The door to the foyer opened and Jane appeared, her gaze landing on him with a look of surprise. She had Suzie on her hip, her hair flipped over the opposite shoulder. She was beautiful standing there, and his discomfort seeped away. He smiled sheepishly as he met her at the pew and they both slipped back into their spots.
“She took off on me,” Colt whispered. “I wasn’t quick enough.”
“She does do that,” Jane whispered back and she put Suzie down on the pew between them, then reached for Micha. “Were you being a stinker, Michal Ann?”
Micha looked at her mother innocently as Jane scooped the toddler into her lap, deftly clamping a hand down on Micha’s chubby leg to hold her still. So that was how it was done.
“I think you were,” Jane whispered, but there was a smile tickling the corners of her lips. “Be nice to him, Micha. He’s not used to this.”
Jane smiled and he felt that sense of camaraderie again. It felt good coming from her. It wasn’t about pleasing a group or fitting in... It was just a moment between the two of them. Of all the people in this church who had known him for years, Jane probably understood him best.
And that was dangerous ground.
Chapter Nine
The next morning dawned overcast and cool. It was a relief after all of the heat they’d had lately, and Jane bustled in the kitchen, wrapping up lunch fixings to carry with them on their horseback ride today. Jane wore a pair of jeans and a pink T-shirt, and glancing outside she had to wonder if she’d need the sweater she’d set aside. It was hard to tell.
“Some crackers, maybe?” Peg said, pulling down a box from a cupboard. “Oh, here is some cheese you could cut up. And some apples—”
Peg was dressed a little nicer than usual—slacks and a crisp green top. Her hair was held back with two barrettes, and more time than usual seemed to have gone into the styling of it.
Jane accepted the box of crackers and poured a few into a bag. But as she worked, her mind kept going back to her time in church yesterday, Colt next to her, the girls between them... It had been too comfortable, she realized now. Colt was easy to be around. She liked him too much. If she had less of a friendly connection with him, it might be easier...if he were a little less good-looking, too. But a tall, ruggedly handsome guy sitting next to her as the girls played quietly, a guy she wanted to open up to who felt comfortable telling her about his tough stuff as well—it reminded her of the masculine support she’d been missing these last few years. It was that very support that she didn’t want to get used to.
And she was about to go on a morning ride with the man... But she was looking forward to more than his company. She hadn’t been on a horse in years, and she’d been missing riding a lot lately. It would be wonderful to be on horseback again.
“Should I just slice up a few apples for you?” Peg asked.
“Thanks, that would be great,” Jane said with a distracted smile.
“You okay?” Peg asked.
“I’m just chronically tired.” She shot the older woman a grin. “So what will you do while we’re away?”
“I thought I’d help down in the canteen,” Peg replied, then she turned quickly and walked toward the fridge.
“Oh, yeah?” Jane tried to smother a smile. “I heard the new cook is a nice guy.”
“Very nice. I handpicked him. I’m sure he could use some help, though. And since you’ll all be gone, I thought—” Peg put some apples on the counter, and her gaze flickered in Jane’s direction irritably. “Why should it matter what I do?”
“It doesn’t,” Jane said quickly. “I’m sure he’ll appreciate the help.”
Peg didn’t say anything else, but the knife hit the cutting board a little harder than it needed to with every chop, and Jane tried not to smile. Maybe Colt had been right about his aunt’s interest in the new cook. And what should it matter? Just because Jane and Colt were avoiding marriage didn’t mean that Peg had to.
The side door opened, and Colt appeared carrying two little riding helmets.
“Safety first,” he said, kicking the door shut behind him.
The girls, seated at the table with scrambled eggs in front of them, perked up at the sight of Colt. They seemed to sense that they were going to have an interesting day, because the minute they saw the helmets, they forgot about their breakfast and wanted to go investigate.
“No, you need to eat,” Jane said, catching Suzie as she slid down from her chair. “Come back. Breakfast first.”
“Sorry,” Colt said, and as Micha came around the table, he caught her with one muscular arm and dropped her back into her seat. “Listen to your mommy. She’s the boss.”
Micha stared at him for a moment, then made a move to get down again.
“Hey.” Colt grew serious, and Micha froze. “Mommy’s the boss. Look. I’m going to sit down, too. We’ve got to do what she says. There’s no other way.”
He sank into the seat opposite them, and Micha looked properly impressed and didn’t make any other move to escape.
Jane shot Colt a grin. “Thank you.”
“Just stating facts.” But a smile tickled the corners of his lips.
The girls finally ate the last of their eggs—one of their favorite breakfasts—and they were ready to go. Jane grabbed the two plastic grocery bags filled with lunch fixings and the necessities she’d need for a few hours out with the girls—sippy cups of juice, diapers, wipes, a couple of blankets. A mom never knew how much of what she brought would be needed.
“See you later, Peg,” Jane said.
Peg gave a curt nod, and they headed out to the truck.
“What’s with Peg?” Colt
