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As she drifted back to sleep, she realized that though Patrick didn’t say much, he was strong. And kind. She had made the right choice going all the way to Clover Creek, Idaho to marry a stranger. Even if his mother was half-crazy and talked too much.
During the night, she rolled toward him, snuggling against the heat of his body. Never in her life had she slept with someone, and she couldn’t believe how comforted she felt by him. He was a good man, and she hadn’t made a mistake after all.
Chapter Five
Heather woke the following morning to see Patrick propped on one elbow and watching her sleep. Her eyes slowly opened, and she smiled at him. “Good morning. I’m sorry I fell asleep so quickly last night.” She hoped he wasn’t angry that she’d robbed him of his wedding night.
He shook his head. “No reason to be. I enjoyed holding you through the night.”
“I think I enjoyed it too. I woke up a few times, realized where I was, and fell right back to sleep. I feel safe in your arms.” She couldn’t fathom why she felt so safe with him, but she really did. He was a good man. He would have to be to put up with the way his mother didn’t let him get a word in edgewise.
Patrick watched her for a moment. “We must get up soon. I can already hear Mother stirring, but may I kiss you first?” His voice was timid, as if he was afraid she would refuse him his simple request.
Heather nodded. “I’m your wife. Of course, you may kiss me.”
He reached out with his big hands and pulled her toward him, his lips going to hers. It was a gentle kiss, almost as if he was welcoming her to his life there.
After the kiss, he swung his legs over the side of the bed, and it was then she realized he wasn’t wearing anything. Heather rolled to her back and looked straight up at the ceiling rather than watching him in his state of undress. “Do you always sleep without a nightshirt?” she asked, trying to keep her voice casual.
“I do in the summer. It’s too hot to care too much about what I wear to bed.”
Heather was surprised. “I thought it was cold last night. At home, it’s almost as hot during the day as it is at night.”
“I’m dressed now. You can look.”
Turning toward him, Heather saw that his face was filled with amusement. She felt as if she’d learned more about him in the few minutes since she’d woken than she had in the entire previous day. “What is your plan for the day?” she asked.
“I have to finish the repairs to the barn I was making before the cattle ran off.” He shook his head. “I love that I live in a place where we can just let our cattle roam free, but they do tend to get into mischief when left unsupervised.”
She laughed. “You make them sound like small children.”
“It feels that way at times.” He stood there, watching her as she got out of bed, pulling her nightgown down from where it had ridden up showing a large area of her thigh. “I hope you won’t fall asleep so quickly tonight.”
When standing, she didn’t come up to his shoulder, and it made her feel tiny and delicate. “I will try to stay awake a little longer. I didn’t get much sleep on the train. They were calling out stops the entire time. All through the night.”
“I wouldn’t have slept either.” He leaned down and kissed her once more. “I’m not sure how much I can kiss you while standing…It’s going to hurt my back. I’ll have to save that for when we’re in bed together.”
Heather’s face was red as he shut the door behind him. As soon as she heard his footsteps on the stairs, she dressed and brushed her hair, putting it into a bun quickly.
Once downstairs, she took her apron from the hook where it hung beside his mother’s and put it on. “Good morning, Sally,” she said, seeing her new mother-in-law at the stove, flipping pancakes. “What can I do to help?”
“Set the table for me. I’m just doing pancakes this morning, so it’s mostly a one-woman job.” Sally smiled at her. “Maybe another morning, I can sleep a little later, and you can put breakfast on.”
“I’d be happy to do that any time you’d like.”
“We are going to have to get creative for lunch today. I usually make enough for lunch the following day, but we ate all your chicken and dumplings last night. They were delicious.”
“Perhaps we can bake bread this morning, and make sandwiches?” Heather suggested. It was something she often did for lunch with her mother if there was nothing left from the night before.
Sally grinned. “You bake the bread, and I’ll fry up the bacon to go on it. Do you like bacon?”
“I don’t believe there is a person who has tried bacon that doesn’t like it,” Heather said with a smile. “That sounds like a delicious lunch. How many loaves of bread should I make?”
“If that’s what we’re having for lunch, I’d make at least eight. Then we’ll have some with supper tonight, and some more for breakfast tomorrow. Patrick will eat at least a loaf and a half on his own…if he’s not too hungry. I’ve seen him eat three.”
Heather sighed. “Is that what made him grow so tall? I feel like I’m a child beside him.”
Sally laughed. “I’m tall, and his father was tall. Not as tall as Patrick, but almost. As I got older, I’ve widened out a bit, but Patrick is still as lean as ever.” She scooped four pancakes out of the pan and poured four more. “Will you eat more than four pancakes?”
