Chapter Two
“A nd you didn’t get her name?” Jess Brody, Liam’s host in the city and best friend from childhood, looked at him askance as they walked down Forty-Second Street after they’d met in front of the M&M store. “Your skills are a little rusty, my friend, from spending too much time with all those cattle.”
“Stating the obvious,” Liam replied, staring up at a skyscraper whose top he couldn’t see.
“Right. But you gotta remember, the city moves at a pace that makes Marietta, Montana, look like it’s standing still. You gotta jump at your chances here. No hesitation.”
He glared up at the rainy sky. “She looked like she was having a really bad day.”
“Maybe it’s just as well, then.”
But Liam didn’t agree. She might have been having a terrible day, but he felt something in those few minutes with her. Something… good.
“Sorry, man. But on the upside, Carolyn’s got a babysitter for tonight, because we’re all invited to an event.”
“What kind of event?”
Jess rubbed his hands together. “You’ll like it. Trust me.”
Liam hedged, tucking his hands in the pockets of his sheepskin jacket. “If you don’t mind, I might just stay in tonight. I’m a little jet-lagged from that red-eye. I was thinking I’d go to bed early to be ready for the christening tomorrow.”
“Hell, no. I mind. This thing? This event? It’s kind of exclusive. An invite-only thing and Carolyn made sure we added our out-of-town guest to the list. My wife is a new, exhausted, housebound mom of a newborn, and believe me, you don’t want to cross her.” The two men exchanged smiles. “Anyway, the trick to jet lag is to go with whatever time zone you’re in and just act as if it’s yours.”
This time zone would never belong to him. On the other hand, it felt good to be out on his own for a while. Away from the constant work and the early mornings and the aloneness.
Though truthfully, he was rarely alone , alone. There were always people around, whether it was family or construction crews. For the past year and a half, there had been a never-ending cast of characters at the ranch as the Hard Eight reinvented itself into a guest ranch. So it wasn’t that there was a dearth of company on the ranch. Just… just not the kind he craved.
It was only slightly ironic that his siblings, all three of them—Will, Shay, and even his baby sister, Cami, had lately gotten coupled up with life partners or married, when only two years ago, they’d all sworn off even the idea of that. Even his widowed mom had reunited with an old love, Ray Lane, and it looked like they were heading down the aisle soon, too.
And here he was, still single, walking the streets of New York with his old friend, who’d married the love of his life and had already started a family.
Two years ago, before his oldest brother, Will—the Hardesty’s own prodigal son—had returned home to the Hard Eight ranch, Liam would have jumped at the chance to leave everything behind, move to a city like Jess had, start his life over… do what he thought he wanted to do— escape . But Will’s arrival had turned everything around. Leaving wasn’t what Liam wanted anymore. With the guest ranch development and reinventing his life from a beleaguered rancher to being an entrepreneur, architect, developer… He loved what he was doing. But there was something missing and it was no big secret what that something was.
Meeting that woman on the train… he couldn’t say what it was about her, but it hit him like a bolt of heat lightning.
She was important. She was someone he wanted to know.
But, dammit, that wasn’t to be.
It was still drizzling a cold rain as they passed a TICKT booth that claimed to sell cheap seats for Broadway shows, something he didn’t expect he’d have time for. Along the way, he drew stares and looks from passersby, one of whom loudly speculated that he was the Marlboro Man.
He didn’t fit in here. No denying that. He stuck out like a Guernsey in a field of Black Angus. A few steps up the street, he was almost heartened to catch a glimpse of a cowboy hat in the crowd. But the closer he got the sight of the guy caught him off guard.
Good God.
The guy was standing, nearly naked, with only boots and a hat and a pair of tighty-whities, half-heartedly covered by the guitar he was strumming. There was a small crowd gathered around him taking pictures. He had an open guitar case in front of him and a sign that read, T HE N AKED C OWBOY .
Liam rubbed a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing. The man was soaking wet from the earlier rain and had to be freezing. But he did not show it at all. There was a small, curious crowd around him taking photos with their cell phones.
“Hey, brother from another mother!” the guy shouted at him, noticing Liam was apparently one of his kind. “What brings you so far from home to the city that never sleeps?”
Jess grinned, looking expectantly at Liam as if waiting for some kind of sensible answer.
Liam shrugged. He pointed at Jess.
“ Ooohh ,” the cowboy said, waggling his eyebrows suggestively, getting the crowd to join in. “A Brokeback Mountain situation?”
This guy was playing to his crowd.
“’Fraid not.” Liam pointed at Jess. “His kid. A christening.”
The guy laughed. “Just kiddin’, my friend. Congrats, Daddy, on the new kid. I support all choices here. So, feel free to donate to the cause. And that cause is me .” He strummed on his guitar, belting out “Let it Be.”
Liam did, indeed, donate to his cause, tossing a couple of dollars into the guitar case.
The cowboy nodded his thanks and moved on to another likely tourist. Jess was laughing.
“That’ll teach me to engage,” Liam said. “New York City is not Marietta.”
“No, it is not.”
“Don’t you think that guy gets cold?” he asked Jess as they walked away.
“That guy? He rakes in a hundred-fifty K a year on a bad year, I hear, so I guess he’s figured out his limits.”
Liam frowned just thinking about it as a woman pushing a baby stroller moved through the crowd toward them. It took him a moment to realize it was Carolyn and she had a baseball cap on, and her hair pulled back into a ponytail.
“Hey, you two! Sorry I’m late. Wyatt had a blowout just as we were leaving, and I had to change him all over again.”
Jess kissed her and she wrapped her arm around his.
“Liam, how are you liking our city so far? Aren’t you loving this rain? Thank goodness for stroller covers. He’s snug as a bug in there. Are we going to the museum or lunch first?”
Jess leaned toward Liam. “I never interrupt her when she’s on a roll like this.”
She punched his arm with a laugh. “You’re talking to a woman who’s been stuck at home for the last couple of months changing diapers, and if I’m excited to go anywhere, well, you’ll just have to live with it.”
“I’ll do more than that,” Jess said, kissing her cheek. “I’m taking you all to lunch at the Boathouse.”
“The Boathouse!” Carolyn clapped her hands together in happiness. “I haven’t been there in years!” The sweet little restaurant that edged the pond in Central Park, where boats were launched by tourists, she explained, was a favorite of hers.
“That’s because we’re not tourists anymore,” he said. “And I can guarantee Liam’s never been there. It’s the ambiance. The view. And the food’s not half bad either. You up for a short walk?”
Liam grinned. “I’m starving, so I’ll follow you two anywhere.”
“He met someone,” Jess confided to his wife. “But then he lost her.”
Carolyn looked stricken. “ What? ”
“Ignore him,” Liam said. “It was nothing. Just a moment. On a train.”
“On the train? Oohhh , like Brief Encounter . I loved that old movie,” Carolyn gushed. “Trevor Howard and… oh, who was the woman? Anyway, the two of them are married to other people, but accidentally fall in love when they meet on the train. They run into each other a few times and then—”
“Have a fairy tale happy ending?” Jess said, grinning at Liam.
“No. Tragically—they’re forced apart forever. Never saw each other again.” Carolyn tipped her head sympathetically at Liam. “Oh, I’m sorry. Maybe that wasn’t a helpful analogy.”
“Not particularly, babe,” Jess agreed. “At any rate…” He considered Liam. “You okay, dude?”
“Aside from tragic Hollywood endings? Yeah. I’m hungry. Let’s go eat.”
But he was pretty sure that the way his own story with the mysterious girl on the train had already ended. Only with considerably less drama.
*
The sun was sinking past the city skyline, and the Hudson was glimmering with a pinkish cast as Emily Quinn stood at the window of her brownstone lost in thought. While preparing for tonight’s meal, she’d barely had two seconds this afternoon to contemplate all that had happened today—which was, perhaps, a blessing—but as far as the office was concerned, the evening news was all over what had happened to William.
Well, not strictly to William. What William had done—to the rest of them. All of whom, she was positive, had nothing to do with any illegal accounting that he had perpetrated on their unwitting clients. Nor did she believe that the other partners were in on any shenanigans either. At least, she hoped not. After all, Willam Bledsoe had apparently managed to hoodwink all of them, including many family members and close friends. Including his whole staff.
It truly boggled the mind.
But the darker thought, the one that had been poking at her for most of the day, was that the rest of them could somehow be considered complicit in his actions. In her mind, she reviewed every meeting, every email, every piece of work that had passed between them in the last six months and nothing, not a thing had raised any alarms.
Which probably meant it was some Madoff-esq type Ponzi scheme that he had managed to conceal from all of them. How had she missed it?
At least they hadn’t arrested her. Or anyone else for that matter. Maybe that was a good sign that this whole mess belonged to William.
God, she hoped so.
Then… there was the man she’d met on the train. Liam. Her thoughts had drifted off to him more than a few times as she was prepping dinner.
Emily sighed. No use thinking about him or what might have been. He was water under the proverbial bridge. Or the train tunnel. And she had more immediate things to worry about. Like finding another job.
“I’ve seen that look before,” her little sister Muriel said, wiping her hands on a dish towel. “That thousand-mile stare. And usually there’s a man involved, possibly that bloke on the train? But today, I’d guess it has more to do with your immediate future than any one man. Have you called Dad?”
“No! And please don’t. He’ll hear of it soon enough. There’ll be no keeping this a secret.”
“I should think not. But what are you going to do?”
“No idea. I’m out of a job. That’s all I know for sure. Nate and Jacob as much as told us. Within a week or two, the offices will officially close after they wrap up loose ends. Help clients move out their accounts. We’re still not sure if Nate and Jacob will get clean of it, themselves.”
“I’m so sorry, Em. It’s not fair.”
“I really can’t think about it now. People will be here in a half hour. I need to get dressed. You’ve set an extra place in case Pete comes? I don’t suppose he will, but still…”
“Of course. I put him beside you.”
She couldn’t think of a single person coming who would not welcome him. But there were a few extras coming that she didn’t know. But this was her party, and she could invite whoever she wanted.
Muriel was already dressed in her cutest outfit that she’d bought down in a SoHo boutique—a sage-green silky jumpsuit that looked fabulous with her blonde hair and gray-green eyes. Muriel had gotten all the looks in the family, that was for sure.
“Is the halibut all prepped and ready to go?”
“It’s ready in the fridge. The table looks incredible. Everything is going to be wonderful. You’re a magician. I’m so glad I get to be here for one of your meals.”
“You’re welcome any time, you know that. I’ve missed you. So glad you’re here today of all days.”
“Me, too,” Muriel said, giving Emily a quick hug. “I mean, not for that reason. I mean, I wish it was for a different reason. Oh! Now, go. Get ready. You’ve got this.”
“Right. I’m off.”
Thirty minutes later, guests began arriving.
Since she was in the kitchen, she’d given Muriel the task of greeter. And she heard a few voices she recognized. Kat and David Grimes, her friends from the old building she’d lived in before this one, had arrived. She immediately heard her friend, fashion designer Susan Tish’s laugh and that of her partner, Merideth Boles. She loved them both and was excited to hear about their latest IVF journey.
She was quite sure everyone who would be here tonight had already heard about today’s events, but she didn’t want to talk about it. Maybe she’d make an announcement, banning the topic. Maybe talking about it was what she needed. But no. Not tonight. Tonight was about food and sharing it with friends. That was all she wanted to think about now.
There were only a few things that were last moment to cook, and she always made it a point to mingle first with a glass of wine with her guests before settling in to serving dinner. Her sommelier friend, Danel Grainier, had chosen a Cass viognier and a Gran Moraine pinot noir for tonight, which were dry and also had a note of fruitiness, that would pair with the halibut. Generally, she chose a menu that could be mostly prepped ahead with a minimum of time for her to be absent from her company, but that didn’t always work. Like tonight, with the polenta and the asparagus.
Hoping they’d nosh on the nibble boards with olives, pickles, and other bits of charcuterie she’d laid out until she could join them, she pulled the salad from the fridge and decorated it with torn blossoms from the pansies she’d picked up today until the look satisfied her.
She heard the doorbell again and heard Jess Brody’s voice and Carolyn’s adorable laugh. She’d met Jess at a charity event four years ago and loved him and Carolyn both and they were regular invitees to her events. They’d told her they were bringing an out-of-town guest with them tonight, which was fine with her. New blood for the dinner discussion. She wiped her hands on a towel, grabbed her wine and headed out into the living room.
She very nearly dropped her glass and did not contain her gasp of surprise. The man standing behind Carolyn, hanging back a bit at the door was—
“Em!” Jess pulled her into a hug. “So great to see you again. You don’t know how much we’ve been looking forward to this.”
“It’s been months since we’ve done anything fun,” Carolyn said. “Because… baby.”
Over Jess’s shoulder, her eyes met the cowboy’s. He appeared to be every bit as stunned as she was to find himself standing in her living room. A small, disbelieving grin tipped his mouth, and he doffed his black cowboy hat and held it in his hands, revealing his thick, dark hair that was ruffled and wavy.
“Oh. My. God,” she whispered against Jess’s ear as he hugged her.
He pulled back. “Oh, Emily, this is our friend, Liam Hardesty from Montana. I’ve braced him for an incredible meal.”
Liam swallowed hard before reaching a hand out to her. “We’ve already met, actually,” he said quietly.
His fingers closed around hers, still warm, and for the second time in one day, sent a little charge through her hand and a shiver of surprise through her.
“Wait,” Carolyn said. “You two have… met? How? ”
“On a train,” they both said at once, their eyes locked on each other.
Jess turned to Liam. “ This is her? Emily is the girl on the train?”
Muriel widened her eyes at Emily, hardly suppressing a look of shock. Heat crept to Emily’s cheeks, and she was suddenly speechless. First, at the sight of him, standing in her living room and second—he’d mentioned their meeting to Jess? There was no way that the two of them had randomly met on that train today, only to find themselves together tonight, here, in her home. What were the odds of something like that happening? She couldn’t even—
“He’s been talking about you all day,” Jess said. “About this girl he met on the train.”
If a cowboy could blush, Liam did just that. “I wouldn’t say all day. Just—”
“Until we walked in the door,” Carolyn finished.
Liam dipped his head and grinned at Emily. She smiled back.
Jess said, “Well, then, let me actually introduce you. Emily Quinn, meet Liam Hardesty. Liam, Emily. Dear friend, the queen of the dinner party, and chef extraordinaire.”
“No, no. I’m…I’m not a proper chef.” Emily reached for Carolyn’s coat. “I just love to cook for my friends. Of which you are officially now one,” she told Liam. “Welcome. Please, come in.”
“I can’t believe it’s you,” he said, handing her his coat, too.
“I’m a bit gobsmacked myself. I’m so happy you came. I’ll take these coats back and Muriel will get you something to drink and there’s a few nibble boards around. Please, help yourself.”
Carolyn grabbed her arm as she moved toward the bedroom and whispered, “Are you okay? I saw the news.”
Was she? Okay? Who knew? “Ugh. Yes. I’m fine. But let’s not talk about it tonight. Let’s just eat, drink, and forget all that. It’s Valentine’s Day, after all. Let’s not spoil it with talk of how the giant of finance who made me has also ruined me.”
She hugged her quickly. “I’m sorry. Okay, but you know if there’s anything I can do…”
Carolyn, when she wasn’t being the world’s best mum, was a crack defense attorney who worked for one of the best firms in town. And even though she’d promised them she’d be back after the baby, Emily knew she was torn about putting Zoe in daycare, or even with a nanny.
Emily often wondered what she would do if she ever got so lucky to even have the choice, and decided it wasn’t worth thinking about. Her career was demanding and few women survived who decided to have families. And she hadn’t even managed to find a partner, let alone consider having a family. Now, her free hours would be consumed with finding a new job and starting all over again, working twice as hard as every man in the place just to justify her existence. No time for partners or children.
After dumping the coats off in the other room, she returned, taking a gulp of wine, watching as Liam moved into the room with the graceful prowl of an athlete. Or a cowboy. Though, truthfully, the only experience she had with the latter was watching spaghetti westerns with her brother when they were kids, speculating about the romanticism of the American west. She tried to picture Liam on a horse. Roping. Or galloping up a hill. And she found herself mildly overheating.
She chugged the rest of her wine and took a deep breath.
Refilling her glass, she found him standing beside her. “You know, if you and I were to randomly run into each other twice in one day in the small town I come from in Montana, nobody would blink an eye. But here? Those odds are closer to finding a four-leaf clover in a field of alfalfa. Or worse.”
“I’m quite happy it happened, though. I never really got to thank you properly for your kindness. Or to ask what exactly you said to that boy to make him vacate the train like his hair was on fire.”
Liam just chuckled. “I told him you were an undercover detective, working vice and truancy.”
She laughed. “Ah! Quite motivational, apparently.”
He laughed, too. “Apparently.”
“Well, I hope you brought your appetite,” she said. “As you can see, there’s no shortage of food tonight.”
He popped the prosciutto wrapped grana padano cheese with fig preserves in his mouth and rolled his eyes. “Ohhh, mm-mm,” he moaned. “That’s… that’s really good.”
“It’s the fig preserves,” she said. “They never fail to please.”
“No, it’s the whole thing, all together. And… never had fig jam before. I… think I’ll need to start. And no need to worry about my appetite. My sisters spent most of my life accusing me of bein’ a bottomless pit. Or having a hollow leg. One of the two. Mostly that’s still true.”
“That’s quite graphic. You don’t, do you? Have a hollow leg?”
“Only when there’s good food involved.”
“Well, you’re in the right place, I hope. You said sisters, plural. You have a big family?”
“There’s four of us kids. Two sisters, one older, one younger. And an older brother, too. He and my older sister are twins, in fact.”
“Twins? Oh, how lovely! I have a brother who’s quite stodgy and not much fun, and Muriel, of course, who is the sunshine of every gathering. She’s here from London for a few weeks.” She took another nervous gulp of wine.
“It’s a nice place to visit. New York City.”
Or to live. She’d gotten used to this city, though it had never felt as much like home for her as London did. But having left years ago, with the intention of creating her own life, London was now more of a memory than home. And all of the people in this room made this place real.
Liam stood near her window, taking in the room. It was unusually large for a New York City apartment and rent controlled, so she’d been lucky there. But even now, as the city skyline grew dark and the lights came up in windows across town, the view from here was quite something and part of the ambiance of these dinner parties.
She watched him watching the sky darken. “Were you really talking about me all day to Jess and Carolyn?”
A smile tipped his mouth. “Well, if you want to know the truth, I was kicking myself for not getting your name. Or your number.”
“And here you are.” She pulled her cell phone from her pocket. “Have your phone? I’ll call you, then you’ll have my number.”
“Really? Oh, yeah.” He pulled out his phone and she did exactly that. “Okay, then. Thank you.”
“Well, you are already vetted through Jess. So, I know you’re not a stalker or anything weird.”
“Your number is safe with me.”
For a moment, Emily forgot there were a half-dozen other guests in the room because the way he was looking at her made her feel as if she was the only one here. His look flustered and flattered her, but also reminded her that everyone had come to eat, and she needed to get back to the kitchen. He’d probably never call her and even if he did, he lived thousands of miles away.”
“All right. Don’t go anywhere,” she told him. “The food needs my attention for a few minutes, but I’ll be back. Please, enjoy yourself.”
“Oh, I’ll be right here,” he assured her.
Jess clapped him on the shoulder and directed him over to another couple as she left for the kitchen, her knees feeling a bit shaky for no good reason at all. It wasn’t as if she didn’t interact with attractive men all day long. Or even fend off flirts. But whatever he was doing, it didn’t feel the same. Not like normal flirtation. Nor was it the same for her. There was some connection she couldn’t understand going on between them. But if anything, it seemed doomed to a temporary status. A momentary interplay between two strangers who intersected. His world was light-years apart from hers. And soon, he’d be returning to it.
Think about the food, Emily. Just the food.
*
Liam was only half listening to the conversation around him. He knew that Jess wanted him to meet the others at the party, but his mind was on her. On Emily.
Emily Quinn.
The name suited her. She was so… so British and so different from the women he knew. And with all these friends of hers here, who were all so… urbane, he guessed the word was, so… on another level from anything he was, he couldn’t help but feel out of place here. Aside from the thing they were building at the ranch, he was just a simple cowboy who ranched cattle and had spent every day of his life in mucked-up boots with straw in his hair. And while there was definitely some chemistry happening between them, he suspected he was simply more of a novelty to her than anything else.
But he was all in for tasting the food she was cooking tonight—which already smelled amazing—and despite their lunch at the Boathouse today, he had worked up an appetite walking around this city.
He was a beer guy, mostly, but he had to admit the red wine she was serving was fine. His Dallas-raised sister-in-law, Izzy, had tried to infuse some wine culture into their ranch over the last two years, but he’d resisted. Maybe he should try to up his game.
The woman named Susan was saying something to him and he dragged his attention away from the kitchen.
“Jess says you’re a rancher out in Montana. Where is your ranch exactly?”
“Marietta is in between Bozeman and Billings, between the Yellowstone and Marietta Rivers. Southern Montana.”
Susan, a fashion designer apparently, clapped her hands. “I adore Montana. A friend of mine bought land there near Flathead Lake and summers there. But the Absarokas. Oh! The views! The mountains!”
“It is pretty,” he admitted. “We do have lots of part-timers coming to our state. Tourists, too. We actually have a little guest ranch operation about to get up and running this spring.”
Jess said, “Which I can attest to being amazing, since Carolyn and I were the first guests last fall at the Hard Eight in one of their spectacular glamping tents. It’s a fantastic location. Liam has done an amazing job of it.”
“Not just me. It’s been a team effort, for sure. But we have high hopes for it come spring. We’re already getting bookings.”
“Well, we’re coming back,” Carolyn said. “Aren’t we, Jess? As soon as Zoe’s ready for a trip.”
Susan gushed, “We’ll have to come as well! We adore the west.”
Murial chimed in. “Montana sounds so romantic! The old west. Cow ranches. There’s nothing like it in England, really.”
“Get your sister to take you out there someday,” Liam said with a grin. “We’ll show you a good time.”
“Brilliant. I’ll work on that you can be sure.”
When the conversation took a turn to the IVF struggle Susan and her partner Merideth were having, Muriel leaned close to Liam, refilling his glass with more wine. “FYI, you were also the topic of conversation here as well after Em met you on the train. She was quite taken.”
Surprised, Liam glanced at the kitchen doorway where Emily was leaning over a dish, carefully constructing it.
A surge of something unfamiliar moved through him. “Yeah?”
“Oh, indeed,” Muriel said. “And to say that’s a rare thing for my sister is saying a lot. The fact that I heard about you at all is telling. Quite a coincidence that you found your way here tonight as well.” She shook her head. “Do you believe in fate, Mr. Hardesty?”
“It’s just Liam,” he said, amused by her bouncy personality. “And, well… I’ve never given it a lot of thought.”
“If you ask me—and,” she said, “clearly you’re not… asking me—but I think something quite fateful happened today between the two of you. How strangely delicious. I say ignore fate at your peril, because clearly, it seems the universe means for you and my sister to connect.”
He wasn’t sure if the universe or fate was involved, or if it was just coincidence that he’d offered Emily Quinn a seat today on a train and ended up here, but what he did know was that he didn’t want to make the same mistake twice. He wanted to get to know her better. And even though he was in town for a short time, he meant to make that happen, somehow.
There was a knock on the door and Emily hurried from the kitchen to answer it. His first thought was that the man standing in her hallway was delivering something. But at the sight of everyone in the room standing in little groups of conversation, Liam saw him back away, try to leave. But Emily caught him by the arm, insisting he come in. Reluctantly, he did.
To Liam, he looked like half the guys who rode cattle drives with him, minus the silver buckles, or the ones who hung out in the cowboy bars around town, though the man at her door was clean shaven with his hair slicked back and he wore a white shirt buttoned all the way up to his throat under his dark blue, puffy jacket. If there was anyone who felt more like a fish out of water than he himself did here, it was this guy. He was holding a small bouquet of red and yellow flowers, and he handed them to Emily.
“Pete! Thank you! I’m so glad you came,” she said. “Please. Come in. Come in and meet everyone. Everyone, this is Peter,” Emily announced. “He’s a friend of mine.”
Collectively, the group said hello and several moved to shake his hand in greeting.
Pete barely made eye contact with the others but nodded shyly. But he didn’t take his coat off and he didn’t make any move toward the group. Maybe Liam was the only one who could hear what he said to her next because the others had all returned to their conversations.
“No, I didn’t come for dinner, Ms. Emily,” he told her quietly. “I just came to give you these,” he said of the flowers. “And to say that your invite was the kindest thing anyone’s ever done for me. And I think today I didn’t act as grateful for it as I should’ve just for the askin’.”
“Oh. No. Don’t be silly. Of course you’ll stay for dinner. I’ve made you a place at the—”
He shook his head. “No, no. I thank you again, ma’am. But I gotta be goin’. I just wanted to say… I just wanted you to know, that I… I won’t always be this ,” he told her, indicating himself, as if the person she saw before her wasn’t at all the person he was. “And it was your kindness and your invite here to your home that made me believe I could be somebody again. I just wanted you to know that. And to say thank you.”
Emily’s eyes grew bright, and her face flushed.
She swallowed thickly as she took his hand. “I… oh, Pete… you’ve been a good friend to me, too. And if there’s anything I can do—”
“No, nope,” he said. “You’ve already done that. That’s all I needed to say. Sorry for botherin’ your dinner. Ya’ll have a good night now.” He started to back out the door.
“Wait. If you won’t stay, let me wrap up a plate for you. It’s all ready. Just give me a second. I’ll bring it you.”
“No, I—”
“Wait right here.” And she disappeared into the kitchen, before he could argue.
He stood awkwardly, not certain what to do. Liam took a step closer. “From the aroma coming from that kitchen, I’d say she means what she says.” He held his hand out to him. “Liam. Nice to meet you, Pete.”
“You, too.”
“Strangers,” he said. “I get it. I’ve never been real comfortable mingling with them either.”
Pete straightened and shifted his feet, taking in all the couples in the room. “You Emily’s boyfriend?”
“Me? No. We just met. Today as a matter of fact. My friends over there are responsible for my being here.” He glanced toward the kitchen, where Emily was trying to put a plate together for her friend. But it was funny he’d asked that. Funny, but not in a ha-ha way. To Pete, he said, “I’m not from around here.”
He nodded. “Me neither. Kentucky.”
“Horse country. I’m from Montana. We like horses there, too.”
That raised Pete’s eyebrows. “My daddy was a horseman. I grew up around ’em. Kentucky horses. Thoroughbreds.”
“We’re mostly quarter horses where I am. But you gotta admire a long-legged Thoroughbred. They sure are beautiful.”
“Yeah,” Pete said with a faraway look in his eye. “They were good people. Horses, I mean. You have any? Horses?”
“We do. We have a little working ranch out there called the Hard Eight. Our ranch horses work our cattle. And we take in some mustangs from the BLM, feed ’em and watch over them for the government. Some of them get trained if they’re young enough.”
“Oh. Cool,” he said loosening up a bit. “I was a kid, mornings, my old man used to let me warm ’em up on the track before the jockeys got there to take ’em through their paces. Nothin’ too dangerous. I loved ’em.”
“I can see why. And somehow, you ended up in New York City.”
Pete chuckled a little sadly. “That’s a story for another time. Maybe the ending to that story’s about to change.”
“That’s what I like about stories. Their endings are always fluid. Depending on the point of view.”
Pete frowned at him. “Stories we tell ourselves, at least.”
Good point. “Very true.”
Emily reappeared with a tin-foil-covered plate for him and some silverware wrapped in a napkin. “Here. I hope you enjoy it,” she told him. “It’s made with love. Don’t let it get cold before you eat it. Okay?”
He nodded. “Thank you, Ms. Emily. I’ll get your plate back to you.”
She smiled a little sadly. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Pete.”
“And to you, too.” He nodded a goodbye to Liam and then to her and disappeared out the door and was gone.
Emily sighed with a look at Liam. “Thank you for talking to him. He was just nervous. That’s all.”
“That was kind of you. Makin’ him a plate.”
“I wish he’d stayed. But…”
But Liam understood why he hadn’t. “Seems like your kindness meant a lot to him.”
“As did his to me.” She smiled brightly. “Well, I’d better get dinner served up. Get yourself some more wine. I’ll be out in a minute.”
A few minutes later, they all sat down for the meal she’d prepared. But before they ate, she stood and raised a glass of wine to the table, which was decorated with red roses in single vases clustered in the center of the table.
“As you all know,” she began, “this dinner is always a labor of love for me. And you’re all here because in some way you’ve made my time in this big city better, happier, more connected. This city can feel very lonely even if you’re busy with work or family. And all of you make it feel so much less so. So, thank you. And if you’re new here”—she looked directly at him—“like Liam, it’s no accident. At least, that’s what I believe. Welcome to the circle, Liam.”
Heat traveled up his neck. Absently, he wondered if there was such a thing as love at first sight. And if it was possible to feel something like that without even looking for it. His hand tightened around his glass at the thought. No, she was charming and beautiful and all the things, but he was pretty sure what he was feeling was awe, not some teen-aged, angsty smitten-ness.
“Anyway,” she continued, smiling in a way that made his heart pick up a beat, “on this day, which happens to be Valentine’s Day, I thank you all so much for choosing to celebrate it with me instead of braving the reservation desks at the local restaurants.”
They all laughed at that.
“Here, here!” Merideth agreed.
“It really means so much to me. Here’s to friendship.” Emily raised her glass and everyone else did the same, drinking a toast to the evening. “Now. Let’s eat!”
But Muriel raised her glass again. “Wait, wait! To Emily, for all of this. So happy I could be here for tonight.”
Now a cheer went up from the table. “To Emily!” followed by a murmur of excitement for the food to come.
Liam was in no way ready for the deliciousness. The perfectly seared and baked fish with its bed of cheesy polenta, those little green, salty things Carolyn called capers. The perfectly grilled asparagus. All of it was… he couldn’t find the words. The flavors melded together like they were always supposed to be one whole thing. And the salad she served on a small, little plate wasn’t just any salad, it was a work of art with… flowers, actual flowers in it and the perfect vinaigrette dressing. But all of it was plated up with such artistry. She might have said she wasn’t a chef, but he couldn’t imagine how a chef could do it better.
He looked around the table, wondering if they were as blown away as he was.
But everyone else was just… eating her food like they weren’t the least bit surprised at how good it was while he felt speechless, savoring every bite. Granted, he was raised on good, everyday food back home. His mother was a good cook, and she enjoyed it. But she’d be the first to say she wasn’t a fancy cook. This food was like something his mom might cook but taken up to a whole different level.
He was also watching her as he enjoyed her food as she moved effortlessly between the conversations of her guests. She thought it was her sister, Muriel, who had a light around her. But it was Emily, really. Jess had told him that Emily did this dinner thing monthly, and always invited different people. They’d been lucky enough to get invited several times this year alone and made it a point to invite Emily to all of their holiday celebrations, too. They had, in fact, spent Christmas Eve together this year.
It struck him that his family was such a built-in support system that he took them for granted. They were just always there. One big, extended family, even though most of them had moved on into their own places now that they’d all coupled up. But still, there were family dinners every Sunday, and often in the evenings after a hard day. All of them were in some way involved in the building and organization of their new guest ranch.
Truth was, he wasn’t alone much. He didn’t even have time to think about being alone and he realized that occasionally, he wished for some space from all of them. Cattle and horses were not the best of companions. His family pushing him to come to New York, for instance at Jess’s invitation, was them recognizing that he needed to get off the ranch, quit being on his own and meet some people.
He’d have to remember to thank them when he got home.
After they finished the dinner—which took its time in a lazy, lingering way—she brought out a flourless chocolate tart, shaped like a heart and divvied it up right there at the table to the oohs and aahs of her guests. It was, if such a thing were possible, even more decadent than the meal and he savored every bite.
Jess, who was sitting next to him patted his stomach and moaned in an aside to him out of the hearing of the others who were deep in conversation about the peril of the honeybee. “Didn’t I tell you?”
“You did,” he agreed. “That was the best meal I’ve ever had.”
“And she did all this on probably the worst day of her life.”
Liam frowned. “How so?”
He leaned closer, whispering, “She lost her job today and the whole firm went under from her boss’s fraud.”
Oh, no. Liam shot a look at her, laughing at something Carolyn said. He remembered the cardboard box she was carrying on the train and the rain-streaked mascara on her face. Maybe it wasn’t from the rain.
“But she doesn’t want to talk about that, apparently, so mum’s the word.”
He nodded, feeling a surge of protectiveness for her. From the looks of this apartment, she did quite well at whatever it was she did. Past tense. But a place like this in New York City didn’t pay for itself. If she was worried about being out of work, she hid it well.
They all stayed after dinner, talking and enjoying each other, but finally Carolyn had to get back to the baby and they had a babysitter to pay. As much as Liam wanted to stay and talk to Emily more, he found himself at the door with his coat in Emily’s hands, saying good night.
“Maybe I’ll see you at the christening tomorrow?” she said quietly.
“You’re going?” Surprise rocketed through him. Though he shouldn’t have been surprised. Jess said she was practically part of their family.
She nodded.
“Me, too. That’s… what I’m in town for. Maybe,” he said, “I could pick you up. I know where you live. And they’ve got a bunch of family coming. I’ll just be in their way.”
“I—That would be… nice. I’d like that.”
“Great. I’ll come by at ten-thirty? That should give us time to make it.”
“All right. Yes. Okay. That’s lovely. Muriel’s coming as well, if that’s all right.”
“I’ll get one of those fancy yellow cabs. I think it should hold us all.” His eyes held hers for a moment, but Muriel stepped in to say good night.
“It was lovely to meet a real western cowboy, Liam. I do hope we’ll make it out to your ranch one day soon. I’ll work on getting that done.”
Emily frowned at her sister in confusion, but Liam slid his hat on and touched the brim. “You do that. Thank you, Emily, for an incredible meal.”
She smiled up at him. “Thanks for… being here.”
“See you tomorrow?”
With a nod, she said goodbye.
“ Tomorrow ?” Muriel repeated after they left.
But Emily just bit her lip, already thinking about what she would wear for the christening.
“Did he mean the Brodys’ thing at the church tomorrow?” her sister said.
A secret smile spread across Emily’s face. “Yes, he did.”
“Ahhhh.” Muriel punched her arm gently.
“And you, my sweet sister, will be my wingman.”