“Thank you, Dr. Simpson, but I know how to take care of barroom wounds,” she said, her voice only slightly elevated from the effect that he created when he touched her face.

“I should go now.” Wyatt’s warm breath caressed that soft spot right under her ear, and the temperature in the room jacked up several degrees.

“Thanks again,” she whispered.

“Anytime. I’m just glad it wasn’t one of your sisters that sliced you open.” He moved out of the bathroom.

“Why does it matter who did it?” she asked.

“Sisters shouldn’t act like that. Get some rest.”

She raised her voice as he crossed the room. “Two aspirin and call you in the mornin’ if I’m not better.”

He gave her a thumbs-up and gently closed the door behind him. She removed her bra, kicked off her boots, and slid her skinny jeans down over her well-rounded hips. Once she was completely naked, she turned on the water in the old claw-foot tub and crawled into it. Her long legs reached all the way to the end, and when the water was deep enough, she turned the faucets off with her toes.

She only meant to rest her eyes for a few seconds, but when she awoke, the water was cold, her arms were asleep, and the cut on her chin was throbbing. She quickly stood up and grabbed a terry robe, wrapped it around her body, and checked her reflection in the mirror. The strips were holding and there was no blood.

“That’s good,” she muttered as she padded barefoot across the floor to her bed. She didn’t bother taking off the robe, but curled up on top of the bedspread and pulled the edge up over her feet. In seconds she was asleep, dreaming of playing chase with a little blonde-haired girl in a field of bright Texas bluebonnets. The child wore a pure-white sundress. Her blue eyes were the same color as the flowers.

The alarm clock jerked Harper out of the dream and back into reality. No matter how tightly she shut her eyes, she couldn’t bring back the peace that she felt when she was out there in the middle of that bluebonnet field.

With a sigh, she threw her legs over the edge of the bed, turned off the noisy alarm, and went back to the bathroom to check her wound. It looked fine even if it did throb with every heartbeat. She quickly dressed in jeans and a T-shirt and hurried out across the gravel lot toward the café.

Zed must’ve seen her coming, because he already had a mug of coffee sitting on the table for her. She picked it up and warmed her hands before taking the first sip.

“I should’ve put on a jacket. Morning breeze is a little nippy,” she said.

“Will be until Easter is over with in a couple of weeks. After that we’ll be prayin’ for some of this cool wind,” he said. “What happened to your chin?”

Between sips of coffee, she told him the story. “Guess some sisters are almighty protective of each other’s rights to a bar stool. And others get into their sister’s business uninvited.”

“What demons are you chasin’, child?” he asked, his tone deepening.

“What makes you think I’ve got any demons?” Harper pushed the chair back and brought the coffeepot to refill both their cups.

“Plain as the nose on a pig’s face. What happened that last summer you came here to stay for a month? You ain’t been the same since. Your granny was plenty worried about you when you ran away from that boarding school. You didn’t get in touch with nobody, either. Why she didn’t hear from you until you was past eighteen?” he said.

“Life happened, and believe me, Granny was the only one worried about me,” she said in a flat tone.

“I was worried right along with her. So tell me about it.”

“Granny used to say that the person who stirs the shit pile has to lick the spoon. I’m not in the mood for that this mornin’.” She laid a hand on his bony arm.

“I’m here if you ever want to get it off your chest.” Zed pushed up out of the chair and began to clear the table. “What is said in my kitchen stays in my kitchen, and that’s the God’s honest truth.”

As she and Brook entered the café before daylight, Dana held the door for the young honeymooners, who were coming out of their cabin for the first time since they arrived. They were all smiles, holding hands and looking deeply into each other’s eyes. Hopefully five years down the road, the young lady wouldn’t be throwing him out for cheating on her. Like what happened to some people.

“Thank you,” the groom said. “It’s going to be a beautiful Sunday. Kayla and I are going to have breakfast and then take a blanket to the edge of the lake and watch the sunrise.”

“This place is fabulous,” Kayla said. “We’ve agreed that we’ll come back here every year on our anniversary.”

Harper looked up from the cash register and smiled. “We’ll look forward to havin’ you. We’re serving buffet-style this morning, so y’all go on and help yourselves. What can I get you to drink?”

“Orange juice and hot chocolate,” Kayla said.

“Same for me.” The new groom ushered her to the buffet with his hand on her back.

“Oh, to be in love,” Dana whispered to Harper as she went for coffee. “How’s your chin? What happened, anyway?”

“I had an argument with a busted beer bottle,” she answered.