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She chuckled softly. “That is where this is going, whether you want to admit it or not. But you’ll figure it out, eventually.”
“And here I was just about to ask you to dinner tomorrow.”
“May I still come?”
“Yes. I’m sure Regan won’t mind. She may not feed me, but she will you.” He viewed her silently for a few moments before saying, “Thanks, Spring.”
“You’re welcome. See you tomorrow.”
He gave her a nod and left.
Lying on her bed in the shadowy, predawn silence, Regan’s mind slipped back to last night’s encounter with Colt. Their agreed upon pact lasted less than a day and she placed the blame squarely on his shoulders. Should she have lied to him about Levi Spalding instead? Some women would have, but as always, she’d let truth be her guide and all she’d gotten in return was frustration.
Last night after her bath, she’d found a note he’d slipped under her door to let her know he’d left the house and would be returning shortly. An hour or so later she heard his return and his bedroom door close. Although she wondered where he’d gone, she’d been too upset to care. She had no idea which version of himself he’d present this morning at breakfast, and truthfully it didn’t matter. She’d never begged for anything in her life and she had no plans to do so to gain his affection. Today would be her turn for distance. She knew it was childish and petty to pay him back in kind, but he’d earned it. And besides, she was still angry.
She revisited their conversation, hearing what she’d said and how he’d responded, and she froze. Was the stodgy, but sometimes scandalous Dr. Colton Lee jealous? Her jaw dropped. She’d been so upset last night she’d failed to consider the reasons behind his attitude. But jealousy didn’t make sense. Why be jealous over a woman he didn’t love? Wasn’t he constantly pointing out that theirs wasn’t a love match? Was he starting to care for her in spite of that? She had no answer, but the question was intriguing; not intriguing enough for her to pretend last night’s heated conversation hadn’t occurred. However, it gave her something to think about as she left the bed to begin her day.
One of the reasons Regan detested the old stove was the oven door. The hinges were rusted and so out of line, the only way to keep it closed was to prop something against it like the small sawhorse being used now. Add to that the small dirty burners and the hour the oven took to reach a reasonable baking temperature. Having to cook on it further soured her already grumbling mood.
“Good morning, Miss Regan. Where’s Papa?” Anna asked, entering the kitchen.
“Good morning, Anna. Not sure. Maybe he’s being a lazybones this morning.” Or maybe he was still sulking.
“May I help you cook?”
Anna’s smiling presence warmed Regan like beams of sunshine. “Of course. Do you want to break the eggs into the bowl for me?”
She nodded and dragged the small crate she used to stand on over to the counter. Once on her perch, she very carefully broke each of the dozen eggs into the bowl. “I like helping.”
“And I enjoy having your help. It reminds me of when I first began helping my Aunt Eddy. I was a little bit older though.”
“How old were you?”
“Ten.”
“Did you already know how to cook?”
“Just a few things.”
“Did you know how to make cakes?”
Regan chuckled. “No, but Aunt Eddy showed me how.”
“I can’t wait until I get my cake.”
Regan placed fat strips of bacon into the hot cast-iron skillet and peeked in at the biscuits. When she straightened she found Colt watching them from the doorway.
“Good morning,” he said.
Anna greeted him with a cherry, “Morning, Papa.”
To not upset Anna, Regan forced out a lightly toned, “Good morning,” before turning her attention back to Anna. “Let’s put some cream in your eggs and some salt and pepper.” She watched while Anna slowly poured a bit of cream into the bowl, added the seasonings, and whisked the mixture with a fork. Regan felt his eyes on her.
“Anything I can do?” he asked.
“I think Anna and I have everything under control.”
“Okay. I’ll go feed the horses and be back.”
