by B. J Daniels
Lexi wagged her head and covered her ears as Will pulled the pistol from his holster and fired it into the air. The sound reverberated through the pines. A moment later there was an answering shot from Huck in the distance.
Poppy gave it another try. “Lexi, if you’re in some kind of trouble—”
“I’m not. I just fell.” She started crying again, her gaze going to the ledge above them where she’d been running before falling.
“Okay, let’s get you moving,” Will said as he joined them again. “Poppy here has to get back to the ranch if we’re going to have anything to eat tonight,” he said and winked at her. “Poppy, tell us what you’re thinking about making for dessert.”
“Field berry pie,” she said.
Lexi seemed to perk up at the sound of dessert. She wiped her eyes and let them help her to her feet. She even took a tentative step.
“Okay,” Will said. “I’m going to have to ask—what is field berry pie?”
Poppy laughed, playing along. “I guess it’s going to be a surprise. But I can give you a hint.”
They kept up the distracting chatter as they made their way slowly up the hillside—crossing Lexi’s running tracks as they did. Poppy was glad when Huck and Lamar hurried down the hillside to help them. But she didn’t miss Lexi’s reaction when the two men had first appeared. She’d felt Lexi stiffen for a moment before she recognized them.
“Here come the recruits,” Will said, glancing over Lexi at her. He looked worried and Poppy wondered if he’d seen the same tracks she had.
CHAPTER NINE
MONDAY EVENING, WILL knew that Poppy had outdone herself even before he saw what she’d cooked. He’d smelled it the moment he’d come into the lodge. Now as she and Dorothea approached the dining room with tonight’s dishes, there were murmurs of excited expectation. Will felt his stomach growl. He had to admit, he was filled with a lot more anticipation than he’d ever been with Buckshot’s cooking.
He reminded himself that they would be going back to simple fare after this retreat. That didn’t bother him as much as the thought of Poppy no longer bringing her cheerful bright smile to the table. She loved cooking. It was written all over her face every time she brought out one of her creations. He envied her for having that kind of love for her job. He’d been born into running the guest ranch, and while there were days he enjoyed it, there were a lot he didn’t, especially when he’d been working for his father.
But if he had learned anything the past few days, it was how easy his father had made running the guest ranch look. Things had definitely not been going as smoothly as he’d thought they would once he was in charge. The thought made him smile at his own arrogance. His father used to say that he had a lot to learn. Apparently so.
“Tonight, what I have for you is a mustard-maple pork tenderloin served with roasted squash and a mushroom risotto,” she said. “Along with a sweet beet and goat cheese salad.”
Will looked around the table. He hadn’t missed the change that came over the guests at mealtime. After the hayride, it had appeared that the group was arguing among themselves. They’d all trudged into the lodge after freshening up, saying little. Was it possible that each day the tension was getting worse between them?
But once Poppy brought out the first dishes, the mood shifted radically. It was like magic. Like he’d said earlier, she calmed the beasts and he was more thankful for that than he could ever express to her. She filled this room with something close to love, he thought as he watched the guests dig in.
Poppy hesitated a moment as if not sure she should sit with them again, but Lamar got up to pull out her chair for her. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes bright as she looked down the table smiling. When that smile lit on him, he felt his heart flutter. What was wrong with him? Hell, who was he kidding? The best part of his day was seeing her. The last thing he’d wanted to do today was push her away.
Friends. What had he been thinking? He couldn’t be friends with this woman. Are you crazy? With that body, with that mouth that he fantasized about kissing the moment he closed his eyes at night? So what was he going to do about it? Throw caution to the wind?
He didn’t know. He’d hoped to talk to her after they’d found Lexi, but there hadn’t been an opportunity, since Poppy had opted to let Lexi ride back in the pickup cab while she climbed onto the hay wagon with the guests.
Once they were back, Dorothea bandaged Lexi’s ankle in the lodge and Poppy had headed for the kitchen to get the night meal on.
Will had started to follow her, anxious to talk to her. Did he really think that by laying all his cards on the table he could make some sense of this? At least he could warn her that where she was headed was dangerous. How far did she want to take this? What if they ended up in bed together? It wasn’t like the thought hadn’t crossed his mind. It was getting harder and harder not to think about the two of them naked upstairs in his bed.
That’s why she had to quit this. Otherwise, he couldn’t be responsible, he told himself. Which was why he had to talk to her. If she really was determined to seduce him—
He’d wanted desperately to say these things to her, but had been stopped by one guest after another with a problem he needed to see to. With each passing hour, he had more respect for his father, who wasn’t easy to work for, but had made running this guest ranch seem easy.
Now as the food was passed around in the dining room, followed by the clatter of knives and forks as everyone enjoyed the meal, Will watched in surprise, noting that not even the Lexi scare earlier had dampened their appetites.
He looked down the table and realized that Poppy seemed to be waiting for him to take a bite of the pork. The mustard-maple sauce was both sweet and savory and a wonderful mahogany color that reminded him of her hair. He breathed in the scent, realizing how much she put of herself into each dish and how much he was enjoying both her and her cuisine. If this was what making love with her was like...
“Do I detect a note of sage?” asked Dean, making Mick and Kirk snicker.
Poppy grinned. “You do indeed. Nice palate.”
Dean beamed. His wrist was better. He was threatening to get back on a horse again. There was some kidding and joking, but even the usually dour Dean seemed to be enjoying himself and the meal.
Everything had been going fine until Ruby knocked over the saltshaker in front of her.
“Quick, throw the spilled salt over your shoulder,” Dorothea ordered in a stricken voice from down the table.
Ruby laughed. “That’s an old wives’ tale. No one believes that.”
Will saw Dorothea bristle. “That’s how those women lived long enough to become old wives,” she snapped.
Next to Ruby, Big Jack scooped up a little of the spilled salt and tossed it over his left shoulder. “Happy?” he asked Dorothea and laughed. “I think Ruby is safe now from evil.”
“I wouldn’t bet on that,” Dorothea mumbled under her breath, loud enough that everyone at the table had to have heard.
The room went too quiet, but leave it to Poppy to save the day as usual. “I hope you’re all leaving room for dessert,” she said into the death-like doom that had descended on the table moments before. “We’re having pie. Field berry pie, for those of you who haven’t had it, is a fusion of blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and apples. It’s kind of an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink kind of pie. Who wants ice cream with theirs?”
Hands went up all around the table and everyone went back to eating, the tense moment over at least for now. This was an odd bunch of guests, Will thought. He glanced at Dorothea, who looked up to give him one of her I-told-you-so looks. He had to admit that there had been more accidents in two days than ever before. Just his luck?
As dishes were cleared away and Poppy got up to get the pies, he rose to help scoop the ice cream. She was cutting the pies next to him when he w
hispered over to her, “Can we talk later?”
She glanced at him, maybe a little surprised, but nodded, then returned to the table and began passing around pie and ice cream for their eagerly waiting guests.
* * *
POPPY THOUGHT SHE already knew what Will wanted to talk about. All during kitchen cleanup and putting the food away—what little there was left to put away—Dorothea had been more quiet than usual. When she did speak it was to tell Poppy that she feared things were going to get much worse.
“Can’t you feel it in the air?” the older woman had demanded.
She hadn’t shared her own concerns with Dorothea or anyone else for that matter. “It’s only two more days. I’m more worried about the storm that’s coming. Imagine if they’re all confined to their cabins because of the snow. Or worse, the lodge?”
“I heard Will earlier trying to talk Big Jack into cutting the retreat short but the man wasn’t having any of it.” Dorothea shook her head. “Retreat,” she said with disdain. “Doesn’t look like it’s bringing any of them closer together, if that was the plan. In fact, it’s just the opposite.”
Poppy couldn’t argue her point. She wondered how they’d all gotten along before this. Maybe they’d never had to spend this much time together. So why was Big Jack determined that they were going to no matter what?
Dorothea finished her work and left, taking a box of salt with her. “You’d be smart to put some down by your door, as well,” she said as she left.
The woman hadn’t been gone long when Poppy looked up to see Will come into the kitchen. He smelled of campfire. Past him, she could see the blaze going outside at the fire pit. The guests were huddled around it, their faces lit by firelight. She was surprised to see that even Lexi was there. She’d limped out after supper.
“Your food was amazing as always,” Will said as he leaned against the kitchen counter with a nonchalance that didn’t quite ring true. He seemed...nervous. “I’m sorry I don’t have more staff to help you. How are you and Dorothea getting on?”
She smiled. “Just fine. I think we’re bonding.”
He laughed at that. “She told me to watch out for you. That you’re plotting against me and to be careful if you offer me anything to eat that you haven’t taken a bite of yourself.”
Poppy had to laugh, as well. Why was he telling her this now? She’d already suspected that he was onto her. But she played along to see where he was headed rather than call him on it. “She thinks I’m trying to seduce you with food.”
“Well, if that’s the case,” he said, meeting her gaze, “it’s definitely working.”
They stood looking at each other for a long moment before Will cleared his voice and changed the subject so quickly it almost gave her whiplash.
“I need to ask you something about earlier today,” he said, dropping the unlikely nonchalance and going back to all business. “I saw tracks where it appeared—”
“Lexi had been running when she went off that ledge and fell?”
He nodded and let out a long sigh. “Did she say why she was running through the woods like that?”
“She denied it. But it was clear she was lying. She was definitely scared. I thought maybe she’d seen a bear or something else that had frightened her.”
“Or someone.” He looked away for a moment before he turned back to her. “I hate to even mention this but Dorothea—”
“Told you about the salt Lexi borrowed for her cabin.”
He nodded, smiling. “I’m sure you find all this hocus-pocus stuff as silly as I do, but it does sound like the young woman is afraid of someone.”
“Are you going to mention it to Big Jack?”
Will chewed at his cheek for a moment. “I’m afraid he’d laugh it off. Not that I blame him. Or worse, that it might affect her job.”
“Do you think he’d fire her?”
He shrugged. “Maybe that’s what this retreat is about. Finding out which employees he wants to keep. He said he had some decisions to make while here. Lexi’s behavior would make any employer worry.”
“I’m sure Dorothea broached this subject with you,” Poppy began.
“The storm,” he said with another sigh, realizing they were finishing each other’s sentences—something they’d done twenty years ago when they were just kids. “She wants me to talk to Big Jack again about them leaving tomorrow right after breakfast. The storm isn’t supposed to hit until noon. You haven’t changed your mind about staying, have you?”
She shook her head. “I’m here for you until the end.”
He nodded and looked as if he wanted to say more, but changed his mind as he started to leave. She got the impression he’d come in here to talk about more than guest ranch business. “You’re welcome to come out by the campfire. Dorothea brought out the marshmallows, crackers and chocolate for s’mores.”
Poppy was still wondering at all the things Will hadn’t said. “I think I’ll pass and make it an early night, but thank you.” A lot had happened today and she’d realized that she needed time alone—away from Will. Earlier, being with him in the truck, seeing him in his element up in the woods, and later witnessing how tender and caring he’d been with Lexi, it had left her shaken to her core.
Not that she’d forgotten the sparks he’d ignited with just the touch of his hand or his apology. Will Sterling was way too likable even when he was warning her that they could never be anything but friends.
Isn’t that why he’d brought up Dorothea’s suspicions? He wanted her to know that he was onto her. Well, she’d gotten the message. So why hadn’t he just come out and told her that he knew what she was up to and it wasn’t working?
Unless... She felt her heart do a little bump in her chest. Because it was working? It was just the food she cooked for him. Is that why he’d seemed...off tonight? She was getting to him. Why else try to warn her off? If she really had no chance of seducing him, then why would he mention it?
She felt way too much hope suddenly and didn’t like the way her pulse began to pound. Easy, she warned herself. The last person she was going to let ruin her plan for a Will reckoning was herself. She had two days left. That’s if Big Jack and his crew stayed until Wednesday afternoon.
Looking out at the campfire and the people standing around it, she was reminded of what she’d seen in the woods today and the state she’d found Lexi in. As she headed up to bed, she walked through the dining room and was tempted to take a saltshaker. She would lock her door tight tonight, though.
Something about this group of guests was enough to make anyone feel a little spooked.
* * *
LAMAR STUDIED HIS employees standing around the campfire. The scare earlier with Lexi getting lost and hurt seemed to have restrained even his brother, Mick. Or maybe it was just because Allison appeared to have lost interest in him and was now chummy with wrangler Huck. At least his father and Ruby were keeping their distance.
But it was Lexi he was more concerned about. She’d been acting stranger than usual. Now she was huddled by herself at the edge of the group. Will had dragged up a log for her to sit on so she wasn’t on her ankle. Why she’d insisted on coming to the campfire, Lamar couldn’t imagine. Maybe she didn’t want to be alone. She seemed to be watching them all with suspicion.
“Having fun?”
He turned in surprise to see Allison next to him. She wasn’t looking at him, but studying the people around the fire as she warmed her hands over the flames.
“I need to talk to you,” she said, lowering her voice, still not looking at him. “Alone.”
“Okay.” He started to move away from the fire, but she stopped him.
“Not now. Meet me in the barn. Midnight. Don’t tell anyone.”
He stared over at her. Was she serious or just joking around? He wondered how much she’d had to drink. But when she looked up
at him, he saw that she wasn’t joking. She actually looked scared.
“I need another beer,” she announced loudly. “Anyone else?” As she moved away from him to head for the cooler filled with ice and beverages, he saw that both Kirk and Mick had been watching him and Allison with interest. Lexi, too, he saw as he looked around the campfire. She met his gaze for a moment and quickly looked away.
But none of that bothered him as much as seeing his father studying him with a mixture of anger and concern.
* * *
WILL MANAGED TO get Big Jack aside as the campfire burned down. “I really think you should consider cutting the retreat short and leaving tomorrow before the storm hits. I know you don’t want—”
“We’ll leave right after breakfast.”
He’d expected the man to put up an argument. He couldn’t help being surprised. Big Jack was the kind of man who stuck to his guns even as the life raft was sinking. Will hadn’t thought he’d be able to change his mind, even though he’d been determined to give it another try.
“So you changed your mind already? Can I ask why?”
The man glanced back at the dying campfire. Most of his employees looked as if they were staying until the last embers blinked out. “Lexi getting lost and hurt today... Dean getting bucked off his horse—”
“I should tell you. My wrangler found a rubber snake that someone must have brought along as a joke. They’d dropped it on the trail and when the horses saw it...”
“I was afraid it might be something like that,” Big Jack said, shaking his head. He looked tired and much older in the faint dying firelight where they stood.
“I’m sure whoever did it thought it would be funny,” Will said, not wanting to get anyone in trouble. It had been a stupid thing to do, but then again, these were greenhorns. What did they know about horses?
Big Jack looked skeptical. “Maybe,” he said. “Or maybe one of them has an ax to grind against me.”
