Page 16 of Temel

Her voice was carefully neutral, but he couldn’t escape the impression that her marriage had not worked out the way her father had desired.

“I’m sorry,” he said, deliberately not specifying the reason.

“Don’t be. I have Tommy and Dora.” Her teeth closed down on that pretty plump lower lip as she realized what she’d said, and then she jumped up. “I’d better see if my family is awake and get started on dinner.”

He’d let her go, but a short time later he’d walked quietly into the dining room and opened the door to the kitchen. He hadn’t joined her, but he let himself listen as she moved around the kitchen and then as the rest of her family joined her. It wasn’t the first time he’d felt like an outsider, but this was both sweeter and more painful than usual.

My duty is to my males, he reminded himself—but he didn’t close the door.

A short time later, a small dark head peeked around the doorframe.

“Hi.”

“Hello,” he replied solemnly, looking over at the boy. “Can I help you?”

Tommy grinned and ran into the room, scrambling up into the chair opposite him.

“Nope. Mama said I could ‘splore the house as long as I didn’t break nothing.”

“An excellent suggestion. And do you always do what your mother tells you?”

The boy made a face at him, then grinned again.

“I try.”

“Smart boy.”

“My father used to call me Smarty Pants. But the way you say it sounds better.”

Tommy frowned as he spoke, and Temel found himself wondering if his father had intended the term in a derogatorymanner, although he didn’t understand why acknowledging intelligence would be considered an insult.

“Mama’s smart too,” the boy announced, his frown vanishing.

“I agree with you.”

“I think she likes you.”

The boy was grinning at him again, his feet kicking back and forth under the chair.

“Does she?” He kept his tone as calm as possible.

“Uh-huh. And Dora doesn’t.”

That had been quite clear, although he wasn’t sure why.

“Dora’s gonna marry a prince one day,” Tommy continued cheerfully.

He tried not to smile, although he could easily envision the young female making just such a comment.

“Indeed? And what will you do then?”

“I’ll look after Angel, I guess. And Mama.”

He nodded approvingly at the boy’s solemn tone.

“Good. It is a male’s job—and his privilege—to look after the females of his family.”

“What a privi…privlish?”

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