Page 18 of Morning Dove

He leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest before nodding to the shelf his dishes sat on. “I’m not eating unless you do, so grab a bowl.”

She stared at him for a long moment, trying to find a reason to argue, if he had to guess, but grabbed another bowl and filled it before sitting down across from him.

As was usual around Morning Dove, she looked at everything but him. He was beginning to think she had some aversion to him, but as he sat there watching her, he noticed her hand was shaking. She wasn’t scared of him, was she?

He picked up his spoon and started eating, thoughts of her being afraid of him lingering in his mind. Was that why she never spoke to him? Surely not.

Several minutes had passed before the thought gnawed at him too much to ignore. “Are you afraid of me?”

Her big eyes lifted to his face. “Afraid of you?”

He nodded. “You rarely talk to me and you’re always quiet.” He left out the part where he saw her hand shaking.

“I am not afraid of you. I would not have agreed to stay here alone if I were.”

He guessed not, so that only left him to one conclusion—he made her nervous. A case of jitters and her blushing cheeks made him wonder if her feelings for him were maybe more than a little friendly. The idea certainly was welcome. He’d thought a lot about his conversation with Aaron over on the Avery ranch. Thoughts of Morning Dove had plagued him since the moment he saw her and he’d not lied to Aaron when he said he wasn’t good enough for her. He wasn’t—but seeing her in his house made him want to be.

They ate the rest of the meal in silence. It was bordering on uncomfortable by the time they’d finished. Morning Dove grabbed their dirty dishes and carried them to the sink, then pushed the stew pot to the back of the stove.

“Leave the dishes. I can wash them.”

She looked over her shoulder at him and grinned, one eyebrow lifted. “The same way you washed all the others that were here when I arrived?”

He had the good sense to blush and shrugged his shoulders. “Cleaning isn’t one of my strong suits.”

“Apparently.”

She filled the washing tub with hot water from the stove reservoir. Ben leaned back against the cabinet and crossed his arms over his chest to watch her.

The sun was sinking over the mountain. It’d be full dark soon. “Did Betsey say she was coming back or do I need to take you home?” Or are you going to make me a happy man and stay? He kept the last part to himself.

“She was coming back.” She glanced out the window, noticing the sinking sun, if he had to guess. “I am not sure why she has not.” Meeting his gaze, she said, “Do you suppose something has happened?”

It was hard to say. “I’m sure everything is fine. Knowing Betsey, the moment she started grabbing food from her pantry, she ended up pulling everything out and cleaning the shelves before rearranging everything.”

She grinned before turning back to the dishes. “I am sure you are right.”

That uncomfortable silence that usually surrounded them filled the air again, and he stared around the house. He couldn’t remember the last time it’d been this clean. Probably before Betsey and Aaron’s house was finished, and they’d moved out. Dusting and cleaning the floors hadn’t ever been high on his list of priorities. It still wasn’t. After working all day, the last thing he wanted to do was come home and cook a meal, then clean the mess up. Had Morning Dove not been here when he walked in the door, he’d more than likely already be laid out on the bed asleep in his clothes, supper forgotten entirely, assuming he hadn’t headed straight to the saloon after work.

The cowboys over at the Avery ranch always had something cooking in the bunk house so he ate breakfast and lunch with them most of the time. It was enough, and he’d certainly never starve by skipping his supper more often than not.

“I do not think she is coming back.”

Morning Dove’s voice drew his thoughts back to the present. She was staring at him, the dishes she’d been washing now dry and back on the shelf.

He glanced out the window. “You’re probably right. Aaron wouldn’t want her riding around the prairie in the dark any more than you need to be.” He pushed away from the counter and grabbed his hat. “I’ll go saddle Cash and take you home.”

He had been drinking.

Morning Dove could smell a faint scent of whiskey being this close to Ben and all of Betsey’s complaining about him drinking too much made her realize, maybe she was right.

His eyes had been bloodshot when he came through the back door of his house, but she had brushed it off as him being tired. He had worked all day. It was only right he would be exhausted, but that stale scent of alcohol that lingered on him told her it was not fatigue that made him look so haggard. He had been drinking before he came home.

The fact he had been doing so did not make her joy at being in his arms any less thrilling, though.

Being near Ben was distracting enough, but sitting on his horse in front of him with his arms draped around her waist? It was downright nerve wracking. And blissfully wonderful.

The slow gait of the horse had her swaying with each step Cash took, and as hard as she tried to remain straight-backed, she ended up brushing against Ben again and again. The heat from his body scalded her back, and the desire to lean against him was strong.

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