against his warmth.
The embrace not only sent away the chill but filled her
insides with a tender glow. Her mind began to wonder if he'd
seen her undressing. The thought didn't cause
embarrassment, but something else, and though she'd never
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experienced it before the feeling was deep, and womanly. Her
body heated up a good ten degrees, like a small fire had been
built in the very pit of her being.
He wiggled a bit more, fitting his body around hers like
frosting on a cake. All of a sudden she felt extremely satisfied
and happy. She bit at the smile forming on her lips, a touch
fretful at upsetting him again. "I really am sorry," she
whispered.
"Shh." The touch of his breath floated over her neck, and
his hand, lightly resting on the nightgown Ma had repaired for
her today, softly patted her stomach.
Held as such, in the most comforting cuddle imaginable,
there was little she could do except float into a relaxing,
dreamlike euphoria that soon led to deep slumber.
Hours later, when a pale pink streamer of early morning
sun danced across the patch in the center of the tent ceiling,
she opened her eyes and found she was alone, tucked inside
the covers like a baby in a bunting. Randi wiggled her arms,
loosening the tight covers a bit, and glanced around the
empty tent. The faint sounds of hammers filtered into the
space. She sat up with a start.
The men were already working and here she was sleeping
in like a princess in a palace. Her eyes settled on the lamp on
the table before she snatched her dress and underclothes
from the chair and tugged them under the covers. The task
was difficult and took much longer than she wanted, but not
willing to stand beside the bed and dress, she didn't flip the
blankets off until her dress was settled over her head.
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She quickly pulled the skirt down as she stood and then
sat down to tug on her socks and shoes. After making up the
bed and putting the tent in order, she retrieved Howard's red
plaid shirt and exited the area. Crisp, clean morning air met
her, and she buttoned the shirt while making her way to the
cook site.
A glance over her shoulder didn't reveal any workmen,
mainly due to the high walls that had been lifted the day
before. The glistening morning sun, barely peeking over the
horizon, shined on the new boards, reflecting off the feather
swirls of frost still clinging to the structure. Pounding
continued to fill the air, and Randi turned about as Ma Quinter
stepped out of her tent.
"Land sakes, what time did that fool get up and start
poundin'?" the woman asked.
Randi shrugged, used the motion to pull the thick shirt
tighter to her body.
"Well, I'll get the fire goin' if'n you wanna get a pot of
coffee started."
"All right," Randi agreed and moved to the storage tent.
Yesterday, she'd help Ma arrange all of the supplies, more
than she'd ever seen at one place and time, in the extra tent.
Due to the large chunks of ice packed in sawdust,
surrounding the crates of beef Ma had brought, it was colder
inside the tent than outside. Blowing into her hands, she
quickly gathered the coffee pot and the small tin of ground
coffee beans and went back out to break a thin film of ice off
the top of the water in the bucket before filling the pot.
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Snake and Bug moved about, one adding sticks to the
flames taking life in the fire pit, the other hauling an arm load
of larger logs to form a pile near the circle of rocks. Her gaze
went to Howard's tent and embarrassment of what the boys
may have seen the night before blazed into her cheeks.
"Morning, Randi." Bug tipped his hat, a friendly smile
covering his face.
From his crouched position, adding yet another log to the
fire, Snake quickly offered, "Hey, Randi. Morning." He, too,
acted nonchalant, as if nothing had happened the night
before.
"Good morning," she replied with a sigh of relief,
extremely thankful for their behavior. Perhaps they hadn't
seen anything. Perhaps she had dowsed the light before
anyone besides Howard saw her undressing.
"Didn't Hog sleep a'tall?" Bug asked.
"Excuse me?" she asked.
Bug gestured toward the building site with his head, dark
brown eyes squinting with what looked like frustration. "Hog,
didn't he sleep at all last night?"
"I-uh..." she started, but stopped, wondering if Howard
had slept. She had—like a baby. As a matter of fact with the
warmth of his arms cradling her like a newborn, she had
never slept so well—ever. Her brows pulled taut on her
forehead. When had he left the comfort of the bed? She
hadn't awakened all night, not until the pounding had filtered
into her dreams. Hot blood rushed into her cheeks. The
dream had been quite pleasurable and shocking to her now
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awake virginal mind. She squeezed her eyes shut, forcing the
late night visions from her mind.
The blush, as well as the increased beat of her heart,
made her gulp for air and rush to the tri-pod to find
something to occupy her. Squeezing her shaking fingers,
which had nothing to do with the chilly morning air, she tried
to make them function enough to spoon coffee grounds into
the water and then set the pot atop the small grate.
"I swear I'd just fallen asleep when his blasted pounding
started," Bug said, still gazing at the work site.
"You know your brother has had his tail tied in a knot to
get this restaurant up and running. Quit belly-aching and get
over there to help him," Stephanie Quinter said as she
rounded the tent. "We'll have breakfast ready in half an
hour." She waved a hand to Snake. "You get, too!"
The boys grumbled under their breaths but sauntered off
toward the building, and Stephanie turned to Randi.
"You know how to make sausage gravy?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Well, get to it. I'll gather the leftover biscuits from last
night," Stephanie instructed, pulling the thick shawl around
her shoulders tighter. "Ain't none to warm yet in the
mornings. I told that boy to wait until April, but, oh no, he
wants it up and running by May. No patience, I tell ya, none
of my boys ain't got no patience."
It appeared as if the woman was waiting for her to agree,
so Randi nodded, but didn't comment as she moved to the
supply tent. Her eyes once again wandered to the half-built
structure. More men began to arrive, some on foot, some on
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horseback, and she recognized several as ones who'd helped
the day before.
By the time she walked out of the tent, hands full of
breakfast supplies, the site looked like an ant hill, workers
scurrying every direction and with precise movements
completing their specific tasks. She sliced potatoes to fry in
one pan, while the sausage began to sizzle in another. The
cooking soon consumed her, and thoughts of Howard's short
night were sent to the rear crevices of her mind.
When the meal was cooked to perfection, Stephanie lifted
the large iron triangle out of the back of the supply wagon
and split the air by banging against it with a short rod. The
loud ringing echoed in Randi's ears long after the woman
tossed the object back into the wagon.
The Quinter brothers walked around the wall
simultaneously, and the breath stalled in Randi's throat.
Walking side by side, the three men created quite a scene.
Tall and muscular, with just enough swaggers in their strides
to make anyone, man or woman, take a second look, each
one was uncommonly handsome. Bug was the shortest, but
only by less than an inch or so. His dark eyes and hair made
him look like a cousin instead of a brother.
Not that she knew much about cousins, never having any
herself, but the way Howard and Snake resembled each
other, there was no doubt they were brothers. Snake was a
touch shorter than Howard, who walked in the middle, talking
to a brother on each side. Howard and Snake both had blond
hair that wasn't curly but a touch more than wavy. Their eyes
were a unique gray-green. Silently, she decided it was the
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way Howard's eyes danced that made his face more
handsome. He was also broader than his brothers. Snake and
Bug weren't skinny, but they weren't as bulky as Howard.
There was no doubt to the amount of strength in his arms,
she'd felt the hard muscles yesterday and the protection they
offered last night.
Something tingled in the root of her stomach. She lifted
her eyes. Howard's gaze captured her like a rabbit in a snare.
Her face sizzled as if she'd been standing over a hot stove. A
wide smile formed on his lips, displaying a straight line of
white teeth. Her heart jolted, and her knees wobbled.
Thankfully, the pan of potatoes in her hand didn't land on the
ground.
Randi squared her shoulders and sucked in a deep breath.
She turned back to the food. Life certainly had thrust her into
an unknown plane. Focused on feeding the brothers, the
cooking managed to keep her feet on the ground and head
out of the sky, until Howard spoke.
Clasping her hands to her chest, against the pitter-patter,
she turned about. "Excuse me?"
He waved a hand toward the table. "Aren't you going to
join us?"
"No, no, go ahead and eat. I'll get something after you're
all done." She moved to the fire to transfer the pot of coffee.
"I'll get it. You go sit down," Howard said from near her
elbow, his fingers already grasping the handle.
"No, really, I'll get it." She reached for the pot, but was too
slow. He quickly snatched it out of her reach.
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With one hand carrying the coffee, he turned her about
with his other hand, and then folded the arm over her
shoulders. "Come on. The boys won't bite."
"What?"
"My brothers, they won't bite you." A crooked grin creased
his face, and his eyes twinkled down upon her with more
sparkle than the Christmas Star.
"I didn't think they would," she admitted as a warm
mellow commotion wafted through her chest. She would like
to ponder on how he did it, how he made her feel comfortable
and at ease with a simple look. But couldn't, because his
nearness also sent her heart racing. It was all quite
perplexing and wonderful at the same time. They sat and
soon the chatter and companionship at the table drew her in.
She'd never enjoyed a meal so immensely.
Empty plates sat before them, and while Bug entertained
everyone with a tale of how one of the workers had nailed his
own shirtsleeve to the wall yesterday, squeals interrupted
their small group. A shiver rippled Randi's shoulder, and she
turned to stare down the road. The screams were female and
very hostile.
"Sounds like someone ain't happy down at Danny J's,"
Snake said seconds before a gunshot sliced the air.
Randi leaped to her feet, hitched her skirts, and without
further thought or ado, took off in a dead run.
For a split, dazed second, Howard watched Randi leaping
over sticks and larger patches of tall grass before he jumped
and took off after her.
"Randi!"
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She could outrun a deer, but luckily, he caught up with her
on the road, before she barreled into the middle of two
women tearing at each other like mountain cats. He grasped
her by the waist, but her feet continued to run in the air near
his knees.
"Whoa, up!"
She twisted about like a squirming fish. "Corrine! I have to
help Corinne!"
Howard wrapped one arm around her waist and plucked
her under his arm like a sack of feed. He took a few steps
away from the dust being stirred by the fighting women
rolling across the dirt in front of the gate surrounding Danny
J's big house.
Beneath his hand, her heart pounded faster than a caged
rabbit. He set her on her feet and kept a tight hold on her,
while he turned to the screams and screeches. The blue silk
and long ringlets of one of the wrestling women did resemble
Corinne Martin.
Danny J, dressed as always in a black velvet jacket with
tails that fluttered behind his knees, tugged at his lapels as
he walked into the middle of the road. "Girls!" he shouted.
"Girls!"
The two women, Corrine Martin, and Danny's other
number one gal, Opal Smith, didn't even acknowledge the
man had spoken as they wrenched one another's hair and