“I wouldn’t want to intrude on family time. But I appreciate the invitation.” He backed away, pulling his collar close as a drop of ice slid down the inside of his shirt.
“No, please we want you to join us.” Mrs. Lester leaned so far over, small ice pellets bounced off her face.
“Mary, you’ll fall.” Mr. Lester grabbed his wife’s shoulder, and looked again at Michael. “Please, Mr. Henderson. I know my wife. If she wants you to join us, we’ll sit here while she stubbornly tries to talk you into it until we’ve all caught our death of cold.”
Michael laughed and hopped up next to Heidi as she scooted over. “We wouldn’t want that. Heidi and I already mixed up enough bottles of cough syrup today to float a ship.”
The buggy moved forward, skidding on the ice. Tucked in between Heidi and the hard wall, Michael attempted to concentrate on Mrs. Lester’s continuous chatter. Trying to keep up with the woman’s conversation diverted his thoughts away from the closeness of his seatmate’s body. As they turned a corner, Heidi practically slid into his lap. Their eyes locked in the darkness, and her small pink tongue skimmed her full lips before she scooted away.
Thankfully, the hotel came into view, and Michael breathed a sigh of relief. The lavender scent of Heidi, and the softness of her hair where soft locks fell along her cheek, wreaked havoc with his blood supply. He wanted to reach out, and crush her curls in his hands, pull her towards him and cover her mouth with his. His tongue would slide along her lips, entering her luscious mouth, tasting her perfumed breath. After he had his fill, he would kiss his way down her chin, her throat, and the tops of her…
“Michael?” Heidi nudged him. The buggy had stopped, and Mr. Lester helped Mrs. Lester out.
“Sorry.” He quickly jumped down and held out his hand. They hurried through the gilded glass doors of the hotel and into the vacant lobby. The nasty weather had kept most people snug in their homes.
A blast of warm air from two brightly burning fireplaces, on opposite walls, enveloped them like rays from bright sunshine. Mr. Lester led them to the dining room, where the two couples settled at a table near the welcoming heat of a warming stove. The wood crackled as tiny spurts of sparks exploded.
“I think I?
??ll leave my coat on for a while.” Heidi shivered as she hugged herself.
Only two other tables were occupied, giving the room an abandoned look. The Saratoga Hotel had a reputation for its clean, comfortable rooms, but most residents of Guthrie knew the best food in town could be had in the hotel’s expansive dining room. To see the space this empty testified to the foul weather beyond its doors.
A barrel shaped woman, with a stained apron wrapped around her middle, approached their table. “Good evening, Mrs. Lester, Mr. Lester. Nasty night out there.”
“Yes, it certainly is.” Mr. Lester turned to Michael. “Mrs. Davidson is the best cook in all of Oklahoma Territory.”
Michael smiled at the woman. “I must agree with you, sir, I’ve had the pleasure of eating Mrs. Davidson’s cooking many times before.”
“Mrs. Davidson, this is our daughter Heidi.” Mrs. Lester beamed with pride at her daughter.
“Such a lovely young woman.” Mrs. Davidson smiled at her. “And in the company of such a fine man as Michael.” She nodded in Michael’s direction.
“Where is Natalie tonight?” A bit flustered, Mrs. Lester asked after Mrs. Davidson’s daughter and helpmate.
“Things are so quiet tonight, with the storm and all, I sent her home a while ago.”
Mrs. Lester leaned toward Heidi. “Natalie is Mrs. Davidson’s daughter. She helps her mother in the kitchen, and serves the customers.”
Mrs. Davidson held up a folder. “Do you know what you want, or do y’all need to see the menu?”
“Is chicken and dumplings on the menu tonight by any chance?” Mr. Lester actually licked his lips in anticipation.
She smiled broadly, causing her eyes to almost disappear in her rounded face. “Yes it is.”
“That’s for me.” He turned to his wife. “Mary?”
“Same for me, too.”
Michael’s growling stomach nudged him. “Make that three.”
“Four.” Heidi grinned, then took a delicate sip from her water glass.
Mrs. Davison nodded, and headed to the kitchen.
Mr. Lester cleared his throat, and turned to Michael. “Heidi tells us you attended pharmacy school, Mr. Henderson.”
“Please, it’s Michael. Yes, I studied at the Norman University School of Pharmacy. I graduated eight years ago.” He helped Heidi remove her coat, and drape it around the back of her chair.