Local Hero

away.
    ***
    She was stirring eggs in a skillet when he came into the kitchen. Bacon was draining on a rack, and coffee was already hot. He stood in the doorway a moment, more than a little surprised that such a simple domestic scene would affect him so strongly. Her robe was flannel and covered her from neck to ankle, but to him Hester had never looked more alluring. He hadn’t realized he’d been looking for this—the morning smells, the morning sounds of the Sunday news on the radio on the counter, the morning sights of the woman who’d shared his night moving competently in the kitchen.
    As a child, Sunday mornings had been almost formal affairs—brunch at eleven, served by a uniformed member of the staff. Orange juice in Waterford, shirred eggs on Wedgwood. He’d been taught to spread the Irish linen on his lap and make polite conversation. In later years, Sunday mornings had meant a bleary-eyed search through the cupboards or a dash down to the nearest diner.
    He felt foolish, but he wanted to tell Hester that the simple meal at her kitchen counter meant as much to him as the long night in her bed. Crossing to her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed a kiss to her neck.
    Strange how a touch could speed up the heart rate and warm the blood. Absorbing the sensation, she leaned back against him. “It’s almost done. You didn’t say how you liked your eggs, so you’ve got them scrambled with a little dill and cheese.”
    She could have offered him cardboard and told him to eat it with a plastic fork. Mitch turned her to face him and kissed her long and hard. “Thanks.”
    He’d flustered her again. Hester turned to the eggs in time to prevent them from burning. “Why don’t you sit down?” She poured coffee into a mug and handed it to him. “With your life’s blood.”
    He finished half the mug before he sat. “Hester, you know what I said about your legs?”
    She glanced over as she heaped eggs on a plate. “Yes?”
    “Your coffee’s almost as good as they are. Tremendous qualities in a woman.”
    “Thanks.” She set the plate in front of him before moving to the toaster.
    “Aren’t you eating any of this?”
    “No, just toast.”
    Mitch looked down at the pile of golden eggs and crisp bacon. “Hester, I didn’t expect you to fix me all this when you aren’t eating.”
    “It’s all right.” She arranged a stack of toast on a plate. “I do it for Rad all the time.”
    He covered her hand with his as she sat beside him. “I appreciate it.”
    “It’s only a couple of eggs,” she said, embarrassed. “You should eat them before they get cold.”
    “The woman’s a marvel,” Mitch commented as he obliged her. “She raises an interesting and well-balanced son, holds down a demanding job, and cooks.” Mitch bit into a piece of bacon. “Want to get married?”
    She laughed and added more coffee to both mugs. “If it only takes scrambled eggs to get you to propose, I’m surprised you don’t have three or four wives hidden in the closet.”
    He hadn’t been joking. She would have seen it in his eyes if she’d looked at him, but she was busy spreading butter on toast. Mitch watched her competent, ringless hands a moment. It had been a stupid way to propose and a useless way to make her see he was serious. It was also too soon, he admitted as he scooped up another forkful of eggs.
    The trick would be first to get her used to having him around, then to have her trust him enough to believe he would stay around. Then there was the big one, he mused as he lifted his cup. She had to need him. She wouldn’t ever need him for the roof over her head or the food in her cupboards. She was much too self-sufficient for that, and he admired it. In time, she might come to need him for emotional support and companionship. It would be a start.
    The courting of Hester would have to be both complex and subtle. He wasn’t certain he knew exactly how to go about it, but he was more than ready to start. Today was as good a time as any.
    “Got any plans for later?”
    “I’ve got to pick up Rad around noon.” She lingered over her toast, realizing it had been years since she had shared adult company over breakfast and that it had an appeal all its own. “Then I promised that I’d take him and Josh to a matinee.
The Moon of Andromeda.
”
    “Yeah? Terrific movie. The special effects are tremendous.”
    “You’ve seen it?” She felt a twinge of disappointment. She’d been