Song of Her Heart Read Free Page B

cereal on the table, she concluded Mason didn’t often have a hot breakfast. The refrigerator contained what she needed to prepare an omelette and mix a batch of bread. She put the biscuits in the oven, thinking she could warm them in the microwave if they baked before Mason finished his work. She found honey and oleo in the fridge and put them on the table, made a pot of coffee and prepared a pan for the omelette. Ready to finish breakfast when Mason came, Norah sat on a wide window seat to watch for him.
    Low rolling hills surrounded the Flying K ranch that was located in the Niobrara River Valley. A large red barn with a tall silo attached and several smaller buildings were near the house. A wide shelter belt of evergreens was positioned to protect the ranch headquarters from northwest winter winds. Sunlight was just beginning to illuminate the meadowy fields where a herd of cattle grazed, and Norah wondered if Buster was among them. In the light of day, her fear of the bull seemed a little foolish, but the sudden sight of him in the middle of the road had overwhelmed her.
    When Mason emerged from the barn, he was accompanied by two black Labrador dogs that frolicked at his heels all the way to the house. When Norah opened the door and said, “Good morning,” the dogs froze in place. Mason stooped to lay calming hands on their heads.
    â€œIt’s okay,” he assured the animals. Smiling at Norah, he continued. “Around here, the dogs get their breakfast before I do.” He dipped some dry dog food from a container and filled a couple of bowls. He turned on a faucet and replenished the dogs’ water pans. Patting their heads again, he stepped inside and came to a standstill, almost as quickly as the dogs had done.
    â€œYou’ve made breakfast!”
    â€œWhy not? You need a sample of my cooking to see if I’m suited for the job. If not, you can hire someone else before the kids come to the ranch.”
    Smiling, he said, “If the food tastes as good as it smells, I won’t want to hire anyone else.”
    â€œEverything’s finished except the omelette. I’ll have it on the table by the time you’ve washed up.”
    â€œEven biscuits!” Mason marveled as he returned from the bathroom and pulled up to the table. “I make biscuits once in a while, but they don’t look like these.”
    Since he usually ate alone, Mason didn’t talk much while he ate three-fourths of the omelette, several biscuits and downed two cups of coffee. By the time only one biscuit was left on the plate, Norah didn’t need any more evidence that her cooking passed muster.
    When Mason leaned back from the table, with a satisfied smile on his face, Norah filled his coffee cup for the third time.
    â€œI’ve never eaten a better meal in my life,” Mason said. “Thanks, Norah. If the therapy program doesn’t improve the kids’ health, eating your meals is bound to be good for them. Thanks for coming to help.”
    A song rose in Norah’s heart at his praise. In spite of her efforts to please her family, she’d seldom had any thanks for what she’d done for them. Her father had paid her for taking care of the household, but it always rankled that her family had taken her work for granted.
    Unbidden, an old adage popped into Norah’s mind. The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. But why would she want to find her way into Mason’s heart? The goal she’d set for her life when she was a teenager couldn’t be realized on a Sand Hills ranch. And although she’d known Mason only a few hours, she couldn’t envision him in any other place except this setting.
    Mason interrupted her thoughts when he said, “I’ll take you to the Bar 8 ranch today so you can see where you’ll be spending the summer. The program doesn’t start for two weeks. You may not want to stay there all that