It was a waste of money and indulgent, something Cat couldn’t be, not when she would be living off a teacher’s salary.Teachers were not generously paid in the States, and in terms of average salary, Michigan ranked nineteenth nationally.Once she sold Grandma Betty’s houses, Cat would have a nice nest egg, but she’d have to be careful.The last thing she wanted to do was squander what Grandma had left her.
Rhys’s phone rang downstairs, faint through the floorboards.She heard his voice as he answered and could picture him in the sitting room—either in the armchair or on the couch, his notes spread out, his computer open, a mug of something at his elbow.
Part of her wished she were down there with him.The girls had gone to bed half an hour ago, and it would be lovely to sit by the fire and fill out applications where it was warm and cozy, but she didn’t want to distract Rhys, and let’s face it, he very much distractedher.So, Cat remained on her bed, chin in her hand, staring at the screen as the cursor blinked steadily, before finally forcing herself to complete at least one application before bed.
Chapter Seven
As usual, Rhyswoke before dawn.Years of surgical schedules had trained him to function on limited sleep, and normally he liked the early hours—the quiet, the sense of control before the world intruded.But this morning, he didn’t reach for his laptop or his notes.
Instead, he sat up in bed, shivering a little at the cold as he listened to the stillness inside the house while outside the wind rattled the window panes.
It was going to be colder today than yesterday.If it snowed again today, the snow might stick through the afternoon into the evening.But he wasn’t ready for proper snow, that had to wait until closer to Christmas.He still had much to do first.
Downstairs he turned on the furnace and quickly built up the fire in the sitting room.The kitchen was already cozy thanks to the old Aga, and he started a pot of coffee knowing that Catriona would want a cup when she woke, too.
As he moved around the kitchen the first gray light seeped over the fields.The snow had melted but there were puddles here and there next to the gravel road, but his thoughts weren’t there outside, but rather here in the cottage with Cat very much on his mind.
He wasn’t the sort of man who shared things easily—or at all—and yet something about her invited honesty.He hadn’t ever met a woman quite so… real.She was open and honest, and best of all, kind.She’d been tired yesterday, and he saw how much effort it cost her to keep everything together, and she had.He’d loved Lyndsey, but Lyndsey loved drama and excitement and when tired, her emotions got bigger and louder.Maybe that was why he found himself appreciating Cat’s quiet strength, and her resolve to do her job and do it well.Last night, as he fell asleep, he recognized how much he needed her here now, helping them this Christmas.But he also recognized he needed to do more.He’d vowed that this holiday in Derbyshire would be a special one, filled with new memories and traditions, but so far, he hadn’t delivered on that.
Time to do better, starting today.
Rhys grabbed a bowl and began cracking and whisking eggs.He reached for a skillet and began lining up bread, bacon and sausages on the counter.The girls had once loved his scrambled eggs, but he couldn’t remember when he last made them a proper breakfast.Usually now it was a boiled egg and soldiers, something fast on weekends, and even then, usually it was Charlotte making the breakfasts before they left for school as he’d already be at the hospital.
He had the rasher of bacon in a pan when he heard soft footsteps.
“Daddy?”Olivia stood in the doorway, her hair tangled, her face sleepy but hopeful.“You’re cooking breakfast?”
“I thought I’d see if I could remember how to make scrambled eggs.It’s been a long time.”
She grinned and pulled a chair from the table toward the counter.“Can I help?”
“Of course.”He handed her the whisk and let her beat away at the eggs, frequently sloshing bright yellow yolk over the edge of the bowl but it didn’t matter.Olivia was smiling and delighted to be helping him.
After the eggs were ready to be cooked, he had her set the table and perhaps the plates slightly didn’t match, and the silverware was in the wrong place, but it worked and it even made his heart turn over.Olivia, his baby, wasn’t a baby anymore.She was growing up so fast, but then they all were.
When Jillian appeared, she stopped short at the sight of him standing at the stove.“You’re making breakfast?”
“Yes,” he said, keeping his tone easy.“It’s edible, I promise.”
Jillian gave a small, skeptical huff but sat down anyway.Olivia passed her a slice of toast, and for a moment, the normalcy felt almost real.
Cat appeared last, her long dark hair still damp from a shower, wearing a soft dark green sweater and faded jeans.
She paused in the doorway, taking in the scene.“Well,” she said, smiling faintly, “this is unexpected.”
“It’s Saturday.Thought I’d give you a break,” Rhys said.
Her eyes warmed.“That’s very kind of you.”
He shrugged.“Seemed overdue.”
Cat stepped around him to pour herself a cup of coffee.“What can I do?”she asked, after taking a quick necessary sip.
“Nothing.Everything is on the table.”
The four of them ate together, the morning light growing stronger through the windows.The girls bickered softly about the weather, and whether or not it would snow again, and Cat smiled when she thought no one was looking, and Rhys was glad to see her smile.The last few days had been stressful for her, and he was ready for things to settle.He also needed them to settle.Cat had assured him last night she was fine, but no one did well with unrelenting stress.He’d cut his day shorter today, get home earlier, and take the girls off of her hands so she could do something she enjoyed… even if that was just to take a nap.
*
