Friends… she was almost afraid to make more friends. Every time she made a friend or more, something bad happened. She didn’t want anything bad to happen. Perhaps, she thought, it was time to cool her attitude toward people… but that just wasn’t her, was it? She was a warm and vivacious woman with a laugh that turned heads for the right reasons, a laugh that was now a rarity these days. That meant that it wasn’t in her nature to give up and act like a cold hearted person.

She smiled in spite of the thoughts swirling around in her overtired mind. Her eyes watched the pair across from her, longing in her heart to be as alright as he was. He seemed like a strong fellow. “She is doing a fine job. I’ll make sure ta wash her clothes well,” she offered dumbly, not knowing what else to say at the moment just because she had gotten caught up in her own thoughts.

He gave her a warm smile.  "People say I should leave her more to the nanny.  I guess it is how it is done here.  Back home I remember always being with my mom or as I got older always with my father."  He thought about his late sister, well what he remembered of her.  "I remember being with my older sister too, but she died in a fire when I was little.  That may be why my mother stayed so close to me."

He looked at his daughter.  "She is named after my older sister.  I don't remember much, but I know she was my hero.  She got me out of the fire."  He explained looking back to Karen.  "Anyway, I have no idea how a father is to be around a daughter, but the people we met in London seemed so distant with their children in public anyway.  It felt off to me."

"I understand. I couldn't be distant from me bairns either. It just seems wrong." She finished her stew by scraping the last bits up with a piece of bread, popping that into her mouth and chewing thoughtfully. After swallowing, she sat back in her chair and tilted her head. "I don't think I could ever get used to that kind of life, a life without me children."

As soon as they were done eating, she stood up and began to collect the empty dishes, not particularly rushing but not slow either. She stacked the dishes neatly inside of her sink and began to fill it with hot water, which was a novelty to her since she had been used to having to pump at the old house. "This is nice," she commented over her shoulder. "I am used to the pump at the old house. I don't know if I will ever get used to hot water being easily gotten." She chuckled.

Glancing back to where the twins were, he nodded and looked back to her.  "There are too many things that you would miss out on.  When they crawl and walk.   All the firsts."  He smiled.

At the mention of the sink, he nodded.  "I've been updating things since I bought the place.  I still have one cottage to have updated with the inside water.  I figured if I was going to have it at the house, I should have it out here too.  Save some hauling water to and from.  My mother loved it when Pa had it put in the place back home." 

He glanced around the house.  "Is there anything you need addressed here?  I focused on the other cottages first as they were being lived in and this one wasn't until you moved in."

“Ye’re right,” she murmured toward him, also glancing toward the twins. She found herself glancing back at him then and a small smile crept onto her face without her realizing it.

When she turned her attention to the sink again to wash dishes, her smile simply faded back into a neutral expression that came naturally. She began to hum cheerfully, however, and made quick work of cleaning up after the meal.

At his next query, she didn’t turn around right away, but rather, flicked water from her fingers into the sink, “Oh, I’d say ye’ve done a fine job already, Mister Vaughn…” She turned around then and leaned her hip against the counter, tilting her head whilst regarding him with another small smile that caused her eyes to sparkle just a touch.

Lorn found his own lips forming a smile as he saw her expression.  She was lovely and so easy to be around.  He was glad she was less stressed than the day he met her.  He looked back down to his daughter and caught before another bite missed her mouth with the spoon.

Looking back up to Karen, he shrugged.  "If people feel more at ease at home, they will do better work when on the job.  My pa told me that.  Though he said in the same conversation, that those that get lazy make their own consequences.  I then got a good lashing for not doing a good job in the stable."  He chuckled.  "I was a teenager and wanted more of my own free time.  Cutting corners on the chores I learned was not the way to do that if I planned to sit down for dinner."

He tilted his head.  "And please call me Lorn, at least when visitors are not here.  I don't ask the employees to be all proper with me just all us around.  I've finally got some of the boys in the stable calling me Lorn, at least when their parents aren't around."  He chuckled.  "Back home in Texas, they would laugh big time if they heard it.  Ma told me not to get big in the head about it.  I am getting somewhat used to it, but I don't want Heidi to think she is better than anyone else here.  She will be spoiled, that I know."  He raised his eyebrows thinking of himself and how he spoils her.  "But I want her to be a kind person and treat everyone with kindness and honesty." 

He had worried about it as he saw the children of some others he had met in his trading and social life.  Money and position could ruin a child.  He had been raised by good parents with a code of life that they had passed on to him.

She tilted her head as she listened to him speak. Karen moved to sit down again, back in the chair she'd abandoned. She was going to get off of her feet while she could. The twins still slept peacefully in their bassinets as Lorn spoke of his employees and himself. "I don't like cutting corners, but ye may notice that by the dried lavender I like ta use in me laundry. Me brother on the other hand..." She stopped there because she didn't want to speak ill of Pony, even though she was still mad at him for trying to control her life. She hadn't seen him in over a month and she wondered if he left town like he had when they had been elsewhere before Harold came and went.

"Lorn," she said with a soft voice... "I insist ye call me Karen no matter what." She liked his voice, his accent especially. Hearing him call her Karen would make her heart feel a little better, she thought without meaning to. His company made her feel less alone right then and she was glad that he had become her friend. Of course, she would try not to make the same mistake as before, letting herself start to feel things she ought not to... But he reminded her of a light version of her dark cowboy, and it wouldn't be easy.

"I... I am glad ye liked yer supper, Lorn," and then she suddenly turned around to dry the dishes with an embroidered towel. Her teeth bit into her lower lip and she was quiet for a moment before turning around and putting her hand on her forehead. "I... ought not to have invited ye in for it... I am sorry, it wasn't proper of me." She looked into his eyes from where she stood and sighed, "Because I really like ye and... I don't know. When ye came to me door, I let ye in because I wanted the company."

"I have already heard wonderful things of your work.  You have no worries there."  He assured her.  "I am fairly straight forward with my thoughts and critiques about any work around the stables especially.  I try to be equally straight forward on praise for good work being done.  Again, something I get from my pa.  Though, as a teenager, I think I got more of the negative, justified, than the positive."  He grinned and looked at Heidi.  "I may be up for a challenge when she gets older if she is anything like I was."

"Karen."  He said with a soft tone.  "I can do that."  His eyes going to hers and then looking away to the table. 

He was feeling relaxed and comfortable there.  In the big house, it was his home and with Heidi it was busy.  However, it was so quiet when she was down for the night.  He felt alone and would find work to do to fight it.  He missed Cressida.  He thought of her and took a deep breath.  She would be proud of what he was creating for Heidi there.  He knew that.  But she would not be happy that he was working himself to exhaustion to fall asleep.

Lorn shook his head.  "You did nothing out of line. You were pressed into it by my little busybody here."  He wiped down Heidi's face and let her down as she seemed done.  "And I let her talk me into it.  So, if anyone did something wrong it was me.  Little Miss is the boss, I think."  He winked.

Then he got up and picked up Heidi's things to go to the sink so he could wash them.  He paused by Karen's chair.  "You stay there.  You need a break.  I've brought extra work.  I can only help with some of it."  He said firmly, but with a smile.

Then he continued after a brief pause.  "I have liked being here with you and the twins too.  I've got a house full of help and Heidi, but something is missing.  If it weren't for Heidi there, I'd likely stay in the stable.  This evening, I haven't felt like I needed to stay busy.  It's been peaceful, not just in the room, but inside my mind."  He wasn't sure how to put it, and he felt a bit awkward saying it out loud. He went on over to the sink and washed the items, thinking that she likely thought he was foolish.

Turning around, he looked over to where Heidi had plopped down near the twins seeming to know to be quiet while they were sleeping and playing with one of their toys.  Then he went over to the table.  "We can head on out and get out of your way.  We do thank you for the good meal."  He said figuring they were a bother and he had made a fool of himself with what he had said.

“I am glad people like me work so much,” she murmured with her lashes lowering. Admittedly, she’d rather be a nurse than a laundress, but she was smart enough to take whatever job she could to keep a roof over her childrens’ heads. She was still living with a small cushion from the sale of the newly finished house that she and Harold would have lived in if he hadn’t been killed.

She felt an unwelcome flutter in her belly when Lorn used her given name, feeling a little bit of heat creep up into the back of her neck.

At his next words, she held up her hands. “Oh no, she is wonderful. I…” she trailed off lamely, not sure what to say. “I just… I…” Why in the world was her tongue so tied? Karen gazed at him almost longingly, then turned to finish drying the dishes she had done. When her back was turned, she said over her shoulder, “Ye’re always welcome here, it was just… I worry what people think too much I suppose.”

She obediently sat down when he bade her to and looked down at her hands. One could see the tears threatening to spill from those big brown eyes of hers, the concern evident in those orbs. She was over-thinking it.

But then his words… Her heart fluttered that time. The laundress stood up again and looked at him, saying, “I… don’t know what to say.” She had never had someone say something so kind to her.

When he said something about leaving, she took a step forward and held her hands up, “Oh please don’t go. I… Stay just a little while longer. Please.”

He gave her a look when she spoke of what people might think.  "I visit with all of the employees.  I like to check in on them to make sure all is well at home as well as at work.  Granted with the maids, I do stay outside their cottage unless there is more than one of them there.  Or when Heidi goes in and I have to go get her."  He admitted with a chuckle.   "She does have a mind of her own."

He gave a look at the children.  "Though with Heidi and the twins, I'd say we have our hands busy enough that any would know all is proper here."  He chuckled again. 

"Thank you for the invite though."  He smiled at her.  He had been invited to the Pearson's cottage for dinner.  It was quite a busy household.  Heidi had loved it as had Lorn.  Of course, she was the star of the show, so of course, she liked it. 

He gave her a look, as if to check to be sure it was okay.  "Okay, but only a short time.  I don't want to mess up your schedule.  Though I do know the boss,"  he winked, "so I can put in a good word if it is needed."   

He sat back down.  "We will be having a new baby at the stable soon.  Heidi has declared it will be a girl."  He glanced over to where Heidi had laid down on the floor sofa looking ready to fall asleep next to his hat.  Looking back to Karen he gave a wry smile.  "She says the name will be 'Princess'.  I asked what if it is a boy.  She said that would be okay too.  But its name is 'Princess'.  The fellas think that will not work and are trying to talk her out of that."  He grinned.  "She has almost been convinced 'George' would be good too."