'Let him tell us why he moved the date up,' Douglas pestered.
Harrison decided to be blunt. 'It's simple, gentlemen. I've reached the end of my endurance. I can't be in the same room with her and not…'
'You don't have to go into details,' Cole hastily said. 'We get the picture.'
'And it's a disgusting one,' Travis muttered, for it involved his sister.
'There it is
'What?' Travis asked.
'Thunder,' Douglas answered. 'It's coming from the kitchen.'
'What the hell are you talking about?' Cole asked.
Douglas didn't have to explain. Harrison was ordered to the kitchen. Mary Rose shouted his name. Eleanor bellowed Cole's name.
The two men who had been summoned looked at each other.
'I guess maybe they talked things over,' Cole said.
'Maybe?' Harrison replied dryly.
Cole was reluctant to move. Harrison put his napkin down with a resigned look and stood up.
'Are you going to go in there?' Travis asked.
'Of course,' Harrison answered.
'What in blazes for?'
'To catch hell,' Harrison said. 'Get up, Cole. You're going with me.' Cole tossed his napkin at Travis and followed Harrison into the kitchen. Mary Rose started in first.
'How could you be so cruel? It was callous and mean of you to scare Eleanor the way you did. I cannot believe you dumped her out on the road in the middle of nowhere. What could you have been thinking?'
Harrison wasn't given time to defend himself. Eleanor rushed over to stand next to Mary Rose. She imitated her military stance by folding her arms across her middle.
'I got blisters on my toes. They bled for God's sake. Was Cole in on this? He was, wasn't he?'
She turned to glare at Mary Rose's brother. 'I shall never, ever forgive you.'
'You two left her alone. Anything could have happened to her. There are wild animals living up there on the mountain. Did you forget about them? Eleanor could have… did you have your gun?' she asked her friend.
Eleanor shook her head. 'No, I did not. If I'd had my gun, Mary Rose, I would have shot Harrison.'
'How would you have felt if something terrible had happened to me?' Eleanor asked Cole.
He walked over to the kitchen table and leaned against it. 'Nothing happened to you,' he said in a perfectly calm, reasonable tone of voice.
'There never was going to be a vote,' Eleanor cried out. 'I've been nice for no good reason at all. I even made biscuits, damn it.'
Cole shrugged. 'They were good biscuits,' he said. 'It didn't kill you to be nice, Eleanor, so quit acting like it did.'
'There was always someone watching over her,' Harrison interjected. He too sounded reasonable.
'Who was looking out for her?' Mary Rose asked.
'Dooley took a turn, then Ghost spelled him, and then Henry finished up,' Cole explained.
'Ghost? Dear Lord, not Ghost. Had he been drinking?'
'Yes, he had,' Eleanor answered. 'The man was clearly sotted.'
'He was what?' Cole asked.
'Drunk,' she said. 'He couldn't have come to my rescue if I'd gotten into trouble.'
'You can't know that,' Cole argued.
'He thought I was an angel, for God's sake.'
'He was drunk.' Cole burst into laughter. Harrison had more discipline. He only cracked a smile.
Eleanor desperately wanted Cole to admit he'd have mourned her if she'd been killed. She knew she was being melodramatic; she didn't care. He had kissed her, after all. He had to feel something for her, didn't he? She thought it would be lovely if he'd admit it.
'What would you have done if I'd been killed?'
'That didn't happen. You're sure a sight when your cheeks get all flushed.'
'Answer my question,' Eleanor insisted.
'Fine, I'll answer. I guess I'd bury you.'
'You'd bury me.'
She didn't look too happy with him. He decided that wasn't the answer she'd been looking for. 'I'd pick a real nice spot.'
Harrison put his arms around Mary Rose. 'I'd do the same for you,' he promised her.
She could see the laughter in his eyes. 'How thoughtful of you,' she whispered.
Eleanor moved closer to Cole. 'And then what would you do?'
'Do you have to raise your voice like that? You're making my head pound.'
She apologized before she realized what she was doing. 'I'm sorry. Please tell me what you would do after you buried me in a nice spot.'
Cole pretended to have to think about it.
'Well, I'd have to dig deep when I planted you so the animals wouldn't get to you. And it's hot out this time of year,' he said.
'Yes,' she agreed. 'It's hot.'
'I guess I'd come back home and tell Mary Rose what happened. She'd feel real bad, wouldn't she, Harrison?'
'Yes, she would,' Harrison agreed.
Neither Eleanor nor Mary Rose could hold on to their anger. The way Cole was going on and on in that cowboy's drawl of his made both women want to laugh.
'And then what would you do?' Eleanor asked.
'I guess I'd get a beer.'
She turned around and walked out of the kitchen. She knew she was going to smile. She didn't want Cole to see it.
He caught up with her in the hallway just as she was about to push the swinging door open so she could go into the dining room.
He grabbed hold of her around the waist and forced her to turn around.
'Exactly what did you expect me to say I'd do?'
'I expected you to say you'd feel sorry about my demise. Doing any actual mourning would be too much to ask from a man like you.'
'Sure I'd mourn.'
'Aren't you at all sorry you lied to me?'
'No.'
'Why not?'
'Because you were being a real pain in the backside, Eleanor. I like you better now. You're much sweeter when you're not yelling all the time. Besides, I got to kiss you. I wouldn't have if Harrison hadn't dumped you out on the trail. The plan was all his doing, by the way. Want me to kiss you again?'
'Yes, please.'
Cole's hand moved to the back of her neck. He was rough when he pulled her against him.
'There's a fire burning inside you, Ellie. You make a man want to get close to the heat. Real close. I've been thinking about kissing you again all week long.'
'Cole?' Her voice was a dreamy whisper.
'Yes?'
'Will you please get on with it?'
He was laughing when his mouth claimed hers. One kiss wasn't enough. He decided he wanted more. He was having such a pleasurable time, he forgot all about leaving Mary Rose in the kitchen with the man who was determined to seduce her.
His sister was thankful for a moment's privacy from the family. She wanted to talk to Harrison and find out
