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“Is Papa going to help, too?”
The way he froze made Regan smile inwardly. “No, not today. Maybe another time.” He met her eyes and she thought she saw relief. He’d admitted having limited cooking skills, so she wondered if he’d ever washed a dish or cleared a table. “Can you show me where the boiler is and how to heat it?”
His puzzled response made her wonder if tending to boilers was something else he didn’t think a woman capable of handling, so she explained, “We had boilers back home. I just need you to show me how yours works. If you’re away and I need hot water to do wash or so Anna can bathe, I shouldn’t have to wait until you return.”
The explanation apparently settled the matter because he walked her outside and showed her what she needed to do. She had a few questions as to how long it took the water to heat and where the wood for it was stored. Once she was satisfied with her ability to master the task, she thanked him.
“You ever going to stop surprising me?” he asked.
“I hope not.”
For a moment, he studied her silently. “Beautiful women aren’t supposed to be as intelligent as you seem to be.”
“And handsome doctors aren’t supposed to be as plumb dumb about women as you seem to be.”
He smiled at that.
In the silence that followed Regan felt desire rise to fill the space between them and she swore she saw it in his eyes, too. “I worried when I awakened alone this morning. Was there an emergency you needed to attend to, or was I so forward last night that you couldn’t bear to be with me in the light of day?”
“No. I just...” For a moment, he looked away as if drawn by something only he could see.
“So, I was?”
He shook his head. “No, I was surprised by how forward I was.”
Regan wasn’t sure what to make of that. “I didn’t think you were, at all.”
“I’m a doctor of medicine. Keeping my head in a situation is what I’m trained to do but last night, I was...”
“Scandalous?” she offered.
The look he cut her almost made her laugh. She schooled her features instead. “Did you not enjoy last night—Doctor?” It was the tiniest of digs but she couldn’t resist.
“Enjoying yourself?”
“I am, almost as much as I enjoyed last night.”
“Anna’s inside. You shouldn’t keep her waiting.”
He walked away.
Watching him go, she sighed. For the second time since meeting him, she wanted to yell, “Coward!”
After she and Anna finished in the kitchen, Regan went to her room to try and bring order to the chaos. Colt and Anna were in Anna’s room doing whatever it was they did while Anna prepared for bed. Regan hadn’t been asked to join them. Telling herself she didn’t feel left out, she cleared the bed of the garments covering it and saw the bare ticking of the mattress. They’d slept on it last night after stripping the sheets. She needed replacements but had no idea where to find them.
“Anna wants to say good night.”
His voice drew her to where he stood in the doorway.
“Okay.”
She watched him scan the crowded room then shake his head tersely, before silently making his exit. Feeling sheepish about the mess, she followed him out.
Anna, in her nightclothes, lay in bed. Regan walked over and said gently, “Good night, princess. Sweet dreams.”
“Thank you for not letting me get shot.”
Regan caressed her brow. “Thank you for being the bravest girl in the Territory.”
