Page 41 of Lavender Lake
“Not too rare?” Hadley asked.
“Just rare enough,” Bowman stated.
“I miss rare steak.” Hadley sighed. “I have to eat mine well done for a while.”
“Criminal,” I said, slicing into my perfect pink steak.
“Seriously.” Hadley sighed. “Better get creative with dinner choices or it’s going to be a long seven months.”
“We can do chicken,” Declan said.
Hadley looked at me. “Chicken.”
I nodded. “Chicken.”
“Tomorrow morning, I’d like to go to the hospital,” Hadley announced. “Bring Muddy breakfast.”
“How early?” Declan asked. “I’ve got to be here to meet the crew.”
“Crew?” I asked. “What crew?”
“We’re starting construction on the house,” Declan announced. “We found a family from Sandpoint, actually. Dad’s the builder, and the four sons do everything else from engineering to general contracting.”
“Oh, right,” I murmured. “I’d love to see where you decided to build.”
Declan nodded. “We’ll ride out there.”
Hadley cleared her throat.
“Or take the side-by-side,” Declan said. “Pass the beans, please.”
Bowman picked up the bowl and handed it to him. But to me he asked, “You don’t ride horses?”
“No.”
“But you grew up on a ranch.”
“Yep.” I shoveled a heap of mashed potatoes onto my fork and ate it so I wouldn’t have to answer.
“Scared?” Bowman taunted.
My eyes narrowed. I swallowed and replied, “I’m afraid of nothing.”
“Then why don’t you ride?” he pressed.
“Because I don’tlikeit. I love horses. But I don’t like being atop them.”
“What about motorcycles?” Bowman asked. “Do you like motorcycles?”
“Love them,” I stated.
“You’ve never been on a motorcycle,” Hadley interjected.
“I’ve been on a motorized scooter,” I stated. “How different can they be?”
“Very different,” Bowman and Declan replied at the same time.
“When were you on a motorized scooter?” Bowman asked in curiosity.
