“I’m living at yer stallion’s place. Until my ranch sells, I need to know if me and Red are going to have to up and move any time before the snow stops flying.”
I swallowed a walnut of guilt, being that I was Harvey’s real estate agent and not having any luck finding someone to look at his place, let alone put an offer on it.
“So, if Doc’s underwear is sharing a drawer with mine …” I trailed off with raised brows.
“Then I figure he ain’t gonna be anxious to return home anytime soon, so Red and I can sit comfortable for a spell longer.”
“Doc wouldn’t kick you out even if he wasn’t spending every night here.”
“I know, but sometimes a man likes to ride along solo for a time, ’specially one who’s spent most of his life as a loner out on the trail.”
Harvey’s words tapped into one of my insecurities when it came to Doc. My kids and I probably made the longtime bachelor feel like there wasn’t enough room to change his mind without stepping outside on the porch. Maybe I needed to kick Doc out of my bed a few times a week to let him enjoy some time away from me and my madhouse.
To Harvey I said, “I’ll let you know when Doc’s and my underwear start cohabitating.”
“Red and I appreciate it.” He hit me with a squint. “And don’t go makin’ a mess with Doc in the meantime.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Your pretty mama told me all about your track record with men.” He made a small explosion sound and then fluttered his fingers away.
I cursed Harvey and my mom in one long, heated breath, ending it with a foot stomp for emphasis.
“Woo wee, girlie. You need to go wash your hands and your mouth before supper.” He shoved me toward the downstairs bathroom.
I washed my hands and frowned at the woman in the mirror. Between the blast of frigid wind blowing my curls free of the combs I had tucked into the rest of my rat’s nest and the colorful bruises now covering the upper right quarter of my face, I looked like I’d spent the afternoon wrestling a troop of mad monkeys.
Wetting my fingers, I tried to tame a few curls before giving up on my wild hair. As for my face, short of wearing a Phantom of the Opera mask, there was no hiding the results of my meeting with Prudence.
Reid and Harvey were the only two in Aunt Zoe’s happy yellow kitchen when I waltzed through the arched entryway. Harvey was messing around in the open refrigerator, grunting and muttering in the process, while Reid stood at the stove where he was stirring what must be his firehouse chili in a big saucepot.
“Hi, Sparky,” Reid called out, smiling my way.
Deadwood’s fire captain looked nice and rugged this evening in his jeans and red flannel shirt. He wore Harvey’s green and white striped “Life’s short, moon the cook!” apron that I’d bought the ornery old coot for Christmas. Aunt Zoe was missing out. She should be in here sitting at the table and enjoying the view instead of slaving out in her workshop with her blowpipe, jacks, and paddles.
“Yabba dabba, I sure do love the sight of a man in an apron.” I joined Reid, licking my chops at the bubbling goodness in the pot. “It smells delicious in here. Thanks for making supper.”
“It’s the least I can do after all the meals I’ve eaten at your aunt’s table.” He grabbed an oven mitt from the counter next to him, pausing to give me a thorough once-over with his blue-blue eyes. His salt-and-pepper mustache twitched. “So, who won the fight? You or the other guy?”
“The other guy.”
“Hell, here I thought Zo taught you to lead with an uppercut to the jaw.” He pointed a wooden spoon at my cheek. “You need to put some ice on that.”
“So I hear.” I glanced around to make sure the coast was clear. “Speaking of Aunt Zoe,” I spoke in a hushed voice, “any talk so far of filling your ass with buckshot?”
He smirked. “Not yet, but the night is young. She hasn’t come out of her workshop yet. I sent Addy out earlier to give her an estimated time when the food would be ready.”
“Smart man. Send in the children first to soften her up.”
He winked. “My momma didn’t raise no fool.”
Harvey grabbed my hand and plopped a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a dish towel in it. “Next time you should probably take me with you, girlie.”
“But you don’t like going to see Prudence.”
“You can borrow money on that.” He took my hand with the peas and lifted it to my face for me. “Keep that against your face and have a seat at the table.”
I adjusted the makeshift ice pack. The coolness eased the throbbing a tad. “I thought I was helping you set the table.”
“I changed my mind about wantin’ your help. Now quit droolin’ in the chili and let Martin finish cookin’.”
Before I had a chance to sit, the basement door opened and Addy shot out, her straight blond hair framing her pink cheeks.
“Hi, Mom!” She was looking down, brushing feathers off her purple kitty-decorated sweater as she talked. “Doc says he’ll help me build the addition to Elvis’s pen and it will have a loft with a chicken couch and a— Aaahhh!” She screeched when she looked up at me, her eyes big and round behind her glasses. “Gosh all frighty! Did you fall down and hit your face?”
“No, Adelynn. I’m not that clumsy.”
“Sometimes you are.” She reached up to touch my cheek, but I batted her hand away. “Remember the other morning when you fell going up the stairs and landed on your hip?”
“That was because my slipper got caught in my robe.”
“What about last week, when you punched yourself in the mouth putting me to bed?”
“I was trying to pull up your quilt. It was stuck
