by Marla Monroe
“Just a few fallen limbs we moved. Nothing that would have been an issue. Bo pointed out some good alternatives for the future for more experienced riders if we decide to do that.”
“Good. Once we have things running smoothly we’ll look at taking the next step. How about Goliath? How is he settling in?” They’d just received a new stud for their breeding side of the business. They’d been lucky to be able to afford him. Since he was considered to be too wild for most breeders to deal with, they’d gotten an amazing price.
“Actually, the big guy is doing well so far. He’s taken to his new home like he was born here,” Laramie said with a grin. “He might settle down because he likes the area.”
Laredo grunted. “I hope you’re right. We took a big risk buying him, but if we can get him to cover our mares without killing them or one of us, we’ve got a chance at some amazing bloodlines.”
“I’m going to run by and check on him before I head home. See you later.” Laramie stood up and stretched before walking out the door.
Laredo sighed, leaning back in his chair. He felt as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders right then. Yeah, his family’s ranch and land was, but more than that, he was afraid he had their happiness in his hands as well. His dad might say that all that mattered was that his mom’s furniture was safe and they were all alive and healthy, but Laredo knew that the ranch was as much a part of his dad’s life as the blood that ran through his veins. Despite everything, he was already asking Laredo about coming over to see how things were set up. It was obvious that he wanted to be a part of everything in some way, however small. Laredo aimed to give him that once the doctor said it was okay.
He scrubbed at his face with both hands. He hadn’t counted on the intense attraction he had for Billy. There was just something about her that pulled at him. So far he’d been able to keep it under control, but with his twin’s obvious interest, his determination was weakening. Just listening to her speak had his cock rocketing to attention in an instant. That drawl she worked hard to minimize sank into his balls like sweet warm molasses.
I’m going to fucking go crazy if Laramie claims her as his wife.
It was obvious that was the path his twin was headed down whether he knew it yet or not. Laredo could see it because it was the one he was struggling to avoid himself. All it had taken was one touch of her soft skin and one look into those amazing eyes to hook his attention like one of the rainbow trout from the Madison River.
Laredo turned his focus to the papers on his desk and forced himself to work. There was more than enough to do without wasting his time worrying about what might or might not happen. There were bills to pay and supplies to order as well as plans to make for the guests arriving on Sunday. It wasn’t long until he had lost himself in the mess and it wasn’t until he couldn’t stop yawning that he looked up. The first thought in his head once he’d cleared the business from it was if Billy had finished cleaning the kitchen yet.
Shaking his head, he checked the time. Nearly ten. She would be finished by now. He needed to make sure everything was locked up tight and head home himself. More than likely Laramie was in the shower by now. He hoped to find out if their stallion was still relaxed or not. That wouldn’t happen if he didn’t get a move on.
When he stood up and stretched, it felt like every bone in his back popped. Sitting behind a desk hadn’t been something he’d planned on doing. He needed to get some exercise if he didn’t want to end up with a paunch and jowls. He checked Shelby’s office first and found it locked up tight. Then he headed toward the kitchen to check that the back door was locked there as well. A noise outside the kitchen’s main doors stopped him. There was light coming from beneath them.
He quietly pushed open the door and stepped into the fully lit room that sparkled in the bright lights. Everything looked spotless and in order. Another sound reached him from the direction of the pantry. He strode across the room and looked through the small window of the pantry door to see Billy on a ladder pushing a large box back on the top shelf.
Without thinking, Laredo barged into the room, intent on reprimanding her about handling heavy boxes on ladders. The noise must have startled her because she lost her balance and fell backwards from the ladder. Laredo rushed forward and grabbed her before she hit the ground, his heart in his throat that he had almost caused her to get seriously hurt.
He crushed her to him, relishing the feel of her head beneath his chin and her mouth next to his skin. After a few seconds to allow his heart to settle and his breath to ease back to normal, Laredo pulled back and stared down into her face. He intended to fuss at her about being on the ladder like that, but instead, he kissed her. All rational thought evaporated in the face of her near disaster and the fact that he would have been the cause of it. All he could focus on right then was tasting her, sipping from the plump lips that promised paradise.
The soft scent of vanilla and brown sugar had tantalized him ever since he’d met her, but it was nothing compared to the taste of her. Sweet nectar urged him deeper into the kiss. He swept his tongue across her lips until she opened for him and he could plunge deep. There he found a whole world of flavor and warmth that called to him. Her body shifted in his arms as if to get closer to him. He took it as a sign of her acceptance and dug his hand into her thick hair, molding his hand to the back of her head as he explored every part of her mouth.
Fire blossomed in his balls at the sudden need to possess her, make her his before his brother staked a claim. That one thought was all it took to douse some of the fire building in his blood. He pulled back, noting the confusion then sudden awareness that flooded Billy Jean’s eyes. Crimson stained her cheeks as she struggled to push him away.
“Let go of me,” she all but growled.
“Be still. I’m not going to hurt you. Take a deep breath and steady yourself. Then I’ll let you go.”
Outrage flared across her face. He saw it even before she spoke. That had sounded very much like a boast on his account. He honestly hadn’t meant it to come out that way.
“You arrogant prick! Just because you kissed me doesn’t mean I’m too overcome with your prowess to stand on my own two feet.” She punctuated her statement with a solid slap to his chest.
At least she hadn’t slapped his face. He could be thankful for small miracles. He’d probably deserved it.
“I didn’t mean it to come out like that. I just meant that you almost fell off the ladder. I thought you might need a second to regain your balance.” He winced when she glared at him. It was obvious she didn’t believe him for one second.
“If you hadn’t barged into the room and scared the life out of me, I wouldn’t have fallen in the first place. What were you thinking?” she demanded, sticking her hands on her hips when he finally let go of her.
“I was thinking that you shouldn’t have been on that ladder in the first place handling something over your head. It scared me and I jumped in to grab the ladder to be sure you didn’t tip over.” Even to him it sounded lame now. He sighed.
“I had it under control,” she fumed.
“Why are you still down here anyway?” he finally asked.
“I made pastries for breakfast in the morning and was putting things away before I closed down. What are you doing in my kitchen at this time of night?” she asked with a smirk.
“I always make sure everything is locked down before I leave at night. The time got away from me.” He didn’t like being put on the spot by someone who was supposed to be his employee. “Finish up what you were doing and let me lock up.”
She seemed to realize how she’d sounded as well as remember what they had just shared. Billy Jean only nodded and backed away, almost backing into the ladder. He stopped her just in time.
“I’ll put away the ladder while you finish whatever else you have to do,” he offered. To his relief, she left him to it and hurried out into the kitchen.
When he walked out of the pantry, she was waiting
by the door that led into the main hall. He crossed the big room in long strides just as she shut off the lights, plunging them into darkness. The door opened almost instantly to let the meager light from the hall into the room.
After they’d stepped out into the hall, he closed the door and locked it behind them. When he turned around, Billy Jean was nowhere to be found. He heard the creak of the stairs behind him and turned. Sure enough, he could make out a faint shadow of her creeping up the steps.
“Good night, Billy Jean. Sweet dreams.”
He heard her slight intake of breath, but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she quickened her steps, not trying to keep them silent any longer. He chuckled and turned to leave. Once he had heard the soft snick of her door closing, Laredo opened the outside door and stepped outside. Closing it, he locked it. Something he didn’t normally do. It usually stayed unlocked at night, but tonight he locked it. Tonight, he had someone important to him sleeping behind those doors.
Chapter Six
Saturday proved to be a crazy day as far as Billy was concerned. First of all, the wranglers and naturalists were all antsy and didn’t eat as much as she’d cooked. Normally, they would clean the platters and all but lick their plates. Evidently the arrival of their first guests the next day had everyone on edge. She hadn’t anticipated that since they were, well, men and wranglers, not women or some of the prissy chefs she’d been around.
While they didn’t throw temper tantrums or whine that their saddles were hard, they did pace a lot and ramp up the tension in the air. She had enough of that already. Anytime either or both of the Marshall brothers were around, she felt as if there was a live wire jumping around on the floor between them. It took all of her professionalism to maintain her calm, impassive expression when inside she wanted to jump on both of them and ride them to the ground.
What is wrong with me? Why am I thinking like this when I need to be focused on my job?
She swallowed and drew in a deep breath in hopes it would calm the fluttering in her chest. She didn’t need this. Something was going on. Something more than just the arrival of guests the next day. She’d jumped when Laredo had slammed the door to his brother’s office earlier. Now they both were outside talking to all of the wranglers and other employees. She felt left out since they hadn’t included her but had included Shelby, their office manager.
She watched as everyone nodded and started to walk away. Billy hurried back to the kitchen before they caught her watching them. She felt like a teenager snooping on her friends.
The sound of the kitchen door opening startled her. She swung around to find the twins standing there just in the doorway. Fear that she’d somehow done something wrong churned her gut.
“I–Is something wrong?” she finally managed to ask.
Both men frowned then shook their heads. They were alike in so many ways, yet even now she knew the difference without their clothes choices. Laramie relaxed much faster than his brother did. Laredo cocked his head as if to figure out why she asked the question in the first place.
“Nothing’s wrong, really,” Laramie said.
“Our parents are coming to see the place. They haven’t been here since we took over. Dad’s been ill and this is his first outing, so to speak,” Laredo added.
“Oh. Are you worried they won’t like what you’ve done?” she asked.
Laredo winced before he covered and resumed his normal in control expression. “Not really. They know what we are doing, but I’m worried about our dad coming this soon. He needs more rest.”
“Not if you hear him tell it,” Laramie groused. “He thinks we’ve been treating him like an invalid when we kept asking him to wait a while.”
“Are they staying for dinner tonight? Do I need to make anything special for him or your mom?” she asked.
Immediately she began to catalog what she had available that could be altered for various health issues.
“Billy Jean? Did you hear me?” Laramie asked with a concerned expression on his face.
She realized both men had moved closer at some point and were only a few feet away from her.
“I’m sorry? What did you say?”
“Can you fix anything that would be good for a stroke patient?” Laredo asked.
“Low salt, low fat. Anything else?” She looked from one man to the other.
“Um, that’s all we know about for sure. Will that be a problem?” Laredo asked, looking over at his brother.
“Not at all. Believe it or not, most of what I prepare is healthy alternatives to what most people fix themselves. Of course some things you can’t alter without it being obvious, but I can handle that. Does he or your mom have any favorites either for dinner or dessert?” she asked.
“Dad loves apple cobbler. Is there anything you can make that would be safe for him to eat that would be close to that?” Laramie asked.
“I’ll take care of it. What time will dinner be tonight?” she asked. They were much too close for her to maintain control for much longer. She needed them to leave. She wanted them to stay and have their wicked way with her.
“We’re keeping to schedule unless you need a little more time to make changes for them,” Laredo told her.
“No need. I’ll have it ready for you. Do you want one long table or…” she began.
“One long table is good,” Laredo said. “Mom and Dad always like to eat with everyone around them.”
“Good. I better get busy then.” She brushed off her hands in hopes it would encourage them to leave.
Instead, they both took a step forward, crowding her into the counter behind her. She felt her pulse pick up even as her eyes grew wide. She felt like a rabbit on the business end of a wolf in hunt mode.
“Was there something else?” she asked, her voice only a little higher than normal.
As if breaking the spell, both men jerked and stepped back. They looked at each other with weary eyes then shook their heads together and turned around. Once they were both out of the kitchen, Billy let out a breath in one long hiss and nearly sank to the floor in a puddle of goo. What in the world was that all about?
She poured a glass of water and drank it down with shaky hands then forced herself to put it all behind her so she could concentrate on making the adjustments she needed for their dad’s special diet. She would have felt a lot better if she’d had the prescribed one in her hands, but generally speaking, low salt and low fat was the best she could do. If they were going to frequent the ranch more often in the future, she’d approach them about getting her the official one.
By the time dinner time rolled around, she had everything ready to serve. The waitresses had all arrived and set the dining room up to her specifications. She had met the group of women the night before and instantly liked all of them. They were efficient workers and seemed to enjoy what they were doing. She appreciated that, as how they served the food she cooked was just as important as how she cooked and arranged it. A bad server could ruin an excellent chef’s best creation.
“Okay, everyone is seated and ready when you are, Billy Jean,” April, one of the servers, said when she’d walked into the kitchen.
“Perfect. Let’s get started.” She made sure her head was straight then walked out with the waitresses to announce the meal.
“Tonight we are starting off with a botanical salad of fresh greens and your choice of the house vinaigrette or a basil cucumber. We also have pan-seared king crab cakes over a creamy lemon fennel sauce. Next will be bison tenderloin medallions served over a root vegetable hash with baby English peas. As a complement, we are serving fresh roasted asparagus in a light garlic sauce. Dessert will be a home-style apple cobbler. Ice cream is available for anyone who wants it.” She stepped back and watched as the waitresses began serving everyone.
She returned to the kitchen to continue filling the plates then filled the serving platters with what was left to be added to the table for seconds. She’d just fixed her own plate and was sitting
down to eat when Laramie walked in with a scowl on his face. Afraid that she’d messed up his parent’s dinner somehow, Billy jumped off the stool she’d perched on.
“Is something wrong?”
“Yes. What the hell are you doing in here? You’re supposed to eat out here with the rest of us,” he informed her with a growl in his voice.
“Laramie. I’m the chef. I don’t eat with everyone else.”
“You ate with us just fine all week,” he pointed out.
“That was before I was actually taking my place as the chef here. Your guests will expect to see me to announce meals on those nights that we aren’t using a menu, but other than the occasional check to be sure everyone is satisfied with their meal, I don’t mingle with the guests. It’s just not done,” she argued.
“That may be how it’s done in other places, but it’s not how it’s done here at Bear Mountain.” He picked up her plate and wrapped his big hand around her wrist as he led the way out to the dining room.
As soon as she appeared, the room erupted into cheers. Heat filled her cheeks as everyone stood up as they clapped.
“Best damn meal I’ve had in a long time, young lady,” an older gentleman she was sure was Laredo and Laramie’s father said. “I’ve been in food jail for months now.”
“And he still is, but I don’t think one night will hurt him.” A woman who was obviously their mother laid her hand on the man’s arm, drawing him back to his chair.
She noticed he was walking with a cane but otherwise seemed to be moving fairly well. He had a slightly bent stance but had to have been an imposing figure in his day. He had the same chocolate-brown eyes as his sons did though they were lighter in color. His light brown hair was sprinkled with grey, more noticeable at the temples.
His wife appeared younger than she would have guessed with short, smartly styled light-brown hair and pretty green eyes. She had a warm smile that showed that she doted on her husband. No doubt she’d done the same with her boys.
