As he lingered under the covers, she silently slipped the lace out of one of his boots before heading upstairs to her room for fresh clothes.
A few minutes later, Royal returned to the warmth of the kitchen, finishing the last button on her clean shirt as she sat down. Teddy sleepily dropped into the chair across from her and reached for a biscuit. Their mother slapped his hand. With his tousled, short blond hair and tanned, sharp features, he looked like a slightly younger, slightly lankier version of Royal.
“As long as I’m in this house we’ll say grace before we eat.” Their mother clasped her hands together and gave them both a withering look.
“Yes, ma’am.” Teddy settled back, folded his hands, and closed his eyes.
Chapter Five
Lovey had just finished washing the breakfast dishes when Cal came through the front door. Cal was a local woman that her father had taken on for cleaning, cooking, and washing. Since Lovey had returned she’d taken to cooking certain meals but was thankful to have Cal’s help for all the other tasks around the house. When she’d first arrived, Lovey had been so depressed that she’d hardly left her room. She figured she owed Cal’s fine cooking for keeping her alive during that sad transition.
Cal had smooth, dark skin, and her full figure was a testament to her skill in the kitchen. Her cakes were legend. More than one young bride in the county in need of a wedding cake had hired her.
“Good morning, Cal.” Lovey hung the drying towel near the sink.
“Morning, Miss Lovey.” Cal set her purse and a brown paper sack of groceries on the table. Her dark eyes followed Lovey as she moved to leave the kitchen. “Are you goin’ out, Miss Lovey?”
“Um, yes, I thought I’d take a walk.” Lovey noticed the surprised expression on Cal’s face. Had she really been that much of a recluse the past few weeks? Maybe. Lovey leaned against the door frame as Cal unpacked the groceries and stowed them in the pantry.
“Is Cal your real name?” Lovey felt remiss that she’d been spending time with Cal for months and had never asked this question before.
“It’s Callalily, but everyone has always called me Cal.”
“That’s a beautiful name. And a beautiful flower.”
Cal stopped what she was doing and gave Lovey her full attention. “You seem different today, Miss Lovey.”
“Do I?”
“Yes, miss, and I’m glad to see it. You seem lighter. Whatever it is you’ve been up to, you should keep doin’ it.”
Lovey smiled. “I’ll definitely take that under advisement, Cal.” First her father and now Cal had mentioned a shift in her demeanor. I do feel lighter.
“I’ll see you later. If my father asks, will you just tell him I’ll be back shortly?” She turned and left Cal to her tasks.
She puzzled over her own shift in mood as she stepped off the porch and began her walk. She turned left when she reached the road, headed back to where she’d seen Royal’s car go over the bank. She hoped the car would still be there, which meant she might see Royal again. As she neared the turn, she saw there was an old pickup truck with wooden slats in the sides parked on the shoulder.
As she reached the crest of the curve, near the parked truck, Lovey registered her heart rate increase. The upturned car looked scarier in the full light of day. Royal was standing down near the upended sedan, her white shirt contrasted against the dark auto, her posture pensive.
With the boyish clothes, Lovey would have definitely described Royal as a tomboy, but would never have described her as masculine. There was something decidedly feminine about Royal that she’d noticed the previous night in the kitchen. Her features, while strong, were unmistakably feminine. Royal had high cheekbones and heart-stopping blue eyes, shadowed by long lashes. Lovey had taken in all these details the night before and was now enjoying the view from a small distance. Despite feminine features, Royal’s stance was confident and assured; it carried an element of self-confidence usually only observed in young men.
Motion caught Lovey’s eye. Royal wasn’t alone. Two young men were nearby attaching a system of pulleys and a winch to the upturned car. Lovey decided to step behind some trees and watch.
As she observed the men work, Royal held her thumb at her mouth as if she’d just been in some deep thought. Noticing this detail only served to pull Lovey’s attention to Royal’s lips, her mouth. Allowing her gaze to linger there for a moment caused her insides to stir in an unexpected way. Aware that she was staring but as yet unseen by Royal, Lovey decided to step a little closer behind a different tree so that she could better see the goings-on undetected.
Finding Royal’s face more than a little distracting, she refocused her attention on Royal as a whole. The fresh white shirt and pressed, clean trousers made Lovey wonder who waited at home for Royal. That the question had entered her mind at all struck her as unusual. Who was it that cared for Royal and waited up for her at night? Or was she alone in the world? Royal had said that if she didn’t return home from time to time that no one would worry. Remembering that statement made Lovey feel sad.
Lovey stood, sheltered from view just below the crest of the small rise watching Royal and the two young men working below to reorient the Ford sedan. Had the car tumbled a few more times it could easily have ended up in the pond that lay just
