Chapter 2
Hail, Hail, The Gang's All Here
Mara knew she should unpack her bags and settle into the pretty room upstairs, but the lure of the huge farmhouse kitchen was too good to resist.
She’d work out a few of her nerves and bake something. Something with apples, obviously.
A quick peek through the cupboards and pantry had her smiling and pulling out ingredients. Apple donuts or fritters were off the table until she got a good fryer and fresh oil, but an apple cinnamon loaf wouldn’t go wrong.
And a pie. Everyone liked pie, especially with a fresh honey glaze.
Mara pulled up her music app. New adventures called for her Courage playlist. She’d set it up before leaving New York, and it had gotten her through packing up, moving out of her apartment, and driving to Vermont.
The playlist was a little reminder that changing directions and taking chances weren’t bad things.
During their enchilada supper, Amber had appeared genuinely thrilled that Mara wanted to take on the job as a baker for the inn. She’d promised to show her the kitchen in the morning and to buy any additional equipment she’d need.
Mara knew Amber had worked at multiple fancy hotels in Chicago. The woman knew all about running a kitchen, and Mara couldn’t wait to see the inn’s setup.
For tonight, she’d enjoy this kitchen. It didn’t take long for the scents and the processes to soothe her. Baking had been her solace for as long as she could remember.
The first time she’d made banana bread on her own, her brothers had been surprised because she was in kindergarten. She had to ask Tate to turn on the oven because she couldn’t reach the buttons. After tasting her bread, they’d all offered to turn on the oven and take out the food any time.
It had been gratifying to make her family happy. As the youngest, she didn’t have many opportunities for that. Baking gave her joy and filled her with pride.
Thankfully, it had given her a skill to support herself as well. While she loved singing and Broadway, the thought of being on stage made her queasy. She’d much rather sit in the audience.
The pies were cooling, and the loaves were almost done when Mara’s phone beeped.
Her heart thumped. It had better not be Anson. She’d blocked his number, but he’d found her again. The asshole thought he could get her to return to his bakery. His idea of a perk was for her to move in with him, as she’d given up her apartment.
Idiot.
She responded to his first text with a blunt refusal and a demand that he leave her alone.
After that, she hadn’t responded. She’d taken screenshots of his texts before blocking him.
Both times. Hopefully, he’d finally gotten the message.
She would never work for that asshole again.
He’d probably already found out that his baking skills were mediocre at best, and his creativity was nonexistent.
Without her, he’d need to find someone who could bake and tolerate his creepy advances. Good luck with that.
The text wasn’t from Anson. It was from Lawson Malssum. Ford had added Mara to the Apple Gang chat, a text group that included everyone on the farm.
Kitchen meeting in twenty minutes. No emergency. No worries. No need to bother the kids.
At supper, Mara had met the entire group. She knew Nash and Olivia’s family lived in an almost-finished house in the back of the orchard. Charlie was eleven while Ella was two. At this time of the evening, she’d bet the little one was fast asleep.
Mara looked around the kitchen. She filled the sink with soapy water and then set to work cleaning the table. She’d used it to roll out the dough and to mix the ingredients. It would need to be clean for the group meeting.
At least she could offer some treats to make up for the mess she’d made. She didn’t know Lawson well, but she doubted he would mind the kitchen not being pristine.
She had the table clean and the sink full when Amber and Gray entered first, their dog Boomer at Amber’s side.
Amber clapped her hands. “It smells like apple heaven in here.”
Gray grinned. “You’re hired.”
Mara’s face flushed as she turned to find the pair smiling at her. Amber nodded. “You are, in case you didn’t already figure that out. I can’t wait to show you the other kitchen tomorrow. It’s a bit bigger and has a couple of industrial dishwashers.”
Ford entered the kitchen, laughing. “I should’ve known you wouldn’t be able to resist this kitchen. Apple pie?”
She nodded. “It’s just cooling. I used some of Dani’s honey.”
The oven timer rang, and she pulled the loaves out. They would take a few minutes to cool, but she was glad she’d made a few.
Soon, most of the farm’s inhabitants were there. Jolie, Ford, Thea, Knox, Nash, and Dani. Mara was pleased she knew the names and connections. There were so many people to remember at once.
Then Lawson entered through the back door with a wide grin on his face. He bent down to kiss Dani’s cheek, then he looked at Mara. “Whatever you’re making, I’ll have two. It smells fantastic. And now, my surprise. Come on in, Babs.”
Babs? Instead of the woman she expected, a tall, muscular man entered the kitchen and nearly sucked the air out of the space.
Gorgeous. Rugged movie-star gorgeous. Mara’s belly swooped, and she steadied herself with a hand on the sink. She wasn’t one to care much about the outside package; it was the heart of a man that pulled at her.
Until now.
Wow.
She covered her flush by rinsing her hands and drying them while the men in the room rushed across the kitchen to welcome the man with hugs and backslaps.
She turned off her playlist, although “Let the Sunshine In” from Hair was appropriate. The sunshine had just walked in.
She was ridiculous.
As the men broke up the welcome huddle, Lawson turned to the room. “Okay, time to introduce you to the ladies. Seth Walters, aka Babs, Dani Richards; my sisters, Jolie and Amber; Thea Zimmer; and Ford’s sister, Mara. Nash’s Olivia is down at the house with the kids, but you can meet her tomorrow.”
Seth nodded to them all individually. When his gaze locked on hers, Mara was glad she’d leaned on the counter. Deep hazel eyes she could happily drown in.
Then he broke eye contact, and she released a breath. Yep, ridiculous.
Maybe the emotional past few weeks and the drive from New York had cross-wired her system. She’d never gone loopy over a gorgeous man before. She was probably overtired.
In the morning, she’d have her reactions under control, and he’d be just another guy.
Right. That was as likely as him breaking into a rendition of “All That Jazz.”
Seth kept his thoughts to himself. The gorgeous woman with her hands in the sink was a chaos machine.
The counters were covered with the disarray of her baking. Admittedly, the end products smelled and looked delicious, but he’d bet his knife set that she’d only cleaned off the table when Lawson texted the group to meet in the kitchen.
Cleaning up as you cooked was vital in a restaurant kitchen. She’d have been fired within minutes if they’d worked together back in LA.
Still, her big brown eyes seemed to knock into him. Ford’s sister was a looker.
And she was Ford’s sister, so he’d have to stop noticing that.
Seth turned his attention to the rest of the group and worked to put names to faces. He would figure out the pack of dogs later, but he worked to attach the right woman to the right man.
Ford and Jolie Malssum were together. Ford was a carpenter while Jolie worked to improve the farm’s biodiversity.
All good for the vegetable and herb gardens he’d yet to see.
She had a flock of ducks to control the snails and was considering adding geese.
All good eggs, but he wouldn’t mind adding some chickens into the mix.
Lawson had hooked up with Dani Richards, the woman who made honey from her own bees. Seth wondered if she was willing to experiment with subtle flavor additions. Fresh honey would be a definite bonus in his kitchen.
Knox Malssum, aka Annie, and his woman, Thea, ran the overall farm.
Thea had a working compost facility. Probably one reason the gardens out front looked so good.
He was glad to have somewhere to send his scraps.
The farm was more environmentally conscious than most places he’d been, and he heartily approved.
Gray would be another reason for the garden’s success outside.
Gray could easily have been a chef. The man cooked better than anyone Seth had worked with in LA, although Claus had no official training.
He and Amber Malssum were together, and she was the one opening the inn where Seth hoped he’d be working.
He’d find out if his leg could support him standing on it during a shift.
With an inn, it wouldn’t be a twelve-hour one, so he should be able to manage.
Their buddy Nash Cooper and his family lived at the back of the orchard and worked on creating cider flavors to sell and serve at the inn.
That gave him another opportunity to play with flavors and recipes.
Apparently, Alice’s son Charlie loved to try unique combinations that bombed as often as they worked.
Seth’s buddy Wyatt would love to work with the kid.
He was always splicing plants to make better combinations.
He’d bet the kid would get a kick out of that, too.
Seth’s gaze roved the kitchen again. Not that this would be his workspace, but he hoped the other one was as roomy.
He could cook over an open campfire if he had to, but having counter space and room to do prep were important when he was cooking for guests.
And he was jumping way the hell ahead of himself. So far, he’d been welcomed, but they hadn’t talked jobs yet.
At least no one he’d been introduced to was a chef. Shit. Unless they’d hired Chaos Machine.
Everyone sat in what was obviously their regular spot around the table. He sat next to Lawson’s Dani as the men gathered drinks from the fridge and put on the kettle for hot options.
In no time, they were settled with drinks. Chaos Machine plated slices of her pie and loaves, then set them in the middle of the table.
She left the sink full of bubbles and dishes to take the seat across from him.
Damn, she looked good, but he nearly had to glue his feet to the floor to stop himself from finishing her cleanup. He couldn’t tolerate a dirty kitchen.
Lawson tapped his coffee mug with a fork to bring everyone’s attention to him. “We’d like to officially welcome Mara and Seth to the farm.”
Had she just arrived too?
Lawson grinned at them. “What are the odds that our new chef and our new baker would arrive on the same day? Serendipity in action. Welcome to you both.”
Seth nodded, and Mara’s smile lit up the damn room.
Down the table, Gray slung his arm around Amber and raised his glass. “We’re thrilled you’re here and hope you’re here to stay. Amber’s first guests will arrive a few weekends from now. That’ll give you time to figure out recipes, and we all volunteer as test subjects.”
The group laughed, and Seth sipped the chai he’d chosen from the beverage options. A good, strong chai that reminded him of the villages overseas where he’d worked.
That brought memories of the IED and Maki, but he shoved them away. No thinking about any of that shit with others present. Instead, he focused on the chai and the flavor combinations it inspired. Had Alice’s family tried a chai-flavored cider? Or had Dani infused it into some of her honey?
Chatter around the table turned to the inn and its preparations.
Seth contributed to the talk but mostly listened, trying to get a feel for the group and their hopes.
The No Phailed Apples Inn was a rural, casual place.
He needed to tour the building and talk more with Amber.
No sense in creating fancy frou-frou recipes if people were after comfort meals. What would be popular at a rural inn?
He didn’t know much about Vermont yet, and he wondered about local meat options. He’d have to see what the yard was like here. Was there room for him to keep chickens? Both for meat and eggs. Wait, just for eggs. He’d seen enough killing overseas. He’d look for a local meat source instead.
They sat for over an hour before Lawson spoke up. “You two must be exhausted. It’s been a long day for you both. I’ll show Babs up to a room.”
Jolie stood. “And we’ve got the cleanup. Thanks for the baking, Mara. It was delicious.”
And it had been. Bold, bright apple flavors with subtle hints of honey, cinnamon, and other spices that tasted even better than they smelled.
Chaos Machine grinned. “Thanks. I’m glad you liked it, but I’m not leaving you with my mess.”
He and Lawson moved outside to grab Seth’s stuff from his Tucson. The Bolt beside him likely belonged to Ford’s sister. Clean and shiny. He wondered how long it would stay that way with Chaos Machine in charge.
Shaking his head at himself, he grabbed a couple of duffels. Bobby grabbed the others. As he locked the vehicle, he breathed in the air. Even in the midst of summer, the air was crisp and cool.
He smiled at the scent of apples permeating the evening. “You’ve landed yourself in a great spot, Bobby.”
Lawson nodded. “We have. I love it here, and I didn’t expect to.”
“How much of that is because of your beekeeper?”
Lawson laughed. “A lot. But even without Dani’s magic, I’d love it. You’ll have to see the shop I’ve got here in the barn. I’m restoring a 1931 truck. She’s a beauty.”
From the tone of his buddy’s voice and the look in his eyes, Seth figured there was a story there. One that involved Dani and probably some sexy times in that truck.
His mind jumped to Chaos Machine and sexy times. Hell, he had no business thinking of her that way. She was Ford’s little sister, and she was about to turn his kitchen into a war zone.
So, why the hell was he looking forward to it?