“But—”
“Can we talk about this later?” He curled his hand around the back of her neck and kissed her. “Let’s have a slice of that cherry pie with the old man.”
No surprise his father hadn’t greeted them on the porch. Carson opened the screen door and knocked loudly on the inner door before he opened it. “Dad? I’ve brought someone I want you to meet.”
“Where is he?” Carolyn whispered.
“Probably napping in the living room.” He led her past the staircase to the kitchen.
Carolyn set the pie on the counter and wandered through the space. “This is lovely.”
Carson moved in behind her and set his hands on her shoulders. “This was Mom’s domain. Seemed weird to be in here without her after she passed.”
“I love that you can see the rolling hills and the pasture as you’re standing at the sink.”
“This house didn’t originally have indoor plumbing, so Dad had everything updated about fifteen years ago.”
“And it’s probably due to be updated again,” Carson’s dad said behind them.
Carson kept his hands on Carolyn’s shoulders when they turned around.
His father stared at Carolyn without saying a word.
Her body tensed.
“This is my girlfriend, Carolyn West.”
His scrutiny increased, but he remained mum.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. McKay,” Carolyn said.
“West. You Eli’s kid?”
“Yes, sir.”
“He still alive?”
What the hell?
“Yes, sir, he is.”
“Thought he’d be dead by now.”
Again. What the hell was wrong with his dad?
“Excuse me?” Carolyn said.
“Eli West had a big mouth and a lot of nerve. Not a good combination. I figured either someone would’ve killed him or he’d died due to his own stupidity.”
“Jesus, Dad. Enough.”
Those blue eyes—eyes just like his—narrowed into mean slits. “You meet her family yet, son?”
“Had dinner with them today.”
“They welcome you with open arms once they learned you’re a McKay?”
Carson didn’t respond.
His dad’s shrewd gaze gauged the damage to his face. “Any of them responsible for that?”
“No. Had a little trouble at the dancehall last night but me’n Cal, Casper and Charlie handled it.”
“That’s why them boys weren’t worth a hill of beans this mornin’.”
“I don’t have a problem with them getting their work done during the week. But I can see why they’d wanna pull the covers over their heads if you were as much an ass to them as you’re bein’ to Carolyn.”
They glared at one another.
“I’m takin’ her on a tour of the house.” He clasped Carolyn’s hand in his and towed her behind him. “This is the dining room. Beyond that in the corner is a parlor, also my mother’s space.” He kept up a brisk pace. “Living room.” Down the hallway, he opened the first door. “This is Dad’s study.” The next room was self-explanatory but he found himself explaining anyway. “This bathroom got added on when they put in indoor plumbing. It used to be a bedroom. On the other side of that wall is the washroom with a washer and dryer.” He pointed to the end of the hall. “Around that corner is another entrance to the kitchen and also a door that goes out to the back porch. Let’s go upstairs.”
Carolyn stopped. When he turned to ask her what was wrong, she placed her palms on his chest. “Carson. Sweetheart. Slow down.”
He exhaled and pressed his forehead to hers. “Sorry. It’s just…”
“I know. It’s okay. I wanted to throttle my family earlier too.”
He tipped her face up and kissed her, meaning for it just to be a short tender press of lips. But the instant their mouths met, he needed more of her.
She pulled away. “Let’s get back to the tour.”
Carson led her up the wide staircase that opened onto the second floor.
“Are all of these bedrooms?”
He’d never really looked at the house he’d been born and raised in through someone else’s eyes. “There are eight bedrooms up here now. Don’t know if they had rooms for live-in staff or what. During the remodel they turned one of the rooms into a bathroom. My folks’ room had two connecting rooms, with the smaller room being the nursery. Dad surprised Mom and had them put in their own private bathroom.”
“I’d love that. We have one bathroom in our house, but I know that’s better than an outhouse.”
“Yeah, I don’t miss that at all.” He pointed to doors on the opposite ends of the long hallway. “Casper and Charlie both still live here.”