“Yeah, I saw the puppy-dog eyes, too. They really should get out more often,” Chance said with a chuckle. “Lydia is good with people. They do seem quite taken with her.”
“Some more than others. What did you make of that crack from Parker?” Clayton asked quietly. He tended toward jealousy and wanted Chance’s point of view on the man.
Chance shrugged and said, “Give him time. He’s still new.”
“Reckon it was a good idea to announce that she was claimed by both of us?”
Chance retrieved the pot from the coffeemaker after it finished brewing and poured coffee into their empty mugs as he said, “Remember what Grandma would say? Begin as you mean to go on.”
Clayton replied, “Of course. I just want to make sure she is shown respect.”
“Parker and the others know now. I have no doubt they’ll be mannerly toward her. I’ll keep an eye on Parker and I’m sure Gil will deal with it or let us know if anything else gets said about it.”
Changing the subject Clayton said, “I wish she’d have stayed downstairs a while longer. It’s still early.”
“I know, but I think she’s still exhausted and probably just wanted to catch up on her rest. If we give her space and time, I’m sure she’ll start relaxing with us in the evening. How are things between the two of you?”
“It was good to spend some time with her this afternoon. She’s so cute. You should see the way she hustles around this kitchen. She’s like a little…fairy or something—the ways she flits around. The radio was on and she was singing along and dancing a little bit, and…” Clayton rubbed his hand across his chest as a swelling sensation filled his throat.
A knowing grin crossed Chance’s face, and he said, “I know.”
“She’s just so damned adorable.”
Chance chuckled. “She has a way of just wiggling herself into your heart, doesn’t she?”
“She said she can already tell us apart.”
“Really? Wow.”
Clayton filled him in on the day, including the fact that she got to meet Grace, Adam, and Ethan.
Clayton poured a second cup as he said, “I think Grace started to clue in on the resemblance between Lydi and Ace. It won’t be long before she figures it out. I hope Lydi contacts her brothers.”
Chance shook his head and rolled his eyes. “Let’s give her a few more days. I don’t want to push her right now.”
* * * *
The cheerful musical alarm on Lydia’s phone woke her the following morning. It was easier to wake up that morning than it had been the previous morning. The sky was still dark outside as she looked out the window, but she could already see several of the ranch hands outside at the barn, getting their day started.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, she stretched and blessed the men a second time for giving her such a comfortable bed to sleep in. She’d grown accustomed, or thought she had, to the hard, lumpy mattress on the bed in her motel room and was a little stiff in the mornings as she adjusted to this newer, more comfortable bed. After dressing in jeans and a dark-blue knit top, she made the bed and went downstairs. It was five o’clock, and her new helper was supposed to arrive at nine. Downstairs, she made a fresh pot of coffee, happy that she’d beat the men to it. She liked the thought of them coming down and finding breakfast ready for them.
The night before, she’d gone upstairs feeling exhausted and a little disappointed in herself. She knew she was hiding from Clayton and Chance, still trying to figure how to be with them both in the same room.
She’d felt self-conscious with Clayton yesterday when the other men had come in. She didn’t want him to think she was embarrassed to kiss him in front of Chance and the other men. Making a good impression on them was important to her.
It was unclear if the men fully understood her presence on the ranch. She suspected one of them had been flirting with her as though he thought she was single. If she hadn’t been such a coward the night before, she could have talked to them about it. Fatigue had won out, and she’d gone to sleep right after taking her shower.
She whipped up an egg, sausage, and cheese breakfast casserole, put it in the oven, and set the timer. Taking out a notepad, she made a list of items to do that day and reviewed the list she’d made for the new helper the previous day. There was an entire house that needed a thorough cleaning and meals that she needed prep work done for. It would be a full day for both of them.
Lydia sat at the table in the breakfast nook working on her list when she heard boots enter the kitchen from the hallway behind her. She smiled as they approached and let out a slow sigh of pleasure when tender lips made contact with her shoulder. She could tell it was Chance by his clean, soapy scent and the shaving gel he used.