a smile spread across her face. “You know, Xenia, I’ve never thought of it that way. Maybe being a beaver isn’t so bad after all.”
Chapter 7
“Aunt Chapa, this was a great supper.” Ty pushed back his chair and grinned at his aunt. “Wilt and I knew we’d find something good to eat when we got home, didn’t we, cousin?”
“We sure did. Had dinner at the Boots and Spurs Café, but as good as Mrs. Thurman can cook, it’s no comparison with yours.”
“I appreciate the compliments, boys, but I didn’t cook all this on my own. Mea Ann and Xenia helped.”
Ty raised his eyebrow. “Then we need to compliment the Poindexter sisters, too.”
Mea Ann blushed, and Xenia said, “Chapa is giving us too much credit. I prepared the potatoes for the roast, and Mea Ann peeled the carrots. Chapa did the cooking.”
Ty winked at her. “Well, those were the best potatoes I’ve had in a long time.”
“And I sure did like those carrots,” Wilt said with a grin.
“Now, fellows, if you’re through with the flowery words, how about some apple pie? I made it because I know how much you two like it.”
“I bet you also made it because of our company. You wanted to show off your baking skills,” Ty teased her.
“Well, maybe just a little. Xenia said apple was one of her favorites, and Mea Ann said she liked it, too.”
“Then by all means, let’s have a slice and I could use another cup of coffee.”
“Ty Eldridge, I can’t believe you’d sit there and let your aunt wait on you. Your arm isn’t broken, so there’s no reason why you can’t get your own coffee.”
Chapa laughed. “Xenia, he’s like most men. He thinks women were made to serve him.”
“Well, he shouldn’t think that way.” Xenia turned to him. “While you’re getting your coffee, I’d like a refill, too.”
Did she expect him to get up and get coffee? One look at her face told him she meant exactly that. Was this the time to show her that no woman was going to boss him around? She might not like it, and he was determined to make his stand at some time…but was this the right moment?
He waited too long to make his decision, because Wilt stood. “I’ll get the coffee. I feel these women have worked hard enough preparing the meal.”
Chapa came back with the pie and plates. Wilt followed her with the coffee.
“I figured we might want more, so I decided to bring the pot to the table.”
“That’s a good idea, Wilt.” Mea Ann looked at him with admiration in her eyes. “You’re such a gentleman.”
Ty bit his lip. Why hadn’t he got up and brought the damn coffee? Xenia might have looked at him that way with her pretty blue eyes. No. There was no way she’d ever look at him that way. Her actions made it clear she only wanted him when she was in trouble and needed help. Otherwise, he was sure she didn’t even like him.
The pie was as tasty as it always was, but Ty didn’t notice. He continued to think about Xenia, and it wasn’t long until another woman came into his mind. A woman he thought he’d put to rest years earlier…and yet, she’d entered his mind in the last two days. That woman had stolen his heart, then turned on him when he refused to sell his half of the ranch to Wilt and move with her to San Francisco.
He clearly remembered some of the last words she said to him. “I hate you, Tyler Eldridge. I thought because you’re a rich man I could get you away from here and change you into a civilized human being instead of the renegade you are. I even believed you’d forget your Sioux heritage. But I was wrong. You’re nothing but a stinking breed, and that’s all you’ll ever be. No decent woman would ever lower herself to actually marry a man like you. A man the people around here know as a breed, though they won’t say it to your face because you have too much money. Don’t you realize they know you’re an Indian who might join a renegade band and start scalping people at any
Chapter 7
“Aunt Chapa, this was a great supper.” Ty pushed back his chair and grinned at his aunt. “Wilt and I knew we’d find something good to eat when we got home, didn’t we, cousin?”
“We sure did. Had dinner at the Boots and Spurs Café, but as good as Mrs. Thurman can cook, it’s no comparison with yours.”
“I appreciate the compliments, boys, but I didn’t cook all this on my own. Mea Ann and Xenia helped.”
Ty raised his eyebrow. “Then we need to compliment the Poindexter sisters, too.”
Mea Ann blushed, and Xenia said, “Chapa is giving us too much credit. I prepared the potatoes for the roast, and Mea Ann peeled the carrots. Chapa did the cooking.”
Ty winked at her. “Well, those were the best potatoes I’ve had in a long time.”
“And I sure did like those carrots,” Wilt said with a grin.
“Now, fellows, if you’re through with the flowery words, how about some apple pie? I made it because I know how much you two like it.”
“I bet you also made it because of our company. You wanted to show off your baking skills,” Ty teased her.
“Well, maybe just a little. Xenia said apple was one of her favorites, and Mea Ann said she liked it, too.”
“Then by all means, let’s have a slice and I could use another cup of coffee.”
“Ty Eldridge, I can’t believe you’d sit there and let your aunt wait on you. Your arm isn’t broken, so there’s no reason why you can’t get your own coffee.”
Chapa laughed. “Xenia, he’s like most men. He thinks women were made to serve him.”
“Well, he shouldn’t think that way.” Xenia turned to him. “While you’re getting your coffee, I’d like a refill, too.”
Did she expect him to get up and get coffee? One look at her face told him she meant exactly that. Was this the time to show her that no woman was going to boss him around? She might not like it, and he was determined to make his stand at some time…but was this the right moment?
He waited too long to make his decision, because Wilt stood. “I’ll get the coffee. I feel these women have worked hard enough preparing the meal.”
Chapa came back with the pie and plates. Wilt followed her with the coffee.
“I figured we might want more, so I decided to bring the pot to the table.”
“That’s a good idea, Wilt.” Mea Ann looked at him with admiration in her eyes. “You’re such a gentleman.”
Ty bit his lip. Why hadn’t he got up and brought the damn coffee? Xenia might have looked at him that way with her pretty blue eyes. No. There was no way she’d ever look at him that way. Her actions made it clear she only wanted him when she was in trouble and needed help. Otherwise, he was sure she didn’t even like him.
The pie was as tasty as it always was, but Ty didn’t notice. He continued to think about Xenia, and it wasn’t long until another woman came into his mind. A woman he thought he’d put to rest years earlier…and yet, she’d entered his mind in the last two days. That woman had stolen his heart, then turned on him when he refused to sell his half of the ranch to Wilt and move with her to San Francisco.
He clearly remembered some of the last words she said to him. “I hate you, Tyler Eldridge. I thought because you’re a rich man I could get you away from here and change you into a civilized human being instead of the renegade you are. I even believed you’d forget your Sioux heritage. But I was wrong. You’re nothing but a stinking breed, and that’s all you’ll ever be. No decent woman would ever lower herself to actually marry a man like you. A man the people around here know as a breed, though they won’t say it to your face because you have too much money. Don’t you realize they know you’re an Indian who might join a renegade band and start scalping people at any
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