Page 17 of A Letter to Carolina
“It could be worth experimenting with,” Simon offered. “Perhaps even as an afternoon sitting room. My office windows face south, and the room stays comfortable all year long.”
Carolina gave a modest head bob before pushing back from the table. She’d noticed that most were done with their breakfast and began clearing the table. All that focus on her was a bit like the practical exams she’d just gone through.
While she was confident that these options would work for a patient experiencing issues with heat, she did not, in fact, know enough about the woman’s medical history to speak confidently or in absolutes.
“Would you like to go riding today?” Nate stepped up beside her at the sink, adding more dishes to the stack she had already started.
“Is there a horse available? I would hate to inconvenience anyone.” She added water to what she thought was the washtub and grabbed the lye soap on the small shelf above the sink.
“Of course. We have a sweet mare named Butterscotch.”
“I will finish the dishes and go change.”
She quickly glanced in his direction. It felt comfortable to have him standing beside her. Would he be a helpmate when they were married, or was this just for show?
“Do you have a split skirt?” He questioned, color high in his cheeks. Carolina had never realized that men could blush.That was good to know.
“I believe there is one in my trunk.”
“You really do ride.” He sounded so surprised that she swiped a splash of water at him.
“I am not a liar, Nathaniel. Yes, I ride.” She didn’t know what to do when he swiped a finger full of bubbles on her nose.
“What is with you men? Not one of us that has arrived is a liar. What type of women live in this town?” Georgia chided everyone in the kitchen, breaking the illusion that Nate and Carolina were having a private moment.
Three of the brothers spoke, stumbling over each other, before Doc Mueller raised a hand.
“I—”
“Well—”
“That’s—”
“In fairness, their parents passed away several years ago, and they stopped socializing. They just don’t have a lot of experience with the fairer sex.”
“I have experience!” Jesse squeaked in mock outrage. Carolina thought perhaps he was younger than she originally thought at that moment.
“You spend time at Miss Marcy’s,” Doc corrected. “Those poor women lie regularly in order to eat.”
“Excuse me?” Aunt Cleo coughed, giving the whole table a sharp look.
“Thanks, Doc,” Jesse mumbled. “It’s not what you think, Aunt Cleo.”
“I think that I have been very tolerant of all of you boys’ shenanigans and misdeeds. If you’re choosing to spend time in that den of inequity, I clearly did something wrong. Help Carolina clean up this kitchen. She is still a guest.” Getting up, she managed to thwap three of the brothers on her way out of the room.
Carolina giggled.
“It’s time for us to make our escape. Go get dressed,” Nate nudged her, and she fled the kitchen, praying she had brought a split skirt after all.
Chapter Seven
Nate tied the horses to a bush by the stream before reaching up to assist Carolina down from her horse. She was moving stiffly, and Nate left her to pull a blanket from Scout’s saddle bag.
“Have you given any thought to what we talked about last night?” he asked.
Carolina didn’t answer right away. Instead she took a few moments to find her legs and stretch after riding a distance away from the house. “It’s been a while since I’ve ridden,” she grimaced.
“The first handful of rides are always the most painful until you break your body back into it.” He looked around at the spot he had chosen. It was a great place to have a picnic, especially now that it was cooler. The blue and purple meadow flowers were a soft bed for the blanket, which he spread out with a satisfying snap.
