Chapter Three #2
Cash explained that chicken and dumplings were like chicken and noodles, but the base was thicker, similar to a stew, and with balls of dough instead of noodles.
“Some people don’t care for the dumpling texture, so please don’t feel obligated to eat something you don’t like.
I make it clear to the crew that Harry isn’t a short-order cook, but there are always sandwich fixings on hand if you’d prefer something else. ”
“This is where everyone eats?” Kieran asked, finding it hard to believe Cash invited his employees into his home for mealtimes.
“Of course.” He stopped beside an open doorway and gestured to a large dining room with a massive table that could seat a dozen people or more. “We’ll eat in the kitchen nook today, though.”
The rear of the house was one huge open space, combining the kitchen and family room.
As Kieran suspected, the entire back of the house was a wall of windows, offering a stunning vista of Pike’s Peak.
The view alone had to be worth two million dollars.
Kieran stopped to gawk until Patsy nudged him with her nose to get him going again.
Harry slid a chair away from the table and patted the back. “Have a seat while I reheat lunch. Don’t get used to me waiting on you, though. I lay out the meals buffet style, and you’ll serve yourself.”
Cash followed Harry into the kitchen while Patsy sat on the floor beside Kieran, rested her chin on his thigh, and peered at him with big brown eyes.
“We have water, iced tea, and a variety of soft drinks. What sounds good to you?” Cash asked.
“Water is fine,” he replied.
Cash retrieved two bottles from the refrigerator and walked over to the table, taking the seat directly across from Kieran’s before handing the drink to him. “What are some goals you set for yourself before your release?”
Kieran twisted the lid off his bottle and raised it to his mouth, taking a long drink to buy some time.
Arrowhead provided classes and training programs to help inmates acclimate to life after their release and avoid recidivism.
He’d taken the courses and written up a plan just like everyone else, and he knew Cash had read it before offering him a position at Redemption Ridge. Why pretend he hadn’t? Was this a test?
“Maybe let him eat first,” Harry called out from the kitchen. Her back was toward them as she stirred the contents in a large pot on the stove.
“Excuse me,” Cash said wryly. “I forgot who’s in charge here.” He looked at me and smiled. “Harry is the COO of domestic operations.”
She snorted and rolled her eyes. “I’m the housekeeper.”
They continued to banter back and forth, but Kieran shifted his attention to the massive wall of windows.
Purple mountain majesty indeed. He lost track of time and the conversation and didn’t tune back in until Harry set a bowl in front of him and a cloth-lined breadbasket in the center of the table.
It overflowed with golden biscuits, and his mouth watered just from looking at them.
Kieran tried not to be too obvious as he inspected the contents of the soup.
He noted shredded chicken, carrots, and celery.
As Cash had said, it looked like a richer, creamier chicken soup.
He wasn’t sure what to think about the dough balls, but the stew smelled incredible.
He dipped his spoon in and scooped out a generous serving.
A savory symphony of chicken, vegetables, and herbs made his mouth sing.
The dumpling texture would take a minute to adjust to, but it tasted incredible.
He looked up and caught Harry watching him nervously.
“This is delicious,” Kieran said, dipping his spoon in for another bite.
Harry beamed with pride. “I brought my great-grandmother’s recipe from Sevierville with me. I’m so glad you like it.”
“Sevierville. Is that in Tennessee?”
“Yes, it’s near Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.” She gestured to the mountains and added, “I traded the Smokies for the Rockies.”
Cash hummed as he swallowed a bite of food. “Thank goodness you did.”
Harry walked back into the kitchen and returned with small plates, butter, a honey pot, and a selection of jellies. Cash broke a biscuit in half and drizzled honey over it.
Kieran had to admit the golden liquid looked delicious. “Did the honey come from your beehives?”
“Sure did,” he replied. “Afraid I don’t have any hooch to offer you.”
“Hooch?” Harry asked.
“Kieran unintentionally gave me an idea for a future endeavor. I might name my brewery and winery Hooch and Honey.”
Harry smiled. “Very catchy. I like it.” She left them alone to busy herself in the kitchen. As Kieran neared the bottom of the bowl, she reappeared with the pot and ladle to replenish his soup. “Makes me so happy when people appreciate my cooking.”
“Would you like a tour of the ranch, or would you like some time to get settled in first?” Cash asked.
“A tour sounds good.”
“After you rinse your dishes and put them in the dishwasher,” Harry said on her way out of the kitchen, a caddy full of cleaning supplies in her hand.
They carried their dishes to the kitchen once they finished. Kieran rinsed, and Cash stacked them in the dishwasher. They returned the butter, jellies, and soup to the refrigerator, and Cash tucked the honey away in the cabinet.
“Would you like a change of clothes before we start the tour? It’s chilly for shorts and flip-flops. I provide your work clothes to you. We keep an excellent selection of styles and sizes available in the general store.”
“General store?” Kieran asked.
“It’s basically a storage building where we keep clothing and boots for the employees.
Ivan, my foreman, once referred to it as shopping at the general store, and the moniker stuck.
There’s no charge for the items there, and I will give you an advance on your first check so you can buy any personal hygiene supplies you want from a store in town.
Would you prefer to start the tour at the general store and get a change of clothes? ”
Kieran glanced down at his sole possessions. “I’m fine in this.”
Cash shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
The ranch was a hive of activity. Cash greeted every person by name, and they responded with a nod or hat tip.
Kieran easily recognized the ones who’d served time, though they looked less weary and feral than he felt.
He didn’t bother committing the names of the buildings or people to memory. No distractions. No attachments.
“There are quite a few entry-level jobs on the ranch. Try them all to see which is the best fit, but I think you’d make a great fit in our horse barn,” Cash said as they neared the biggest structure on the property.
Once inside, Kieran could see why it was so large.
It had dozens of stalls toward the front and a vast arena in the back.
Each stall door was open, and a wagon piled high with manure and dirty bedding sat in the middle of the aisle.
Several unopened bags of shavings and soft wood pellets dotted the stretch of concrete.
“You want me to work with horses?” Kieran asked. “Why?”
“Animals are drawn to you,” Cash replied, gesturing to Patsy, who’d never been more than two feet away from Kieran since he’d arrived. “We have rescue horses who are skittish after being abused, much like the dogs you worked with in the program.”
“Why not work with the dogs?” Kieran asked.
“The kennel is fully staffed right now, and Finley could use the help here.”
Kieran opened his mouth to respond just as someone inside the barn sang off-key, tentatively at first but gaining fervor with each verse. He didn’t recognize the lyrics and wasn’t sure he’d identify the voice as human.
Cash chuckled and shook his head as a rake sailed out of the stall and landed on the concrete aisle. “That’s Finley Ashe,” Cash said, raising his voice to be heard over the ruckus. “He’d be your boss. He can’t sing for shit, but he’s pure magic with the horses.”
A blond guy wearing painted-on jeans and a snug black Henley to show off his athletic build stepped out of the stall and jerked to a halt when he saw Cash, the tune dying on his stunning lips.
Kieran had seen chiseled cheeks and a square jaw like Finley’s on models in magazines but never in real life.
He’d chalked it up to Photoshopping, but that kind of bone structure really existed.
Pale green eyes shifted to him and widened.
Finley’s mouth parted, drawing Kieran’s attention to a chin dimple just as a soft gasp escaped his lips.
Holy shit. The sweet sound unfurled something deep inside Kieran, a pleasure he’d denied himself for nearly two years to focus his full attention on getting retribution.
An alarm bell went off in Kieran’s head, warning that this man would threaten his willpower.
“Fin,” Cash said, “come meet Kieran.”
Finley swallowed hard and said, “Hello, Kieran.” His voice had a soft Southern drawl like Harry’s. He stepped forward, and his foot landed on the rake tines. Kieran watched in horror as the handle arced upward and smacked Finley on the forehead with a sickening thud.