Page 15 of A Whiskey River Princess

A few minutes later, she came out. Her hair was combed and pulled up into loose curls, and her face was clean. Although her clothes were dirty, it looked as if she had tried to straighten them up, and she was no longer wearing the ratty old coat.

Dirk smiled as he scooped a slice of bacon out of the skillet and laid it on a plate. “Well, don’t you look nice! Feel better?”

She just stood there looking at him, and then nodded.

“Okay. What’s your name?” Grease popped out of the skillet as he laid another slice of bacon in it. When she didn’t answer right away, he added, “Mine’s Dirk… Dirk Price. I own the livery stable in Whiskey River and this ranch.”

The girl’s eyes opened wide. “Whiskey River?”

He nodded as he gave her a warm smile. “Yes. Have you heard of it?”

“On the train.”

He nodded, glad that she was responding to something. “Say, why don’t you start making some biscuits while I finish up the bacon and eggs?”

She looked at him as if he were crazy.

“Youdoknow how to cook, don’t you, miss?” he asked in disbelief. Every woman he had ever known knew how to cook.

She shook her head. “No, I never learned.”

“Well, come here and I’ll teach you.”

She looked up at him with big doe eyes. “You’ll teach me?”

Dirk stared at her for a moment, and then turned his attention back to the bacon and flipped over a piece. “Sure I will. Around here, if you don’t work, then you don’t eat.”

She moved closer, cautious, but appeared to be intrigued by what he was doing.

Dirk pretended not to notice. “Are you hungry?” he asked as he flipped another piece of bacon in the skillet.

She nodded, watching him turn the bacon over.

“Well then, wash your hands and grab the flour over there.” Dirk nodded toward a canister sitting on the counter. “I’ll show you how to make biscuits.”

Her eyebrows pulled together in disbelief. “You know how to cook?” She watched him, fascinated, as if she had never seen anyone fry bacon before.

Dirk chuckled as he took the last piece of bacon out of the skillet and pulled it off the stove. “I’ve been a bachelor for a long time, and like I told you, if you don’t work, you don’t eat.” He cleaned off a spot on the wooden table, and got out a bowl, baking powder, salt, shortening, and milk. “Here, let me show you. Set the flour here.”

She cautiously set down the flour, and then backed away.

Dirk pretended not to notice. Whatever had happened to her had left her untrusting of people, or maybe untrusting of men.He knew that he needed to be patient with her, and maybe she would come to trust him in time.

“Come here,” he coaxed as he spread flour out over the clean kitchen table.

She jumped back, startled.

He rolled his eyes. “You mean to tell me that you’ve never seen anyone roll out biscuits before, either?”

She shook her head. “I’ve never had them before.”

“Oh, that explains it.” He nodded knowingly, continuing his work.

“What do you mean?”

Dirk chuckled. “Well, I can see that you’ve never done any real cooking before.”

“Is it that obvious?”

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