But she'd be at the fairgrounds all day working the chili contest. The booths had been supplied with kitchen equipment. Small fridge, burners to cook on and hers had an oven underneath. She could put everything together during a lull in customers and make the pies then. Excitement bubbled up at the prospect of competing with Beulah. Sam always did love a challenge. But she was also excited that she would be baking something for a real restaurant that real customers were going to eat, and it could potentially help Nick and The Chuckwagon get a good review from the food critic.
If Beulah was doing some sort of advertising to bring people in for the pie contest, as she'd implied, then all the better. She hoped she'd have enough time to bake them. If she couldn't get enough done at the fair, she might be able to squeeze in some time to bake a few at the restaurant after.
She propped herself up and looked at Nick. Still sleeping, his face was peaceful as if he didn't have a worry in the world. But from what he’d told her last night ,he had plenty of worries. Suddenly, she wanted to be able to help make those worries disappear, and the pies were one way to get started.
She dropped a kiss on his cheek. His eyes fluttered open. He reached out for her, but she held him back. "We better get going. I have to bake those pies today, and I was hoping we could go to the grocery store first to pick up the ingredients."
He gave her an innocent look, mischief in his warm brown eyes as he peeled the covers back and looked down at her naked body. "I'd like to visit with Nacho this morning, too. I do that every day. But I still think we could spare a few minutes."
She laughed, swatted his arm teasingly and then skidded back on the bed. "Didn't you have enough last night?"
"Of you? Never."
She slipped out of bed then leaned back across, dropping another quick kiss on his nose. "Well, you'll have to suffer until later." Then she turned and ran toward the bathroom as Nick leaped out of bed to follow her. "I call dibs on the shower!"
The bathroom was tiny, the shower even tinier and it wasn't for lack of trying on Nick's part that they were forced to take separate showers. Sam went first, noting that the bathroom was quite plain. A white plastic shower curtain. An old sheer curtain on the small window. One toothbrush lay on its side on the small white porcelain sink, but there wasn't room for much more. The medicine cabinet was rusted, and the mirror pitted.
But the small room, with its rustic pine paneled walls, had the potential to be cute. All it needed was a few decorative touches like new shower and window curtains with matching designs. Maybe something with pinecones. And guest towels to match. A few decorative soaps in a pretty dish. Wait a minute…was she decorating Nick's bathroom in her head? She barely knew him, and besides, she'd be going back to Boston soon.
Instead of being excited about returning to Boston with her chili contest winnings to start her new life, the thought made her surprisingly sad. She decided to push it out of her head. No sense in thinking about that anyway. She should just enjoy her time here. And anyway, she had no idea when she was going to get her car back and without it, she couldn't very well drive back to Boston.
She toweled her hair dry and piled it up on top of her head. The sun had yet to rise, but it was hot enough already that she knew having it off her neck would be welcome. She put on the clothes she'd worn the day before. If they hurried, maybe they'd have time for her to stop at Tessa's to change.
She gave the bathroom over to Nick then busied herself by poking around the cabin. The cabin was only one L-shaped room with the bedroom portion on one part of the 'L' and the main living area in the other. The walls were pine boards, the floor also pine but painted a kelly green. Nick didn't have much in there. It was obvious he only viewed the place as a temporary stop. An overstuffed couch sat in front of a cast iron wood stove. One corner had a row of cabinets, a small round-topped fridge and a two burner gas stove. The fridge was empty except for two white Styrofoam take-out containers, probably from The Chuckwagon. The rickety table and captain’s chairs looked like they had been bought at a yard sale along with the chipped dishes in the sink.
But in the corner, there was one nice piece of furniture that drew Sam toward it. It was a golden oak roll-top desk that looked to be in mint condition. It was closed, and Sam ran her index finger along the roll, feeling the bumps of the little half-round pieces of wood that made up the cover. She touched the oval brass knob. It was cold and smooth. She wanted to pull it up and see the mechanism work as the slats of wood retracted into the back of the desk. She pushed it gently not wanting to force it. But it didn't budge. It was locked.
"That was my grandfather's." Nick had come up behind her. He seemed a little upset that she was touching it. Maybe he was touchy about his grandpa's things.
Sam pulled her hand back. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be nosy."
Nick's eyes darted from the desk to her, and then his face softened. "That's okay. You can touch anything I have," he said, backing her up against the desk his legs on either side of her, his hands on her hips. The innuendo in his voice was unmistakable. Sam was tempted, but if she wanted to make it to the grocery store, home to change, and get to the chili contest on time, they didn't have time.
She slipped out from underneath his grasp, laughing. "I'd love to touch everything you have, but right now I think we better get going." She tilted her chin toward the window where a thin orange line was starting to peek over the mountains on the horizon. "We need to hurry if we are going to get to the grocery store and visit Nacho. I was hoping we could swing by Tessa's so I could change. And it's going to be tight if we want to make it to the chili contest in time." Sam slid her eyes back to Nick. "You do remember the chili contest, don't you?"
"Yeah. I think you're trying to distract me from that."
Sam smiled and winked on her way to the door. "Maybe."
The sun made its appearance as they drove away, cresting over the mountains and shading the landscape with orange and blues. Sam had never seen anything so beautiful.
Happy Trails was their closest stop, so they went there first. By then, the sun had risen and the early morning rays painted everything a golden hue, making even the muddy horse ring look magical. Inside the barn, the horses snickered and whinnied. Sam passed Bella—the horse she'd ridden the other day—and gave her a little pat on the nose. The horses were starting to feel like old friends.
It was too early for trail rides, and they were the only ones in the barn. Sam marveled at how Nacho seemed to recognize and bond with Nick and her longing for a pet squeezed her heart.
Nacho bobbed his head as Sam rubbed the soft tip of his nose. "He's so soft."
Nick ran his hand down the horse's neck. "Yep, he's a good horse. I miss having him at the ranch…where I used to live. But it's not in the cards for me right now."
"Do you think you'll ever get to have him again?"
Nick shrugged. "I hope so. That's my plan. I was lucky enough that Vangie here at Happy Trails took him in for me. He's kind of on loan, I guess. She feeds and boards him and in turn I let her use him as a trail ride horse."
Another example of people in Sweetrock looking out for each other, Sam thought.
"You want to learn how to brush him?" Nick asked.
"Sure!" Sam loved the feeling of being in the barn next to the big majestic creatures. The smell of hay was a lot nicer than the smell of diesel fuel in Boston. The morning had a lazy feel, the kind of hot summer day where you know it will be sweltering later on but where there is still a kiss of coolness in the morning air. She didn't want to leave the barn even if it did mean she'd have to skip getting a change of clothes.
Nick showed her how to palm the brush and stroke the horse with long even strokes that gave Nacho's fur a silky shine.
Sam worked at combing his mane, running her fingers through the silky strands. "I've never been around horses much. They're pretty cool." Nacho nodded his head as if in agreement.
"Yep. Nacho's been one of my best friends for a decade. Hav
en't you, boy?" Nick patted Nacho's side and the horse flipped his tail and whinnied. "Well, I guess we better get going."
Sam was surprised at how reluctant she was to leave the barn. Compared to early morning activities in Boston, which usually consisted of fighting for a cab, sitting in traffic, or getting jostled on the subway, hanging out with horses was a refreshing change. The thought of having her own horse someday wasn't all that unpleasant either and if she stayed in Sweetrock…
Stayed in Sweetrock? Where did that come from?
She dropped the strands of Nacho's mane she'd had her fingers tangled in like a hot potato and wiped her hands on her jeans. "Right. We better get a move on if we're going to make it to the fair on time."
They made a quick stop at Dickinson's where she bought all the ingredients for the pecan pie. Walking through the store and picking out pecans, brown sugar, flour, and corn syrup with Nick seemed like the most natural thing. It felt as if they’d been grocery shopping as a couple together for years.
When they finally got to the fairgrounds, they were running late. She hadn't had time to grab a change of clothes, but she was feeling pretty greasy in her clothes from yesterday, so she texted Tessa hoping she could drop some off. She could change in the bathrooms at the fair. After a quick glance at the scoreboard—they were tied again, but Beulah had now popped up into third place—they separated into their tents and got cooking.
Sam's heart sang as she set the first batch of chili on simmer and started preparing the filling for the pecan pies. She was doing her favorite activity, baking. She had Nick to look at across the aisle, and she was tied for first place in the chili contest.
She was happier than she'd been in a long time.
16
Nick was happier than he'd been in a long time. Glancing over at Sam, his heart hitched.
She was the reason.
He didn't know whether to be elated or depressed about that. As far as he knew, Sam was still leaving for Boston after the chili contest.
Would recent events change her mind?
He had noticed a change in her at the barn. He could tell she was starting to appreciate Sweetrock life. Heck, the wide open spaces and fresh air had to be a lot better than the congested, crowded city. But Boston was where Sam dreamt of opening a restaurant, and who was he to try to talk her out of it?
Unless there were something better for her here. Like an exceptional opportunity at something she really loved to do that would still make her parents happy. He snuck another look over into Sam's tent just to see her.
"Hey there, buddy, you better keep your eyes on your chili. I got money riding on you." Cash stood in front of his booth, his hands in his pockets, a teasing grin on his face as he flicked his eyes from Nick to Sam. "I mean she sure is something to look at, but money is money, and there are plenty of minnows in the pond."
Nick laughed and spooned some chili into a bowl for Cash. They'd always had that saying about girls, meaning that there were plenty and both Nick and Cash had had their share of them. They'd spent many nights out carousing together in their youth, but in recent years, Nick hadn't enjoyed it as much. Oh, he still liked women, but now it didn't seem as much fun to have a different one every night. Though, apparently Cash still thought it was a lot of fun, judging by the variety of women Nick had seen him date last summer. Maybe Nick had been ready to settle down a while ago and was just waiting for the right woman. His eyes drifted over to Sam again.
"Anyway, how's it going?" Cash's question pulled his attention back to his own booth. Cash jerked his chin toward the scoreboard. "I see you guys are tied. Don't tell me you're gonna let some city slicker beat out our home-town boy in the chili contest."
Nick shrugged. "It's been going back and forth. She does make a mean chili, but the weight of the vote is still with the judges’ tasting on Saturday, so your money might still be safe."
Over in Sam's booth, he could see that Tessa had arrived with a shopping bag dangling from her hand. They'd never made it to Tessa's place for Sam to pick up the change of clothes. Tessa must have brought them to Sam. Nick craned his neck as Sam peeked in the bag. He hoped there was more than one change of clothes in there. If that were the case, then maybe she could be persuaded to stay at his house again tonight.
Cash was looking in that direction, too, but instead of craning his neck to see what was inside the bag, Nick noticed a strange look of desperate longing on his face. The kind of look you get when you've got it bad for a girl. Nick wondered if he got that look on his face when he looked at Sam. He sure did have it bad, but he'd never known Cash to long for any woman in particular and the only two over there were Sam and Tessa.
Jealousy pricked at his neck. Surely Cash wasn't looking at Sam?
Then Nick saw a statuesque blonde, just beyond Sam's booth. Tall with long legs—just the type that Cash liked.
"She's pretty hot," Nick said.
Cash jerked his head back toward Nick, his brows furrowed together. "What?"
Nick nodded toward the blonde. "The blonde over there. I saw you checking her out."
Cash slid his eyes in the blonde's direction. "Oh, yeah. She is pretty hot. What do you think?" He wiggled his brows and then turned on the charming smile. The one he kept reserved for hitting on women with. The one that attracted them like a BOGO sale at the shoe store.
"I'm sure she can't resist you, but you better hurry, she's getting away." Nick gestured toward the end of the aisle.
"Nah. I came here to show you this." Cash put down the half-eaten bowl of chili and pulled a folded flyer out of his back pocket and unfolded it. It showed a picture of The Chuckwagon and across the top was typed "Who Has The Best Pecan Pie In Sweetrock?" then in smaller print below that went on to explain there would be free pecan pie and a tasting contest at The Chuckwagon tonight. "These flyers are all over town."
"Beulah sure does have ingenuity," Nick laughed. "She and Sam have a little pecan pie contest going."
"You got money on it?"
"No, no money yet. Something more important, though. The future of The Chuckwagon."
Cash picked up his chili again and started eating, his gaze drifting over to Sam's booth. Nick wondered if he was going to head over there next for a comparison bowl of chili. "What do you mean?"
"A big food critic, Nathan Hargrove, is coming to eat at the Wagon tonight. We wanted to offer him full courses and Beulah and Sam got into a little argument over who makes the best pecan pie, so Beulah came up with this contest idea."
"Sounds like a great idea. I'm there. Plus, I think we need to make another side bet on this." Cash pointed to the bowl of chili. "I had some of Sam's yesterday and honestly I'm a little worried about the investment I made in you with the chili contest side bet. Might have to hedge my bets to recoup my losses. I'll find Jackson and the rest of the gang. Heck, for free pie I'm sure they'll all be there."
Nick's heart expanded. He knew his friends would come to support him whether there was free pie or not. "It's pretty ingenious of her. The free pie contest will bring in a lot of people and a crowded restaurant is more likely to get a good write-up from Hargrove. If we get a good write-up, it could bring more people in."
And a bad one could be the ruin of it.
Over in Sam's booth, Tessa was leaving. She looked over, smiled and waved at Nick and Cash before turning down the aisle.
Cash tossed his bowl in the trash. "Well, gotta run." He spun around and trotted off to catch up with Tessa. For a split second, Nick thought he saw that look in his friend's face again. But that was crazy as he was looking at Tessa.
The three of them had been friends since they were practically in diapers. They'd gone all through school together from kindergarten to senior year. Even though they had gone to separate colleges, they'd still hung around together like old friends in the summers. All three of them had come back to live in Sweetrock after they'd graduated, picking up their friendship as if they'd never left.
Cash was probably jus
t in a hurry to catch up with Tessa so he could get the ball rolling for the pecan pie side bet and recover his potential losses on the chili bet. He was sure Cash would run into that blonde again, anyway. Nick chanced another glance over at Sam. She smiled and waved, causing his heart to tumble in his chest. Nick was desperate for the ten grand from the chili contest, but he couldn't bear the thought of taking it from Sam.
Sam pulled a pecan pie out of the oven, and his thoughts turned to more serious matters. He'd be cooking in the kitchen at The Chuckwagon tonight for that food critic. The most important meal he'd ever cooked in his life. He needed to have his head on straight for that because what happened tonight could make or break his future…a future that he was now almost positive he wanted Sam to be part of.
17
Sam glanced out of the round window of the swinging kitchen door into The Chuckwagon’s main dining room, her heart racing with excitement. The restaurant was packed to the brim with every table occupied. The din of conversation and clink of cutlery on plates drifted into the kitchen, mingling with the sizzle of steaks. The air was spiced with the savory smell of grilled beef and the sweet scent of baked pecans and brown sugar.
Nathan Hargrove, a white-haired gentleman with a white handlebar mustache and a denim cowboy shirt, sat at the best booth in the corner. Beulah fluttered around nearby. Tessa, Cash, Jackson, Kade, Melina, Iris and Donnie sat at a large table, a wad of cash in the middle. Bets on the pecan pie, Sam assumed.
Almost every diner had two small dessert plates in front of them, one for Sam’s pecan pie and one for Beulah’s. She had to hand it to Beulah. Her idea had been brilliant and had drawn in a huge crowd. Her only regret was that they hadn’t been able to get all the ingredients needed to implement the menu changes Sam had suggested to Rena. But Rena had been busy all day printing up new menus with the new meals on them which she’d been showing to some of the customers as a sneak preview.
Some Like It Hot (Sweetrock Cowboy Romance Book 1) Page 11
