Chapter Twenty-Four

Dawn was breaking; daylight came pouring through the air vents of the cabin. Al Mackey slowly opened his eyes. Had he been dreaming? It must have been a dream. Life had never been so wonderful. But he had not been dreaming! She was still here lying close to beside him.

Life had not been so kind to him here until he had fallen in love with this lovely creature, this little dark eyed princess. He hadn’t come down here looking for a wife but he had found one and he was glad. Sarah Blatz had been after him to find a girl, get married and raise a family. Good old Sarah, she sure had been a mother to him.

Sarah was a good cook. He had often heard her quote that old saying; “the best way to man’s heart was through his stomach.” A slow grin came to Al’s face. He wondered what damn fool had created that phrase. Surely it couldn’t have been a man! If it were, he must have been under sexed or had a hell of an appetite! Maybe he was old, real old! Maybe the person wasn’t a man at all. It was probably a woman!

Al recalled many times when they had extra help at the ranch. Sarah would fix a gorgeous dinner. Then she would stand back and watch the men eat. These men worked hard and they had big appetites. They also knew if they did not praise her cooking the quality would go way down. They learned their lesson well.

At every meal Sarah would enjoy the flattering remarks. Such as, ‘delicious,’ ‘fantastic,’ ‘I have never tasted anything so good!’ Yes, Sarah believed the best way to a man’s heart was through his stomach.

It was getting much lighter outside. Al glanced at the beautiful girl lying beside him. She knew a different way. He leaned over and kissed the soft red lips. The dark eyes opened slowly. A little white arm stole around his neck pulling her warm body close to him. “I love you,” Al whispered.

The girl moved still closer. “And I love you darling, and I didn’t know life could be so wonderful!”