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Sable Does It in the Kitchen Cookbook Volume 1

Page 2

by Hunter, Sable


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  Hot Artichoke Dip Recipe

  Recipe Provied by Jackie Return to Recipes Section

  Honey Ginger Chicken Recipe

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  Chicken Cacciatora (Hunter’s Style) Recipe

  Recipe Provided by Cinzia M Return to Recipes Section

  Sweet Sausage Rolls Recipe

  Recipe Provide by Martha Benes K. Return to Recipes Section

  Chicken Casserole Recipe

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  Bagel Dip Recipe

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  Chicken & Rice (Arroz Con Pollo) Recipe

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  Chicken & Rice (Arroz Con Pollo) Recipe Continued

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  Although the trip had been a necessary one, Aron was glad it was almost over. Never had the road seemed so long from Austin to Kerrville. Never had he been so tempted to floor it. When he got to the last leg of the journey, the dirt road that led from the blacktop to the Tebow ranch gate had never looked so welcoming. He noticed the wildflowers that grew along the way. Had they always been so bright and colorful? Everything seemed better somehow – the air was sweeter, the food tasted better, hell, he even liked his worthless brothers more.

  Mostly, he couldn’t wait to hold her in his arms again. Last night’s loving had only left him hungry for more. That was the way it always was – he just couldn’t get enough of Libby Fontaine. Lately, he had been rethinking his future. He had made a decision. A huge decision. He wanted Libby in his life; there was no way that he could face a lifetime without her. Marriage wasn’t the word he would use just yet, but he was definitely thinking long-term. The only problem was convincing her of that. Something was holding her back. He knew she cared about him. There was no doubt about that, she showed him every day in more ways than he could count. Why was she so adamant that their time together was short? Yeah, he knew it had been his idea to start with. Hell, he was ready to admit he was wrong. Yet, every time he put limits on the relationship, she had been only too happy to agree. Aron didn’t like that she agreed so damn readily. He wanted her to fight for him. So, when he got home – the mission had changed. Win Libby Fontaine, that was his new goal.

  When he started up the drive, he knew instantly something was wrong. It was only three o’clock and all of the brother’s trucks were there. They were pulled haphazardly around the front, as if they had all been in a hurry to get out and get into the house. His heart clutched in his chest. He didn’t want anything to happen to any of his brothers, but all he could think about was – Oh God - don’t let anything have happened to his precious Libby.

  He drove faster as he got closer and ended up skidding his King Ranch dangerously close to the wide front verandah steps. Leaping from the cab, he took the steps three at a time. Charging through the front door, he yelled. “What the hell is wrong? Libby! Libby, answer me sweetheart, right now!”

  “We need to call Doc Mulligan.” This was Jacob’s voice. A doctor? Who was Mulligan? By, God he’d find out. He followed the voices.

  “Shit, Aron’s here.” That was Isaac.

  “Like he’s not going to find us.” Joseph stage whispered. “We’re in the den, Aron!”

  Aron barreled into the ‘man-cave’ as Nathan called it and saw four of his brothers kneeling in front of the leather sofa. And behind them was – aw hell, it was his Libby.

  In a few short moves, he had displaced brothers both left and right. Kneeling at her side, he whispered, “Libby? Sweetheart?” She was so small and pale and her eyes were closed.

  “What the hell happened?” he looked directly at Jacob.

  “Aron, O Aron.” Libby opened her eyes, held out her arms, and as he took her, she began scooting over into his lap. “I am so glad you’re here, Aron. So glad. I missed you, so.”

  As Aron cuddled her close, he demanded again. “What happened to her?”

  “She fell off of Molly.” Jacob’s voice was level and quiet.

  Aron’s hands at once began moving over her body.

  Isaac snorted. “It’s her head, Aron.” Laughing, “I thought I’d tell you before you felt her up in front of us.”

  “Hush up, Isaac. There‘s nothing funny about this.” Aron’s voice was direct and succinct. He held her with one arm, while he began parting her hair, looking for a wound.

  “She hit her head on the fence when Molly threw her.” Jacob sounded as guilty as he felt.

  At Aron’s indrawn breath, Libby feared for Molly and Jacob’s safety. “It wasn’t Jacob’s fault, I begged him to teach me. And it wasn’t Molly’s fault – it was that humongous, horrible deadly snake that scared us!” Aron fought with everything he had not to smile; this was too serious.

  “It was a chicken snake.” Jacob said dryly.

  “A huge, ugly, vicious chicken snake!” Libby was very anti-serpent.

  “Why aren’t you in the hospital?” He looked at Libby, then at the brothers.

  “No, no, no, no.” She clung to his neck. “No hospital! Some of the worst days of my life have been spent in hospitals.” Aron cuddled her close.

  Jacob knelt by her and took her hand. Aron’s eyes widened. “Libby, see the doctor, please.” Jacob’s voice was low, but he spoke from his heart.

  “I’m fine, Jacob. I don’t need to see him.” Her eyes pled with him to let it drop. Knowing that Aron would take up Jacob’s mantra, Libby changed her tactic. “Aron, please take me to our room. I want to lie down and I need you to hold me.”

  That’s all it took, Aron rose and started off with her. Before he left the room, he turned and faced his brothers. “If I ever come home again and find her with so much as a paper cut, there will be hell to pay. I go off and leave the most precious thing I have in the world in your care and you let a horse throw her,” he paused and a small smile escaped his lips, “and a Godzilla-sized snake nearly swallowed her whole. It will not happen again!” With that he stalked off, his baby held close to his heart.

  “Yeah, this is a temporary thing. You can tell. He don’t care a thing in the world about her.” Isaac observed dryly.

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  McCoy BBQ Brisket Recipe

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  McCoy BBQ Brisket Recipe Continued

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  BBQ Sauce Recipe

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  Jacob was dead tired. He had met with Kane and the vet. The vet had confirmed that Sultan had been

  poisoned with feed that had been laced with ground up oleander leaves. Oleanders were deadly to man and beast. Jacob wondered what kind of a messed up jerk went around hurting innocent

  creatures? Now, all he wanted to do was see Jessie. He looked at the time. Jessie wouldn’t be asleep. She would be waiting up for him.

  “Jessie! Jessie, honey! I’m home!” He stood still for a second,

  expecting to hear her little steps running to meet him. Walking to his room, he opened the door with his foot, hoping to find her taking a nap or soaking in the tub. The room was disturbingly empty. Throwing his hat and jacket on the bed, he went out to find her.

  “Jessie?” Hell! He could hear yelling. Something was definitely wrong. Heading to Aron’s office, where the confusion seemed to be coming from,
he walked in on a meeting already in progress. As soon as they noticed him, all talking stopped – dead silent – mid-sentence. Every eye turned on him. He looked at Aron, Noah and Roscoe. They all stared at him. “What? Did somebody die or something?” Aron picked up a good sized book and flung it across the room. Jacob was stunned. In all of the years since the death of their parents, he had never seen Aron react like that. “Jacob, you’d better sit down. We’ve got something serious to tell you.” A blast of cold air rammed into Jacob’s heart. “What’s wrong? Is it Jessie? Is it the baby?” God, what would he do if something had happened to them? When no one answered, Jacob literally bellowed. “For God’s sake, tell me. Please!” Noah bent over, putting his head in his hands. “Tell your brother what you’ve done, Noah.” Aron’s voice was as cold as steel. “We’re a family and, by God, we’re going to be honest with one another if nothing else.” Jacob went as still as death. “What did you do?” Walking to his brother, he knelt down in front of him. “Tell me, Noah. I can make it right, if you’ll just tell me. Did you say something to Jessie? Did you make her cry? Where is she?” Aron’s heart hurt for his brother. He had never seen Jacob like this. Jacob loved Jessie, it was as plain as the nose on his face. “Jacob, we’ll help you find her.” “She’s gone?!?” Jacob jumped up. Noah still hadn’t said a word. “Where did she go? Did you take her somewhere?” “Noah, man up! Have the balls to tell your brother the truth.” Aron would do anything to save his family, even whup their butt if need be. “I had her sign a paper absolving you of all responsibility toward the child,” he finally said. Jacob tossed his beloved black Stetson across the room. “That’s easy fixed. The law said a paper wasn’t necessary anyway.” He didn’t understand what was going on. “So, I just won’t sign it or file it. Besides, Jessie has been willing to do that all along, anyway.” He was grasping at straws, frantic to make this better than it was. “I told her it was your idea,” Noah raised his face and looked at Jacob. “I told her you wouldn’t give the baby your name.” “Shit!” Jacob slammed his fist down on Aron’s desk. “I’m going to go look for her,” Jacob started out of the room. Jessie belonged to him. It was his right. “Wait, Jacob.” Aron’s voice was stern. “There’s more.” Something in his voice made Jacob sick at his stomach. “You need to see these photos of Jessie.” Aron handed him an envelope. He slowly took them out, not understanding how photos could be so serious. But, when he saw her - naked and vulnerable, he wanted to kill somebody. “Where did you get these? Who’s seen them?” The idea that they had all looked at his Jessie made rage boil up in him like a volcano. “Noah got them out of the mail. Keith McCay’s wife sent them. She said that Jessie had given consent for them to be taken.” Jacob bowed his head, trying to calm down. “Noah confronted her with them. She denied it, of course. But, they’re already on the Internet.” Jacob ripped the pictures in half and then in half again. “It was McCay, the bastard.” There wasn’t a doubt in Jacob’s mind. “Couldn’t you tell by her face? She didn’t know she was being photographed.” “You’re right. I found the concealed cameras,“ Roscoe spoke up. Noah decided to put the last few nails in his coffin. “I told her that you wanted her off the property.” Jacob gritted his teeth. “Where did you take her?” Noah looked up at him in anguish. “I didn’t take her anywhere. She left on foot.” Unbelieving, Jacob asked in anguish, “You made her walk back to town, Noah? She’s pregnant for God’s sake!” “That’s not all, Roscoe and Vance have put two and two together and we think McCay has been here for days. We think he’s the one that’s been killing the animals. He’s trying to distract us. We think he came for Jessie.” Jerking Noah off the couch, Jacob came very near to hitting his brother. “How could you do this to me, Noah? I would never, ever do anything to hurt you!” Releasing him, abruptly, Jacob left the room before he did something he might later regret.

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  Best Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe

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  Best Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe Continued

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  Best Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe Continued

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  Red Beans & Sausage Recipe

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  Ryan’s Candlelight Chicken Recipe

  Recipe Provided by Ryan Return to

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  Ryan’s Candlelight Chicken Recipe Continued

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  Pepper Steak Recipe

  Recipe Provided by Missy B Return to Recipes Section

  Good Spaghetti Sauce Recipe

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  A Good Spaghetti Sauce Recipe Continued

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  Grilled Lemon Chicken Recipe

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  Smoked Pork Loin Stuffed with Cajun Boudain Recipe

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  Smoked Pork Loin Stuffed with Cajun Boudain Recipe Conintued

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  Smoked Pork Loin Stuffed with Cajun Boudain Recipe Conintued

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  “Aron, I need to talk to you.” Jacob sat down in front of the big oak desk. “What can I do you for, Deuce?” This time, Jacob didn’t even mind the worrisome nickname. Being the number two son wasn’t so bad, but as far as nicknames go, he much preferred the one that the Texas Cowgirl Sorority over in Austin had penned on him after they had seen him wrestle down a thirteen hundred pound steer during a bulldogging exhibition. They called him Texas Torque because of his massive chest and arm muscles. Of all the brothers, Jacob was the biggest - and he was damn proud of it. “I’ve

  got a situation.” Aron sat up, this didn’t sound

  good. “What kind of situation?” “Do you

  remember when I stored my sperm over in that Cryobank in Austin?” Aron crossed his arms over his chest, wondering where this was going. “Yea, just in case you damaged your swimmers in some type of accident. I remember.” “Anyway, I got an official letter from them today. It seems they might have made a mistake and used my sperm to impregnate a woman who was supposed to be a surrogate mother for this couple named McCay. Apparently, they intended to use the husband’s sperm and the surrogate’s egg - but mine got in the mix, instead.” Aron had leaned forward more with each word. “Holy Crap! Do you mean to tell me that there’s a little McCoy floating around out there somewhere?” “Yea, it’s possible that I’m going to be a father. The Cryobank has tried to contact the surrogate, but they haven’t been able to locate her.” Jacob was talking fast; his heart rate had probably gone out of sight. “I don’t know what the parent’s lawyers told her. I’ve tried to phone her, but there was no answer. I’m worried, Aron. Something doesn’t seem right.” “Boy, you’ve got to be careful.” Aron warned him. “This woman could come in and try to take everything you’ve got. First thing you do, when you find her - you better make damn sure that baby is yours. If they can’t keep up with their man juice any better than that over at the Cryobank, you can’t trust anything those people say. That baby might not even be yours.” Aron was getting angry. This wasn’t the
reaction that Jacob had been looking for. For some insane reason, he was filled with hope and anticipation, not suspicion and remorse. Aron’s words worried Jacob. Frowning, he found himself on the defensive. “The letter said that, by law, I’m not responsible for the child. But, I feel responsible.” Jacob protested. “If the child is mine, I want to know it. Hell, I want to hold it and talk to it and watch it grow. Shit! I don’t know why I’m telling you all of this. I guess I just wanted you to know.” Jacob wasn’t in the mood for dire warnings. “I think you ought to go down to that sperm bank and make a permanent and complete withdrawal. If they’re going to be handing your sperm out willy-nilly - it don’t need to be there.” “You may be right about that. Anyway, I’ve called Roscoe to help me locate Jessie Montgomery and I’ve called Zane to advise me on the legal aspects.” Jacob took off his Stetson and scrubbed his face with his hand. “I’m worried about my baby, Aron.” At Aron’s skeptical look, Jacob felt the need to explain. “I know, I know - this morning I didn’t even know the baby existed. And I know it’s not the same situation as you and Libby. You have a baby on the way, but the mother of your child is the love of your life.” He wasn’t getting any argument from Aron on those valid points. “Still, if it’s my child - I want it. I want it to be safe and I want the mother of my child to be safe. Can you understand that?” Aron sat up and blew out a long breath. “Yea, I understand. What can I do?” The phone jangling at his right hand almost startled them. “Aron McCoy speaking.” Jacob watched Aron’s face - it went from interested, to intent, to anxious - all in a matter of seconds. “We’ll be right there.” Aron stood up and started moving. “Come on. There’s been an accident - it’s Nathan.” Aron called out an alarm to Libby as they went out the door. Her horrified face said it all. “Tell Joseph, then call Noah and Isaac and let them know. Tell them that I’ll phone you just as soon as I know anything. They say he’s alive - but that’s all I know.” Both men ran across the yard to Aron’s King Ranch like the devil himself was after them. “Talk to me, Aron.” Jacob commanded. “It happened right under our noses - just a mile or so down the road. Some nut side-swiped him and knocked him and his bike off the bridge and into the Guadalupe. He almost drowned. Somebody at the scene gave him CPR - they’re supposedly working on him right now.” “Merciful God,” Jacob breathed prayerfully as they sped down the road, breaking the speed limit without a thought. As reported, there were a half dozen cars and an ambulance pulled over next to the river bridge. Aron swung the truck over on the side of the road and they were out of it almost before it came to a full stop. Racing down the embankment, they were relieved to see that Nathan was sitting up. “Hey, Buddy,” Jacob went right to him and knelt down. “What happened, Sport?” Aron elbowed his way through the crowd - not hearing anything anyone had to say. His full attention was focused on their baby brother. Nathan turned a grateful face up to his brothers, “I almost drowned!” He was way too cheerful about it, Jacob thought. “We were walking across the bridge, just talking - when this truck came too close and knocked us both into the water. I don’t remember nothing else, until I woke up coughing. She saved my life, Jacob.” “That’s right. I saw it all,” Jacob looked up to see Clarence Townsend crowding in to put his two cents in. “This idiot clipped them both; your boy first and then that little lady. When I got to the edge where I could see, she was already towing him to the bank. She gave him CPR, but I saw her holding her side. She didn’t get off without a good lick, at the very least.” Nathan was shaking - Jacob realized he must be in shock. “Will you find her, Jacob? Please?” “You need to take it easy, Nate. It’s you that we’re concerned about.” Jacob intended to help and thank whoever saved his brother’s life, but right now, Nathan was more important. At his brother’s insistent look, Jacob relented. “Don’t worry, Nathan. I’ll look for your friend. But first, we’ve got to get you in the ambulance and on the way to the hospital to have you checked out.” Aron stood and began talking to the EMT’s and to Kane Saucier, the sheriff, who had just arrived at the scene. Kane had sent out an APB on the reckless driver after getting a description of the truck from Townsend. Jacob pushed Nathan’s damp hair out of his eyes. While they were waiting, he would find out what he could about Nathan’s friend. “Who were you walking with, Nathan? Can you tell me her name?” Jacob looked around for a woman, but there wasn’t one in the crowd. “It was the mermaid, Jacob. She saved my life She gave me CPR.” At those words, he had Jacob’s full and complete attention. “Are you sure?” Jacob stood up and looked around, wanting desperately to find the elusive woman who had pulled Nathan from the river. “Yes. She has to be here somewhere. I just talked to her a few minutes ago. Earlier, she said she was walking into town to find a job. She knew your name, Jacob. She said that she had come here to find you.” Hope, wonder, and curiosity all vied for a premier position in his heart. So, her presence in the barn this morning hadn’t been a coincidence. She had been looking for him - not Isaac - not Noah - not Joseph - him. Why? He didn’t know. But, he certainly wanted to find out. “What was her name, Nathan? Did you get her name?” He hoped at least one of his mysteries would soon be solved. In a few moments, he might get to meet his Angel of the Morning. “Her name was Jessie Montgomery.” As Nathan’s simple statement sank in, Jacob felt the world shift under his feet. He looked up toward heaven and thanked God for answered prayers. Aron finished his conversation and knelt back down by his brother. “You need to quit running off at the mouth, bud, and rest awhile.” “All right.” He looked over at Jacob for confirmation. “You’ll find her for me won’t you, Jacob?” “I’ll find her for both of us, Nate.” And that was a promise he would move heaven and earth to keep.

 

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