Burning with Desire

by Patricia W. Fischer

Griffin sauntered up. “If it smells as good as it tastes, people are gonna like it and buy plenty.”

  Holding the tray up, Gabriella encouraged everyone to take a sample. “See what you think.”

  “No, I’m fine. Thanks, guys,” Casey snarked as she entered again with another bin full of dishes. “I’ve got this heavy bin of dishes taken care of. Don’t worry about me.”

  “Good Lord, girl. You don’t get a medal for everything. It’s called work for a reason.” Flo took a sample. As soon as it touched her tongue her face lit up. “That’s good.”

  “Thank you, Flo.” Score one for me.

  Griffin took two samples and Casey helped herself as well. All of them nodded in approval.

  Flo took one more. “We’ll hand these out for the rest of the day. See what the general consensus is.”

  Mission accomplished. “Thank you, Flo. We’ll get out of your hair now. Thank you for letting us use the kitchen for the snack trays.”

  She placed a gentle hand on Gabriella’s arm. “I’m sure the guys appreciated it. That was a right nice thing for you to do.”

  “Kyle said the house is for a fallen first responder?”

  “Yes, such a good man. Harry Monroe always had a smile on his face and a song in his heart.” The waitress wiped away a tear. “Those boys are doing a great thing by him.”

  Casey rolled her eyes. “That reminds me, I’ve got to go pick up Duke when I finish. Brett said he’s bored.”

  “Knock, knock.” A lovely blonde-haired woman waved at them through the kitchen pass-through window.

  Flo motioned for her to come on back. “Hey there, Chelsea. Need a lunch to go?”

  “Yes, Flo.” She walked straight up to Trinity and extended her hand. “You must be Trinity. I’m Chelsea Collier. I teach history at the high school.”

  “Oh. Nice to meet you, Miss Collier.” Trinity responded in kind. “This is my…this is Gabriella. I hang out with her.”

  Teenagers. Gabriella plastered on her best mom smile. “I’m Trinity’s mom. Nice to meet you.”

  “I heard through the grapevine we had a new student. I wanted to come by and welcome you to Marietta.”

  “How lovely. Thank you,” said Gabriella.

  With a sideways glance at her mother, Trinity motioned toward a table. “Thanks, Miss Collier. Would you like to sit down?”

  “Your order will be ready in about five minutes, Chelsea,” Griffin called through the kitchen window.

  “Sure. That would be nice.”

  “Give her a sample. Show off your icing.” Gabriella whispered, hoping to encourage the girl to talk to her new instructor.

  “Good idea.” Trinity pointed to the dining room after grabbing a couple of samples of the cinnamon bread. “Try this. I made the icing.”

  “Thank you.”

  Flo went into the back to get a few things as Gabriella helped Casey to finish cleaning the dining room and wash the dishes.

  By the time Miss Collier left, Trinity appeared to be in a less anxious mood.

  The teacher’s visit helped establish some high hopes that the rest of the day would continue on the upswing.

  Before they donned their new jackets, Flo pulled Gabriella aside. “Sweetie, that’s a nice thing you did for the boys, but I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I know he brought you two in last night, but Kyle hasn’t been in town that long. Best I can tell, he keeps to himself. Quiet man. Hasn’t asked anyone out since he’s been here so please don’t get a broken heart if him bringing you in last night was only a friendly welcome.”

  Buttoning up her coat, Gabriella bit her lip to keep herself from describing the scorchingly hot welcome kiss they’d shared last night. “I’ll keep that in mind, Flo. Thank you.”

  The women ran to their car and quickly got out of the cold.

  Trinity pulled out her phone and immediately began to ignore her mother. Gabriella decided a nice distraction for herself would be to drive by Harry’s House and see how well the job had come along.

  That doesn’t scream needy at all. Get a grip.

  When the light at 2nd and Church turned red, it took everything Gabriella had not to stop in and check on the guys doing the renovations. She’d been disappointed that Kyle wasn’t there when she and Trinity brought the treats, but that wasn’t why she’d delivered them.

  Well, it wasn’t the only reason.

  Being the new girl in town, she knew there would be a decent amount of uncertainty about what she would bring, especially to a central hub like the Main Street Diner. She hoped her gesture of sweets and protein-filled snacks would bring some of these guys into the diner sooner rather than later.

  Brett, Casey’s brother, had been nice, but his brash personality rubbed her the wrong way. Plus, his eyes lingered on her boobs a bit too much.

  Keep driving. They’re busy. They don’t have time to visit.

  Casually, she glanced to her left to see all the men working in the sweet A-Frame house. Despite the chilly air, the ones she could see though the window had on short sleeves or sleeveless shirts.

  I wonder what Kyle looks like in a sleeveless shirt.

  Shirtless.

  Pantsless.

  A wave of heat wrapped around her like a warm blanket.

  As Trinity frantically texted, Gabriella craned her neck to see Kyle, but no such luck.

  Out of the corner of her eye, movement caught her attention. Looking up to the second floor, she saw Brett giving her a wave and a smile as he held a window in place while another guy worked around him.

  She gave an obligatory nod before turning.

  Within minutes, they were home and Trinity jumped out of the car before the engine was off.

  “If the roads don’t freeze, tomorrow we’ll head out by nine, okay? That should put us in Bozeman around ten.” Gabriella called out to Trinity as the teen took the stairs two at a time. “Give us plenty of time to shop without being in a hurry.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll be in my room.” Cookie ran up the stairs, hot on the teen’s heels. The international signal of “do not disturb” echoed through the house with the click of the lock on Trinity’s bedroom door.

  “Um, okay. Sure.” A nugget of sadness settled in Gabriella’s heart watching her daughter grow up.

  It wasn’t that Gabriella didn’t want to see her daughter’s accomplishments, but did she have to grow up so fast?

  The rhythmic thud-thud-thud of Belle’s tail hitting the chair made Gabriella smile. The old dog slowly stood then turned around and walked into the kitchen. “Need to go outside, girl?”

  Once the dog had taken care of business and her paws were dried, Gabriella changed into her favorite pajama shorts and put on the sweater Kyle gave to her the night before.

  The soft, tight-knit fabric warmed her immediately and she couldn’t help but think of how gallantly he’d found warm clothing for them just to go to dinner. That alone warmed her body in unexpected ways.

  And all this time I thought good men had disappeared. Chivalry isn’t dead. It’s just hiding in Montana.

  Still, a donated Burberry sweater? It looked practically brand new. From the looks of the town, Gabriella searched her brain as to where these kinds of donations had come from.

  But her mental search didn’t last long. Her exhausted body and brain urged her to sit and relax for a bit.

  With it only being four in the afternoon, Gabriella expected full sun, but the sun set a bit earlier here. The long shadows of the late day had already cast over the yard and the bare-branched trees. Looking out her back kitchen window, she watched a dark line of clouds brew over the mountain range as Trinity shuffled in wearing her oversized unicorn house shoes. “What is that again, Coppertop Mountain?”

  “I dunno. Something like that.” Yawning, the teen prepared a mug of hot chocolate, filling the container to the rim with mini marshmallows.

  “Guess we should get used to snowstorms.
Nothing like that back in Lone Star Crossing.” Settling back in the wobbly kitchen chair, Gabriella shivered at the idea of having to dig a path to her car from her front porch before sunrise. “Do we even have a shovel? Or salt for the front porch steps?”

  “No clue. I haven’t checked the garage.” A slow smirk spread across her daughter’s face before she popped the handle down on the K-Cup machine. “But I bet Kyle does and I’m sure he’d love to help you figure all that out.”

  Just the mention of the man’s name made Gabriella’s face hot, but she tried to answer as casually as she could. “I’m sure he does. He’s been here over a year.”

  The low hum of the machine heating the water echoed through the kitchen as Trinity leaned against the counter. “That blush across your cheeks suits you, Gabby.”

  A giggle escaped her. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Right and I’m the Queen of England.”

  “England would be privileged to call you their queen.”

  “Wouldn’t that be something? A woman of color, the Queen of England?” Trinity mimicked putting a crown on her head. “I could give that Meghan Markle a run for her money.”

  “Only after you’re eighteen.”

  “You think Harry would wait that long for me?”

  “He’s a fool if he doesn’t.”

  “Thanks.” She popped the handle up and tossed the K-Cup in the trash. A gooey line of melted sugar dripped over the side of the mug and ran down to stick to the paper towel Trinity placed underneath it.

  The smell of chocolate made Gabriella’s mouth water. “Is there any more?”

  Nodding, Trinity placed another serving into the machine and started it up. “Sure. Let me make it for you.”

  “That would be nice.” Gabriella stood next to her daughter and Trinity rested her head on her mother’s shoulder as they watched the hot water drip into the class of 2005 Lone Star Crossing High School mug.

  Despite not being biologically related to her, Gabriella had always thought of herself as Trinity’s mother. It was happy moments like these when that reinforced her protective mama-bear instinct and she knew she’d made the right choice of taking over the girl’s care.

  A gust of wind blew by, shaking the windows and sending the few leaves still around high into the air. “Guess that means the storm isn’t far behind. Probably won’t make it to Bozeman tomorrow.”

  “Probably not, but it’s an adventure, right? For us.”

  A loud snore made them both jump. They turned to see Belle asleep by one of the floor vents, the warm air playing with the old dog’s thick fur.

  Trinity giggled. “Looks like Belle found her spot.”

  The way the girl laughed reminded Gabriella so much of her best friend, Laurie. Her green eyes and her long, elegant fingers were copies of her mother’s. Sadly, her beautiful skin color had been what decided who cared for her since Laurie’s husband and her family had no interest in “that” child.

  How can people be so cruel?

  “How many marshmallows, Gabby?”

  “A handful would be great.”

  After dropping the sugary goodness in, Trinity picked up her mug and headed out. She paused in the doorway and turned. “Everyone says hi back in Texas.”

  “Is that who you were texting?”

  “Yes.” With one beautiful long finger, she traced the rim of her mug as she lingered.

  Sadness settled in Gabriella’s stomach. “I’m sorry I couldn’t make the bullying stop. I tried; I truly did.”

  “Believe me, Sheila would announce it in the hallways every time she’d been reprimanded by the principal because my mom couldn’t stop blabbing.”

  “Good grief. You couldn’t win no matter what you did. What I did.” Shaking her head, Gabriella wished she’d had as much influence as her adversary, Riley, or his rich friends seemed to. Still, I keep thinking I should report this. He’s got to be hurting business. “I keep thinking if I had been stronger or more demanding or richer or—”

  “Don’t do that to yourself.” Pulling up a chair, Trinity sat across from her. “You’re one of the best people I know.”

  Her daughter’s unexpected praise caused Gabriella’s vision to blur. She quickly wiped away her tears. “I just want so much for you, T. So much more than I had or your mom had.”

  “Can you tell me another story about her?”

  The request triggered an unexpected wave of tears. It took Gabriella a moment to collect herself. “Sorry, I … You haven’t asked in so long about your mom.”

  “Guess I’ve had my mind on other things.” Trinity’s hand gently rested on Gabriella’s arm. “Another story. Please.”

  “Your mom could solve every puzzle on Wheel of Fortune with less than a third of it uncovered. She loved Mad Libs and chocolate sundaes and rollerblading.”

  “What else?” Leaning in, Trinity’s wide-eyed enthusiasm only encouraged Gabriella.

  “She loved singing, but she wasn’t very good at it. She’d always mix up the lyrics. I remember one time, we were trying to go to sleep and your mom kept singing a song… What was it?” Tapping her front teeth, Gabriella searched her brain until she grabbed the memory with both hands. An instant giggle emerged. “She kept singing a line in that Bon Jovi song Living on a Prayer when they sing something like it doesn’t make a difference if we make or not.”

  “And what did my mom sing?”

  The sweet memory kept Gabriella laughing so hard, she could barely get the words out. “Laurie kept singing, it doesn’t make a difference if we’re naked or not.”

  “Those aren’t the words at all.” Trinity held her stomach as she laughed. “Oh my gosh. That’s funny.”

  “I know, but she wouldn’t listen to me. We played that song over and over again and she heard one set of lyrics and I heard another. We never did agree on what they were singing.”

  As the laughter died down, Trinity grabbed her mother’s hand. “Thanks, Gabby. Thanks for being there for my mom.”

  “Of course.” Wiping her tears of joy away, she squeezed her daughter’s hand. “I’m happy to do it.”

  Chapter Eleven

  As soon as Trinity took her hot chocolate upstairs to read, Angelica Marcos’s picture popped up on Gabriella’s phone as it rang.

  For the first time ever, Gabriella wished the other person on the line was a pushy telemarketer. “Hello, Mama.”

  “You make the trip okay?”

  “Sí, it wasn’t bad. Just a sucky long drive.”

  “Language, mija, language.” Angelica Marcos’s stern voice made Gabriella sit up straight and square her shoulders.

  “It was a long drive, but it’s really pretty here.”

  “Cold?”

  “Very.”

  “How’s my granddaughter? She happy to be away from that terrible girl?” The growl in her mother’s voice mimicked her own.

  “I think the distance has helped Trinity relax a bit. She met one of her teachers today.” She took a sip of the hot chocolate. The creamy sweetness coated her tongue as the wind howled.

  “You’re staying. For sure?”

  “I’m staying.” Because I honestly have no other choice right now.

  “Don’t you think Mr. Riley would give you your job back if you asked? You make so many families happy with your food.”

  If you only knew the entire story. She hadn’t said a word to her family about the demands from her former boss. Her mother would blow her top if she knew. “Mom, I wanted my own place to grow. I’d done all I could there at Winston.”

  Knowing she’d saved her family’s jobs gave her peace of mind and that she could live with, as long as Riley kept his word.

  A few sniffs came through before her mother sobbed, “But I miss you so much. I don’t see your faces every day.”

  “I know, Mama. I miss you too.” Hearing her mother’s voice immediately triggered a deep longing for home.

  The low rumble of the heat kicking on re
minded her of the frigid weather outside.

  The overcast day was no spring in Texas. There were no flowers. No green on the trees. No warmth in the air. No bluebonnets.

  Like it or not, it’s home now.

  Her eyes drifted to the house next door. Through her kitchen window she could see Kyle’s lights were still dark, but her heart fluttered at the possibility of getting to know him better.

  “Mama. Trust me, por favor?”

  “I do, mija, but Montana is a long, long way.”

  Taking a travel-sized bottle of chocolate tequila out of the cabinet, she gave herself a three-second pour into her mug. “But it’s going to be good.”

  “I don’t like this, I don’t see you every day, but you are a good girl. Raise your daughter. Get her to finish school.” Her mother gave a long sigh. “Tell me what’s so great about Montana.”

  As Belle snored and Gabriella sipped her spiked hot chocolate, she told her mother of the mountains, the town, the community service the first responders were doing on Harry’s House all while carefully omitting one particular person, not that it mattered.

  “Trinity tells me your new neighbor is nice. Está buenísimo!”

  Hearing her mother talk about her “hot” neighbor, made Gabriella laugh. “Si.”

  “And his last name is Cavasos. Good Spanish name.” The smile in Angelica’s voice permeated the distance between them.

  Great. My mother is monitoring my social life from over a thousand miles away.

  “Yes, he’s nice.” And I hope he’s a bit naughty too. When her mother didn’t scream at her over the phone about how good girls don’t say things like that, Gabriella breathed a sigh of relief she hadn’t said it out loud. “He’s been very helpful to us.”

  “Trinity told me. He bring you food and show you the town. And Cookie gatita likes him. Sounds like a good man. You should marry him.”

  “Virgen Santa! Mama, I’ve known him one day. People don’t get married after one day.” But she had to admit that him passing the Cookie cat test was a big positive in his favor.

  “I think he sound like someone you should marry.”

  “I’ll let him know, Mama. I love you.”

  “Te amo, mija. I talk to you soon. Bye.”