr. Quinn doesn’t like children. I think they scare him. At least, that’s the impression I got. He wanted me to leave Montaña del Trueno—today, I might add—and work in his store. He even had the audacity to arrange for a Justice of the Peace to marry us in Santa Fe this afternoon.” She shuddered, thinking about his wet lips on her hand. “Thankfully, Toughie saved me. And just in time, too.” She picked up one of thelebkuckenHilde had arranged on a plate and took a bite. “I think I’ll go for that ride now and meet up with Teddy.”
Hilde gave a non-committal grunt, then poured herself a cup of coffee. She joined Aunt Felicity at the table, but didn’t say anything, which was unusual—Hilde always seemed to have an opinion.
“You two can go back to talking about me.”
“We weren’t talking about you, dear,” Aunt Felicity said, but the blush on her cheek deepened.
Evie didn’t believe her, but that was neither here nor there. If her oldest friends wanted to talk about her, well, that was fine. She imagined they had a good laugh at her expense considering the circumstances. She’d find it amusing too—if it wasn’t happening to her—but she would have a talk with Lucy, find out why she’d done this thing, and how many more prospective husbands would show up.
She walked across the lawn toward the barn. None of the cats were wandering around, neither was the dog. Jake wasn’t there either. In fact, the barnyard was completely empty. The barn doors, as well as all the windows, were wide open to let in fresh air. Her horse Spitfire, along with Clementine, Horatio, and the draft horses, were in the corral next to the barn. Petunia, the milk cow, was in her own little paddock, munching on some fresh hay.
Spitfire saw her coming and raced to the fence. “Are you ready for a ride?” she asked, as she ran her fingers lightly over Spitfire’s long nose.
The horse chuffed in answer, blowing hot air through her nostrils, then pawed the ground with her right hoof, sending puffs of dust into the air. Evie removed the rope that held the gate in place and swung it open. “Come on, then.” The horse stepped through the open gate, then stayed, as she’d been trained, for Evie to close it, then took a few steps toward the barn. While Spitfire waited, Evie headed down the central aisle toward the tack room at the back of the barn. She grabbed a blanket and slung it over her shoulder, then looped the bridle and reins around her arm and hefted the saddle off the sawhorse, lugging it back outside.
“Let me help you with that.”
Evie turned quickly to face Jake as he took the saddle from her. She took a step back. “Oh, Mr. Hannigan!” She paused. Was it possible he was more handsome now than the night in thebarn? She particularly liked the way the sunlight brought out the strands of silver in his dark hair.
