Page 27 of A Whiskey River Princess

“Cream and sugar,” she answered.

He bit his lower lip to keep from smiling. “Well, I hate to tell you, but the cream is in the cellar.”

“Oh, no!” she protested as she scooped two teaspoons of sugar into her cup. “I’m not going back down there again. I’ll drink it black.”

Dirk laughed. “No, I’ll get it. I’ll be right back.” He headed toward the stairs, and then turned back to face her and winked. “But if I get locked down there, let me up.”

She laughed in spite of herself. “That wasn’t funny.”

He nodded, a broad grin spreading across his face. “Oh, yes it was. I’ll be right back.”

While he was gone, she looked around the kitchen and put some dishwater on to heat, like she had watched Dirk do the day before.

When Dirk came back up, he discarded the burned biscuits in the trash. “Why don’t you sit down, and I’ll fix breakfast?” Dirk urged as he came back into the room.

Gabriella shook her head. “No, I want to help.” She brushed off the apron she was wearing. The flour mess was still on the kitchen table. “I’ll make the biscuits.”

Dirk smiled. “I’ll go ahead and cook the bacon, then.”

Although Gabriella was sure he wanted to tease her, he didn’t, much to her relief. After all, she was new to cooking and needed all the confidence she could muster.

As Dirk fried the bacon, she tried to look as confident as she could while making the biscuits again. A few minutes later, she slid them in the oven to bake, and then proceeded to clean up the flour mess on the table.

“Here,” Dirk coaxed, taking the dishrag from her, “like this. Also, hold your hand at the edge of the table to catch the crumbs so they don’t land on the floor, or you’ll have to sweep it up.” She felt like a child as he showed her how to properly wipe off the table while she watched. Then he rinsed out the rag and handed it back to her. “Now, you try.”

She silently took the rag and repeated his actions, careful not to let the crumbs fall onto the floor.

Dirk nodded. “I’m impressed! You did that as if you’ve been baking and cleaning your whole life,” he gushed, turning the bacon over in the skillet.

Gabriella smiled, appreciative of the compliment. “Let’s just hope the biscuits taste as good.”

Dirk laughed. “I’m sure they will.” He looked at the eggs and let out a sigh. “Okay. So… do you know how to make poached eggs?”

She shook her head. “I never went into the kitchen at… my house.” She was going to say at “the castle” but thought better of it.

Dirk smiled. “Well then, let’s find out together.” He opened a kitchen drawer and pulled out a cookbook. “This cookbook belonged to my mother and has helped me quite a bit over the years.” He opened the book, looked through the index, and then thumbed through until he found the recipe he was looking for.

Gabriella watched, impressed at his ability to stay calm, to find a solution, and not let anything get him down.

“Here we go,” he announced and then handed it to her. “Read it and tell me what to do.”

She chuckled as a mischievous grin curled her lips.

“With cooking,” he amended, grinning as he shook his head.

“It says here to boil water….” Gabriella waited as Dirk primed the pump and filled a pan with water. “Next, you wait for it to boil.”

“And after that?” Dirk asked.

“You swirl the water with a spoon, crack the egg into a cup, and gently pour it in. Wait three minutes and then take it out with a slotted spoon.” Gabriella was having just as much fun watching Dirk as she was helping him make the poached eggs.

He looked up and caught her watching him and smiled. “Here,” he coaxed, handing her the spoon. “Why don’t you try?”

She waved him off. “Oh, I couldn’t possibly—”

“Nonsense.” Dirk gently pulled the cookbook from her hand, closed it, and then laid it down on the counter. Then he gave her the spoon, pulled her in front of him and wrapped his thick arms around her as his warmth surrounded her, causing her heart to flutter. He handed her the spoon, placed his hand over hers, and together, they stirred the egg. When it was ready, they lifted it out of the water and placed it on a clean plate.

She turned her head, and his lips were dangerously close to hers. “Would you like one, too?” she asked, her voice husky.

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