Cade took her hand, astonished at the unexpected presence of this beautiful, albeit babbling, young woman and found himself rushing to reassure her. “Fired? Don’t be ridiculous. The accident was my fault. I shouldn’t have barged in on you.”
Annalisa’s face flushed a deeper crimson as she smoothly removed her hand from his. “Thanks for being such a good sport,” she said with a sheepish grin.
“No problem.”
Annalisa nodded toward the dining room. “If y’all are done in there, I’ll just quietly do the dishes.” Her lips twitched. “I promise not to break anything.”
He chuckled. Secrets or not, a lady who could laugh at herself was rare. “Call me Cade. And you’re not getting away before I do what I came in here to do.” Cade realized by the deer-in-the-headlights look on Annalisa’s face that she had heard his silly comment about kissing the cook. “That is, to thank you for such a wonderful meal. We enjoyed it tremendously.”
He saw her shoulders relax, and he bit back a smile at her obvious relief as she turned to tackle the pots and pans. Wouldn’t his brothers kid him if they knew how happy a beautiful woman seemed to be to avoid a kiss from him?
Then he spotted his three brothers and his father peering in through the wide doorway, grinning broadly. Shooting them a dirty look, he reached over and closed the double doors, not caring that it barely missed Jake’s nose.
He turned back to the women, ignoring Aunt Gertie’s slight smile. “Annalisa, if there’s anything I can do to help you settle in, or if you have any questions, just let me know.”
“Yes, Sir. I will.” Annalisa paused in the middle of wiping the counter, as if waiting for him to leave.
He crossed the room and dropped a kiss on his aunt’s cheek. “’Night, Aunt Gertie. Annalisa, thanks again for supper.”
He slipped out of the kitchen and padded down the hallway, thinking about his mysterious new cook. In the den, he found the men sitting around, long legs sprawled out, pretending to be engrossed in an old western on television. They ignored him for a minute, until Holt looked up with a twinkle in his eyes and drawled, “What happened to the famous McFadden charm, Bro? You must be getting old.”
His brothers snickered.
“Wait a minute,” Jeb said, holding up his hands. “I’m old, and I’ve still got it.” He regarded his oldest son and shook his head in mock dismay. “It must have skipped a generation.”
Cade couldn’t keep from joining in as his brothers roared with laughter.
***
After setting the alarm, Annalisa changed into her long flannel gown, then reached up and unfastened the locket from around her neck. As she had each night for the past seven years, she opened it and stared at the two pictures—a teenage girl and a chubby-cheeked baby. Curling her fingers around the treasure, she pressed it tightly against her face. With a deep sigh, she clicked it shut and placed it carefully on the nightstand beside the small lamp.
After she said her prayers, she burrowed under the covers and lay staring at the shadows on the ceiling, wishing she could live the last few moments over. She’d worked hard for this opportunity, and sheer determination had kept her from falling apart after her little fiasco. But even determination hadn’t stopped her from babbling, a habit she had when she was nervous. Cade McFadden probably thought he’d hired a lunatic.
***
Cade stretched farther over the edge of the cliff to see where the sound was coming from. About a foot down the side, a small boy grasped a tiny branch, his feet dangling above the seemingly bottomless canyon below. As the branch bent, the boy’s whimpers grew louder. Just as the twig broke, Cade lunged and grunted with relief when their hands connected.
His relief melted into horror as the child’s hand became slick, as if covered in oil. In spite of Cade’s desperate attempt to hold on, the little hand slid from his grip. He screamed and leaped forward over the precipice, grabbing with both arms.
With a jolt, Cade connected with something solid. The floor. Relief coursed through him. He’d been dreaming again. Cold sweat trickled under his T-shirt. Shaking, he eased himself up onto the bed, gave the pillow a punch, and squinted at the clock. 2:04.
He got up and made his way into the master bathroom. Pulling a little cup from the holder on the wall, he caught a glimpse of himself in the vanity mirror. In the dim light, he looked like a crazed man. His dark hair stood on end, and a sheen of perspiration glistened on his face. Tonight’s dream, just like all the rest, had been so real.
These terrible nightmares—each one involving a child in danger—had plagued him in the city. Since he’d come to the ranch two weeks ago, he’d slept like a baby. It had seemed that God had granted him the peace he’d asked for. Until tonight.
As he filled the cup with water and drank the cold liquid down, he realized why the dreams had resurfaced. Annalisa Davis represented a threat to his newfound peace. Her face haunted him, something he’d seen in her eyes... a deep need. She wasn’t just a cook, he was sure of that. So why was she here?
Was her reason for coming to the Circle-M personal, or did it have something to do with his last case? She could be a reporter. She had the confidence for it, he thought, remembering her smooth recovery from the accident in the kitchen.
Frustration and anger built up in his chest. Sleep had never seemed further away. Even if she was with the media, which he had to admit was doubtful after all this time, that still didn’t explain the look in her eyes. Job, or no job, she had personal reasons for coming up here.
He slowly walked back to the bed and climbed in. He had to get some sleep. Closing his eyes again, he could see her, shoulders back, chin lifted high, as though she had something to prove. Couldn’t anything be simple? A beautiful woman landed at his feet—with hair like an angel and eyes he could drown in—and his private investigator mind couldn’t help but question it.
Lord, please set me free. If it’s Your will, Father, help me to forget the past and concentrate on the boys who are coming here Monday for a new start. Create in each of them a clean heart and an open mind, so I can teach them about You by the way I live. Help me to be the example You want me to be. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Drifting off to sleep, Cade thought again of the secrets lurking in his new cook’s eyes. And Lord, please give Annalisa the peace she seeks.
***
The next morning, Cade walked down the hall toward the dining room, wishing the bright sunshine had avoided his window instead of sneaking in and prodding his eyelids to open. Each new reason he’d conjured up to explain Annalisa’s presence grew worse than the one before. By the time his alarm had gone off, he’d imagined she was a hit man... make that hit woman, hired to bump him off.
In no hurry to face the cause of his nocturnal unrest, or anyone else, he slipped out of the house and retrieved the morning paper from the end of the driveway before continuing on to breakfast. Sliding into a vacant chair at the dining room table, he quickly hid behind the front page.
“Cade, if your mother were here, she’d have your hide for reading the paper at the breakfast table.”
Surprised by the reprimand, Cade lowered his paper.
His father’s big smile belied his gruff voice. “But since she stayed home this weekend, pass me the sports.”
With a chuckle, Cade complied, then offered the rest of the paper to his brothers.
Aunt Gertie hurried through the swinging door with a pot of steaming coffee in her hand. Cade watched over the top of the paper as she stopped and opened her mouth in mock dismay at the sight of the male members of the family—each with his nose buried in a section of newspaper.
“Well, can you believe it?” She yanked the comics from Clint’s hand and poured coffee in his mug. “I’ve never seen the likes of such bad manners,” she said, as she calmly snatched the business section from Holt and deposited it on the antique buffet. Lips twitching with a suppressed smile, she placed her hands on her hips. “The rest of you gonna give
yours up peaceful-like, or am I gonna have to wrestle them from you?”
The men guffawed, but they handed their papers to the tiny woman and were rewarded with a cup of coffee.
“Annalisa worked hard fixing breakfast, and if you know what’s good for you, you’ll eat it.”
“You must’ve eaten your Wheaties, Aunt Gertie,” Jake said with a smile.
“I don’t want her to get her feelings hurt, that’s all.” Gertie patted Jake on the shoulder and moved on to the swinging doors.
“Oh, no,” Clint muttered. “Breakfast must be awful if Aunt Gert thinks we’ll hurt the cook’s feelings over it.”
Cade groaned. He’d known she wasn’t a cook, and now she was about to prove it. Last night’s meal must have been a fluke.
The swinging doors opened, and Aunt Gertie and Annalisa entered, each holding a rectangular glass dish. Could it possibly be... ? Oh, no, it was... a casserole. The one thing his dad had sworn he’d never eat. No wonder Aunt Gertie had warned them.
“If I want all my food mashed up together, I’ll do it on my plate,” Jeb McFadden always said. It was a creed Cade and his brothers had grown up with.
After Annalisa set her dish down on the table and returned to the kitchen, the men’s gazes, as if synchronized, swung from the food to Aunt Gertie’s stern face. Slowly, they filled their plates, and Cade watched in amazement as all of them, even his dad, took a bite, then smiled. His aunt had her bluff in. But not on him. This was his house, and he wasn’t going to tiptoe around an employee’s feelings.
Looking down at his plate, he decided rearranging the food a little to make it look like he’d eaten wouldn’t hurt anything. Just as he was pushing it around with his fork, he caught Aunt Gertie’s watchful eye on him and shoved a bite in his mouth. Bacon, eggs, and cheese had never tasted so good. Making up for lost time, he quickly cleaned his plate.
***
Annalisa pulled into the church parking lot with minutes to spare. She’d noticed the tiny building as she drove past yesterday and had hoped to be able to attend worship there today. Sitting in her car, she thanked God there had been no conversations with her boss this morning.
Gertie had helped her with the breakfast dishes, then Annalisa had hurried to her room, dressed for church, and slipped out the door to her car. She’d prepared much of today’s lunch ahead of time, so she could be free this morning. If she didn’t linger, everything should be fine.
She got out of her car and, after taking a moment to absorb the beauty of God’s creation, she strolled into the building. She returned the smiles and nods of the members and found a seat near the back.
The congregation was still talking in subdued tones, waiting for worship to start, when a shadow fell across Annalisa. Startled, she looked up into the blue eyes of Cade McFadden.
“Fancy meetin’ you here,” he said with a grin.
“You too.” Annalisa mustered up an answering smile. She needed to stop feeling so stressed around him. After all, her goal was to convince him to help her. In order to do that, she’d have to get to know him better. “Is the rest of your family with you?”
Cade nodded toward a pew behind her, and Annalisa turned in her seat to see Mr. McFadden, his other three sons, and Aunt Gertie crowded onto a bench two rows back.
“Didn’t they save you a seat?” What an inane thing to say. She had just forced herself into inviting him to sit with her.
Sure enough, when he shook his head, she was compelled to ask, “Would you like to sit here? There’s plenty of room.”
He slid into the empty space beside her just as the service began. Self-conscious, she found it difficult to concentrate on the lesson. Lord, give me the strength to ignore this man, at least until the service is over.
***
Annalisa carefully folded a paper towel and placed it on a plate. The potatoes were mashed. The rolls were in the oven. The gravy was done. She sighed with relief as she took up the golden brown pieces of chicken. She’d pulled it off. Surely if she could cook for five grown men, the three boys arriving tomorrow should be easy. Of course, only four of those men were going home this afternoon.
Cade McFadden—the reason she had come to this little cattle ranch in northern Arkansas—was staying. Then she’d be left with the one man who seemed to have the power to make her forget why she’d hired on for this job. Her plan to get to know him slowly and gain his trust before asking for his help disappeared when he looked at her with those deep blue eyes.
When she was in his presence, she found her words rushing out in an unchecked stream. So far, she’d been able to keep from blurting out her real reason for being here, but she wondered how strong she’d be when the others were gone.
The doors behind her swished, and she turned, three-pronged fork still in her hand, to face the man who occupied her thoughts.
“You’re a good cook. But something makes me think there’s more to this story. So, do you mind telling me what you’re doing here?”
Chapter Three
Annalisa prayed for a light tone. “It was the casserole that gave me away, wasn’t it?”
Cade’s eyes narrowed. “Is cooking what you’ve done for a living before this? And don’t consider lying. I can check it out with one phone call.”
“Why would I lie? Can’t a girl switch careers without you making a criminal case out of it?” Annalisa’s smile felt a little stiff, but she was careful to keep it in place. “If my work is unsatisfactory, Mr. McFadden, then I insist you tell me.”
She watched her boss run his hand through his hair in exasperation. He’d just opened his mouth to respond when Aunt Gertie bustled in.
“Annalisa, you are truly a wonder. I don’t know how you changed from your dress so quickly,” she said, reaching in to retrieve the pitchers of iced tea from the refrigerator. If she was aware of the tension between boss and employee, she gave no indication. “Why, you’ve almost got lunch ready. Bless your heart.”
“Funny,” Cade said in a flat tone Annalisa recognized as slightly sarcastic. “I thought that’s what we were paying her for.” He turned and walked out of the room.
With shaking hands, Annalisa helped carry the dishes to the table, using Aunt Gertie as a shield between herself and Cade. She sensed his gaze boring into her, but refused to look his way.
Back in the kitchen, she tackled the dishes immediately, ignoring the plate of food she’d prepared for herself. The close call with Cade had annihilated her appetite.
It was only a matter of time now. If she didn’t divulge her secret, he would ferret it out. His private investigator background wouldn’t allow anything less. Maybe tonight when his family left, she should sit down and be straight with him. Surely he wouldn’t toss her out on her ear in the dark, especially considering this was the middle of nowhere. Still, remembering how his eyes had burned when he questioned her, she wasn’t so sure.
A month ago she’d called Cade’s Little Rock office, only to be told Mr. McFadden wasn’t taking any new cases at that time. Hoping to change his mind, she’d gone there in person. Mrs. Spencer had been sympathetic, and she and Annalisa had gotten along well. She finally told Annalisa the truth—Cade had taken a six-month leave of absence to start a ranch for troubled boys.
While they were talking, the phone rang and, though she studied the pictures on the wall, Annalisa couldn’t help but overhear the secretary’s end of the conversation. Her boss wanted her to hire a cook for the ranch. After chatting with Mrs. Spencer for awhile, Annalisa had gathered her nerve and commented on the job opening.
Offering references, she explained she had recently taken her own leave of absence from her position as bookkeeper for a prestigious catering firm in Atlanta. After years of the hustle and bustle, the idea of simple ranch life was very appealing, she’d continued. Even though it wasn’t her profession, she was a good cook, she’d assured the woman, and she might be willing to make the sabbatical permanent.
Mrs. Spencer got a
nother phone call, and Annalisa had taken advantage of the opportunity to excuse herself from the room. In the hallway, she’d used her cell phone and called her boss in Atlanta. His wife had been filling in for her while she was gone, and apparently the woman was enjoying the change of pace.
They had no problem extending Annalisa’s unpaid vacation. She’d brought up the cook position and ignored her boss’s good-natured jibes about the possibility of him applying for a bookkeeping job. Since he was a Christian, he reminded her teasingly, he could only say she was an excellent employee. He couldn’t vouch for her cooking, but he did agree to be a reference.
Annalisa hurried back in to tell the office manager she’d be happy to relocate to the small ranch just south of the Arkansas/Missouri border. Thrilled to find a ready-made applicant, the woman had checked Annalisa’s references and hired her on the spot.
Any guilt was laid to rest as she left the office when Mrs. Spencer winked and said, “If you happen to find a chance to mention your problem to Mr. McFadden, that’s between you and him. I, personally, believe it would do him good to keep his finger in PI work. As a matter of fact, I think you might be just what he needs.”
Annalisa squeezed the water from the dishrag. Would Cade McFadden agree with his trusted secretary? She suspected not. Wiping off the counter, she smiled as Aunt Gertie came in carrying an armload of plates.
She rushed to take the burden from the older woman. “You don’t have to do that. I can clear the table.”
Gertie pointed to Annalisa’s plate and shook her head. “Child, you haven’t even eaten yet. Sit down and eat, and I’ll put these plates in the dishwasher.”
In Search of Love Page 2
