Chapter Eleven
All Eloise could hear in the back of her mind most of the last few days was the line from that movie: By God there’ll be dancing . She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been out dancing, or had as much fun—especially in the middle of the day! As a result, for the last couple of days, she’d done nothing but hum “The Way You Look Tonight” and dance around while cooking and readying for the grand opening.
With the group of Red Hat ladies staying at the Parlor B she had very high hopes for Danny here in Texas.
She’d already changed his bed sheets twice, rearranging the pillows, opening windows to let in fresh air, then closing them again when it felt too chilly. The room across from hers had similar vistas of the expansive lands around the ranch house—nothing blocking their views like a big city—perfect for someone who needed space to breathe.
Her phone buzzed. A text from Danny: Just hit the runway. Will let you know when I find my bag and the drive—though honestly Sis, some guy in a suit holding a sign with my name just feels weird.
Fingers moving rapidly, she replied. Wait till you see the rest of Texas .
That bad?
That different.
Aunt Eileen appeared in the doorway. “Any word?”
“Just landed.” Eloise wiped flour from her hands on a dish towel. With Aunt Eileen’s blessings, she’d taken over the kitchen to make Danny’s favorite foods for family dinner: seafood bisque, prime rib with her twice baked cheesy potatoes, and green bean casserole. Real casserole, not the stuff from cans. “He should be here in a few hours.”
“We all may die of anticipation before he gets here. Whatever you’re baking is killing me.”
“When did I die and go to heaven?” Wiping his heels on the boot cleaner, Quinn looked up.
Eloise couldn’t help but smile. Whenever anyone appreciated her cooking, it always made her happy. Coming from Quinn it made her very happy. “I was just about to tell your aunt that one oven has Danny’s favorite dessert, old-fashioned apple pie, the other has my own variation of cheddar baked biscuits.”
Another text: Driver says there’s a town called Muleshoe. Who names these places?
She did her best to muffle the burst of laughter that erupted at her brother’s text. After the time she’d spent in Tuckers Bluff and Sadieville, deep down she just knew, moving here was going to be as good for Danny as it had been for her.
Gray padded into the kitchen, his tail swishing against her leg. There were several things she was going to miss when her and Danny’s apartment in Sadieville was ready. Gray was only one of them. “You are the sweetest boy.” Scratching under his chin, the dog’s tail seemed to pick up speed.
“You better be careful, or Gray may never let you leave.” Quinn smiled down at the dog, but there was an unexpected sadness in the cowboy’s eyes that left her wondering what had happened. And just like that, the sadness slipped away as Quinn bent over to scratch the scruff of the dog’s neck. Maybe she’d imagined the momentary sadness.
“Is Danny going to be willing to share you with Gray?” Quinn teased.
“Of course, he loves dogs. Just hard to do in the city.” Danny had always acclimated best to foster homes that had pets; she was hopeful at some point, she and Danny would be able to get a pet of their own once they settled into their own place. For now, Gray and his mate would have to do. Her phone buzzed again.
“Another town update?” Aunt Eileen turned on the oven light, peeking inside.
“No, this time he’s asking if Texas has anything besides dust and cattle.”
That had the entire room laughing.
“Not likely,” Quinn added.
“Do sunsets to die for count?” Aunt Eileen turned off the oven light and surveyed the kitchen. “I will never understand how you can cook such deliciously elaborate meals, and yet the kitchen doesn’t look like a bomb exploded.”
“There’s a good reason for that.” She salted the beef. “The health department frowns on unkempt kitchens.”
“Good thing too.” Quinn’s uncle came through the back door. “I’ve seen some horrors on those live television shows about chefs and restaurants.”
“You’d be amazed at some of the kitchens I’ve had to work in. Needless to say, I rarely stayed long. A clean and well-organized kitchen is key to success.”
“And that’s what Sadieville is going to have when you open.” Quinn winked at her.
“I hope so.” She smiled, turning the roast to reach the other side.
Her phone dinged again with another message. Is everything here so far away?
Again, her brother’s comments made her laugh. Maybe she should have prepared him a little better for what a change this was going to be. They weren’t in the big city anymore. Far from it.
There were a few things Quinn Farraday was sure of. One, he could watch Eloise in her element all day long, any day of the week. The other, he was going to miss having her around. A lot.
Heading upstairs to shower and change from a long day working the ranch with his uncle and cousins, his aunt grabbed his sleeve in the hall. “I didn’t want Eloise to hear me.”
Quinn nodded.
“I’m concerned about having too many people here for dinner. Hannah says depending on how bad the PTSD is that the whole family could overwhelm him.”
From what he’d heard about Danny, and what Hannah had explained to him as well, he’d been worried about the same thing.
“Should I send out the all hands on deck, or leave things as they are with only those of us near the ranch?”
He shook his head. “I have never known your instincts to be anything but spot on. Let’s keep it simple. At least for tonight.”
“What about all that food?” His aunt looked truly torn.
“Woman, have you never seen your men eat?”
A burst of laughter had his aunt slapping her hand over her own mouth and looking over her shoulder to make sure she hadn’t been heard. “You’re right. What was I thinking?”
Having showered in record time, Quinn changed his clothes and headed back downstairs. The smell of Eloise’s cooking had only intensified. Hannah and her husband had arrived, along with Connor and Catherine, and Finn and Joanna. The women had settled at the kitchen counter and the men were in the living room.
Quinn had rarely given much thought to the social tendency of women to wind up in one room of a house and the men at another, but right now he really wanted to be in the kitchen with the women—or at least with Eloise.
The sound of tires on gravel had Eloise snapping her head up and practically bouncing with excitement. Quinn followed her to the front door, hanging back as she flew down the porch steps toward the parked SUV.
A tall man unfolded from the back seat. Despite the physical resemblance to his sister, Danny’s bearing spoke of military training. But the smile that broke across his face at the sight of his sister was pure joy.
“El!” He caught her in a bear hug that lifted her off her feet.
Quinn watched as Eloise’s already sunny nature somehow brightened even more. The siblings’ obvious bond made his chest tight. Suddenly, he was filled with the need to do all he could to help Danny adjust, and thrive. He would want to do that for any veteran, but right now, he especially wanted it for Eloise. To always see that glimmer of sheer joy in her eyes.
Danny set his sister down, taking in the ranch house. “So this is Texas?”
“This is just the beginning.” Eloise looped her arm through his. “Wait till you see what I’ve been cooking for you.”
“Thank heaven, I’m starved. The snacks on the airplane leave much to be desired.” Danny’s shoulders visibly relaxed as Eloise led him toward the house. His gaze swept the open landscape, lingering on the distant slopes. “We are definitely not in Chicago anymore.”
Aunt Eileen appeared beside Quinn, linking her hand in the crook of his arm. “There you have two very happy siblings.”
“Yeah.” He couldn’t take his eyes off Eloise. “Having her brother here means everything to her.”
The siblings reached the porch, Eloise making introductions. Danny’s handshake was firm but not challenging, his manner reserved but polite. Gray padded over to investigate, and Quinn noticed how Danny’s attention immediately focused on the dog. Gray slowly sniffed their guest the way he had done with Eloise at their first encounter. Only this time, instead of plastering himself against the visiting human the way Gray had done with Eloise, the dog lay down on the ground and submissively rolled over, belly and paws up.
A mirrored image of shock appeared on every family member’s face.
“Hey there, boy.” Danny crouched, gently rubbing the proffered belly. The dog’s tail swished merrily.
“Well, that’s new.” Staring, Aunt Eileen fisted her hands on her hips.
Uncle Sean came up behind his wife, hands on her shoulders. “Has he ever done that before?”
Multiple family members on the porch shook their heads from side to side as if choreographed.
“That’s Gray,” Quinn said softly.
“Nice to meet you, Gray.” Danny gave the dog one last belly rub and pushed to his feet.
To everyone’s surprise, rather than follow them inside, the dog bounded around to the back of the house.
“Well, that was interesting,” Uncle Sean muttered.
With a brief nod of her head, Aunt Eileen took hold of her husband’s hand. “Might as well all go inside. Eloise has been cooking up a storm, and we’re all anxious to get to know you better.”
“Over food,” Connor added.
Connor’s wife chuckled. “You’d think we never fed the man.”
That made Danny laugh and Quinn noticed the hint of apprehension he’d detected in his stance seemed to fade away.
Inside, the home beamed with a warm welcome. Everyone alert to the newcomer’s comfort.
“Coffee?” Aunt Eileen offered. “Or would you prefer something cold after your drive?”
“Coffee would be great, ma’am.” Danny’s military courtesy showed through.
“If you’re okay with it, call me Aunt Eileen. Everyone does.”
“Yes, ma—Aunt Eileen.”
“There you go.” His aunt beamed.
To everyone’s delight, since they were all aware of Danny’s challenges, everyone was thrilled that he didn’t seem overwhelmed by the size of the family. Of course, when the entire clan came around and descended on him, that might be a whole different story.
Eloise had already started pulling dishes from the warming oven, and the aroma of home cooking filled the air.
“Need any help?” Danny asked his sister. One eyebrow higher than the other, she shot her brother a knowing glare. Taking a step back, Danny raised his hands in a surrender motion and smiled. “Scratch that. What was I thinking?”
The stern expression was replaced quickly with a bright smile and sunny disposition that Quinn had become so used to. It was just one of the many things he loved about Eloise—no matter what, she always had a warm smile… Loved . Did he just say he loved Eloise? Of course he did, he loved a lot of people. Even the Sisters. But Eloise? What he felt for her was nothing like his affection for the Sisters.
“Are you going to stand there all night growing roots, or are you going to help get this feast on the table?” Aunt Eileen shoved a large bowl of warm cheddar biscuits at him.
Wrapping his arms around the bowl, he glanced at Eloise, merrily stirring something on the stove, then back to his aunt. “Anything else I can take?”
“Start here.” His aunt waved at the doorway to the dining room.
The evening slid by without a hitch, carefully orchestrated by Aunt Eileen to be welcoming without overwhelming. Too bad his aunt couldn’t do anything for the thoughts now swirling around in his head. There was no doubt that he loved Eloise’s cooking, and that smile, it was infectious, able to lift any man out of a bad mood. Then there was that vulnerability in her gaze that made him want to scoop her up and protect her from the world. And he’d never felt anything like that about the Sisters. So, what exactly did he feel for Eloise?