Katherine could feel the first nip of autumn against her skin as she wrapped her shawl around her shoulders and ventured out of the bedroom. The couch was empty; the patchwork quilt tossed carelessly over the top. Connor had been in a rush to leave. He’d barely said a word to her since gifting her with a trunk full of clothes yesterday. He seemed almost embarrassed with his own generosity, and Katherine felt too guilty to consider what to do with the dresses. She wandered to the kitchen, where she found the remnants of a fire crackling in the wood stove and a pot of coffee warmed on the burner. Connor’s hat was gone from the peg near the door. He’d left without saying good-bye. She tried to beat back the sense of rejection that slithered into her heart. It was foolish really. He was under no obligation to keep her company. But the mornings were one of her favorite times. She liked cooking him breakfast and sitting at the table over coffee while he made short work of whatever she’d fixed him.
