“No,” she denied hotly. “You were the one who sauntered in like he owned the damn place and then started staring at me as though I had grown an extra head.”
“I was surprised to see you here is all; what’s your excuse?” he countered.
“I was not staring at you,” she told him, aghast. “I barely had the time to register your presence before you startled the tray from my grasp.”
“Suit yourself, Pinocchio,” he told her dryly, before turning on one boot-heel and striding away.
“Mean, crusty, rude cowboy,” she muttered on a hiss under her breath as she dropped back to her knees and began to gather up some more broken pieces.
A low chuckle behind her had her glaring over her shoulder, straight into the laughing, unapologetic eyes of one of her least favorite members of the waitressing staff, Tiffany Douglas. Tiffany was pretty as a Barbie doll with ash-blonde hair and great big baby-blues that gave her a deceptively fragile appearance; she was also petite with jugs the size of Texas which still managed to look great on her small frame. Tiana was secretly convinced those were implants and not God’s gift to her. Despite Tiffany’s naive appearance, she had a mean streak a mile wide and Tiana was so wary of her she wouldn’t leave Jamal alone with the woman whenever he came to Tiny Tim’s after school. The first day Tiana had come to work at Tiny Tim’s, Tiffany had deliberately made her trip over her outstretched feet and set the whole restaurant laughing then she had managed to ‘accidentally’ douse her with a glass of Bloody Mary and also managed to offer her a three-legged stool which collapsed the moment her butt touched it. Each time, the laughs that had emitted at her expense had been loud enough to rouse the dead. It was like high school all over again, Tiana thought bitterly.
“Here, let me help you,” Tiffany offered brightly with another giggle as she produced a duster whilst dropping onto her haunches.
“No thanks, I’m good,” Tiana said shortly. She was fast running out of patience with the girl. Ever since Tiana had shown up at Tiny Tim’s, Tiffany never lost an opportunity to make her look inept. She was always offering to take one task or the other off her hands!
Tiffany’s bright smile wobbled then she pretended she had not heard Tiana and began to help clear up the debris.
“You should be nicer to Tiffany. The gal is just tryin’ to be nice,” Patrick murmured as Tiana shakily washed her hands some minutes later.
Tiana looked over at him; with his big glasses, persistently rumpled clothes, slack mouth and wide face, Patrick was one of the least attractive men she had ever met but he had an innate kindness. She had seen him once gather up remnants to take home to a stray dog that had been plaguing his neighbor’s backyard.
She sincerely doubted Tiffany knew the word ‘nice’ existed but she merely nodded her head and picked up a fresh tray to take to yet another table.
Her feet slowed as she neared the table; Christian Langfield was sitting at the table holding the hand of a beautiful, sloe-eyed brunette, his gaze locked on hers. Her tiny hand was encased completely in his large palm while his thumb repetitively stroked the soft skin of her hand.
As she approached, the pair was so lost in each other’s gaze that they barely noticed her. Tiana cleared her throat deliberately, taking perverse satisfaction in the way the pretty brunette jumped and blushed. She made to pull her hand from Christian’s grasp but he tightened his grip and turned to face Tiana, his gaze flinty.
“Lunch’s here,” she said with forced cheer that sounded fake even to her ears.
“So fast? What did you do? Mix up the orders again?” the damn man asked, his eyes crinkling at her
Tiana ground her teeth as she jerkily dumped his bowl of mutton stew in front of him and then with exaggerated care, placed his companion’s own dish of rice in front of her.
“No witty comebacks?” he asked as she turned to leave.
“Who’s your companion?” she asked.
“Jealous?” he shot back with a grin and the brunette blushed again, her eyes widening.
Tiana’s own eyes went wide as saucers as she struggled between hilarity and shock. How could he say such a thing, and in front of his date too!
“Sometimes I swear Jamal is more of a gentleman than you’ll ever be. I should know; I raised him!”
“Ouch,” he laughed, his dark hair falling into his eyes. “Hear that Lydia? An indirect slur on my Mama,” he grinned at his companion, apparently not the least bit offended.
“Who’s Jamal?” the brunette, Lydia, asked in a low musical voice that somehow managed to make Tiana feel rough and unfeminine.
“Her son. He gets his good looks and manners from his dad if you ask me; definitely not from his mom,” Christian teased, laughter crinkling the edges of his eyes.
Tiana swaying slightly on her feet; and before she could stop herself, she said tightly in a low furious voice she barely recognized as hers, “Jamal is nothing like his dad!”
Christian’s laughter fled, to be replaced by a grave, somber expression, “I didn’t mean to offend you, Tiana. I’m sorry if I did.”
His intelligent gray eyes watched her closely, measuring and she deliberately breathed in and out slowly to calm herself down. With a jerky nod, she turned on her heel and strode away, praying no one had noticed her reaction or heard how she had talked to him because whatever else he may be, he was still a customer.
Her legs almost gave out with relief when she reached the bar and saw that it was time for her lunch break. Hastily, she dashed through to the back of the restaurant and sank down onto the stairs, dropping her chin onto her palms and propping her elbows on her knees. She was seriously beginning to question the wisdom of moving to Paradise. Wouldn’t moving to a large city have been better, she wondered. At least then she would have been able to hide among the tons of people.
“Hey, are you okay?” Christian asked above her.
Tiana schooled her features before looking up, “I’m perfectly fine, thanks for asking.”
“I’m sorry I said anything about Jamal’s father. I didn’t realize it was a sore subject,” he said, sinking onto the staircase beside her.
“Yeah. I’m sorry I bit your head off,” she said with a watery chuckle.
“I kinda deserved it. I was just thoughtless, really. I’m sorry,” he repeated.
“Don’t sweat it. You should get back to Lydia,” she said.
“Yeah,” he agreed readily. But he seemed reluctant to leave.
He stared at her for a bit, eyes boring into hers so intensely that she could have sworn she felt an actual sparkle of electricity. She licked her lips nervously and his eyes dropped to her lips and fastened onto them, his own parting as his gaze slowly rose to hers once more. Heat, wild and untamed, filled his eyes and Tiana almost gasped aloud as a punch of desire hit her right in the gut. She immediately averted her eyes.
“I should get going, my break’s almost over,” she said shortly.
“See you around, Tiana,” he agreed, rising fluidly to his feet, and rewarding her with a smile, complete with slashing dimples. Tiana’s smile caught in her throat; that smile should be outlawed.
Tiana bit her lip, watching him walk away. He always managed to make her feel... things she did not want to feel. Perhaps Paradise was not the safe haven she had thought it was.
She would go out of her way to avoid him from now on. Hopefully, she wouldn’t even have to do much; he was a cowboy and he probably worked on one of the several ranches in the area. Hopefully, he would be too busy with harvest time that he would not come into Tiny Tim’s often.
CHAPTER THREE
Christian was in a good mood which was not really uncommon for him first thing in the morning. He had gone for his usual morning ride and ended up with a very cheerful disposition as he led his favorite Arabian stallion, Aasifa, back towards the stalls.
The bright morning sun and fresh air were welcome distractions from his musings as he stroked Aasifa’s pure white mane. She tossed her head, proudl
y flaunting her exotic origins as she reveled in his touch.
Christian grinned at her, his cowboy hat riding low on his forehead. Aasifa was the love of his life, he decided. He had gotten her when she was young and while he had such a large spread that housed over two hundred horses, she was still his favorite.
“Mr. Langfield? Mr. Langfield!” a shrill voice interrupted his musings and Christian barely refrained from rolling his eyes as he recognized the rather distinct voice of his housekeeper, Mrs. Shirley.
She was a fifty-year-old spinster with the voice of a young girl, the brain of a jellyfish and a heart of gold; she was also a notorious complainer and a veritable shrew when she wanted to be.
“Mrs. Shirley,” he said courteously, humor sparkling in his eyes.
“Don’t give me any lip, boy!” she spat as she waddled towards him, bearing her enormous weight on knees that won his admiration for sheer doggedness.
“Yes ma’am,” he drawled, grinning at her.
Rose Shirley had originally been his teacher in the first grade at Paradise High and she had religiously singled him out for detention because he had caused more than his fair share of trouble when he was growing up. One time he had convinced Missy Tanner that life was not worth living unless she let him apply some dye to her beautiful blonde hair. Rose Shirley had not been amused when the girl had turned up for History with blue hair.
“We need a cook!”
“No we don’t,” he protested automatically. “We have one! And she has several assistants!”
“You’re not talking about Vanessa are you?” she scoffed. “That girl fell in love with you, just as most of your staff have been doing for years, and naturally, she left here two hours ago exactly as her predecessors have been doing, tearing her hair out and carrying on something awful because you didn’t return her feelings.”
“Two hours ago? It’s still bright and early; in fact, it’s barely seven o’clock! What did she do? Leave before the cock crowed?”
“I think she said something about not wanting to see your face! Everyone knows you go riding by 5 o’clock,” the woman said, her massive bosom heaving as she glared up at him.
“Mrs. Shirley,” he began in an amused drawl, “Do you have something you want to say to me?”
“As a matter of fact I do,” she declared. “You chased that girl away and I liked her! Now she’s not only gone from Paradise, she ran clear across town and right out of the damn state of Texas!”
“That what she told you?” he asked surprised.
His housekeeper was an old dragon who valued her privacy above all else. He couldn’t conceive of the fact that she had actually liked Vanessa Sparkles to the point of knowing so many things about her.
“You betcha! She kept sobbing about going off to stay with cousins in Montana,” Rose began, giving him the evil eye.
“Well that’s good; everyone should be with family,” he pointed out reasonably.
“In a convent.” Rose Shirley continued just as if he had not spoken. “That fact has been worrying me plumb to death! I can’t tell why you seem cold right now!”
He gulped.
“I’m sensing you want something from me,” he drawled. It was always easier to just cave with Rose. When would he learn?
“A new cook, pronto, would be a nice start!” she stated, glaring up at him, her close-set eyes cold.
“You said yourself that there are several cooking assistants in the kitchen. What would it take them to whip up a little food?”
“For thirty men? I don’t think so! Besides, they are cooking assistants, not cooks!”
“Look, Rose,” he began authoritatively, drawing himself up to his full height, “If you want a new cook, run the damn ad in the paper and get one hired. I don’t have time for this. I have to go join the men in the fields right now for the harvest.”
With a meaningful glare, she spun on her heel and waddled away.
The woman was a tyrant, he decided, watching her leave. Despite her crusty personality though, he loved her like a mother. She had grown very fond of him and he of her too. When he had offered her the job as a housekeeper on his premises, she had accepted and taken to scolding him just as if he were a naughty pupil again. He had borne it for as long as he could, which had paid off because she had relented and let him see her golden heart; he had loved her like his mother ever since. He could often tease her into smiling whenever she was upset, which frankly, was often. But she was obviously not inclined to crack a grin today which was why he had not bothered.
He handed over Aasifa’s reins to the stable boy, his gaze trailing Rose’s departing back. Vanessa was a thorn in his flesh, he thought grimly. She was beautiful with a long mane of wine-colored hair, beautiful green eyes, an amazing height of five-nine and a wide, generous mouth made for laughter. He had liked her well enough, right up until she had snuck into his bedroom two nights ago, naked as the day she was born, and declared her undying love for him. He had a principle of never sleeping with employees and Vanessa in particular had struck a nerve when she had asked if there was someone else because he turned her down. Tiana’s face had immediately filled his mind’s eye and he had gratingly ordered the other girl from his room.
She had dissolved into tears before fleeing and he had felt like a jerk. He’d had every intention of apologizing but in the morning, he had been told she was taking a day off and was out of town. This morning, she was gone!
Perhaps old Rose was right and it was somehow his fault. Heck he had known Vanessa was flirting with him when she had ‘mistakenly’ brushed her breasts against his arm for the fifth time in a row three days ago when he had gone to the kitchen to steal a scone after exercising Caesar, one of his most powerful Thoroughbreds.
He swore, long and hard, and then kicked a clump of grass in frustration. Women tended to keep falling for him whether he wanted them to or not; and the one woman who had managed to snag his interest in years didn’t even seem to know he was alive. Christian swore again. He really had to stop thinking of Tiana Walker; the woman was a complication he didn’t need! Just thinking about her had gotten him so hard, he actually hurt and he really had no business thinking that way about a woman with a young son and shadows in her pretty, distrustful, brown eyes. He would give Tiny Tim’s a break for a while, he decided as he strode off to join his men in the fields.
His good mood had disappeared, he realized with a sigh. Women really were the bane of his existence!
***
Tiana sighed as she hefted yet another tray of drinks towards yet another table. The job was becoming monotonous enough that she was fast becoming bored; plus the salary was so tiny she was becoming increasingly worried about how she and Jamal were going to survive on so little for very long. Perhaps she needed another job, she mused. Paradise was so small that she could not claim there were ripe pickings of jobs scattered all over the place.
Tiredly, she whipped off her apron as she called, “Jamal? Say goodnight to Tiny Tim and go get your backpack; we’re leaving.”
She smiled tiredly as she watched Jamal throw another playful punch at Tiny Tim’s gut and the big man bent over double, pretending to groan in pain. Jamal’s childish peals of laughter filled the room, drawing smiles from the remaining diners in Tiny Tim’s.
She could be thankful for this one thing at least, she decided; everyone seemed to love her kid, even Tiny Tim.
Jamal ran up to her, his eyes shining like twin bulbs as he crowed, “Did you see that, Mom? I won the fight with Tiny Tim.”
“You sure did, champ,” she laughed, ruffling his curly hair as she winked across the room at the huge giant of a man who was also her boss.
“Jamal, don’t forget your drink,” Tiffany called, producing a cup of mocha latte with a flourish.
“What the hell is that?” Tiana asked disbelievingly.
“Cappuccino,” Tiffany said as she handed the cup to Jamal.
Tiana snatched it away immediately, her eyes wide with disbe
lief. “He’s a child!”
“So?” Tiffany asked, genuine confusion on her face. “Don’t kids drink coffee?”
“No!” How could one person be so clueless about kids, she wondered.
“Wow, no kidding. I thought everyone drank coffee,” Tiffany muttered.
Rolling her eyes, Tiana thrust the cappuccino back into Tiffany’s slim hands, collected her handbag and herded Jamal out of the diner whilst stifling her yawn. A little sign with a fresh paint job on it was stuck right in front of Tiny Tim’s, close to the sidewalk and her gaze scanned the sign disbelievingly. A ranch along Faraday Street needed a cook! She blinked again, almost afraid the sign was going to up and vanish. It was a part-time position and just perfect! She didn’t know Paradise very well yet; she had been here a little under two weeks after all. But she did know that Faraday Street was on the other side of town and somewhat on the outskirts.
She strolled closer to read the sign: it said a cook was needed pronto.
“See that, Jamal? Santa Claus sent Mommy a new job,” she breathed, awe-struck.
The next morning, Tiana rushed Jamal onto the school bus and head over to the Faraday Street ranch as fast as she could. Everyone seemed to be sizing her up as she walked in, from the man at the gate to the haughty maid with perpetually raised brows who let her into the house. The maid’s brows were so high, it was a wonder they didn’t hit her actual hairline.
“Please sit down, Miss,” she said in a soft musical voice tinged with a slight hint of Southern accent as she indicated a large, imposing, antique sofa with a sweep of her hand.
Tiana carefully lowered herself onto the seat, biting her lip as she looked around at the room that screamed wealth and luxury. She wasn’t sure what she had been expecting of a ranch house, but it certainly wasn’t this posh, lavish interior that looked like the pages of a magazine.
Working here as a cook would be challenging, she decided; it looked big enough to house a hundred people at least.
The Love Ranch (BWWM Romance) Page 2
