Читать книгу From City Girl to Rancher's Wife - Ami Weaver - Страница 8

Chapter Two

Josie slept like a rock, and woke up confused when her smartphone alarm went off. She never slept through the night, in fact had prescription sleep medication that she tried not to take but often had to after several restless nights.

Blinking the sleep from her eyes, it took her a few seconds to remember where she was. The Silver River Ranch. She got up and hurried through her morning routine. Rosa had said she was usually in the kitchen by five, and it was nearly that now.

She hurried through the dark house and nearly screamed when a shadow detached itself from the darkness near the fireplace and hurtled itself at her, panting.

She darted behind a chair and whacked her shin on something hard. She bit back a curse and rubbed her aching leg as the shadow—a dark-colored dog—nosed her, tail going a mile a minute.

“You scared me,” she said accusingly, and the dog sat, tail still going, apparently unfazed by her tone.

She sighed and gave the dog’s head a quick pat, her heart still racing. She wasn’t a fan of dogs. Or animals in general, though she’d taken riding lessons as a teen. She’d never had a pet in any of her thirty-two years. Her parents had been too busy, and she’d followed right in their footsteps in terms of throwing herself wholeheartedly into her work. No time for houseplants, much less a pet.

She moved around the dog, who trotted behind her into the kitchen. It already smelled heavenly, and most important, like coffee. Aunt Rosa looked up with a smile. “Good morning. Did you sleep okay? Ah, I see you met Hank.”

“Good morning. I did, thanks.” She decided not to mention her little run-in in the living room with the furniture. Getting spooked by an animal seemed like a poor start to her job here. “You let the ranch dogs in the house?” Apparently giving up on Josie, Hank trotted over to Rosa, who rubbed his ears.

“Not the working ones. When they get old or can’t work for some reason they’ll usually get adopted by a family member. Hank is Luke’s dog.” To the dog, she said, “Go lie down, Hank.” He gave Josie another long look, then meandered out of the kitchen.

Rosa nodded toward the stack of white mugs on the counter next to the huge coffeepot. “Help yourself.”

“Thanks.” She moved around the island and poured a cup, adding a little milk and sugar. She closed her eyes as she took a sip. “Wow. This is really excellent coffee, Aunt Rosa.”

“Luke wants only the best,” Rosa said cheerfully, and Josie’s stomach soured just a little. Only the best was a familiar refrain. From her parents, from Russ.

She forced her lips into a smile. “Well, he got it here, for sure.” She set the mug down with a solid clink on the granite counter, eager to get started. “So...where do I start?”

The next hour passed in a comfortable blur of cooking and preparation. Josie enjoyed the chance to cook with her aunt, and the time passed quickly. She eyed the mountain of food on the platters and Rosa, catching her expression, laughed.

“Yep, only three men and then you and I and Alice. But remember, this isn’t just a nice meal out. This has to fuel them for hours and they can’t just run in and grab a snack. They’ll put a hurting on it.”

Almost on cue, Josie heard the low rumble of men’s voices and they entered the kitchen. Her gaze landed on Luke first. He just had on worn jeans and a flannel shirt over a T-shirt and the same hat as the night before, but her pulse gave a little skip. He gave her a polite nod. Before she could respond, two big guys stepped between them, and she looked up at them, startled. Her first thought was she’d never seen such good-looking siblings. All of them were tall and lean, with similar blue eyes, but their hair color wasn’t all the same. Luke’s was darker brown and these two were lighter. Still, they shared the same wide smile, similar to the one Alice had given her last night.

“Good morning,” the taller of the two said with a charming grin. “I’m Cade, and this is Jake. You must be Josie.”

“I am,” she said, shaking first Cade’s outstretched hand, then Jake’s. No little zings or fizzles of awareness. Which was good, of course, but why had it happened with Luke? Maybe she’d just been tired. “Nice to meet you guys.”

Behind them, Luke already had a plate, which he was heaping with food. Cade winked at her and said, “Looking forward to getting to know you better. Rosa’s said a lot about you.”

Ignoring the flirtatious first part of his comment, a little shiver of worry ran down her spine. Rosa didn’t gossip, but what had she said? Josie hadn’t talked a lot about her relationship with Russ, or the financial woes that had dogged them, but with his outsize personality and popular cooking show, he often made the gossip pages.

Rosa was beside her then, her hand light on Josie’s arm. “I talked up your cooking skills,” she said cheerfully. “As you’ve worked hard for them.”

Josie relaxed slightly. “Ah. Well, I’m not sure you guys want the kind of food I’ve been cooking for the past year or so. More for show than sustenance.” There may have been the slightest tinge of bitterness in her tone, so she smiled at both men to soften it. “So I’m looking forward to cooking real meals again.”

They exchanged a bit more good-natured chatter as Cade and Jake loaded up their plates and then left for the dining room, where she could hear the clink of silverware and the low rumble of voices.

“I didn’t say anything about your personal life,” Rosa said quietly as she carried a platter to the sink. “I just said you were between jobs at the moment and could fill in for me temporarily. I don’t know all that happened with you, honey, but I know it must have been bad to put those shadows in your eyes and to bring you all the way up here.”

The concern in her aunt’s voice made Josie want to cry. She blinked away the moisture. “I won’t lie. It’s been rough. But it’ll all work out.” She took a deep breath. “What can you tell me about those two?”

There was a slight pause, then apparently her aunt accepted the change in subject. “Cade is a flirt,” she said. “Harmless, but a flirt nonetheless. But he won’t push you or take it too far. He just loves women of all ages. Luke is the opposite. He won’t flirt at all. Jake is in the middle. They’re all good boys. Any one of them would be a wonderful catch.”

Josie bit back a sigh. While that was good to know, she wasn’t looking for any kind of relationship—long-term or temporary. Of all she’d been through personally, the worst had been realizing that engaged hadn’t meant the same thing to Russ as it did to her. Thank God she’d figured it all out well before the wedding.

She kept her tone noncommittal. “I think it’s wonderful that you think so highly of them, but that’s not why I’m here.” Then she added, “I’m famished. I haven’t eaten a breakfast like this in ages.” Sad but true. Yogurt and a piece of fruit usually made up her first meal of the day. Eaten in her car on the way to the restaurant. And that was because Russ had made so many comments about her tasting the food. Be careful. Too many bites will make you fat. She’d laughed it off at the time, but in retrospect, it made her slightly ill.

Rosa handed her a plate. “Of course, that’s not why you’re here. But you never know what might develop. If you close yourself off to possibilities, you might miss something special.”

Josie didn’t fully agree. She wasn’t concerned about missing something special. She intended to keep her heart under wraps for the foreseeable future.

* * *

Luke hadn’t bargained on the new cook.

Sure, Rosa had asked if her niece could take over while she spent some of her vacation time with her daughter, who was expecting a baby soon. Trusting the older woman completely, he’d said sure. He’d listened to Rosa explain with pride that Josie was a trained chef, and had owned her own restaurant in Los Angeles that people flocked to.

He hadn’t thought about her being a woman.

It had been so long since he’d looked—really looked—at a woman, that when she’d glared at him from her car with her blue eyes narrowed, the pepper spray can in her hand, he’d been shocked to feel the unwelcome rush of attraction. And she was a self-confessed city girl to boot, which was a huge no-no in his book. He’d married a city girl.

He was no longer married.

So to feel something for someone who wore three-inch spike heels to stomp across a muddy, wet road in the wilds of Montana wasn’t a good sign.

But damn, they’d looked good on her, even in the mud and rain.

“Don’t you think so, Luke?” Cade’s question broke into his thoughts.

Luke looked up from the sausage and gravy he’d been demolishing on his plate. “What was that?”

Cade stabbed the egg on his plate. “Josie. She’s a looker.”

Since she’d just been occupying his thoughts he shook his head, the denial as much for him as his brothers. “I wouldn’t know.”

Cade looked at Jake incredulously. “He’s blind.”

“Or stupid,” Jake suggested, but there was a glint of humor in his eyes.

“Or both.” Cade looked at him hard. “Luke. It’s okay to, you know, think a woman is hot.”

He shrugged. “She’s not my type.”

“Maybe she’s mine,” Cade said thoughtfully, and took a bite of toast.

Luke leveled a glare at him. “Don’t even. She’s our employee, not a plaything for you.”

A slow smile spread across Cade’s face and he pointed what was left of the toast in Luke’s direction. “You did notice.” He turned to Jake, who nodded as he chewed. “He sure as hell did. Well, well. That’s a first, isn’t it?”

He’d have to be dead not to notice Josie, but he wasn’t going to say that to either of his brothers. Ever. Before he could say anything, Jake held up his coffee.

“Leave him alone, Cade. He wants to ignore her, that’s his business and his loss. He’s hiding, remember?”

Luke bit back a groan. He’d stepped away from performing, from that life to avoid all sorts of entanglements. His brothers might accuse him of hiding, but he’d wanted to just focus on the ranch, to get it into the black and after years of his father running it on the edge of total ruin. To prove he was more than the kid who couldn’t wait to bust out of here with big dreams.

He kept his voice steady. “I’m not hiding. I’m retired. Big difference. We’ve got a lot to do today. I’ve got to get that car out of the ditch, so I can’t go all the way up to the ridge.”

The talk changed direction then, and Luke was more than happy to let it go. His brothers meant well, and they’d tease him, but they didn’t know just how destructive his marriage had been—and with the benefit of hindsight, how unprepared he’d been, not only for the spotlight but all it entailed.

He’d learned the hard way he was better off on his own, not caught in the bright lights of Nashville’s glare.

Finished with his meal, Luke brought his dishes into the kitchen along with his brothers, who then headed out the door. Josie was on the other side of the kitchen, spooning something into a container. Outside, he could see the peaks of the mountains turning pink with the sunrise.

“Josie,” he said, and she turned, spoon in hand, polite expression on her face. “I’m going to get your car. Do you have the keys?”

“I do. In my room. Hang on.” She set the spoon down and hurried out of the kitchen. His gaze tracked the sway of her hips as she disappeared from sight.

“Thanks for helping her,” Rosa said from her perch at the end of the island, and when he snapped his gaze to her, he realized from the bemused expression on her face that not only had he been staring after Josie’s slender figure, her aunt had caught him.

Damn.

He cleared his throat. “You’re welcome. Least I can do, after all you’ve done for us.”

Rosa waved his words away. “Nonsense. But, Luke? Be careful. She’s fragile. Even if she won’t admit it.”

Before he could either ask what she meant or deny any interest in her niece, Josie came back and handed him the keys. “Thanks for doing this.” Her tone was formal and polite, not the easy one she’d used with Cade and Jake. Just as well.

“You’re welcome.” A tendril of her short blond hair had escaped from her headband, and he curled his fingers around the keys so he didn’t tuck it back in. He added, “That car won’t do you much good in a few weeks, though. It can snow here as early as October.” It wasn’t likely, but she needed to understand where she was. He rubbed Hank’s ears when the old dog leaned on his leg.

She frowned, whether at his words or the dog, he wasn’t sure. “I know that. It was the only one they had.”

He gave Hank a last pat. “We’ll take it back. You can use one of the ranch trucks. It’ll save you money and be safer for you on these roads.”

Josie’s first instinct was to snap at him and say she was completely capable of making that choice on her own, thank you very much, but then she realized he was right. He knew this area and she, of course, didn’t, as she’d proved last night. She most definitely didn’t want to get herself in a situation where she needed him to fish her out of the ditch again. Or worse. She sighed. “All right. Thank you.”

“You sore or anything from yesterday?”

Surprised at his concern, she lifted her brows. Her shoulder was, in fact, a little sore from the seat belt. She touched the sore spot. “A little. It could have been much worse.”

His gaze sharpened as it landed on her hand. “Do you need a doctor? There’s a clinic in town, or a hospital in Kalispell.”

Josie dropped her hand and shook her head. “Oh, no. It’s fine. I took a couple ibuprofen.” She’d taken a hot shower last night and that had helped, too. It had been such a low-speed accident, it was a wonder anything had hurt at all.

“If that changes, let us know. I’ll let you know when I’m back.” He left her standing in the kitchen as he went out, and didn’t look back.

Well.

She huffed out an annoyed breath and propped her hands on her hips. She could not read him. At all. She’d apologized for last night. She had to work here and live here with him for the next several weeks. It would be uncomfortable if he didn’t like her.

Rosa came back in the kitchen with Alice, who dropped a bagel in the toaster, despite Rosa’s fussing that she sit and let Rosa do it. Their cheerful interaction told Josie that this was a regular morning occurrence.

“Every day, we go through this,” Alice told her with a laugh. “And every day, same result. Don’t we, old friend?”

Rose pulled a jar of preserves out of the fridge. “Yes, we do.” To Josie she said, “Don’t be put off by Luke’s grumpiness. He’s a good man.”

She gave both women a wry smile. “I’m sure he is. He doesn’t seem to like me much, though.” Not that they’d gotten off to the best start.

Alice sighed. “Give him time. You might remind him of his ex-wife.”

Josie gaped at her. “What? How can you say that?” She pictured Mandy Fairchild, the petite platinum-blonde country singer, with her huge brown eyes and bombshell figure. Josie was tall and thin. No curves. They couldn’t be more different. “Um. No.”

Rosa laughed. “I don’t think she meant physically, honey.” She looked at Alice for confirmation.

Alice nodded as she spread the rich red preserves on her bagel. “That’s right. I meant your background. From a big city, in a new environment. Mandy lasted about a month out here. He doesn’t know you and he probably thinks you’ll bolt as soon as things get tough.”

Josie raised a brow. “I’m not staying for long,” she pointed out.

“No,” Alice agreed. “Of course not. But you know how things can trigger the memories even when you’re not expecting it. It doesn’t have to make sense.”

“True,” Josie said. But she didn’t think there was anything up here that would trigger anything for her. It couldn’t be more different from home. She looked out the huge window over the sink. There was no glitz and glam, but the pink-kissed mountains scraped the sky and took her breath away. “Wow. Oh, my gosh. Look at that.”

Her aunt came and stood beside her and looked out. “Yes. I see that every morning and it never fails to make me catch my breath. I love it up here.”

Alice smiled as she came up beside them. “I’ve lived my whole life in Montana. And I’ve never failed to be humbled by the natural beauty up here.”

Rosa carried Alice’s plate and coffee out of the kitchen. A few minutes later, she was back. “She likes the living room, where she can see the views and watch the news, too. That reminds me. It’s satellite TV out here and it can be a little hit-or-miss in bad weather. Now, I’m heading out in a couple of hours. Let’s get you up to speed. I’ll show you what I do and you can take it from there.”

They spent a good hour at the little table in the breakfast room off the kitchen, where Josie could see not only the mountains but the barns and people moving around. It was hard to believe just a couple days ago she’d been in one of the biggest cities in the world. “Feel free to put your own spin on anything. This isn’t a sacred document,” Rosa said with a chuckle. “It’s just things that work well for me and hopefully for you, too. Not haute cuisine, I’m afraid.”

Josie ran her hand over the torn and faded cover. “I wouldn’t expect that out here. There’s no reason for it. It’s comfort food, and hearty meals.” And she could work with all of it, make little changes and tweaks that wouldn’t take away at all from her aunt’s meals. “It’ll be fun.”

She’d work around the awkwardness with Luke and remember it was only for six weeks. She was tough. She could do pretty much anything for six weeks. Even learn how to live in the wilderness of Montana.