Chapter Sixteen.
Frost woke to an empty bed and a quiet house. The lack of sunlight coming through the window told him he’d slept all day. Rolling over he laid an arm over his eyes. Still exhausted continued to lay there listening to the silence of the house along with the gentle Texas wind as it twisted outside.
Constance must’ve gone into town, to work. He needed to contact Maddog and Undertaker, let them know he was back in town. Somewhere between that thought and the next Frost shut everything out of his head as he fell back asleep.
*****
The kitchen smelled faintly of garlic and tomato sauce, as she heated up the lasagna she’d picked up at the produce market in town. The day had turned out long as she and the other workers had helped people with their lists and boxes.
One of the ladies from the club had come by and dropped off boxes of cookies and cupcakes from her bakery. Her name was Hope, she was Jinx’s girlfriend. It had been nice to meet another one of the ladies.
Constance pulled down the roll downs and lit the wood burning stove. The evening was bringing cooler temps which was a nice change as summer had lingered a little too long in West Texas.
Soft light added a nice touch to the room; from the few candles she’d scattered across the table. It was just a simple warm glow, the kind that didn’t shout for attention. Just a subtle touch of romance.
Shadows danced lazily on the wall, turning the simple space into something intimate, almost secret. A slow playlist hummed in the background, from her Bluetooth speaker. Low enough to be felt more than heard, wrapping the house in an easy rhythm.
The table was set simply but deliberately: clean linen, real plates instead of the paper ones, glasses catching the candlelight.
Constance opened the oven where she could heat up the garlic bread while the casserole finished cooking.
Closing the oven door, she picked up the salad bowl and took it out onto the table.
She caught sight of him then, smiling as she crossed the room as he stepped fully into view. “How are you feeling?”
Frost wrapped his arms around her, “rested.”
The air held the scent of roasted garlic, herbs, and something sweet, a smell that promised comfort as much as indulgence. “Something smells good.”
“I picked up lasagna and sides.” She glanced up at him, “do you eat that?”
“There’s not much I don’t eat.” Frost planted a kiss on her head, “tell me how I can help?”
“No. Sit down and relax. I’ve got it.” Constance told him, as she moved out of his arms where she could pull the food from the oven.
Frost went with her even as she protested, he just smiled as they moved around each other in the kitchen without thinking—passing plates, brushing hands, stealing small smiles.
“Tell me how the food bank is doing?”
“We’ve gotten our shelves filled back up and we haven’t had any more trouble.” Shaking out the bread onto the cutting board she moved quickly, slicing it up.
“I met Hope, Jinx’s girlfriend.”
“Ol’lady.”
“I’m sorry…what?”
“We call our women ol’lady’s, well, that’s if we claim them as that. Some brothers just have girlfriends.”
Constance scraped the bread into a bowl and covered it with a tee-towel. “Sounds like it’s a big deal to be an …ol ‘lady.”
“It is.” He said, as he cleared his throat.
Taking the bread from her Frost carried it out to the table, needing a minute to get his thoughts on the subject together.
By the time they sat down, the conversation flowed easily, punctuated by laughter and long pauses that didn’t need filling.
Outside, the world felt far away, muted by the soft light of the flickering candles.
When the meal was finished, they lingered at the table, wine still half-full, dessert forgotten for a while.
The night wasn’t about extravagance or planning the next step—it was about presence.
Frost moved his chair back and stood up.
Reaching for Constance’s hand he helped her up where they could relax on the sofa.
They lay there in the quiet, candlelit space, wrapped in each other enjoying just being in the moment.
Constance leaned back against Frost, she hadn’t asked any other questions about being claimed as an ol ‘lady, but she had plenty of them. But did it matter? Frost hadn’t asked her to be his.
He hadn’t even claimed her as his girlfriend.
Did it matter if she had a title? Not really, she had titles in the past and they hadn’t matter much to her then so why should they mean something to her now.
Frost kissed her on the throat, “you’re thinking so hard I can hear you.”
“I’m just thinking how nice this is. Us having a romantic moment.”
“Romantic huh?”
“Yes.”
“I want you to think about something for me, I don’t want or need an answer tonight. But I want you to think about it…”
She sat up, turned to stare at him because the way his voice sounded, what he was about to ask her was serious and she didn’t want to misunderstand a single word.
“I’d like you to be my ol ‘lady.”
Frost knew Constance didn’t understand the full weight of what he was asking her. If she said yes, he’d stay in Broken Bow full time, which meant he would become a full patched member unless the chapter voted he could continue on as a nomad. But he wouldn’t put all of that on her shoulders.
“Is there a book that explains everything?” She asked, concerned about lacing her voice. It made her nervous to say yes to something she had knew nothing about.
Frost chuckled; there was one—just one. “There is one, I’d have to ask where it is. Faith made it after she married Maddog.”
“I promise to think about what you asked me, but I’d like to read the handbook.”
Frost pulled her back down to him; he pulled the throw blanket from the back of the sofa and spread it over them. He’d asked, now he’d have to be patient while Constance thought it over.