Baker's Bargain (Culpepper Cowboys Book 5), Page 4

  Grace nodded. “I appreciate you looking out for all of us.”

  “I know you and Honor aren’t my new daughters-in-law like your sisters are, but I feel like you’re family anyway. You’re going to have to put up with that from me.”

  “I can see that.” Grace took a bite of her pizza, feeling slightly awkward. “We appreciate you letting us all stay here.”

  “It’s nice to have people around. The girls and the daycare keep me smiling. And the prospect of being a Wiggie, of course.”

  “A Wiggie?”

  “That’s the name I’m going to have the grandkids call me. All fifty-seven of them.”

  Grace’s eyes widened. “Fifty-seven? From four girls?”

  Linda shrugged. “Well, I’ll adopt you and Honor, of course, and I’m sure Felicity and Patience.”

  Grace nodded. “That’s still only eight girls. That would be more than seven kids each.”

  “That’s not too much to ask, is it?” Linda winked at Grace to let her know she was joking. At least that’s what Grace hoped it meant.

  “I guess not…”

  Linda laughed. “I’m kidding. Mostly.” She got up and cleared the table.

  Grace watched her as she ate the last bite. “You cooked. You should leave the dishes for me.”

  Linda shook her head. “No, I’ll do them. You just got here and then you spent all day wandering around. You can help tomorrow.”

  “I’m really excited to get to spend time organizing the bakery tomorrow. Thanks for helping make my dreams come true.”

  “You girls will be helping us a lot with that bakery. We appreciate the time going into it.”

  “The arrangement Hope made with us was more than generous.” They would work until the men’s deadline free of charge, and in exchange, they would be able to work out of the bunkhouse’s kitchen free of charge for five years as they built up their business.

  “As long as you’re satisfied with it, I’m sure it will work out well.” Linda turned to Grace from the dishwasher she’d been loading. “I almost forgot. A friend’s daughter is having a baby. The shower is on Saturday. We were hoping you would be willing to bake the cake.”

  “I’d love to!”

  “Oh, good, because I told her you would.” Linda turned back to loading the dishwasher, missing the amused look on Grace’s face.

  Grace stood and stretched, taking her plate and throwing it away. “I think I’m going to go and vegetate before I fall asleep.”

  Linda looked at her with a smile. “What kind of vegetating?”

  “That reminds me! Do you have a Wi-Fi password?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  “I need it if you don’t mind. I’ll rewatch old episodes of my favorite show. It makes me happy.”

  “What show do you watch?” Linda asked.

  “Lazy Love.” Grace took the paper Linda handed her. “I’ll be right back with it. I need to key it into my iPad.” She hurried into her room and set up the Wi-Fi before returning the paper to Linda. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “We usually have breakfast before the kids start coming around six-thirty,” Linda informed her.

  “Do you want me to cook?”

  Linda shook her head. “No, you’ll be working all day. There’s no need.”

  Grace smiled. “Thank you so much. I feel like I’ve moved to a luxury resort. We Quinlan girls are used to doing for ourselves.”

  “I know you are. That’s why I like to make it special for you when you come here.” Linda hugged Grace tightly. “I’m glad you’re here. Now go vegetate with your show.”

  “G’night!”

  “Sleep sweet.”

  Grace smiled as she walked away. She’d never heard anyone use that phrase before, but she really liked it. Sleep sweet. She might just have to adopt that.

  She wandered into her new room and changed into her pajamas. After she’d brushed her teeth, she settled into bed with her iPad, bringing up the first episode of Lazy Love. New life for her, so what better time to start over at the beginning with the show she loved. She sighed happily. She was going to love Wyoming.

  Before long she was lost in the storyline, giggling at the stupid things Jo did as a newcomer to the ranch, and sighing over her chemistry with Dr. Dylan Drake.

  When she slept that night, she didn’t dream about Dr. Drake, though. No, it was a dark-haired lawyer who had captured her attention filling her dreams that night.

  4

  Linda led Grace, Patience, and Felicity into the old bunkhouse an hour later. “We brought all of your boxes over, but we didn’t unpack them. We thought you’d want to do that yourself.”

  “Thank you for making sure they got here,” Grace said, speaking for all of them. Her cousins were sweet, but they tended to prefer if other people did the talking for them. You’ll have to tell us where the nearest warehouse store is. We’ll need to go and stock up on flour and sugar, as well as the millions of other things we’ll need.”

  Linda smiled. “I’m going to leave you girls to it. I’ll find the location of the nearest store, but it’s going to be a drive.”

  Grace shrugged. “As long as we have today out of the car, we’ll be able to manage driving again tomorrow. We may not like it, but we’re tough.”

  “Let me know if you need me.” Linda left to go back to help with the daycare.

  Grace looked around the kitchen. There were two huge commercial size ovens and a separate six burner stove. A walk-in freezer and a separate walk-in refrigerator, and a long stainless steel table filled the room. “I think this is going to work.”

  Patience wandered around, opening every drawer. “There’s nothing left here, so it’s just what we brought with us.”

  Felicity nodded. “But we brought and sent ahead a ton of stuff. We’ll be able to work for a while without buying any new supplies as long as we have our ingredients.”

  Grace took one of the boxes and started unpacking it. “I think we should sanitize everything after shipping it, so let’s get started.”

  Felicity wrinkled her nose. “I know you’re right, but I sure don’t want you to be.”

  “What we want and what we get are frequently different. I’d like the kitchen set up by late afternoon, so I can get ready for my date this evening.”

  Patience grinned at Grace. “You like the lawyer?”

  Grace grinned, a far-away look on her face. “I do. He’s a nice man and a good sport.”

  “How many lawyer jokes did you tell him?” Felicity asked as she opened the huge dishwasher and started loading things the other two were removing from the boxes.

  “Oh, not more than ten,” Grace said, giggling softly.

  Patience shook her head. “Only you, Grace.”

  By the time Marcus arrived that evening, Grace had showered for the second time that day and had her long blond hair styled and hanging around her shoulders. Her make-up was done to perfection, and she was wearing a loose skirt and a nice blouse. It was her first real date, and she was excited.

  Marcus came to the door, and Grace opened it, her eyes traveling up and down his body. He was wearing a pair of tight jeans and a button-up shirt. He was holding a motorcycle helmet in each hand.

  Grace took the helmet from him, grinning. “I love your motorcycle.” She wasn’t sure if she loved it because it was fun, or because she knew her parents would have a fit if they knew about it? As rebellions went, it was a small one for an almost twenty-one-year-old, but it made her so happy.

  He smiled. “Do you want to go for a ride before we go to my house?”

  She debated for only a moment. “Yes, if you don’t mind.”

  He shook his head. “I’ll take you closer to the mountains. No use living in the most beautiful place on earth if you never get close enough to see what makes it so special.”

  She frowned for a moment. There were no pockets in her skirt, and she didn’t want to have to take her purse on his motorcycle, so she carefully tucked h
er phone into her bra, so she’d have it if she needed it.

  He gave her a bemused look before shaking his head. “Do you always keep your phone there?”

  She shrugged, blushing a little. “Only when necessary.” Turning back to the kitchen, she called, “I’ll be back before too terribly late!”

  “Have a good time!” Linda called back.

  Grace followed him out to his motorcycle, frowning for a moment. How was she supposed to ride that thing in her skirt? She waited while he got on it, and then threw one leg over, keeping her skirts wrapped tightly around her legs. She put her arms around his waist and held on for dear life as he started the bike and roared out of the driveway.

  He took them straight toward the mountains, and she was mesmerized by the way the sun was dancing down behind them. She looked at everything around her with wide eyes. The flowers were fully in bloom, and when they crossed a bridge over a river, she wondered if that was the same river Joy had once called her from.

  It was so beautiful, but she wasn’t sure if she was more fascinated by the beautiful scenery or the man she had her arms around so tightly.

  Finally, after about thirty minutes, he pulled to the side of the road. “Look at that sunset,” he said softly, pointing toward the mountains looming in front of them.

  She took a picture of the sun as it was sinking below the mountains, taking a second to tweet it. The sunset near my new home. Hello, Wyoming! #LazyLove

  After she’d typed in the hashtag, she frowned, but then shrugged. She was really only talking to fellow LLers anyway, so what did it matter?

  Marcus watched her intently while she messed with her phone, his eyes memorizing her face. She was so beautiful. Living in a town filled with cowboys, she wasn’t going to be single for long.

  He cupped her face with one hand and lowered his lips to hers. “Hi.”

  She grinned. “Hi.” She wasn’t sure if she was happy or sad that he hadn’t greeted her that way when he’d first arrived at the ranch. “How was your day?”

  “Long. I thought of you a lot.”

  She blushed at that. “I thought of you too.”

  “What did you think of me?” he asked, curious. He’d had some pretty hot fantasies about her already, but he wouldn’t be telling her that.

  Grace blushed even redder. “I thought about how good it feels when you kiss me,” she admitted.

  “So you like kissing?”

  “With you, I do.”

  He smiled at that. “Let’s get back to my house then, and we can do lots more kissing.”

  “Sounds good to me. Besides, I’m hungry.” She’d had time for a sandwich at lunch, but that had been many hours before.

  “Ethel cooked. I don’t know if she’ll eat with us or not, but she’s always welcome.” That was non-negotiable for him. His housekeeper was more of another grandmother to him, and he wouldn’t have any woman treating her rudely.

  “That’s fine. I’m not used to being alone with men anyway.”

  “I’m not just any man, though, right?” he asked, his eyes twinkling at her.

  “You’re not?”

  He shook his head. “I’m the first man you’ve ever kissed. I guess you’ll have to marry me.”

  Her heart jumped into her throat at his words. “I guess I will,” she quipped back, trying to make light of it.

  He turned around and drove them back to his house, parking his bike out front. He helped her off, and she handed him the helmet. She frowned when it was time to take it off. “I’m going to have hat hair!”

  He laughed. “You’ll be just as lovely in my eyes. I promise.”

  She sighed. It wouldn’t do to tell him she wasn’t usually vain, because as he got to know her, he’d realize that wasn’t true. She always tried to look as ladylike as possible, but it just wasn’t possible when you were taking a helmet off. “Maybe I’ll just keep it on.”

  He reached out and unfastened her helmet for her, pulling it off her head. Her hair was flattened where the helmet had been, giving her a silly look. “You’re still beautiful to me.” He leaned down and brushed his lips across hers. “Let’s eat.”

  Taking her hand, he led her into the house, calling out for Ethel as he walked in. “We’re here!”

  Ethel, a woman of indeterminate age and silver hair, popped her head around the corner. “Well, it’s about time! You two take a detour to Cheyenne on the way? I expected you an hour ago!”

  Marcus smiled at the older woman, used to her complaining. “Oh, Ethel, she hadn’t seen the mountains yet! I had to take her to see the sunset!”

  Ethel shook her head with a long-suffering sigh. “I suppose you did have to take her, but you should have called first. I know your mama taught you better manners than that!”

  “Yes’m, she did. I’m so sorry. I’ll remember next time!”

  “You’d better!” She shook the spatula in her hand at him. “Go wash up. I’ll put supper on the table.”

  Marcus pointed out a bathroom for Grace to use before taking the stairs two at a time. When he got back to the table, she was sitting quietly looking at her phone, her fingers flying. “Who’re you talking to now?”

  She grinned at him. “The star of my show, Valerie Savoy, saw my picture of the sunset on Twitter. She wants to know where I took it.”

  “Did you tell her that Culpepper is the most beautiful place on earth?” he asked.

  She nodded. “I just did!”

  “You’re a smart woman.”

  Ethel brought the food in. “Now, I wasn’t about to let my supper go to ruin by waiting for you two, not knowing when your shenanigans would bring you home, so I ate earlier. Put the dishes in the sink, and I’ll wash them in the morning.” She looked at Grace, wagging her finger in her face. “And if you think you’re being a good person by washing them for me, you can think again, little missy! My kitchen, my dishes. You hear?”

  Grace nodded. “Yes, ma’am.” Her eyes were wide as she watched the woman walk back toward the kitchen. “Is she always like that?” She dropped her voice to a whisper, not wanting the old harridan to hear.

  Marcus nodded. “Isn’t she awesome?”

  Grace giggled softly. “She is! I think I love her!”

  “Don’t let her hear you say that! She’ll get even worse!”

  “I won’t.” She took a bite of the chicken and dumplings the woman had prepared for them. “These are delicious.”

  Marcus nodded, sighing contentedly. “She’s a wonderful cook. She has a hard time cleaning the upstairs because of her knees, but she does everything else to perfection. I’m so glad to have her here.”

  After they finished eating, Grace put the dishes into the sink, not daring to do anything more than rinse them off. Then she hurried into the living room to join Marcus on the couch. “What are we watching on?” she asked.

  He nodded to the television mounted on the wall. “It’s a smart TV. We can watch Netflix on it.” He turned the object in question on with his remote, and quickly navigated the menu. “Lazy Love, right?”

  “Yes. I sure hope you like it as much as I do.”

  He pulled up the first episode, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. “Just so we get to watch it together.”

  The first scene, one she’d watched just the night before for the umpteenth time, had her stomach filled with butterflies. She desperately wanted him to like her show. The scene showed Jo receiving a phone call in the middle of her English class at a prestigious all-women’s college in the East. She left the room to take the call, and whatever she heard had her dropping her phone, and leaning back against the wall in defeat.

  Then came the opening credits, and she smiled as she watched the different actors’ faces flash on the screen. First Valerie Dobson as Jo Larson. Second was Jesse Savoy as Dr. Dylan Drake. And then Amber Knight as MaryBeth Larson. All the names were as familiar to Grace as those of her own sisters.

  Marcus looked down at Grace, smiling at how excited she looked with
the show on his television. So far, it looked boring to him, but he didn’t care. It would give them something to do together, and during a movie was always a good time to kiss a girl.

  The next scene showed Jo back in Texas on the ranch where she’d lived until her mother died when she was five. She’d then been shipped off to boarding school, only spending summers with her father and sister, who was five years younger. It came out as the story went on that her mother had died of an infection she’d gotten during childbirth.

  MaryBeth was home from her own boarding school, and none too happy with living under her sister’s roof.

  Dr. Dylan Drake met both sisters at the funeral. He took Jo’s hands into his. “I’m so sorry for your loss, Miss Larson.”

  “It’s not a loss when you don’t know the man being buried,” she’d responded with her typical bluntness.

  Dr. Drake had nodded. “I’m sorry for that loss as well then. I’m Dr. Dylan Drake, the local veterinarian.”

  “I’m sure I’ll be seeing a lot of you then, Dr. Drake.”

  Bob, the ranch’s foreman stood right behind Jo. “I’ll alert you if you’re needed, Dr. Drake. The family is thankful for your willingness to help.” The man’s eyes met Dylan’s as he made it clear he had no intention of letting him swoop in and marry the beautiful woman in front of them.

  “I’ll be around regardless. No need for Miss Larson to have to learn about how to take care of all of the animals without help.”

  As Dylan walked out of the room, Marcus paused the show. “Okay, now which one is she married to in real life? It’s one of those two, right?”

  “Do you want me to tell you or do you want to figure it out on your own?”

  “Well, I think it was the veterinarian guy. He’s the one she seems to have some real chemistry with.” He brought her fingers to his lips, thinking how much his chemistry with Grace reminded him of the chemistry onscreen.

  “You’re right. He’s Jesse Savoy. The credits for the last three episodes have changed the heroine’s name to Valerie Savoy.”

  “Wait, I might have read something about that one day. There was a headline about some actress dumping her boyfriend and marrying her co-star the same day. Valerie the Virgin? Am I right?”