Bacon

Rosalyn can see a little hesitance in Chad's eyes, and she didn't blame him. It did feel strange to keep this a secret. It made it feel as though they were hiding something they were doing wrong, when they were being quite innocent and pure. But she still saw that red flag quite clearly and even if she didn't understand it completely, she'd learned to rely on those instincts, and she wasn't going to risk ignoring it this time.

Grateful he agrees, she gives his hand a squeeze. Returning the light kiss, she can't help another smile. He was so sweet and tender, but not even close to weak. Even his light kisses held adventure and she was quickly falling for them.

"I'd never ask you to lie," she responds quietly. No... no, that was something she would never do. That was a line she would not cross. "And if I'm asked, I won't lie either."

Grinning at his offer to help, she nods. "I would love your help, actually. I don't know where Jade is, so I'm a little swamped in here."

Moving to the side, she gestures to the eggs. "Just make sure those don't burn there for now. When they're done, we'll put them in the oven just to stay warm and start another batch. I don't like cooking too many at once." She could use a bigger pan, but she chose not to, preferring to maintain control over smaller portions.

Continuing with the bacon, she snitches a piece and takes a bite, nodding. Not too crispy, not too limp. Turning to Chad, she grins again and holds up the rest of the piece to his mouth so he could taste it too. "How's this?"

"Whoa! Man at the stove. That is just not right." Clint saunters through the kitchen, heading for the coffee. Grabbing a cup, he throws his sister and Chad a sidelong glance. "Rosalyn, you know better than to rope our poor guests into helping in the kitchen. You want to give him nightmares?"

Rosalyn rolls her eyes and leaves Chad be, wiping her hands on her apron. "I didn't rope anybody. He offered. Which is more than I can say about other people..."

Clint snickers and sips the fresh coffee. "Mmm... I needed this."

"You do look a little tired."

"Yeah, I was up half the night. Couldn't sleep and I was keeping Wendy awake so I went out to the shop. Now I'm paying for it."

The look he gave his sister made Rosalyn recoil just slightly. There was that red flag again. "Oh well I'm sorry. Stick around for a few minutes and breakfast will be ready."

"Okeedokee. Thanks." Lingering a moment, he finally sidles back out of the kitchen.


Easing down in a dining room chair, Jeff yawns, but felt fairly alert this morning. He hadn't done much yesterday, but today he'd woken up feeling pretty good. His energy level felt better at least, as did his stomach. He knew this was Katie's last day here, and though he wanted to spend it with her, he knew that most of her time would be spent with Hunter, and he didn't want to crowd them. Maybe he'd go for a short ride this afternoon to get some fresh air.