by Liz Isaacson
But did going to lunch with him one time count as “seeing” him? She wasn’t sure, and he hadn’t texted her either. They hadn’t set anything else up.
She saw people in a new light, though, and when Dwight Rogers smiled at her on her way out of church, her heart fluttered. Maybe she should go out with him. He was more business than cowboy, and he worked at the energy company Graham and Andrew ran. He was pretty high up too, if Celia remembered right.
She’d just reached the door when she’d decided to go back and talk to him. The church hosted a linger longer after the sermon, and while she usually didn’t stay, maybe today she should.
Her phone rang at that moment, and Zach’s name sat on the screen. “Hey,” she said, turning away from Dwight completely now. A smile touched her lips, and she moved out into the bitter cold. Yes, Zach excited her more than Dwight did. But that didn’t mean they could really see each other. She’d said nothing to anyone about who Zach really was, but she knew her brothers would find out eventually.
And then war would break out.
“Hey,” Zach said just as easily. “I was just thinking.”
“Of what?”
“You said you used to be a private chef, right?”
“Yes.” Confusion ran through her. What did that have to do with anything?
“What if I hired you to come work for me?” he asked. “I have a small farm, but I’m busy a lot of the time. I don’t cook for myself much.”
Celia paused right in the middle of the parking lot, though the temperature wouldn’t allow her to stand still for long. “What?”
“I can pay you just as well as Graham,” he said.
It wasn’t about the money. Celia didn’t need Zach’s money. Bored and rich. Was he playing a game with her?
“I don’t know,” she said. She hated the words, because they were all she’d been thinking for days. Could she have a relationship with Zach? She didn’t know. Could she somehow move past the family feud? She didn’t know. Could she even love someone again?
She simply didn’t know.
“Well, I’m at Saltgrass Farms in Dog Valley,” he said. “And I’d take you any days you aren’t already working at the lodge.”
Celia hesitated long enough that someone honked their horn. She lifted her hand in apology and got moving again. “Are you bored right now?”
“What?”
“It’s just that you said you were bored and rich. Is this some sort of trick?” Wasn’t that what her father had always said about the Zuckermans? They were tricky.
“It’s not a trick,” he said. “Though the thought did cross my mind that if someone has a problem with our relationship, I can simply say you’re working for me.”
“And how would that be better than being your….” She couldn’t even say the word. “How would that be better?” She unlocked her car and got inside, starting it quickly and adjusting the heater to blow.
“I don’t know,” he said, a heavy sigh accompanying the words. “All I know is I want to see you again, and maybe if you came to make me lunch or dinner at my farm, we could stay out of the public eye, as you mentioned.”
She had said that she’d gone to Dog Valley to stay off the radar here in Coral Canyon. “I’ll have to check my schedule at Whiskey Mountain,” she said.
“Of course.” Zach sounded like he wouldn’t settle for anything less. “What are you doing today?”
“I just got out of church,” she said. “And I’m cooking Sunday dinner up at the lodge.”
“Mm,” he said, and she didn’t know him well enough to know if he was distracted or simply didn’t have an audible word to say.
“So you’ll let me know your schedule and if you want the job,” he said.
“I’ll let you know.”
“Great. Talk to you later.” The call ended, and Celia looked at her phone, easily a half-dozen questions running through her mind now.
“That was weird.” She put the car in gear and drove about as far away from the canyon as she could get. Once she had her slow cooker and all of her ingredients in the truck of her car, she said, “All right, Grizz. Let’s load up.”
The black Lab jumped into the front passenger seat, her companion for the long drive up to the lodge. Once there, Celia busied herself with the meal prep, just like she did every Sunday.
The difference this week was the road her thoughts marched down. Every turn and every road sign held Zach’s face—and that was no coincidence.
When Graham arrived, Celia’s nerves tripled. She had somewhat of a set schedule here at the lodge, and Graham had never been overly inquisitive about what she did the other days of the week.
So she’d just ask him if she could dictate the schedule a bit more. With Eli back in town, perhaps the family could eat down at his house—Amanda’s huge estate—sometimes. Celia could cook there as easily as here.
“Hey, Celia.” Graham swept into the kitchen, slipping his arm around her waist and squeezing her the way he did his mother. “Something smells good.” He grinned down at her and adjusted his toddler on his hip.
“Pulled pork nachos,” she said.
“Receipts?” he asked.
“I have them.” She hurried over to her purse and extracted that week’s receipts. After handing them to him, she said, “I have another job that’s come up. Could we set a more permanent schedule here at the lodge?”
“Sure.” Graham didn’t even look up from the checkbook where he was writing out her pay and her grocery reimbursement. With a flourish, he ripped off the check and extended it toward her. “What days are you thinking?”
“Sunday here,” she said. “Of course. And Monday for family night. Maybe I could do Wednesday and Friday too? That would leave Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday for—for this new client.”
She’d almost said Zach—and then the secret would be blown wide open.
Graham cocked his head slightly, as if he’d noticed the slip. “That sounds fine,” he said as Ronnie started to babble. “Come on, bud. Let’s go find Mom and tell her you need your diaper changed.” He grinned at Celia as he left the kitchen, and she sagged against the countertop in relief.
And this was just her boss. How could she ever tell Mack and Lennox about Zach Zuckerman?
Chapter Six
Zach whistled along with the wind as it screamed around the corner of the stable. His horses didn’t seem to mind the storm, but Zach had stayed longer than necessary. He didn’t want to trek through Mother Nature’s fury to get back to the house, and he kept thinking that maybe it would die down a little.
He only owned four horses—a far cry from the racehorse breeding farm Finn ran. Zach had already been over to Finn’s place, and his best friend would be home tomorrow. So one more morning of double chores, and Zach could go back to a more settled routine.
More boring, he thought as he fiddled with the reins hanging on the wall. “All right, guys,” he said to the horses. June, Harold, Runner, and Queen Anne barely looked at him. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
He pressed his body weight against the door to get it to open, and then the wind grabbed it and dang near ripped it off the hinges. Groaning, Zach struggled against the wind to bring the door back closed again. With it finally in place and latched, he kept his head down and hurried through the storm.
His boots had just touched the steps on the back deck that led inside when the hail started. “Really?” he muttered, running now. His adrenaline propelled him all the way inside, and he took of his cowboy hat and shook the pellets from the brim.
“This is insane,” he said to the darkening sky outside. It was barely three o’clock, but it looked like he should be getting ready for bed.
He felt exhausted all the way down in his bones, and he didn’t even know why. It was Sunday, and he typically had a lighter load of chores on the Sabbath. He sat in church for a couple of hours. Puttered around with the six goats and four horses and his horde of chickens.
Tr
ue, he’d been working both farms, but Finn had everything down to a science, and his farm practically ran itself.
A cold nose touched his hand, startling him. Zach pulled his fingers away from Ginger, his golden retriever. Well, one of them. “You guys hungry?”
He turned from the windows to find all five dogs looking at him. Two of his, and all three of Finn’s. He chuckled at the sight of them and moved into the kitchen to put together their meal. They had dry dog food, but they’d barely touched it, almost as if they knew he’d break out the carton of eggs and start scrambling.
As he did exactly that, he sang a hymn from church that day, a measure of happiness moving through him. He knew he was a simple man, with a simple life, and he actually liked that.
He’d lived the bigwig life, with shiny shoes and silk ties. It wasn’t a bad life either, but it brought more pressure than he wanted on a Sunday afternoon.
Several minutes later, he split the ham and cheese omelet between five plates and set them down for the dogs. “Wait,” he told them in his most commanding voice. Ginger whined, but she held her position. Maple just looked at him with her big, beautiful brown eyes.
Finn’s dogs all stared at the plates, used to this drill by now.
“All right,” Zach said, stepping out of the way lest he get run over by the stampede of five dogs, each weighing more than sixty pounds. They each took a plate without much argument, and the sliding of plates against the floor and slurping of food commenced.
Zach chuckled at them, glad he could make them so happy with something so easy. He cleaned up the pan, the glass in the window above the sink rattling in the wind. The hail had stopped, but Zach knew the snow was coming. Probably a lot of it.
Celia hadn’t seemed too keen on becoming his personal chef, and the weather would probably keep her down in Coral Canyon all week. His heart constricted painfully at the thought of not being able to see her.
But he had a big truck with four-wheel-drive, and maybe he’d go see Owen this week. Check out things on the farm where he’d grown up and then stop by Celia’s on the way home. Of course, he had no idea where she lived. Or if she’d even want him at her house.
He filled a glass with ice and water and walked into the library. Really just an office with a lot of books along two of the walls, this room often found Zach when he needed to do finances for the farm—or when he wanted to relax with a jigsaw puzzle.
He’d bought a huge puzzle last time he’d been in Washington, D.C. to visit Abby. It would eventually be the shape of the United States, and depicted all of the National Monuments and Parks around the country.
He’d need a whole room just to display it, and he’d finished Yosemite, Glacier, and several other sections. For the past few weeks, he’d been working on the Grand Canyon, and he looked down at all the reddish-orange pieces.
From somewhere else in the house, his phone chimed. He ignored it and started touching pieces, almost as if they could speak to him and let him know they were the ones he needed.
“Jennie, play Classical Favorites,” he said, and a moment later the Internet radio speaker began playing a violin concerto. With the heater blowing, and the storm contained outside, peace filled Zach from top to bottom.
The dogs finished eating, and all five of them came into the library for their afternoon snoozes. Amidst snoring and cellos, Zach fitted together piece after piece, his mind moving slowly through his options with Celia.
If she really didn’t want anyone in Coral Canyon to know about their relationship, taking the private chef job would be ideal. But perhaps she didn’t want to work for him. It would add a new level to their relationship, and Zach finally leaned away from the table.
“If she wants to have a relationship at all.”
But she had seemed interested, and they’d left the diner on good terms. She’d said she’d had fun. He’d asked her out again. No, they didn’t have anything on the schedule. Maybe she’d changed her mind.
He looked down at the puzzle, bored with it now. Sighing, he got up and walked over to the window that looked across the front yard. Surprise tripped through him as he found a figure hurrying up his front sidewalk.
Who in the world would be out in this storm?
He moved toward the exit so he could open the front door for whoever it was, as they shouldn’t be outside for long in this weather. The doorbell rang as he turned the corner, and he hurried to yank open the door.
“Zach,” Celia said, plenty of air in her voice.
“Celia?” He grabbed her by the elbow and towed her inside while the wind tried to pull the door outside. “Come in. What are you doing here?” He closed the door, a shiver moving through his whole system.
Celia was here.
Here.
At his house.
“How did you find my farm?”
“You told me the name of it,” she said, shaking her jacket to get rid of the snowflakes that had landed there. She held up a big pot. “I brought dinner.”
A smile cracked Zach’s face, and his heartbeat started blitzing around inside his chest. “You brought dinner.”
She smiled too. “Yeah,” she said slowly. “I was thinking maybe I’d take that job.”
Laughter started in Zach’s throat, and he let it out. “All right, then,” he said. “Come on back to the kitchen.” He started that way, but Celia paused at the door to the library.
“You have five dogs?”
“Just two,” he said. “Three are Finn’s, and he and Amanda won’t be home until tomorrow.” He reached down and stroked Maple’s head. “The two golden retrievers are mine.”
Celia’s eyes met his, and pure joy resided there. “I left my dog in the truck. Could I bring him in?”
“Of course,” Zach said. “He’ll freeze out there anyway.” He cocked his head at her. “Why didn’t you just bring him with you in the first place?”
“I wasn’t even sure you were home,” she said. “I’ve texted you a few times, and you didn’t answer.”
His phone had gone off a couple of times, and instant regret hit him. “I’ll get him.” He started for the kitchen, where he’d hung his coat when he’d come in from the farm. “What’s his name?”
“Grizz,” she said, following him. “He’s a black Lab puppy.”
Zach nodded at her. “Use anything you want. I’ll be back in a second.” He went out through the garage, opening it to find her sedan parked in his driveway. The snow fell fast and furious, and he stood on the cusp of the garage and looked up into the sky.
If Celia stayed for any length of time, she wouldn’t be leaving tonight. The idea of her staying with him through the storm struck fear and excitement within him. The feelings didn’t quite mesh, and he wasn’t sure what to do with them.
He did know he could take on another dog without a problem, so he stepped over to the passenger side to find the little black pup eager to meet him. He laughed as Grizz licked his hands and then his face when he picked him up.
No sense in getting the dog soaking wet just to come into the house. “There you go, boy,” he said, setting the dog down once they’d gone inside. Zach hit the button to close the garage, and he peeled his wet coat from his shoulders.
“It’s snowing hard,” he said, approaching Celia in the kitchen slowly.
“Yeah,” she said. “Started just as I pulled into town.” She barely glanced up from the rolls in front of her. She worked with a serrated knife easily, and Zach really liked her presence in his home. “As soon as I finish these, I want a tour.” She met his eye for a moment, a smile on her face.
“Celia,” he said, and she paused in the slicing.
“Yeah?”
“If you stay even five more minutes, you won’t be leaving Dog Valley tonight.” He cleared his throat, and he didn’t even care what that said about him. He liked this woman, and he’d be more than happy if she stayed. But she should know what she was choosing.
“You think so?”
“Definitely.” He watched her move to the back doors that led onto the deck and look outside.
She turned back to him, determination in those beautiful eyes. “Well, I want to stay, so I guess I better have that tour now so I know where I’m sleeping tonight.”
Zach ducked his head, glad he wore a cowboy hat all the time. He wasn’t sure he concealed his smile all that much, but it didn’t matter. She’d said the magic words.
I want to stay.
“All right,” he said, his voice a bit on the gruff side. “So this is the kitchen and dining room. There’s a little utility room around the corner there, but I don’t use it much. I just came in from the garage—which you can pull your car in, if you’d like.” He extended his hand toward her. “In fact, give me your keys, and I’ll do it right now.”
She stepped over to her discarded coat and pulled her keys from the pocket.
“Be right back.” He left her in the kitchen for the second time and went back into the garage. He could barely fold himself behind the wheel of her car, but he managed to get it into the garage.
Back in the house again, he found all six dogs sitting in a circle around Celia while she fed each one little bits of meat, one at a time.
Zach paused, the scene before him almost surreal. Celia was a steady force he hadn’t known he needed in his life. He felt like things in his life were going well, but he simply hadn’t realized that he still had a hole in his life where a woman should be.
A good, strong, faithful, beautiful woman like Celia Armstrong.
The vein in his neck throbbed as he thought about Brandon, but no guilt came. No regret. His friend would want his wife taken care of, and for the first time in a while, Zach wanted to take care of more than dogs, horses, and goats.
He wanted to take care of Celia, and that rendered him still and silent, because he had no idea how to do that.
Chapter Seven
