Riley’s chuckle rumbled across the room as he dropped down to sit beside his wife.
Lorelei quickly spooned out the meal and handed dishes to each. Juniper accepted another cup of broth and raised it to her mouth for a sip. As Lorelei settled into her usual chair, the food in the bowl held no appeal. Still, she forced herself to take the first bite.
“How were things at the fort today, Lor?” Rosie’s question offered a welcome distraction, and Lorelei shifted her focus to her sister.
“Good. Tanner and White Horse seem to have everything in hand with the animals. Both are recovering as well as I would expect.”
Rosie nodded, but she kept her focus on Lorelei even as she took a bite of dumpling, chewed, and swallowed. The way she lowered her spoon and raised her brows before she spoke made something tighten in Lorelei’s belly.
“So, Lor. What do you think about Tanner Mason now that you’ve spent time with him?”
Heat flushed up Lorelei’s neck before she could stop it. Though her ears were likely bright red, she did her best to act casual. “I, um, think he’s a good man. A very good man. Honest. And hardworking. And...” Her mind stalled. No other words would come.
She closed her mouth and struggled for a smile to show Rosie all was as it should be.
But her response had been suspicious enough that every one of her sisters now eyed her. Even Riley’s eyes had rounded, a bit of a shocked look on his face. He must not have suspected anything, but the girls had. Juniper’s knowing look and Faith’s smirk showed that fact clearly. And Rosie was studying her as though if she looked hard enough, she could see the secrets of the pyramids in her eyes.
Lorelei turned away and took a bite of dumpling. The mushy corn bread tasted awful, even with the buffalo gravy, but at least with her mouth full, her tongue couldn’t get her in trouble.
“Does he feel the same way?” The quiet intensity inRosie’s voice drew her attention, and she swallowed the wad, though it lodged in her throat.
Rosie didn’t look angry, just ... concerned. More like their mother than ever before, with the glimmer of worry softening her eyes.
Lorelei thought through the question. Did Tanner feel what way, exactly? Attracted to her? The memory of those two kisses swept in, and another round of heat flooded her face. Even as Lorelei struggled to hold Rosie’s gaze, Faith’s giggle penetrated her efforts.
“I never thought I’d see the day Lorelei turned swoony over a man. An animal, yes. But not a fellow.” Their youngest sister’s teasing sparked her ire. “Has he kissed you?”
Lorelei spun to tell Faith to mind her own molasses, but Juniper raised a hand to stay her. “Faith. That’s not a question we ask, dear.” She sent a sly look toward Lorelei. “But if she wanted to tell, we’d certainly be willing to listen.”
She could take no more. Her feelings for Tanner were too new. Too precious to take the teasing yet. Setting her bowl aside, she rose and started for the door. “I’m going to check the horses in the barn.”
As she stepped into the fresh evening air, she closed the door on the chuckles inside. She walked the short distance to the barn, letting her mind wander.
If she were at the fort, this would be the time she would go out to milk Elsa and feed Curly. She would have already delivered Tanner’s and White Horse’s meals to them and stayed to visit if they weren’t busy. It seemed a customer often arrived just as Tanner was bringing in the latchstring for the night. Had that happened today too? How late would he be out milking and tending wounds?
She’d said she would come every day, but she couldn’t leave Juniper if she was too weak. Maybe her sister had turned a corner this afternoon, and Lorelei would be able to ride over to the trading post tomorrow to check on things.
Playing with the new filly eased a bit of the tension in her. Its silky soft muzzle caressed like kisses as it nuzzled her face. By the time she headed back toward the house, the weight on her chest felt far lighter.
But as she reached for the latchstring to enter the cabin, the sound of retching met her ears once again.
Lorelei hadn’t come that day. Tanner could stand the strain no longer, so he milked Elsa early and left the milk for White Horse to feed the calf. He’d set the bar in place on the trade room door, then saddled his gelding and headed toward the mountain pass.
Full darkness had nearly settled by the time he descended into the valley where the Collins ranch nestled. No lantern lights shone in the yard, but as he drew nearer, he could make out a glow emanating from the cabin walls. They wouldn’t be expecting company. Should he alert them of his presence?
As he reached the yard, he let loose a friendly whistle. A heartbeat later, the door cracked open, and Riley peered out. He didn’t appear surprised to see Tanner.
The doorway widened as another figure appeared behind the man. That flash of burgundy skirt had to be Lorelei. Riley didn’t seem eager to concede the doorway, and the shadows hid much of his expression.
But then Lorelei slipped around him, and Tanner could look nowhere else.
She smiled at him. “Tanner.”
He slid to the ground to meet her, and when she came into his arms, he clasped her tight.
Only for a second, though, for he could feel the weight of Riley’s scrutiny. Had she told her family about their ... courtship?
As he pulled back, she gripped his upper arms and studied his face, the shadows forming deep grooves around her features. “What’s wrong? What happened?”
