Free Dakota Love by Rose Ross Zediker Page A

instead of the anger and hurt. Joy filled her, not the exuberant excitement from earlier in the day, but a more contented feeling.
    Caroline realized her thoughts distracted her from the task at hand. She covered the filled basket of dinner rolls, then placed them on the dining room table.

    The door glass rattled with each thump when Rodney knocked on the back door. He’d sat in his pickup a few minutes, deciding which door to use. Caroline used the side door for business, but should he use it tonight? No porch light brightened either door, but the kitchen window’s inviting glow lured him to the back door. The entryway and outside light popped on at the same time.
    Caroline swung the door open wide, her broad smile the only acknowledgment he needed. “Come in.” She motioned toward the kitchen with a tea towel. “You know the way.”
    Rodney followed Caroline up two steps to the kitchen, relieved to see he’d made an appropriate wardrobe choice. She also wore jeans. Her oxford shirt, multistriped in earthy greens, blues, and browns, complemented her strawberry blond hair. He slipped off his stocking cap, gloves, and coat, then stuffed the hat and gloves down the arm of his coat.
    “I’ll take that.” Caroline laid the tea towel on the table and reached for his jacket.
    “Just a second.” Rodney pulled a shiny bag from his coat pocket.
    “What’s that?” Caroline asked, looking at the bag as she took his coat and hung it in a closet at the other end of the kitchen.
    “I know you told me not to bring anything, but I wanted to contribute something. So…” Rodney flipped the foil bag so the label faced the front, then rested the bottom on one hand and gently held the top with two fingers as if it were a bottle of wine. “A half pound of Daily Jolt’s finest decaffeinated coffee aged to perfection. And ground in the event you don’t have a grinder.”
    “Thank you. It will go perfectly with my homemade chocolate cake.” Caroline removed the bag of coffee from its perch. “Unless you’d like some with dinner?”
    “No, I prefer water with my meals.” Rodney made an exaggerated sniffing motion. “I’m thinking the Queen of Quilts might earn a new nickname, like Duchess of Dinner. The trout smells incredible.”
    Caroline’s face beamed with pleasure. “I’m glad you think so. I’m a little rusty at this.”
    The beep of the oven timer turned her attention away from Rodney, much to his dismay.
    He watched Caroline lift a roasting pan from the oven. “Do you need help with that?”
    “No, but you could fill those two glasses with water and take them to the dining room. I’ll plate the trout and be right in.”
    Rodney rounded the corner of the dining room and saw a beautifully set table. When was the last time he had dinner like this that didn’t involve a holiday at Michelle’s? Since he was so tired of eating his dinner while he perched on the arm of his sofa, he’d have been happy sitting at the kitchen table. He felt spoiled. There was one problem, though. They weren’t sitting close enough. He set the water glasses down. Probably a bold move on his part, but he moved a place setting to the head of the table so he could sit closer to Caroline. He finished rearranging the other place setting just as Caroline rounded the corner, carrying a tray that contained a platter and two small bowls filled with fruit.
    “I hope you don’t mind.” Rodney took the bowls from Caroline that held orange sections, maraschino cherries, grapes, banana slices, and apple slices. He put them in the middle of their dinner plates.
    Caroline set an attractive platter arrangement of trout almandine, long-grain rice, and asparagus on the table between the two settings.
    She began to chuckle, which turned into a full-fledged laugh. The laugh lines at the corners of her eyes deepened, much more attractive than the pesky crevice that appeared when she worried.
    “I changed our place settings three times.” She