Cooking For Cowboy (Stampede Sizzlers) (18 page)

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At four o’clock, Chad strode out of the horse barn, headed up to the house, and wandered into the kitchen. He grabbed a pitcher of iced tea out of the refrigerator and poured himself a tall glass of his favorite summer beverage. Well, favorite other than beer. But he never drank while working on the ranch or on days when he’d be racing. Same rules that he’d set down for his staff applied to the boss.

Celia wandered out of her room off the kitchen. “Chad, what are you doing here?”

“I’d hoped to run into Sierra.” He felt he owed her an apology for his unforgivable behavior last night. He’d treated her terribly. He should have congratulated her on her new job. Selfishly, he’d only thought of how her news affected him. His only excuse was the stress he was under at present. But even that wasn’t a reason to be such an ass. He’d tossed and turned half the night, angry with himself for his thoughtlessness.

“Sierra took the minivan into the city with your mother.”

“With Mom? Why?”

“I have no idea.”

“Did Mom have a doctor’s appointment?”

“No, I’m certain that wasn’t why. Her doctor wouldn’t make an appointment for a checkup on a Saturday,” reasoned Celia. “Your mom and Sierra had their heads together half the morning. It could have had something to do with Sierra’s new arrangement for the kitchen, but I’m not certain.” Celia poured herself a glass of iced tea also.

Chad drank deeply, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “What arrangement?” He’d checked online early this morning for cooks looking for an employment opportunity, but he hadn’t found anyone suitable.

“Sierra hired two young culinary students in need of tuition money, twins, a brother and sister. Her friend Diane’s siblings. They’ll be sharing her salary here. Sierra will be writing up menu plans with detailed instructions for them and me to follow. Jenny will cook here all summer, while Jeremy travels the circuit with you and the ranch help.”

“What?” Chad glared at Celia. He couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. “Sierra made all these plans without my knowledge or approval? Jeez, Celia, I own this ranch. I’m the guy in charge here! When was anyone going to fill me in on this?”

“Well, I’m telling you now.” Celia clicked her tongue, an all too familiar indication of her disapproval of his behavior.

Chad shook his head; he felt ten-years-old again.

“Everyone on this ranch is busy and when things need doing, someone does them,” admonished Celia. “Sierra needed a solution and she found one. Quit getting your skivvies in a twist. You should be thankful Sierra’s on top of this situation.”

“Is there anything else I should know about?” He polished off his iced tea and refilled his glass.

“Your mother will be doing ordering and a bit of prep work, whatever she can handle from her wheelchair. She’s absolutely delighted to be back in the kitchen, productive again. Anyway, I’ve prepared the twins’ rooms and they’ll be moving in tonight to start work and get into a routine before Sierra’s time is monopolized with her new job.”

“I recall her mentioning she was arranging something. She’s definitely a get-it-done kind of person, isn’t she?” Chad could barely wrap his mind around the sensible solution she’d come up with. Stunned was an understatement for how he felt right now. And he was relieved she hadn’t lied to him. She wasn’t just walking away from her responsibility here.

“That girl is wonderful on so many levels. You couldn’t find a more perfect lady for yourself.” Celia stood with her famous I’m-disappointed-in-you-boy expression that he’d seen a thousand times over the years.

“I can’t argue with you. Sierra is a terrific person.” Chad swallowed hard. “Between you and me, I’m in love with her, Celia. But I don’t think she feels that way about me. After my unforgivable reaction to her news last night, I doubt she even considers me a friend.”

“I know you love her. I’ve noticed how you look at her when you don’t think she’s watching. But she’s not leaving the ranch. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to make amends,” counseled Celia, patting Chad’s arm.

“I hope so. I’ve been feeling like an ass all morning.” Chad set his glass in the sink. “I’m going to…”

“Celia, we’re home,” called Bonnie from the wheelchair-accessible side door. “Would you please come and get these packages from me?”

Chad rushed over to the doorway. “What do you need, Mom?”

“Darling, what are you doing in the house?” she asked, shock and concern evident on her face. “Something’s happened. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong. I just decided to take a break so I could to talk to Sierra.” Chad peeked around behind his mother. “Where is she?”

“Bringing in more packages,” explained Bonnie while he wheeled her into the kitchen.

Sierra strode through the doorway. “Here are your bags, Bonnie. I’ll put them in your room,” she called over her shoulder.

Chad couldn’t tell if Sierra had spotted him or not since she’d rushed into the house and headed down the hallway so quickly. If she had seen him she hadn’t acknowledged him in any way. Could he blame her?

“Thank you, dear,” called Bonnie, pushing her hair off her face. “Celia, will you help me hang up my new clothes after we have a cold drink? I’m so dry I couldn’t spit if there was a gun to my head.”

Celia poured another glass of iced tea. “Did you have fun in the city?”

“We certainly did. We hit my favorite mall on MacLeod Trail and enjoyed a late lunch. I managed to eat without choking.” Bonnie chuckled and peeked over at Chad. “We got our hair and nails done. I’m so looking forward to having that girl for a daughter-in-law.”

“Mom!” exclaimed Chad, looking toward the hallway. “Enough matchmaking. Stop it!”

Sierra stepped into the kitchen. “Stop what?” she inquired, and then halted in her tracks.

“Nothing,” blurted Chad. Judging by the murderous expression on her face, she didn’t appear one bit happy about finding him in the kitchen. “Could I speak to you out on the deck for a minute, please?” He reached for her hand and led her outside.

“What is it?” Sierra glared at him, squinting in the bright sunlight.

“I imagine you’re pissed at me, and I need to apologize,” began Chad, leading her over to a shady spot under the covered portion of the deck. Sierra leaned her arms on the deck railing and gazed across the yard. “Celia told me about your plans to hire the student chefs and have everything organized before you start your new job. By the way, congratulations. I’m happy for you.”

“Yeah, right. You’re just tickled pink,” muttered Sierra, the toe of her boot tapping out a staccato rhythm on the wooden deck boards.

“I know, I know,” muttered Chad. She was definitely pissed. She wouldn’t even look at him, and he couldn’t blame her. “I should have said that last night. I over-reacted because you caught me off guard. I never dreamed you’d find another job so quickly. But I should have known someone as talented as you are would be scooped up.”

Sierra turned and met his eyes.

He couldn’t read her expression. If she gave him a dang good verbal walloping, he’d deserve it. He closed his legs and took a step back, just in case. No telling what a ticked off woman might do. Sierra seemed level-headed, and he hoped that translated into forgiving.

“I am sincerely happy for you. And I appreciate the cooking arrangements you’ve made.”

“Thank you.” She swung around, giving him her back.

Hell, she wasn’t going to make this easy for him. She wasn’t happy, but at least he didn’t have to fear for his privates.

She shaded her eyes with her hand and looked across the backyard. He followed her line of vision and spotted Barney playing with Sandy near the creek alongside the road leading to the far horse barn.

“Just so you know, I tossed and turned half the night feeling guilty about the way I treated you. I almost knocked on your door to apologize, but I’m not crazy, just sorry. I figured I’d really get what for if I woke you up on top of everything else.” He peeked over at her.

She turned and met his eyes. “Well, thank you for not waking me up, but I was so furious I probably would have been awake still anyway. Okay, you’re forgiven for last night. In hindsight, I should have mentioned the job interviews and reminded you that I was actively job hunting. I shouldn’t have just sprung my announcement about the new position on you.”

He noticed her lips quiver, as if she was holding back a smile. “You’re really looking forward to it, aren’t you?”

“You have no idea. Now I know how it feels to win a lottery.” Sierra beamed. “I get butterflies every time I think about that first day.”

“You’ll do fine.” Chad reached for her hand. “Thank you for forgiving me. Hey, it’s Saturday. Let me take you to the Stampede this afternoon. We’ll leave Mom at home. After her shopping and everything, she’d never admit it, but she’s probably exhausted. She’s attended every race in person. She can watch the chuckwagons on TV tonight. We’ll go visit the horses this afternoon, and you can watch the guys in action, not just sitting around a dinner table.”

“I’d like that,” said Sierra.

Chad believed she meant it, too. She’d forgiven him. Celia was right—she was an exceptionally nice person.

“Go put on your western duds, and I’ll meet you out beside the garage. I need to change, too, and then we’ll hit the Stampede.” Chad opened the deck doors, guided her inside, and winked. “You’re in for a surprise or two.”

Chapter 15

The Stampede grounds buzzed with activity. Sierra figured a substantial number of the city’s million-strong population was in attendance, never mind the thousands of tourists that traveled from all over the world to enjoy the ten days of fun every year.

“This place is crazy,” observed Sierra, as she and Chad fought their way through the crowd. “Are we doing the midway, taking in some of the rides?”

“Let’s check on the horses and the guys first. Once I know everything is ready for tonight, we can spend a few hours on the midway and grab a bite to eat before I need to head to the barn for the race.” Chad tilted back his Stetson and led the way toward the barns.

They wandered from stall to stall. She watched the ranch hands combing horses and making preparations for the race tonight. “How many of your Thoroughbreds are here? Surely, you don’t bring the whole bunch of them.”

Chad laughed. “Eighteen are here, twelve for the wagon and six for the outriders. Every night we have six running, four on the wagon and two under an outrider. During Stampede we’re close enough to the ranch that we can pick up another horse if we need it.”

“In case one of them gets hurt.” Sierra tipped her head. “How’s Big Ben’s limp now?”

“You remembered about the horse Chris brought home. He’s fine now. You’re catching on to this chuckwagon racing business. Hi, guys,” called Chad in greeting.

“Hey, boss. What are you doing here so early?” asked a redheaded young cowboy, mid-twenties, dressed in the standard western gear. For the life of her, she couldn’t recall his name. Most days the cowboys inhaled their meals and headed back to the barns. None of them were exceptional conversationalists.

“Bringing Sierra out to show her what you guys do besides fill your faces three times a day.” Chad grinned broadly.

“How are you doing?” she asked him.

“Fine, ma’am.”

Getting more than two words out of most of the ranch help felt like interrogation of a reluctant prisoner. A lawyer would have more success cross-examining a hostile witness.

Sierra wandered away from Chad. She reached up and rubbed one of the horse’s necks. “They’re so beautiful.”

The young cowboy grinned. “Hand-picked. Every one.”

“Do you breed all of them, Chad?” she asked.

“Some we’ve bred,” he answered. “But we’ve bought several older ones that are retiring from the racetrack that would be dead for no good reason otherwise. Thoroughbreds are born to run. They don’t make good pets. They don’t make good saddle horses. But we buy them because with proper training, they still have years of chuckwagon racing in them.”

Sierra ran her hands down the jet-black horse’s nose.

“These beauties are so well-matched you’d think we cloned them,” added a cowboy, combing another horse nearby.

Sierra burst into laughter and met Chad’s eyes, remembering a similar comment she’d made about him. “Cloned,” she repeated, smiling.

“Don’t go there,” he warned her in a whisper. A second later, a grin creased his face.

“Our horses look mighty fine hitched up together, too, ma’am.” Chad’s barn help sounded proud of his charges, unaware of the private joke playing out.

“I hate it when there’s an accident, and such beautiful creatures have to be put down,” whispered Sierra. She recalled a few bad accidents while attending the Stampede. So unfortunate. But considering the number of races run in comparison to accidents, it put things into perspective.

“I know. But I bet if you asked one of these fellows if he would have preferred being shipped to the slaughterhouse when his racetrack career was over, or risk losing his life running, which he was bred for and loves to do, I’m certain he’d tell you he preferred living his life out as a chuckwagon horse. And when he’s too old for the wagon, we’ll send him to pasture at home. We have some seniors that are twenty or more years old that we’ve retired from racing. They’re just enjoying the rest of their lives in luxury.”

“These rigs look so good with their spectacular paint jobs. I love the flames on your rig.”

“This wagon is only a year old. We put almost eighteen thousand into its construction, totally to spec. I love it.” Chad grinned like a kid with a favorite toy.

“While watching you race every night, I’ve noticed that brilliant blue harness sparkling in the early evening sunlight. Absolutely spectacular with the matched black horses.” She gazed around the cowboys lingering nearby. “And you guys are doing so well. Congratulations and good luck tonight.”

“Um, boss, about tonight. We might have a problem.” The third ranch hand dug the toe of his boot into the soft ground. Sierra recognized him as Chris.