Page 26 of A Whiskey River Princess

“Dirk. Come quick! I’m down here!”

Still nothing.

She looked up and light was streaming in through little windows at the top of the cellar. Gabriella climbed on a table and pushed on a window, but it wouldn’t open. “Dirk, I’m down here!”

No one came.

Then she smelled something burning, and Buster started whimpering at the door. “No! The biscuits!” She grabbed a broom propped up against the wall and hit the roof, banging on the floor of the cabin. “Dirk, come quick before the house catches fire!” She banged until she heard footsteps. Buster was barking. “Dirk, I’m down here!”

There was a ruckus in the kitchen, and then the cellar door flew open. Smoke rolled down the stairs, causing her to cough.

“Gabriella?” Dirk asked, coughing. “Are you down here? What’s going on?”

Gabriella hurried up the stairs and into the kitchen, carrying the bacon, shivering. The pan of biscuits was in the sink, and the oven door was wide open. “I made biscuits and then went down to the cellar for bacon—”

“How long have you been down there?” Dirk pulled her to his chest, rubbing her back.

Gabriella let out a deflated breath. “Long enough for the biscuits to burn. I was calling for you, but you were outside.”

“Come on.” He took the bacon from her, laid it on a plate, and set it on the counter. Then he gently took her hand and led her outside onto the back porch, leaving the door open for the smoke to clear. Buster ran out behind them, wagging his tail. Gabriella bent down and started petting him to keep from crying.

“What happened?” Dirk asked.

Gabriella bit her lower lip as tears welled up in her eyes. “I made biscuits like you taught me yesterday, and then went down to the cellar. The door must have locked behind me.”

He helped her to her feet and rubbed her shoulders. “It’s not your fault. The door keeps sticking, and I’ve been meaning to fix it for a long time. I keep a knife down there so I can open the door when it sticks.”

Gabriella nodded, unable to speak, tears filling her eyes.

“Hey, hey,” he cooed as he pulled her into his arms again. “It’s not your fault; it’s mine. I should have fixed it weeks ago. I just got busy—”

Involuntary tears rolled down her cheeks and onto his shirt. “I’m sorry. I was going to surprise you.”

Dirk placed a finger gently under her chin and forced her to look into his eyes, one corner of his lips curling into a smile. “Youdidsurprise me.”

“Not that kind of surprise,” she mumbled as she looked away.

“Gabriella.” His tone forced her to look at him again. “I was only kidding with you. It was nice that you wanted to cook breakfast.”

“Merci beaucoup.” She sniffed, dabbing daintily at her eyes. “It’s very kind of you to say.”

He smiled as he looked deeply into her eyes, and something stirred within her chest. Dirk pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and began wiping her face. “How did your face get so dirty?”

“I tried to start a fire,” she replied, defeated.

Dirk chuckled. “I think you started more than one.”

Gabriella shook her head and tried to pull away, but he held her in his arms.

“I was only kidding. Just trying to make you smile.” He looked thoughtfully at her face as he wiped away the soot. “There. Feel better?”

She smiled as her heart pounded. “Much better, thank you.”

“Well, the good news is that I saved the coffee,” he teased. “You want some? It smells delicious.”

“How can you tell with all the smoke?”

He laughed. “Well, let’s see if it tastes as good as it smells.” He took her hand and led her back inside. Most of the smoke had cleared, and the only casualty was the tray of burned biscuits in the sink. “How do you take it?” he asked as he poured coffee into two cups.

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