“Smells great,” he said. “I could eat a horse.”

“Afraid there are laws against horse jerky,” William said from the table, startling Wheeler. “You look mighty… refreshed.” William lifted the white coffee mug to his lips, his eyes twinkling.

“Any coffee left?” Wheeler asked.

Lynn set down her fork. “If you want some, you’ll have to make it yourself. William just finished off the pot, and I’m running late. I made an appointment to meet with a new client this morning. Oh!” She pulled open the oven and a giant pan of buttermilk biscuits appeared. Lynn set them on a cooling rack and turned off the burners.

“Here, I got it,” Wheeler said.

“The bacon—”

“I got it.”

She looked at him as if somehow he could ruin bacon by removing it from the frying pan. Lynn patted him on the back and left the room.

William’s cup tapped against the table when he set it down. “Mustn’t let the bacon burn. I like ’em crispy, not black.”

Wheeler irritably scooped the entire pan up with a spatula and dumped the strips into a bowl. He walked over and slid the greasy pile of meat in front of William. “Breakfast is served, your majesty.”

“Indeed. Next time you might let them sit on a paper towel for a minute or two.”

“The other pan is all yours.” Wheeler walked behind William and handed him the spatula before taking a seat on the bench.

William hustled to the stove and turned off the burners, giving each slice of bacon individual attention as he laid them neatly on a paper towel. “Say, Naya is a pretty good warrior, isn’t she? I’ve heard about panthers, but I always thought it was just their animal that knew how to fight.”

“She holds her own,” Wheeler replied, separating a few pieces of bacon and setting them on his green plate.

A loud snap sounded. “Christ!” William shouted. He rubbed his bare chest and moved the skillet off the hot burner before emptying out all the bacon onto a plate. “There’s always one little piggy that wants revenge.”

Most of the men dressed casual in the morning. Wheeler’s clothes wouldn’t raise any eyebrows, except for the fact he was wearing the same outfit as last night. Austin usually got all the way dressed—or at least in jeans—and it probably had more to do with upholding an image. Plus he always had manual work to do at the crack of dawn. He was probably outside right now, chopping wood or digging a moat.

William set the bacon on the table along with a carton of juice and two large bowls of biscuits. “Naya’s attractive. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Wheeler flicked his eyes up to William and shoved the rest of his bacon into his mouth. “What are you driving at?”

“Nothing. Just couldn’t help but notice how comely she is.”

Wheeler sucked the crumbs off his fingers and watched him closely. “Keep away from her.”

William quickly buried a smirk. “Naya isn’t my type. Just can’t help but admire a supremely beautiful woman is all. Don’t you think? Or… is she not your type either?”