An idle thought entered my head. "You aren't thinking … you don't plan to have us both."
He coughed. "Wouldn't that be nice? No. I know of plenty of good men who would deserve your sister and would help with the baby. It's you I want. No need to be greedy."
"Did you know there was a time when some men had two wives?" I picked the blanket back up and wrapped it around me.
"I really can't picture that. Here, sit." He led me over to a small couch by the fire. I sat down, enjoying the warmth again. He sat down right beside me. "Think you can share that blanket?"
"I suppose I don't need to be greedy either." I opened the blanket so he could get under. Wearing only a t-shirt while he only wore shorts made things seem too intimate. He wasn't a bad man. I knew that now. I also knew being his wouldn't be terrible. He'd treat me well enough, and if I could keep Quinn and Bailey close it might just be good.
He seemed to read my mind. "We'll make sure your sister lives near us."
"Good." I closed my eyes, the warmth finally forcing me to succumb to sleep.
"You should lie down." Bolton took my arm.
I opened my eyes long enough to let him lead me to the bed and help me slide underneath the sheet. I felt the bed shift beside me as Bolton laid down, but I couldn't fight the exhaustion enough to stay awake.
Four
Sun streamed through the window, and I struggled to push through the fog of sleep. I was in a bed, but it wasn't my own. The shirt I wore wasn't mine either. Most importantly, the hand on my breast certainly wasn't mine. After a moment I realized where I was, and what man lay beside me.
"Bolton," I hissed. When he didn't stir I pushed away his hand.
His leg was draped over mine, reminding me that I was wearing absolutely nothing under the oversized t-shirt.
I pushed back the covers, hoping by some luck my clothes had dried by the fire overnight. Although a section of my dress was still a touch damp, my underwear and bra were completely dry.
I found the bathroom and happily changed back into my clothes.
"Kayla?" Bolton called from outside the door.
"Be right out." I finished dressing, washed up, and opened the door.
Bolton was dressed in a clean shirt and pants. "You worried me."
"Why?"
"I thought you'd left." He leaned against the door frame.
"You really thought I'd just skip out?"
"If you didn't trust I'd help you." He crossed his arms.
"Well, I'm still here."
"Yes you are." He grinned. "I slept well, did you?"
"I'm sure you slept well."
"What's that mean?"
"Your hand wandered."
"Oh." He smiled. "I guess that's why my dreams were so good."
I shook my head. "Think you can push off those thoughts long enough to do all that planning you promised we'd do?"
"Yes, but not until I find us something for breakfast."
"Breakfast? Here?"
"Just give me a second." He walked into the tiny kitchen and started opening cabinets. "Peaches okay with you?"
"Yeah. Sure. You leave canned fruit here?"
"Uh huh. We buy the fruit and can it all summer." He opened a jar and handed it to me before searching through a drawer for some spoons.
"Thanks."
"It's not fancy, but not so bad, right?"
"Nope. Not so bad."
"I hear in the city they eat food that has no taste or flavor. It's like this artificial mush."
"Why? They have more money than we do." I ate a peach, savoring the sweetness.
"Yeah, but they grow everything inside now. It's more efficient and safer."
"Efficient but useless if you don't get to eat the good things in life."
"Let's grow a peach orchard." He took the can from me and scooped up a peach with his spoon.
"A peach orchard? Do you know anything about growing fruit?"
He finished his can and set it aside on the counter. "No, but it can't be that hard. I wonder how different it is than growing wheat."
"Or cotton. That's what we grow."
I finished my fruit and washed off the spoons. "All right, time to plan."
"First off, you can't wear that." He pointed to my dress.
"You want me to dress like a man, right? That's not a bad idea." In fact it was a great one.
"Yes. Then we cut your hair and-"