Chapter 10
While Kit flipped the last of six pancakes on the large stovetop griddle, she hummed to herself. If she’d been alone, she would have been singing the Eagles tune aloud, but she didn’t want anyone walking in on her while she belted out Hotel California.
She grasped the handle of her coffee mug and sipped the still hot liquid. She liked her coffee exotic, black, and the darker the roast the more she liked it.
“Nothing better than the smell of coffee in the morning.” The deep voice behind her caused a shiver to trail up her spine. “What do you have up your sleeve for breakfast?”
She set her coffee mug on the countertop and looked over her shoulder at Carter, who stood with his arms folded across his broad chest. He watched her as though fascinated by what she was doing.
Fact was she was fascinated by the big man who always had a flicker of fire in his eyes and a deadly sexy grin. He had a look so sensual she could imagine herself sliding into his embrace. He would wrap his strong arms around her as she pressed herself against him. She could almost feel his lips on hers, his hands roaming her body…
She cleared her throat and offered a smile. “I need to do some real shopping Sunday, so I went with something quick and easy with what’s on hand—traditional pancakes, scrambled eggs, and sausage patties.” She looked back to what she’d been doing and slid a spatula under one pancake. She lifted the dome on a platter and set the pancake on top of a growing stack. She repeated the motions until all six were under the dome. “I need a couple hours of shopping to give the men and women variety.”
“The men will be perfectly happy with a traditional breakfast and lunch every day.” Carter moved beside her. “No need to go to a lot of trouble.”
“It’s no trouble at all.” She poured batter onto the griddle for six more pancakes. “It’s my job.” She looked up at Carter. “And I love my job. It’s fun for me.”
“You love the job, huh?” He captured her gaze and she couldn’t look away for several long seconds.
She swallowed. “Yeah, I do.”
“Guess you’ll be staying around for a while.” His smile was confident. Sexy. Cool.
It made her feel like a mess.
She blew out her breath. “Guess so.”
“Good. Everyone’s already taken a shine to you.” The way he said everyone, he’d meant himself.
He leaned his hip against the counter as she worked. “Hotel California, huh?”
Casual.
“At least I know my humming sounds something close to the actual song.” She smiled as she examined the first pancake. “Doesn’t mean I’m on key.”
Carter gave a low laugh. “I’d say you do a good humming job.”
Her face grew hot as “hum job” popped into her mind. Her face heated. She tried to cover her embarrassment by shooting him a smile and saying, “I’m flattered.”
She looked away, back at the pancakes.
He chuckled. “You must have been out of bed early. I think you were here before the men got to work. The kitchen light was already shining when I went outside.”
“You don’t run a kitchen and show up after the guests.” She glanced from the pancakes to Carter. “Or cowboys, in this case.”
He had the same look of amusement as he’d had yesterday when he’d startled her. “I have to admit it surprised me.”
“Why?” She flipped a pancake. It was perfectly golden brown.
He shrugged. “Past experience.”
“Hmmm…” She shook her head as she turned over the next five pancakes. He must have had bad luck with his previous cooks. “No comment needed on that one.”
He braced his hand on the counter, next to the buffet dome that would soon house scrambled eggs. The sausage patties were already made and beneath the buffet farthest away from her.
He tapped his fingers lightly on the countertop. “Feel free to comment on anything.” He was almost daring her to be vicious or petty, as if it was a test.
She was better than that. Vicious and petty weren’t her thing. “The fact that you even mentioned any cooks who might not have had food ready on time, says it all.” Even if she was feeling like crap, she would have gotten her butt down to the kitchen and done her job. As a matter of fact, that’s exactly what she’d done throughout her career since graduating from the culinary arts school.
“What do you have planned today?” She met his gaze again. “Roping and riding?”
He smiled. “Something like that.”
“My grandparents had a farm, but they didn’t have horses.” A wistful feeling crept over her like fingers stroking her skin. She missed them like crazy. “I always wished they did, but Grandpa said horses need a lot of attention and it’s not fair to them if they can’t get their proper exercise and care.”
“Your grandpa was right.” Carter shifted against the countertop. “Have you ever been on a horse?”
She shook her head. “No. But I’ve always wanted to.”
He cocked his head. “Why not?”
She sighed. “I just never really had the chance, I guess.”
“We’ll make it happen.” He pushed away from the counter. “How about a week from tomorrow?”
She glanced at him in surprise. “You’re taking me for a ride?”
He gave a firm nod. “I know just the horse for you.”
She stared back at him. “There’s a special horse for me?”
“Probably one of the gentlest we have. She’s used to new riders.” He smiled. “Pack a lunch and I’ll show you the operation and the property.”
She thought about what it would mean to be alone with him for so long.
“Can’t pass that up.” She started using the spatula to move the pancakes from the griddle to the platter beneath the dome. “That would be a Sunday.”
He nodded. “Yep.”
“Sure. I’d enjoy that very much.” The moment the words left her mouth, thoughts flashed through her mind that made her pause.
Her. Carter. Alone.
Not a good idea.
She did her best to smile naturally as she scrambled the eggs. “Any special requests for lunch when we go for a ride?”
He looked thoughtful. “Snickerdoodles. They’re my favorite cookies.” He wore that sexy smirk again. The one that made her insides melt.
“I wouldn’t have pictured you as a snickerdoodle man.” She laughed as she made sure the eggs were done in the giant pan. “More like an oatmeal chocolate chip kind of guy.”
He grinned. “My grandma baked a lot of great cookies, but snickerdoodles have always been at the top of my list.”
“I have a killer recipe.” She mentally went through her list of recipes. “I make a variation called a toffeedoodle.”
“Sounds like something I’d enjoy.” His expression was sooo damned sexy. It should have been a shootable offense for a man to look that good, that lickable. She could just picture herself licking him like one of the beaters she used to make his birthday cake.
Stop it. She had to pull herself back together. She turned back to the eggs and frowned at herself. The eggs were going to burn if she wasn’t careful and didn’t pay attention to what she was doing.
The sound of boot steps sounded against wood outside the back door.
“Sounds like the boys are coming in for breakfast,” Carter said. “Better hurry.”
“Good timing.” Both for the food and to put a halt to her screaming attraction for the man. At least for now.
It only took a few moments to finish breakfast as the cowboys came through the door. They came in sporadically over the next ten minutes, until everyone was seated around the larger of the two tables. Carter helped Kit take the buffet platters to the table.
It wasn’t until the men were digging into their food that Kit realized how hungry she was. She should probably feel tired too, thanks to a long trip, late night, and early morning, but she felt energized and keen to start the rest of her day.
While the men ate, joked, and laughed, Kit went into the dining room with her own breakfast. She didn’t feel comfortable sitting with the men—at least not yet. But she did want to let them have at it while she was out of the room so that they’d feel free to say whatever the hell they wanted without worrying about what the new female cook would think.
She ate a piece of toast with marmalade from a jar she had found in a cabinet, a soft boiled egg, and a small sausage patty. She ate quickly so that she could make sure to be ready for the large load of dishes that were coming her way. She didn’t expect them to do much cleaning up after themselves.
When she heard the sounds of the men getting up along with the clank of plates and silverware, she swallowed her last bite of toast, then returned to the kitchen. The men were stacking the plates by the sink and setting the silverware on the counter.
“Thank you.” She smiled at the men as they scraped the crumbs that were left into the trash.
Each man put on his hat, gave her a nod, or said “thank you,” directly to her.
She was surprised at how polite they were. It was like living in a romantic western.
After the cowboys left, she paused and watched the way Carter moved toward her, a slow confident gait. She loved the way that his eyes seemed to wander over her form like she was something he couldn’t take his eyes from.
“Need some help shopping tomorrow?” he asked.
“I’m sure you’re busy.” She started rinsing off the dishes before she put them in the dishwasher. “Thank you for the offer.”
Play it cool.
“Nothing going on Sundays after I do the feeding.” Carter started helping her with the dishes again. He was so casual about it. Like a multi-millionaire ranch owner was just as at home doing the dishes as he was out on the range or buying expensive hats. She wasn’t exactly sure what millionaires or billionaires in Arizona spent their money on.
She thought for a moment before realizing what he was doing. “Hey. I can handle the dishes.”
“Nothing wrong with a little help.” He didn’t stop working.
“Grace wasn’t happy about it the last time.” She frowned slightly, a little worried about her job. “It’s what you hired me for.”
“Grace isn’t my boss.” He turned toward Kit. His expression made it clear he wasn’t going to cave to what Grace thought appropriate. The heat and power behind his eyes were enough to quell any sort of argument.
She started loading the dishes he’d rinsed into the washer. “I didn’t know you liked shopping.”
“I’ll be glad for an excuse to get out.” He smiled. “Not that I’m crazy about shopping, but I think I’ll survive.”
“Aha.” She rinsed off silverware before putting them into the dishwasher. “That settles it. I go alone.”
“I’ll take you to the farmer’s market after we hit Costco.” Carter set his dish towel on the counter and moved closer to her. “You don’t have an assistant and I’m sure you can use the help. I’d be happy to.”
She couldn’t say “No” to the boss no matter how many warning bells were going on in her head. It was clear he had made up his mind.
“All right.” She wiped down the counters as he loaded the last of the dishes into the dishwasher. “You don’t know what you’re in for.”
“I’ll survive.” He looked at her with amusement. “I’ve been through worse.”
She couldn’t help a mischievous grin. “You’ve never shopped with me.”
Damn. Carter mentally shook his head. Yeah, right now he should be out taking care of the daily duties involved with running the ranch, but he wanted to be around Kit and get to know her better. She had one hell of a pull on him, and he wasn’t sure how or why.
“Is that a challenge?” He looked down at her and wanted to pull the clip out of her blonde hair, setting it all free so that he could slide his fingers through the silken strands. Even more, he wanted to draw her warm, soft body against his and taste her lips and her mouth. He wanted to explore every part of her. His throat worked.
“It might be.” She gave an impish grin. “I doubt you could keep up with me.”
Carter resisted the strong, primal pull she had on him. Every time he looked at her and their eyes met, he knew she felt the same way as he did, but she would never be the first to take action on those feelings.
He would love to start right now, right here.
Damn it. Kit is an employee. Keep your distance.
The little warning voice was trying to fight its way through his barriers, but his libido was having none of it.
“You’re on.” He itched to touch her as he thought about what he would like to choose as a reward. “How about when I win, you make both snickerdoodle cookies and the toffeedoodle recipe.”
An instant of hesitation told him that she was thinking twice about letting him join her on the shopping trip. She was likely just as concerned about what was going on between them—even though nothing had happened.
Yet.
She seemed to switch speeds, humor in her eyes. “When I win, you get to make the cookies for me.”
“I want a dozen of each.” His grin broadened. “Since tomorrow is Sunday and you don’t need to make lunch, I’ll meet you at the guest house at ten-thirty. Costco will be open by then.”
“Ha. We’ll see if you can keep up with me.” She picked up a pot scrubber with a long handle, and held it as if defending herself with it. “I’d better get to work on this kitchen and start pulling together today’s lunch.”
Carter couldn’t help a slow grin. “See you at lunch.”
She gave a single nod before he turned and walked away.
It wasn’t only her sexiness that attracted him, but her coolness under pressure and the way she took control of her new position without one moment of hesitation. Belle didn’t express her thoughts or feelings often, but she was fair and just, and had complimented Kit. She had been thrown into the fire pit yesterday, but she’d blazed through it like the professional she was.
A strong woman like Kit could stand toe to toe with him. He liked a woman who could challenge him in any number of ways.
He reached for his hat from the hat rack and looked back at her. She had her cute backside to him as she scrubbed a pan. She glanced over her shoulder and froze when she saw him watching her. He couldn’t help it—he couldn’t look away.
She broke the connection by turning back to the pot and attacked it with the scrubber.
He shook his head and smiled before letting himself out the door.
The blush that had stained her cheeks made him want to drag her off to bed—and he had volunteered to spend an entire day alone with her?
He wasn’t sure if it was the worst idea or the best idea he’d ever had.
Something about that woman had a tight hold on him.
After he left the house, he climbed into a work truck to head out into the fields and get some work done.
She’s an employee. He had to remind himself of this fact, especially when she did something that drew him in.
Which was pretty much every time he was around her.
As the day passed, Carter’s mind kept wandering from his work. Damn, she was distracting. His fantasizing about Kit wasn’t doing him any favors and he could almost feel the knowing grins of the men who worked for him. Could they sense the heat between him and Kit?
Sometimes men could be the damnedest gossips. He shook the potential rumors out of his mind. It didn’t matter.
He had to decide how he was going to survive tomorrow alone with Kit without ending up dragging her to the nearest place where they could be alone.
This was a big property.
People could be alone out here for hours.
Especially when most of the guys were off work Sunday.
Tomorrow would either be amazing or terrible. It would definitely be amazing spending time with her. As far as terrible—it was hard to think of anything bad when it came to Kit.
His mind flitted over the possibilities of what could happen, and the consequences of what he wanted to do. A day would come when he would be faced with a decision about what she would be to him.
Employee…or more?
What decision would he make? Would it be the right one?
You’re not getting any younger, McLeod.
Was that fact getting to him? He was a bit tired of being a confirmed bachelor. Maybe he was seeing things in Kit that weren’t real.
He’d have time to discover that.
She would probably stay around a good long time. She liked it here. That much was clear.
But something had seemed off, too. Was she was running from some situation, maybe a person? Her background check came back clean, so she didn’t have any sort of criminal record. It had to be something personal. Could be the reason she didn’t like to talk about her past much.
You’re just her boss. It’s none of your business.
He couldn’t help himself for wanting to know everything about her.
His phone rang and he glanced at the screen. Bear. “Whatcha need, little brother?” he asked when he answered the phone.
“I have a couple questions for you.” Bear sounded like the good-natured brother he was around family. He was quieter and more reserved around others.
“Shoot.” Carter turned to look over the desert, the view he loved.
“First, wanted to let you know Lucy is recovering. I’ll keep her here a few more weeks and then she can go home,” Bear said.
Carter blew out his breath. “Good to hear.” He missed his dog like crazy. She was a sweet girl and he loved the hell out of her. “What else is up?”
“Could you get that pork chop recipe from your cook? Not sure I could pull it off, but I’d like to try.” Bear was a straight-forward man, something Carter appreciated.
What he didn’t appreciate was the fact that he had been trying to stop thinking about the woman and his brother had to bring her up again. Not that it was Bear’s fault.
Carter pushed up the brim of his hat. “I’ll ask. Not sure if she shares her recipes.”
“Good. Thanks. One more thing.” Bear sounded a tad uneasy and it set Carter on edge.
“What’s that?”
“I told Jeff about Kit, and he asked if she’s single. Any clue?” It was clear Bear felt awkward asking the question for his friend.
Carter snapped the words, “She is.”
“Whoa. Calm down.”
Damn, Bear must have heard the note of jealousy in his voice. Carter hadn’t been able help the sudden flare of emotion.
He forced himself to take a deep breath. “I’m calm.”
“Something going on that I should know about?”
“Nothing’s going on.” Carter hoped Bear would just drop it.
“All right, bro. I’ll see you next week.” Bear disconnected the call.
Carter groaned in frustration. He could have handled that so much better. Instead he had snapped at his brother for asking a perfectly reasonable question. He didn’t own Kit and he had no claim on her. She wasn’t with him, she was his employee. If Bear wanted to set her up, Carter couldn’t do anything about it.
But he wanted to. More than anything.