Cooking For Cowboy (Stampede Sizzlers)

by Brenda Sinclair

  “Eight bedrooms actually. And this room will be yours,” he declared again, standing at the end of the hallway.

  Sierra stood, arms hanging at her sides.

  “I need you in here.” Chad strode into the spare room and set her luggage on the carpeted floor.

  Sierra gaped at him. Seriously? No way. He couldn’t be saying what she thought he was saying. “Why this room?”

  He stood, smiling that killer smile. “Not what you might be thinking. I need you close by to help me keep an eye on Mom. Besides, the ranch help occupy three of the other guest rooms, and Celia doesn’t make up the Jack and Jill rooms unless we’re hosting a big shindig and people will be staying over.”

  She couldn’t argue with his logic. Darn it. She’d be stuck having him sleeping directly across the hall from her every night. An image of Chad’s long lean frame stretched out on her sofa drifted across her mind. Get a grip, Sierra. Or you’ll be suffering through several sleepless nights if you don’t rein in your sexual urges.

  “Okay, I didn’t take your mother’s medical issues into consideration. But you’re right. The more eyes watching over her, the safer she’ll be.” Sierra stepped across the threshold and glanced around. Tears burned behind her eyes. Her grandmother might still be alive if there’d been someone to watch over her while Sierra was at work.

  She moved throughout her carpeted living space which rivaled the square footage of her entire basement apartment. A king-sized bed dressed in a beautiful patchwork quilt and fluffy white pillows was situated at an angle in the far corner to the left. Two tall dressers covered the shorter wall and a plaid-upholstered chaise longue was angled in the right-hand corner. Sunshine streamed through a row of windows covered in light off-white linen draperies. A desk and an entertainment system with a TV set, DVD player, and a gaming system were lined along the other wall.

  “You’re kidding me, right?” Sierra met Chad’s eyes. “This is your mother’s room, and you’re just playing with me.”

  “No. Mom’s room is quite a bit bigger with a separate lounging room with a sofa and Jacuzzi and TV. This room is a mirror image of my room though.”

  Sierra peeked into the en suite where a walk-in shower and a separate jet-tub were situated against the wall. An assortment of potions and lotions and fluffy white towels were piled on the substantial vanity and awaited a guest’s every need. On her way back into the main room she noticed a walk-in closet on the left.

  “Okay, enough.” Sierra flopped down on the bed. “If this is the Parker equivalent of a guest room I may never leave.”

  “That’s music to my ears. I’m tired of hiring cooks.” Chad stood with his thumbs hooked in his jeans’ pockets, grinning broadly.

  “I was joking.” Sierra shook her head. “Stop smiling like that. I think you do it to bug me.”

  “What? I’m just a happy guy.” Chad crossed the room and sat next to her. “I know I’m right across the hall, but I won’t be making late-night surprise appearances in your bedroom. Well, not unless you ask me to.”

  Sierra leapt off the bed. “In your dreams, cowboy.”

  “Come on, lighten up. I desperately need a good cook. I promise to behave.” He raised his hand as if swearing under oath in a court of law.

  “I’m holding you to that.” Sierra bent down and grabbed Barney’s leash. At least, she hoped she was. Chad Parker was way too good-looking for her own good. And getting involved with someone she worked for was the last thing she wanted. If nothing else, she’d been totally professional wherever she’d worked. “Okay, show us the ranch, please.”

  “Meet you out on the deck in a few minutes,” said Chad.

  “Come on, Barney, we’ll unpack later.”

  Having lost the argument over her accommodations, Sierra stepped onto the deck with Barney in tow. From the bottom of the deck, a beautiful long-haired, tri-colored collie with pretty brown eyes, a pure white collar, and a graying muzzle hinting at his advanced age welcomed them with an enthusiastic woof. The collie appeared to be smiling at them. Barney’s ears perked up and his little tail wagged furiously. He woofed back and strained at the leash, eager to race down the steps and greet his new friend.

  “Hello, Sandy,” called Sierra as she led her dog down the stairs. “What a pretty boy you are!”

  Sierra unclipped Barney’s leash and smiled while the dogs sniffed each other from head to toe, both tails wagging. The dogs must have each passed muster with the other. They bounded across the yard together, barking and jumping about. “Barney, come!” called Sierra.

  Her dog stopped in his tracks and then raced back to her side. Sandy followed at his heels.

  “Good boy!” Sierra crouched down and ruffled both dogs’ ears. “You stay close by, Barney. Stay with Sandy.”

  Chad stepped outside onto the deck. “I see everyone is getting along together.”

  “Oh, yeah, I think Barney just met his new best friend,” said Sierra, laughing.

  “Let’s kill two birds while we take them for a walk. You can show Barney his limitations while I show you the ranch.” Chad jogged down the four steps and reached for her hand.

  “Sounds like a good idea, but I should tell Celia…”

  “Don’t worry about it. I already warned her that I wanted to show you the ranch before I checked in with the barn help.” Chad smiled and Sierra’s heart skipped a beat. “Celia’s watching her soap opera until you return.”

  “It’s Saturday, there aren’t any soap operas on the weekend.”

  “Well, she’s watching something on TV.”

  “What soap does she watch?”

  “I don’t remember. I knew at one time.” Chad appeared to be racking his brain.

  “I hope she watches The Young and The Restless. We can enjoy the episodes together.”

  “That sounds familiar. Yeah, I think that’s the one.”

  “Excellent. Y and R is my weekday guilty pleasure. I never miss an episode. I record it on my PVR if I’m on day shift and then watch it at night,” confessed Sierra.

  “I knew you and Celia would get along well.” Chad slipped his arm around her shoulders. “Now, let me show you my ranch.”

  Sierra’s breath caught and a shiver raced up her spine the second he touched her. She trailed alongside Chad like an excited puppy, hoping she didn’t trip over her own feet. He showed her the barns and the other buildings, and several horses, and a cow and her ailing calf, and the chicken coop, and the gardens. She found it difficult to concentrate on his running commentary with their bodies in such close proximity.

  When they rounded the side of one of the barns, a tall, lanky cowboy leading a horse almost mowed them down. “Whoa, Robbie, watch where you’re going.” Chad pulled Sierra out of the way to prevent a collision.

  “Sorry, boss. Didn’t mean to knock you over.”

  “Sierra,” Chad made the introductions, “this is one of my prize outriders, Robbie Graham. Sierra’s our temporary cook, Robbie.”

  “Pleased to meet you.” Sierra stuck out her hand.

  Robbie yanked off his work glove, wiped his palm on his jeans, and shook her hand. “Pleased to meet you, ma’am.”

  Chad frowned. “I thought you were in Ponoka with Blaine, working as outrider.”

  “Got a call from the hospital about my little sister. Had to come home last night right after the race. But I’m heading back to Ponoka now, so I’ll be there in plenty of time for the race tonight.”

  “Everything okay with your sister?”

  “Yeah, she got a concussion during a baseball game, but she’ll be okay. She’s staying with a friend for a few days and then she’ll return to her own apartment.” Robbie’s face showed his relief that it wasn’t more serious.

  “I’m glad to hear it. Tough, you being her guardian since your parents were killed. But she’s a good kid, Robbie.”

  “I know. She’s eighteen, but in my mind she’s still eight.” Robbie grinned while the horse tugged on the reins. It appeared th
e equine wasn’t in the mood for standing around chatting.

  Chad stood beside Sierra, shifted his weight to his other foot. “Robbie started out as barn help almost five years ago, shortly after his parents passed. Dad and I trained him to be one of the best outriders on the circuit. The guy’s a natural. He gives me first call every night since he’s my guy, but he’s in demand. Several other drivers hire him to ride for them, too.”

  Sierra guessed that his boyish good-looks belied his actual age; he looked like a kid entering high school. But if his little sister was eighteen, he could be in his mid-twenties. “Is this your horse?”

  “No, ma’am.” Robbie patted the beautiful Thoroughbred’s neck. “This is Starry Night, and he’s one of Chad’s horses. The drivers supply all the horses for the outriders. We just ride. Chris wanted me to bring this guy back with me.”

  “Sorry, I haven’t checked my texts since last night.” Chad dug his cell out of his pocket. “So you brought Big Ben home. Chris mentions something about him limping.”

  “Only slightly. Probably nothing too serious. We didn’t want to take any chances, though, and I was coming back anyway.” Robbie shrugged. “Maybe your vet student can take a look at him.”

  Chad nodded. “Sounds like a good idea.”

  “Well, nice meeting you, ma’am. But I’ve got to load this guy up in the horse trailer.” Robbie touched his Stetson’s brim. “Boss, I’ll see you on Tuesday when we get back from the Stampede.”

  “As I recall, that Ponoka Stampede was always a lot of fun,” observed Chad.

  “Still is,” added, Robbie, smiling. “The rodeo competition is the best and the girls are still pretty.”

  Chad laughed. “Drive safe and say howdy to the guys for me.”

  “Will do.” Robbie headed around the side of the barn with the Thoroughbred dancing alongside him.

  “I didn’t know the owners supplied the horses for the outriders. No wonder there are so many here.” Sierra gazed across the yard at what seemed like dozens of them in corrals and in the distant pasture. “How many do you have, Chad?”

  “We have about thirty that are trained either as wagon horses or to be ridden by outriders. And we have several mares we breed, and their offspring that are in different stages of training. There are a few retired seniors that served us well, and Dad insisted they remain on the ranch getting fat in their geriatric years.” Chad grinned. “They’ve earned their oats, and they’re going to a slaughterhouse over my dead body.”

  “Lucky animals,” said Sierra, hugging his arm. “They seem quite content.”

  “Being at home, the horses eat better and rest better. I’ll be changing out some of them for the Calgary races. Heck, even I prefer sleeping in my own bed instead of the RV.” Chad smiled and added, “The men, the wagon, and horses went directly to Ponoka from High River. I gave them cash for a meal allowance, since we don’t have a cook to travel with them at present. But with Mom in the hospital, I came home between races.”

  Sierra spotted the dogs playing in tall grass beside one of the corrals. “Come here, Barney!” She called her pet back to her side and praised the excited dog while giving him strict guidance as to what was expected of him. Being on the ranch would provide a much larger playground for Barney than the chained, no-leash park near her house in the city. But she wanted him to stay nearby the house and not get himself into trouble.

  “He is certainly obedient. Comes running when you call.” Chad leaned down to pet her dog.

  “Every male should come running when called,” she teased.

  “You think so.” Chad’s index fingers playfully poked her in the ribs and then he slipped his arm around her waist. “There’s one more thing I’d like to show you.”

  As they moved on, Sierra smiled. “Thank you for offering me this job. When I think about all the crap I’ve been enduring at work these past six months…this job will be such a treat.” She visualized herself sunning in a bikini on the deck, reading a book under the huge apple tree in the far corner of the backyard, and sipping a glass of wine while sitting in the hot tub staring up at a ceiling of stars in the evenings. She was getting goose bumps just thinking about it.

  “That sounds promising. Maybe I won’t be hiring a new cook every month. As long as I can keep Mom away from you, I’ll have it made. You could just stay on forever,” suggested Chad, grinning.

  “Well, I don’t know if I’d go that far. Forever is a long, long time. Let’s just take this one day at a time.” Sierra rested her head on his shoulder for a few seconds. It felt good to have someone to lean on, to share your life with, even if it only lasted for a short time. She hadn’t had a steady man in her life in two years. Chad Parker might be one of those good guys she’d been looking for. But was Chad her Mr. Right?

  They wandered behind the barn to what appeared to be a racetrack. Chad stepped up onto the bottom railing of the fence. He leaned forward and said, “Watch this.”

  Sierra stepped onto the bottom rail and stood beside Chad, following his line of vision. At first, she couldn’t discern what she was supposed to be watching, and then she noticed a distant trail of dust stirred up by a chuckwagon moving toward the last turn in the track.

  “Is that your team of horses?” she blurted, and then grimaced. “That was a dumb question. Of course, it’s your team.”

  “Yep, that’s our substitutes. A team of four race at a time, but we have several that we train and change out depending on which barrel we draw and if there’s an injury,” explained Chad, tipping back his Stetson and leaning over the fence. “And we sell a lot of the Thoroughbreds that we breed here.”

  Just then, the team thundered past them pulling a wagon that no doubt had seen better days, harness jangling and hooves pounding the hard-packed ground. The driver hollered and slapped the reins, urging the team onward to the finish line the same as he would if it were an actual race. Dust swirled around the rig and drifted across the track. Chad pressed her head to his chest and she closed her eyes while the dust swirled around them and then passed by. Considering it had rained last night, the ground must be parched to create all that dust this morning.

  “Okay, you can look up again,” said Chad.

  She turned her attention back to the track and they watched the driver turn the team around and head back toward the finish line. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a hunched and bow-legged old fellow lumbering down the side of the track toward them. Wearing jeans, boots, and a plaid shirt, he held a stopwatch in a tanned, arthritic-looking hand.

  “Hey, Charlie, how’s it going?” shouted Chad.

  The man’s weathered face matched the leather-tooled belt that circled his middle, and an enormous horse head buckle sparkled in the high-noon sunshine. A pair of dark brown eyes peeked out from under the largest Stetson Sierra had ever seen. “Doing just fine, Chad.”

  “Charlie is our ranch foreman, Sierra. Charlie, this is Sierra Griffin. She’s our new cook.”

  Sierra stuck out her hand, smiling. “Pleased to meet you, Charlie.”

  Charlie shook hands and whistled. “You’re mighty pretty, ma’am. If you cook half as good as you look, there’ll be some happy fellers here at the Whispering Pines.”

  Sierra laughed. “I’ll do my best.”

  “So, what’s for supper, ma’am?” asked Charlie, expectantly.

  “Um, well, I…” she stammered.

  “Give her a break, Charlie.” Chad slapped the old fellow on the back. “She only set foot on the ranch a half hour ago. Let her settle in and then I’m certain whatever she makes for supper will be delicious.”

  “Looking forward to it,” said the old fellow, nodding. “We ain’t had a decent meal in ages it seems. Well, I’m done timing that team, and I’m done checking fences for today. But I’ve got a mess of tack to clean, so I’ll be getting back to work.”

  Chad and Sierra watched the old cowboy lumber back down the track toward the main barn.

  “That old guy has work
ed here since he was in his mid-twenties. Married one of our housekeepers, but she passed away almost fifteen years ago now. Celia handles everything herself, won’t hear of me hiring any more help except for spring and fall cleaning. Charlie turned seventy-five last month. Mom baked him a cake, bought him that fancy belt buckle he’s wearing, embarrassed the crap out of him. That man won’t stop working until he’s six feet under. The word retirement isn’t in his vocabulary.” Chad chuckled and slipped his arms around her waist. “He’s still a competent foreman; I never worry when I’m not around.”

  “Charlie will live to be ninety if he keeps himself busy and useful.” Sierra looked deep into Chad’s eyes and smiled while a tingle raced up her spine and her heartbeat quickened at his touch. God he still smelled good. A trace of the musk aftershave she’d noticed last night met her nose. Her hands shook slightly and she could feel his muscular biceps through his shirt as she settled her hands on his arms. She leaned into his embrace and savored his warmth. His casual show of affection suggested he was a kind, caring man who’d make some woman a wonderful husband some day. Would he choose her? Whoa! She had to stop thinking along these lines. She’d just met the guy last night. “I’d better get back up to the house and decide what’s for dinner.”

  “I would hope so. I can’t tolerate a slacker,” teased Chad, laughing. And then he leaned down and claimed her lips.

  He thoroughly kissed her for a least a full minute, but it ended all too soon.

  Sierra’s breath caught. When had those thousand butterflies inhabited her stomach? Chad and Sierra stood, staring into each other’s eyes, bodies pressed together. His breath had quickened, too, and his eyes appeared as dazed as she felt. Her heart pounded in her chest; she was certain he could hear it, he was standing so close. For the moment, only the two of them existed in the entire universe.

  She couldn’t read his expression. Stunned? Surprised? She’d felt shockwaves too intense to measure on any Richter scale clear down to her toes. The earth had moved beneath her feet. No man had ever kissed her like that.

  After the go-around with the handsome cowboy over the bedroom arrangements, she should be furious with him. But she yearned to drag Chad’s head down for another kiss. She brushed a strand of hair off her face. If he kissed her again, he might singe her bangs.