Page 22 of Wounded Cowboy
To her relief, April just nodded. No tears.“Daddy’s a busy man,” she said, in a very adult-like tone.
“He sure is,” Kelsey agreed cheerfully.“So, what do you say we start our day together with a nice breakfast? What would you guys like to eat?”
She still couldn’t believe Spring had actually given her detailed instructions for preparing a bowl of cereal!Un-freaking-believable.
She’d make sure that the girls ate a healthy and nutritious breakfast, but they were old enough to know what they wanted.
In unison, April and Abby exclaimed,“Pancakes!”
“All right, pancakes it is,” Kelsey declared.“Get dressed, comb your hair, wash your hands with soap, and meet me in the kitchen.”
Chapter 6
Winging It
Kelsey watched as April and Abby bounced into the kitchen with excitement. The sunlight streaming through the windows cast a warm glow on their eager faces.
“Alright, let’s make some pancakes!” Kelsey announced, her voice full of enthusiasm.“April, can you show me where to find flour?”
April screwed up her face in a doubtful expression.“Daddy always uses the mix.”
“A mix would be great,” Kelsey said. Though she knew how to make pancake batter from scratch, she hadn’t considered whether Spring’s pantry would have ingredients like buttermilk and baking powder.
“It’s in here!” April replied, rushing over to a tall cabinet and pulling out a large resealable bag of .
“Have you two ever made pancakes before?” Kelsey asked as she skimmed the directions.
Abby shook her head with a woeful expression.“Daddyneverlets us help.”
“Really?” Kelsey’s first impression of Spring as a control freak grew stronger with this revelation.“Well, that’s about to change. Did you wash your hands?”
They both nodded. Kelsey went to the kitchen sink and washed her hands as well.
Then she directed April and Abby to hunt for measuring cups and spoons in the kitchen drawers, while she checked the upper cabinets for a mixing bowl.
Luckily for her project, a cast-iron griddle already sat on the stovetop, and a countertop utensils organizer held a selection of whisks, spatulas, ladles, and scrapers.
“Now that we have all the tools we’ll need,” she told the girls,“let’s start by measuring out the pancake mix and milk. Baking is a science that requires precision, so it’s important to measure your ingredients accurately.”
She showed them how to use a butter knife to level off the dry mix in a measuring cup.
“Speaking of science,” she began excitedly,“did you know that April and I made slime last week?”
“And youruinedit,” April said reprovingly.
“I got the tablespoon and teaspoon part mixed up!” Abby protested.
“Where did you learn how to make the slime?” Kelsey asked, to head off an impending argument.
Homemade“slime,” which involved mixing glue, water, and a borax solution, was a popular activity for children interested in basic chemistry. Kegan had made it several times under her supervision.
“YouTube!” the girls chorused.“Grandma Priscilla found a video and said we could try it.”
“So, tell me what you think went wrong.” Kelsey handed April an egg to crack into a small bowl.
“Well,” Abby continued,“the video said to mix glue, a squirt of hand lotion, and a teaspoon of borax solution. I thought I did it right, but Grandma Priscilla said I used a tablespoon, not a teaspoon…”
April chimed in, rolling her eyes.“And that totally messed it up! Then Abby got the slime all over her hands while she was trying mix in more glue. And then she touched herhair!”
