She shot him a rare glare and was unable to hide a groan in response to his observation. Daryn turned to busy herself with starting a fire in the fireplace. It had been a long time since she'd done this, so she was being cautious. "Not like 'a mom.' Not the one most people have, anyway. More like a Stepford Wife. My mother was a proper Southern Belle who thought the most important thing in life was hosting the perfect cocktail party or afternoon tea. She thought a lady should always have something fresh baked cooling on the window sill and would never be caught dead without her string of pearls. I don't think she ever had a hair out of place and was always impeccably dressed. She was in her glories with two little dolls to mold into debutantes. At least she ended up with one."