The Chef, The Holidays & The Husband (Country Brides & Cowboy Boots)

by Erica Penrod

  Her position was a necessity and she was a good chef, but more than that, he recognized her as nothing more than a beautiful relapse—a high he wouldn’t chase. He would push away the temptation … and keep her at a safe distance.

  Chapter 8

  Lexi gazed up at the barn and gathered her will to forge ahead, never being one for physical exercise, unless you counted a marathon shopping trip. The path was shoveled and well worn by the stampede of boys, but the grade was steeper than she anticipated and her lungs already burned from the exertion, not to mention she was still adjusting to the altitude.

  The winter weather bit at her ears and she pulled her stocking cap down to cover them. Putting one foot in front of the other, she huffed and puffed her way to the top and found the barn built with bricks. Trimmed with the same logs as the cabin, the brick was the color of red clay, with distinct patterns above the doorway. A wooden garage door was to the right of the walk-in entrance, and between the two, a piece of metal was welded into the shape of a cowboy on a cutting horse and the High Country Ranch brand was cut out below.

  Reaching out, Lexi pulled open the door and was accosted by the earthy smells from her childhood trips to her uncle’s ranch. A tornado of memories whirled around her and she tried to catch just one, but there were so many. Just when she had hold of one of her favorites, another blew by, stealing her attention. Euphoria set over her and she wondered how she’d ever forgotten how much she loved being around horses.

  Once inside the barn, she looked up and down the aisle. Rows of stalls made of tongue and groove wood lined the far side. Most were empty. A chestnut-colored mare hung her head over the rail a few feet ahead. Lexi made her way over to rub behind the soft ears.

  Sounds echoed down the hall, a vocal map to the arena’s whereabouts. She gave the horse one more scratch and then headed towards the noise. Heat radiated from long metal beams hanging from the ceiling. She unzipped her coat, then pulled the hat from her head, tucked it into her pocket, and headed down the tidy cement walk.

  About halfway down, Lexi found the entrance to the arena. She drew in a breath before she entered; her stomach lurched, and she remembered the time she ate a bad deli sandwich a half hour before a class presentation. Caught in the kitchen, singing her own rendition of a Christmas classic, tasted like the notorious turkey on rye, and facing Lucas after what he’d witnessed … well, that would be taking another bite.

  Get over it. Unless she planned on hijacking a sled and heading down the mountain, which she didn’t, she may as well hold her head up and act like she didn’t care about her bad audition. And why did she care? If she were honest with herself, her apprehension was the root of the problem. Singing like a hound howling at a harvest moon had never stopped her before, not even at the institute. Cooking made her creative juices flow and she couldn’t help but make some noise. She knew she would sing again … that was part of the recipe, so what did it matter if her boss heard her? Because she cared about what the man with dark hair and fairy-tale eyes thought about her.

  Stop it! She stepped in, kicking up the dirt, watching the particles fall like snow on her boot. She had to let go of her girlish fantasy and remember how stories ended in real life.

  “Lexi, are you okay?”

  Looking up … and up, she saw Atiu mounted on Goliath’s horse. The biblical creature was black as night, with a thick mane brushed to a sheen falling down his powerful neck. His tail was braided, yet still touched the ground. Lexi took one look at the size of the animal’s hooves and backed up. “Yeah,” she answered, even though her pulse pranced at the sight of the magnificent beast. The combination of fear and fascination raced through her veins.

  Atiu laughed, capturing her attention as he reached out and stroked the side of his horse. “Don’t worry,” he said. “Tiny here is as sweet as they come.”

  Lexi managed a smile, but as the horse turned his massive head towards her, she felt her heart thunder. His deep dark eyes settled on her and her body relaxed. Coming closer, she saw a rich, warm brown color beneath the black. She caressed the horse’s face and he leaned into her touch, making her grin.

  “He’s just a giant teddy bear,” he said.

  Nodding in agreement, she knew the same could be said about his rider. “Tiny?” she asked, cocking an eyebrow as she continued to pet the animal.

  Atiu’s melodic laugh played again. “Lucas told me he found the perfect horse for me and when I saw him, the first words I said were ‘he sure is tiny’ and the name just stuck.” He straightened himself in the saddle. “His registered name is something fancy, but I like Tiny.”

  “He seems to like it too,” she agreed, and that’s when she looked over and saw Atiu’s foot in the stirrup. “I didn’t know they made cowboy boots that size.”

  Atiu pulled his boot from the stirrup, twisting the brown snakeskin left and right. His dimples sunk into his face, and his coconut-shell-colored eyes lit up. “I know, right? Lucas said I needed some to ride and he had them custom-made.” He admired the boot some more. “I wanted snakeskin, because that sounds cool. You know, like a cowboy in a western movie with snakeskin boots.”

  Lexi giggled at the big island man with his neon floral-print shirt and a voice that sounded like he swallowed a ukulele, wearing snakeskin boots. He was a riding contradiction. “Of course, snakeskin boots are a must,” she said. “But you’re missing a vital piece to your persona.”

  Wrinkles folded into his forehead. “Yeah?”

  “A hat.” She looked up at his stocking cap. “You need a cowboy hat.”

  The lines disappeared above his eyes and his dimples sunk in his cheeks. “Oh, yeah.” He nodded. “That’s on its way. We had to have that special ordered, too.” He rubbed the top of his head. “I guess there’s not many of us cowboys with brains this size.”

  Lexi shook her head. “I guess not.”

  Hayden rode up on a golden-colored horse, and next to Tiny, the palomino looked like a pint-sized pony. “Earl wanted me to ask if you could help Matt and Shaun,” he said. Whipped-butter-colored hair, garnished by rich maple-syrup eyes, made his sticky sweet smile contagious, and like Bo, Lexi had a hard time imagining Hayden with a sour side.

  “You bet,” Atiu answered. He tipped his fictional brim to Lexi. “I’ll see you later, little lady,” he said in a southern drawl, and kissed to his horse. Tiny lifted his head and walked off.

  Glancing around, Lexi noticed two boys at the far side of the barn, brushing horses tied to a post. Down a few feet, Bo sat in the saddle on top of a paint horse. Lucas stood next to him, talking to the unresponsive student as he adjusted the length of the boy’s stirrup. In the center of the arena, Owen, Derek, and Adam were on horseback, standing side by side. Earl was on the ground, instructing them.

  Lexi saw a bench in the corner and decided to take a seat. Content to observe, she put her head down and shuffled over to the wooden seat. Her snow boots left trenches in the soft dirt, marking her path. Sitting down, she noticed a loose lace and bent over to tie the rebellious cord.

  “Oh, hey. You made it,” she heard, and looked up. Her breath hitched when she saw Lucas sitting on a bay horse. Surprised by her tangent thought, she remembered the time she opened a treasured Christmas gift from her father: a golden locket—something she never knew she always wanted.

  “Yes.” The memory and the man in front of her meshed into a single emotion.

  Lucas’s black felt hat shadowed his face like the hint of stubble along his jawline, and as he tilted his head towards her, his eyes caught the light. Their electric blue shocked her, stopping her heart.

  “Would you like to ride?” he asked as she began to cough.

  She pounded her own chest as she tried to restart her circulatory system. “No …” She coughed one more time. “Not today. I’ll just watch for now.”

  “Are you all right?” He tugged gently on the reins in his hand as his horse pranced.

  “Yes.” She cleared her throat. “Just got some
thing caught in my throat. Probably dust.”

  “Okay.” His eyes drifted downward as he patted his horse on his neck. “And you’re sure you don’t want to ride?” He met her gaze, just for a second, before his eyes darted to the top of the horse’s head. He ran his gloved fingers over the forelock.

  “Yes,” she said, glad to see he didn’t seem to notice he was the reason for her episode. “I’ve got to get back and check on the dinner in a little while.”

  “Another time, then,” he said briefly, and turned away.

  Lexi hadn’t noticed Bo next to Lucas until then. His stiff posture in the saddle and trembling hands on the reins made her stomach knot up for him. The horse flipped his head up and neighed. Bo’s eyes filled with panic.

  “You’re okay,” Lucas said, reassuring him. “She’s just talking to the other horses. Take a deep breath. I’m right here.” He patted Bo’s knee.

  Lexi watched as the boy’s body relaxed and he reached out and stroked the horse’s mane. Bo gingerly turned his head to her. She picked up her hand and waved, offering him a smile. A subtle recognition played across his face, but quickly paused when the horse neighed again.

  “Let’s walk,” Lucas said to Bo as he nudged his horse forward. Bo followed beside him.

  Impressed by the tenderness and concern in Lucas’s voice for Bo, she leaned back against the bench, thinking about her employer. He’d been so sincere in his affection for the boy and she was so taken by his gestures with Bo, she almost missed his subtle indifference to her.

  Something was different. Something in his regard to her had shifted within the last hour. She tugged on her bottom lip with her teeth in concern. She’d made a fool of herself in the kitchen, but she didn’t expect a silly incident like that to bother him. Maybe she was reading more into this than was there and he’d just been worried about Bo. After all, Lucas was cordial, and if he were anyone else she wouldn’t give another minute on the matter, but he wasn’t just anyone else.

  From the moment they met, he’d paid attention to her. When she spoke, he listened, and when they were in the same room, somehow she knew he was aware of the fact. What that meant or whether he made everyone feel that way, she didn’t know, but the one thing she did understand was that, like a pair of worn-out jeans rotated to the back of her closet, somehow she’d been demoted.

  * * *

  Later that same night, Lexi sat on the rocks, which had been placed with some sort of heavy equipment as seating around the fire pit as the boys roasted marshmallows. She’d been tempted to stay back at the house, maybe take a hot shower and scour Pinterest for new recipes, but where she was still new to the place and the boys, she thought she’d better make the extra effort. Owen and Bo performed their responsibilities in the kitchen without any coercion and in a timely manner, leaving her little time to get to know them better.

  Lucas’s behavior towards her left her curious and confused. He was helpful at dinner, dishing out the green salad and keeping drinks filled. Lucas complimented her on the meal and made sure she knew how much he appreciated her. And yet, whatever the connection was she felt that first night when slipped into his arms, he apparently severed. She wanted one more shot at solving the mystery before she tried to sleep tonight.

  Had she made the whole thing up? Lexi closed her eyes and still saw the flames on the back of her eyelids. Denial was never part of her genetic makeup and she was fully aware of the mess she’d become when she and Brian broke up, but was she really that far gone that she’d become delusional?

  Opening her eyes, she listened as Atiu talked with the boys about respect as they roasted marshmallows. He was making things easier for her. Perhaps this was how he really was and had just been over the top to welcome her.

  “Here you go.” Derek nudged her.

  “Thanks.” She accepted the s’more. Charred flakes of marshmallow scurried into the night as she pressed the graham crackers together. Chocolate oozed from all sides and she spun the treat around, catching the mess in her mouth, savoring the delicacy.

  Unaware she had an audience and with her woes forgotten, she chowed down, crunching out the sound of her mother’s scolding on young ladies’ manners.

  “Looks like you’re enjoying that,” she heard, followed by the dull roar of adolescent laughter. Lexi glanced up to see she was being watched by a group of amused young men. She closed her mouth and chewed slowly, but crumbs tumbled from her lips and got stuck in the smeared chocolate across her chin.

  Dabbing her face with her sleeve, she attempted to gather any bit of dignity she had left, but with the boys’ eyes shining in the firelight and their laughter erupting all around her, she couldn’t hold a straight face any longer. She burst out laughing, which was like adding gasoline to the fire, and even though it didn’t seem possible, the boy’s eyes lit up even more and their good time roared with the smoke into the winter night.

  A unique feeling settled over as she licked her fingers and enjoyed the sight before her: these broken boys, surrounded by good men trying to mend what needed fixing. Lexi had a glimpse of what Lucas felt when he decided to do something with his life that mattered. Her insides warmed with the idea that she could be part of something so much bigger than herself, and she had Lucas to thank for giving her the opportunity.

  Her eyes searched for Lucas, wanting to express her gratitude, and when she caught his gaze, her good feelings froze. He looked directly at her with his lips parted, pretending to smile … as if she were someone he used to know and he didn’t care for.

  Chapter 9

  This was the hard part. Lucas watched through the picture window on the third floor as the police SUV four-wheeled up the drive of High Country Ranch. His arms were folded across his chest and a manila folder dangled from his right hand. On paper, the kid in the back seat of the cruiser would be his biggest challenge yet, a repeat offender.

  A part of him wanted to do away with the file. He wanted to form his own opinion, to let the kid start with as clean of a slate as possible. Lucas knew better than anyone that sometimes being the person people label you as was easier than trying to prove you’re someone else.

  As the vehicle came closer, Lucas walked down the two flights of stairs and went into the front entry hall. He opened the door before the officer had a chance to knock.

  “Hi, Tyler.” Lucas offered his hand.

  “Hey, Lucas.” Tyler shook his hand. “This is Brett.”

  “Hi, Brett,” Lucas said. “It’s nice to meet you.” He offered his hand to the boy in black.

  Brett whipped his head so that his long bangs, the color of night, cast a shadow over his eyes, which were focused on the ground. He shoved both fists in his pockets, dismissing Lucas’s welcome.

  Tyler, who was a couple inches shorter than Atiu but almost as wide, met Lucas’s gaze. A thick beard covered his face, but Lucas didn’t struggle to read his thoughts.

  “Come in,” Lucas said with a nod.

  Tyler stepped back and pointed to the doorway. Brett adjusted his backpack before he moved past Lucas. The kid’s anger was palpable, filling the hallway. No wonder he was in trouble—there wasn’t room for anything else in his life.

  Once Tyler came in and closed the door, he handed the paperwork to Lucas, which he signed and kept a copy of before he handed the sheets back to the officer.

  “Thanks, Tyler,” Lucas said. “I’ll be in touch.”

  “Sounds good.” He turned to the door. “Have a Merry Christmas if I don’t see you before then.”

  “You too,” Lucas said.

  “See you, Brett.” Tyler pulled on the handle. “Work hard.”

  Lucas knew the teenager heard the officer, but he gave no indication, and when the door closed they were left alone. “How about we start with a tour and I’ll explain the house rules.” Lucas pulled the phone from his pocket and checked the time. “The other guys are still in class, so I’ll make introductions later. The classes are online and you’ll be assigned a computer.”<
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  There was a flicker of movement behind the curtain of bangs and Lucas understood that was probably as much of an answer as he was going to get.

  “Follow me,” he said.

  They rounded the corner and entered the kitchen area, where Lexi was busy preparing lunch. She held a large chopping knife in one hand, and the victim was a head of iceberg lettuce.

  “This is Lexi,” Lucas said. “She’s our chef.”

  Lexi lifted her head and smiled. Lucas refused to dote on the way the vegetable in front of her brought out the green in her eyes, or the way her hair piled on top of head made his fingers tremble to touch the wispy pieces falling down the side of her face.

  “Hi.” She set down her weapon and wiped her hands on her apron. She walked around the island and held out her hand.

  To Lucas’s amazement, Brett slid his hair to the side, revealing his eyes, and slowly accepted her greeting.

  “It’s nice to meet you.” She glanced over at Lucas when Brett didn’t respond.

  He shrugged his shoulders.

  “So this is obviously the kitchen, and over there is where we hang out and watch the big screen. The second floor is where all the bedrooms are, and the third floor has a game room and the classrooms,” Lucas said.

  “Do you like to watch football?” Lexi asked. She was back behind the island.

  Again, the boy didn’t say anything, and there was a tug within Lucas’s chest as he appreciated her effort to make the boy feel welcome. Another feeling escaped his heart, trying to latch on to the gratitude, but Lucas was stronger than that and he shoved the emotion to side.

  “My office is over there, along with Lexi’s domain. The mudroom is that way.” He pointed in the other direction. “Let’s head upstairs.” He led Brett to the bottom of the staircase. “We’ll see you in a little while,” he said to Lexi.

  She gave him a soft smile, the kind that whispered she was worth the risk. Then Lucas turned to the boy counting on him, and Lucas knew what he had to do. Just say no and walk away from the blonde temptation.