him on the phone for me? Thanks.”
* * *
Lauren had never been an early riser. But sharing a bed with Sky was changing that. When he spent nights with her in town, he was usually gone by first light. If she wanted any morning time with him, she had to get up, too. Now that she was getting used to it, she’d come to enjoy the peace of early dawn and the beauty of the sunrise that came with it. But waking to full alertness at such an ungodly hour was still a challenge.
This morning, ten days after the terrible ice storm, she woke to the aromas of bacon and fresh coffee. Flinging aside the covers, she pulled on her quilted silk robe and pattered into her apartment-sized kitchen. Sky, dressed and ready for the day, was standing at the stove, scrambling eggs. He glanced around with a heart-melting grin. “Good morning, sleepyhead,” he said.
“You’re fixing me breakfast?”
“I’m fixing us breakfast. Sit down.”
She sank onto a chair, blinking herself awake as he passed her a cup of steaming coffee, bitter and black, the way he liked it. Lauren added cream and sugar before tasting hers. Through the kitchen window she could see the barest glint of morning. The weather had cleared and warmed in the past week, but the autumn colors were gone, the grass brown, the trees bare and broken.
“How can I learn to be a good ranch wife if you spoil me like this?” she joked.
“There’ll be plenty of time for that.” He set two loaded plates on the table and popped two slices of bread out of the toaster. “Eat up,” he said.
“If I eat all this, I’ll get fat.”
“All the more for me to love.”
Laughing, she filled her fork. This was the Sky Fletcher few people knew—laughing, teasing, affectionate, and happy. Opening himself to her as he did was the best gift she could have asked for.
“Aren’t you going to work this morning?” she asked.
“Soon. There’s plenty to do, and I want to be there for Will, in case he needs anything. The inquest is scheduled for this morning. He’s putting on a brave face, but if the decision is to charge him, he’s going to take it hard.”
“How soon will he know?”
“Tori will be at the inquest. She’ll call him as soon as it’s over. Lord, I hope it’s good news. The ranch has enough trouble as it is. We don’t need a trial. We need Will.”
“How’s Erin taking all this?”
“She’s one brave kid—doesn’t want her dad to know how scared she is. But I think Will’s even more worried for her than he is for himself.”
“He would be.” Lauren sipped her coffee. “Lately I’ve been thinking about that piece of canyon land Will wants to buy from me. I know it would please him to get it back. It might even take his mind off his troubles for a little while.”
“You’d sell it to him for that reason? It’s a nice idea, Lauren, but I thought you wanted time to explore the place while it’s yours.”
“I do,” Lauren said. “So why not do it soon? The weather’s supposed to be mild for the next couple of weeks. You and I could take Erin with us and spend some time exploring. Or if you can’t get off work, I could just take Erin. We could pack a picnic lunch, make it fun for her. When we’ve explored to our heart’s content, then I’ll sell the land to Will for a dollar, as I promised I would. That land has been a sore spot between our families since before you were born. It’s time we put an end to it and made peace.”
Sky reached across the table and clasped her hand. “That’s a great idea, and I love you for thinking of it. Do you want me to bring it up to Will, or would you rather wait and do it yourself?”
“Let me do it,” Lauren said. “I could use a few points with the ranch family—especially with Jasper.”
Finished with his breakfast, Sky rose. “Don’t worry about Jasper. He’s a prickly old bird, but he’ll come around. Nobody could resist you for long.”
“Don’t count on his coming around anytime soon. Not as long as my last name’s Prescott.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve got a plan to fix that.” He strode to her side of the table, lifted her to her feet, and gathered her close for a lingering kiss. As her body molded to his through the silk