Page 13 of A Letter to Carolina
Gunther crowed again with the bittersweet reminder that it was time to rise, and Nate begrudgingly rolled from his bed.
He took his time washing his face and shaving. He ran a soapy cloth around his face, then carefully scraped away the stray whiskers with a straight razor. Gradually, he felt presentable as he pulled on freshly pressed trousers and a crisp white shirt. Taking a page from Simon’s book, he called himself completely dressed by adding socks.
Nate gave himself a once over in the mirror, taming unruly locks with a wet comb. Brushing his hair back from his face, he wondered if Aunt Cleo would be up to giving him a trim. If not, he would see the barber when he went back to town.
He had a busy day ahead of him. Whitney knew he would be at the ranch until Sunday, so hopefully there was nothing that couldn’t wait until then. His two priorities were chatting with Aunt Cleo, and putting all the jars of pickles up high enough so Emily couldn’t reach them. Then he’d wait for Emily to wake up, as he wanted to read the letter Carolina sent.
Nate’s thoughts drifted to the pretty nurse and the kisses they shared on the steps. For a moment, he allowed himself to bask in the memory of her lips on his. He felt a warmth in his chest as he recalled the way she had looked at him, her eyes shining with a mix of desire and uncertainty. It was a powerful moment that had left him feeling both exhilarated and confused. He pushed the memory aside and shook his head, reminding himself that he had other things to focus on.
Maybe he’d see if Carolina wanted to ride the property with him. It would give him an opportunity to see her riding skills, and they could talk away from the listening ears in the house.
He strode down the stairs, careful to skip the squeaky steps, and slid on his boots before heading outside to see to his ablutions.In the distance, the sun emerged from its nightly slumber, creeping over the horizon as it cast a soft pink and blue glow across the wide expanse of the Nebraska plains. Golden rays illuminated fields of corn and wheat, painting them in warm hues that mingled with the deep blues of the sky.
He took a deep breath, savoring the quiet peacefulness of this moment. Even after two decades of watching this display each morning, it still felt like something out of a dream. It was as if it had transported him to another world, one where beauty and tranquility were abundant.
He lingered for a few moments longer, enjoying the silence before heading back inside to the kitchen. Aunt Cleo was sitting at the table, a twinkle in her eye, giving him hope that today would be a good day.
“Good morning.” He leaned down, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “How are you feeling this morning?”
“I feel better than I have in the last few months. Makes one wonder if the heat of the summer was too much for me.” She patted his hand. “The new young lady seems like an excellent investment.”
“You can’t talk about her like that. She’s not a horse or a heifer.” He went to add wood to the stove, but noticed it was already full. “Did Simon get up?”
Aunt Cleo shook her head. “No, I’ve not seen him.”
“How long have you been awake?”
“Not very long.”
Nate looked at the wood box. “So, you didn’t fill the stove?”
“No. It was already hot when I came in here. Coffee’s fresh and there were biscuits on the table.”
Nate opened the cupboard to count the jars of pickles. Nothing had been moved. “Emily wasn’t in here, and I know Georgia has been needing her rest in the morning.”
Aunt Cleo raised her hand. “There is another young lady here, you know.”
“Carolina?”
Aunt Cleo nodded and pointed to the workbench next to the stove. The slab of pork back was sitting on a cutting board and a bowl of eggs was next to it. A jar of grease sat in a cast iron pan, waiting to be used.
Nate cocked head. “Huh. I don’t think she’d get up and start breakfast in a strange house.”
“Can you put the kettle on? She wouldn’t have known that I only drink tea.”
He filled the kettle and put it on a burner, moving the coffeepot over to keep warm. Glancing at the table, he gathered jam and coffee mugs needed for breakfast. Then he placed Aunt Cleo’s teapot and teacup in front of her, along with a tin of tea.
With shaky hands, she put a spoonful of tea in the pot and closed the canister. Nate would have offered to help, but he knew Aunt Cleo wanted to keep a measure of her independence.
“What do you think of Miss Carolina, the nurse from Philadelphia?”
Nate moved back to the stove to his coffee mug. The kettle wasn’t quite ready. “She has received an excellent education.” He took a sip of his coffee and placed the mug on the workbench before opening the cupboard. Moving the pickle jars to the top shelf, he chuckled at the thought of Emily’s reaction when she found her precious jars moved.
“Pretty too. Can you pass me the honey?”
He handed her a jar of golden honey with a slab of waxy honeycomb inside, and a clean spoon. “Did Jesse find that?”
“He did. There was a large hive in an old log by the creek.”
