Page 22 of Stealing Kisses

“Of course.”

He might as well have saidWhatever you say, dear…in the world’s most placating tone.

Rather than respond, Baylin set the table for two.

The bacon smelled very good, and her stomach growled.

She poured two cups of coffee, added sugar and cream to one for herself and left the other black and bitter for Teddy, and put them at their places just as Teddy declared, “Breakfast is served.”

I’d sooo like to wipe that victorious smile from his face.

But Teddy hadn’t lied about the eggs…delicious. And the bacon? Even better than it smelled.

Her coffee tasted like ambrosia, and the buttery toasted dinner roll — leftover from their dinner the night before — with a dollop of homemade blackberry jam, gave the morning a sweet start.

In fact, it set the tone for the entire day.

They worked side-by-side…feeding and watering animals, gathering the day’s eggs, repairing damaged boards on the pigpen, and cleaning out the barn stalls. Teddy chopped firewood while Baylin piled extra hay and straw in various places for added insulation against the wintry nights.

Baylin begged him to take a break, to leave her alone to do her work in hopes she might catch up on her list. She provided every excuse she could think of to get him out of her hair, butTeddy ignored her pleas. He never hesitated in the slightest to chip in, never balked at the grossness of mucking animal waste.

Nor did Teddy stop talking and smiling. No matter how dirty the job or how menial the task, his litany of questions, curiosity, songs, and stories continued.

His tales were generic, detailed enough that Baylin got the gist of his personality and quirks, but not so much that she could tell where he’d grown up and what his childhood had been like. She still didn’t know how he’d come into the fancy sports car, how he managed to have endless days off work, or where he was headed when he found himself stranded for Valentine’s Day in Green Hills, Oklahoma.

As the hours passed, his eternal sunshine and good mood stopped driving Baylin so crazy. After lunch, his silly songs became entertaining. His jabbering made the time pass and the work more enjoyable than when she did so much on her own.

Baylin taught Teddy how to cut, roll, and tag fat quarters of quilting fabric for her booth. His attention to detail and accuracy surprised her. He proved to be a quick study when she showed him how to package soaps and attach labels for each scented variety.

“Can I help with your quilt?” Teddy asked when they settled in the parlor after they’d cooked, eaten, and cleaned up their dinner.

“I’m pretty much finished with it…just in time to submit it for judging,” Baylin answered, astonished she’d be delivering it to the Busy Bees’ Quilt Guild on Wednesday.

“It’s beautiful; you’re going to win.”

Again with the blatant, matter of fact confidence.

If only I had a fraction of that certainty.

“I doubt it. Our local guild and sewing groups are full of quilters accomplished far beyond my skill level.”

“But this design is so unique. It catches your eye and fills your heart… It boastsI’m not afraid to shout my love from the mountaintops!A real showstopper… I think it’s perfect. Definitely a winner.”

His praise filled Baylin with hope. She didn’t stand a chance, not with Sadie Jones’s immaculate piecing which produced perfect joints and never nipped a point, or Judge Dorothy Roberts’s exquisite appliqué that couldn’t be matched, or Maree Davenport’s lovely fabrics, designed right in her shop on Main Street and then sold all over the world.

But Teddy’s pep talk encouraged Baylin to be proud of what she’d accomplished.

“Thank you,” she said with earnest appreciation.

Baylin smiled at him…an actual smile, void of the distance and barriers she’d tried in vain to maintain. It was a smile straight from her heart.

10

The beauty of caring for seniors

is realizing that they are heroes

in their own right.

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