Page 38 of Wounded Cowboy
He handed her the paper he held. Even without reading it, she saw that the single page held far more white space than before.
She glanced down and skimmed the sheet.
To her surprise and pleasure, he’d divided the day into generous two-hour blocks. It was a far cry from the rigid, densely detailed timetable he’d presented her on her first day of work. This was actually doable!
“It’s nice to have more flexibility with the girls’ schedule. Thank you.”
He nodded.“I left the lunch and dinner slots open for you to pick today’s meals. Just fill them in and I’ll approve them before I get going.”
She blinked.“I didn’t look up any recipes for today. Why don’t I fill in the lunch and dinner spots later? Let me know if there are specific ingredients you need me to use up.” She paused, and couldn’t help teasing him a little.“Unless you’re willing to be surprised? I’ve seen some interesting recipes for canned sardines on my favorite food blogs.”
As she predicted, Spring visibly recoiled. Though she wasn’t sure if it was because he didn’t like surprises, or because he hated canned sardines.
Kelsey burst into laughter.“Relax, Spring. I’m just kidding. How about I make cheese and tomato sandwiches for our picnic lunch? And for dinner, I’ll make my mom’s macaroni and cheese casserole, the one I was telling you about last night? Trust me, it’ll be delicious.”
“Those sound good,” he said with visible effort. Kelsey could see it wasn’t easy for him to let go, but at least he was trying.“I’ll see you and the girls at lunchtime. I should have work on the goat pen wrapped up then. The girls can help me move the goats out of the barn.”
Kelsey nodded.“Sounds like a plan. I’ll see you at noon. If anything delays us, I’ll shoot you a text.”
After Spring left for work, Kelsey prepared the specified toast-and-eggs breakfast for Abby and April.
The girls chatted away as they ate, their laughter filling the kitchen with warmth and energy.
Once their plates were empty and dishwasher loaded, Kelsey played a couple of rounds of a spelling flash-card game with them.
She handed out some small rubber balls and colorful pencils, and made a note to order more dinosaur and space-themed stickers and temporary tattoos, since the girls seemed to like those the best.
“Okay, girls,” Kelsey announced once after the final round of the flash-cards.“It’s time to get ready for our trip to the grocery store!”
While Abby and April scurried off to grab their shoes, Kelsey double-checked her shopping list against her mom’s recipe for mac-and-cheese casserole.
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Kelsey loved the Snowberry Springs Grocery & Dry Goods store. It was housed in a historic brick building one block from Town Square Park. The owners had furnished the store with vintage wooden shelves and produce bins at the front of the store featuring local products like honey, seasonal fruits and vegetables, and handmade soaps.
Tall glass display cases next to the entrance showcasedReviving Snowberry Springsmerchandise, including T-shirts, mugs, and autographed photos of the past seasons’ restoration projects.
The back of the store had been retrofitted with modern refrigerator and freezer cases. While the selection of canned and packaged goods wasn’t as good as the big Safeway store up in Livingston, the SSG&DG had everything Kelsey needed to make her mac-and-cheese casserole.
As Kelsey pushed the shopping cart past the refrigerator cases, she challenged April and Abby to read the labels of competing brands of shredded cheddar cheese and tell her which one listed the best price per ounce.
After finding a more expensive but locally produced ham, they discussed why a ham from Swenson’s pig farm just down the road cost more than the canned ham from a major brand in North Carolina.
Then they headed for the pasta and rice aisle to find macaroni.
“Ms. Kelsey, look, it’s Great-Grandma Abigail!” Abby exclaimed suddenly, pointing to the end of the aisle.
“Grandma!” April shouted, dashing towards the older woman with open arms. Abby followed, hot on her sister’s heels.
Mrs. Snowberry greeted Kelsey with a friendly wave, then bent and enveloped both girls in a warm embrace, her blue eyes shining.
“Hello, my darlings,” she cooed, planting kisses on their cheeks.“What are you two up to today?”
“Ms. Kelsey is going to make us her special mac-n-cheese tonight!” Abby reported.
“We’re helping her find the best deals on shredded cheese and macaroni,” April said proudly.“And we got one of Mr. Swenson’s hams.”
“Sounds like you have the makings for a delicious meal,” Mrs. Snowberry told them.“Now, why don’t you two go pick out a treat from the candy aisle while Kelsey and I have a little chat?”
