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“I hope I didn’t wake you.” She turned and smiled that million-dollar smile that I’d enjoyed all night. “You didn’t, but this spread sure did.” I moved to see what was on the stove, and she handed me a cup of coffee. “Black, if I remember correctly.” She turned away and grabbed her own mug and flipped the pancakes in the frying pan.
“Only way to drink coffee is black,” I said, lifting the cup to my lips. Why was this better than the coffee I usually made? The can was sitting on the counter, so it was the same coffee, but it tasted different today. “What time did you get up?” I asked, looking at her.
“Five,” she said nonchalantly, like it was a regular occurrence. Just as I was about to say something, I heard footsteps behind me and the room was full of grown men behaving like children on Christmas morning when they saw what Nora had made.
“This sure beats the toast we’ve been eating for the last three weeks,” Nash said as he sat down.
“Coffee anyone?” she asked as she moved to the table with a full pot in her hand. She didn’t hand their coffee to them individually, like she’d done for me. Maybe it was because she knew what I wanted? Pour someone a cup of coffee, and they will doctor it up as they please, but she took the time to keep my cup back and hand it to me as I walked into the room.
“I haven’t had pancakes in years,” Griffin announced, piling a stack onto his plate.
“Years? Griff, seriously? You ate stacks of them in Vegas for the rodeo.”
“That was Vegas. I meant at home,” he scoffed.
“Do any of you rodeo?” Nora asked from the stove.
A chorus of adamant “no’s” filled the room, and I admit I was also one of them.
“A bunch of cowboys, and not a rodeo man in the bunch, that’s kind of sad,” Nora said as she added more bacon to the plate.
“Nash and Kipp used to team rope, but they haven’t done it in ages. Except during branding, they usually work together. I rode bulls for a while, till I broke my shoulder. Now it hurts when it rains, or when it’s windy, even when it’s sunny, so it wasn’t worth it,” Ryder said as he reached for another helping of scrambled eggs.
“Well, that makes things a little better,” she said, reaching for her coffee again.
“Aren’t you going to eat?” I asked her as she put plates away from last night.
“I’m going to wait for Cooper. I haven’t had breakfast with him for ages, it seems like.” It was another reminder that her life hadn’t been easy, and I wanted to know why.
“When we come back for lunch, I will take him for a horse. You’re more than welcome to tag along if you want.” I reached for some of the bacon that had interrupted the best dream in the world. It didn’t disappoint. The saltiness, the grease, the perfect bite sent my tastebuds rocketing to the moon.
“I would like that.” She smiled at me before turning back to unload the dishwasher. The room fell into a comfortable silence, which had been rare lately. We’d been at each other’s throats and, for the first time, I wasn’t second guessing living a normal life.
“So, did you all meet on the rodeo circuit?” she asked as she topped up our cups with coffee, taking a seat beside me. I knew she sat there because it was close to the counter and she could easily get to the stove, but that still didn’t change the fact she was sitting beside me.
“No, we met working together years ago, and became friends,” I said as I stuffed pancakes into my mouth. The discussion about the five of us meeting wasn’t one for breakfast, hell it wasn’t even supper conversation. It was the middle of the night when nobody else was around in hushed voices. We all looked at one another, but nobody said anything more. I watched Nora, glancing around at each of us, but she didn’t pry.
We were all so full nobody wanted to move. “Well, I suppose we should get at it,” Griffin said, as he patted his stomach. As we all stood together, the chairs scraped across the floor, ending the awkward silence in the room.
“Nora, I’m so happy you’re here,” Nash said as he walked out of the kitchen.
“Yeah, this is the best we’ve ever eaten. Thanks,” Ryder agreed, grinning from ear to ear.
“I second all of it,” Griffin beamed as he sauntered out of the kitchen.
“You’re awfully quiet,” she observed softly as she stared at me.
“Too full to talk,” I groaned. I didn’t want to leave the house today. Being in here would be more preferable over spending the day with the guys. “We’ll be in about noon.” I tapped my hand on the counter.
“Okay, sounds good. See you then.” She smiled sweetly and turned back to the table, clearing all the dishes. My feet felt like they were welded to the floor. I could watch her work all day, but that wouldn’t get my work done and just make me lose another night of sleep.
Walking out to the porch, I pulled my boots on and was met with three pairs of eyes staring at me. “What?” I asked, pushing my way through the group. My boots crunched on the gravel as I strode across the driveway.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining about Nora being here, but don’t you think it’s something we should have talked about?”
Nash walked up beside me. He was my oldest friend and I respected the hell out of him. We were inseparable growing up, even though he was a year older. Most people confused us for brothers when we were growing up and as a guy with three sisters, I would have been happy to have him as a brother.
“She was working for Fred,” I mentioned as I stopped dead in my tracks and turned to look at him. I hadn’t realized my hands had fisted at my sides.
