Soul Food (2 page)

She reckoned he was just being polite. After all, he’d refused the meatless meal.

“Well, I am not judgmental against carnivores.” She had to laugh, for it was true. “I mean, I’m the daughter of a cattle rancher. But it all started when my favorite steer got auctioned off at the county fair for my college fund. Grand Market Champion.” She blinked back tears. “Broke my heart right in two, and ever after, I never ate anything with eyes. I was nine, I think.”

“Didn’t think to start up a tavern? A bar and grill, maybe?”

“Nope. I didn’t want to have to be a ‘policeman’ on top of everything else.” She stretched her legs and tried to do the same with her spine, where tension had set up permanent residence. “Even though business isn’t brisk. Make that business is downright terrible, I’d never forgive myself, you know, if somebody had too much to drink at my place, then went out and hurt themselves, or worse, somebody else.”

“Hmm…” Jason glanced at her with a quick nod, then maneuvered his truck through the tiny but bustling town toward the highway.

Just glimpsing the pine-lined foothills sheltered by the towering Rockies wrapped the familiar sense of peace around Kelley’s shoulders, and she calmed a little. A breath of springtime still lingered in the June air, but the green hills had already started their summer tan. Or maybe it was just leaving the little town of Sunset Hills behind, even temporarily, that loosened her shoulders.

“Well, maybe you could start adding some burgers and hot links to your menu,” Jason went on, eyes careful on the road winding through the hills. “You cook that kind of stuff on your wagon trains, don’t you?”

“Sure.” Of course she did, but she doubted the question had come from him. Ma with her amazing instincts had put him up to it, for sure. Although Ma had always hoped to keep her clutch of hatchlings close to the ranch, she wouldn’t want her daughter to fail. Kelley knew that for sure.

For a flash, he grinned over at her, and her heart pumped quick at the warmth of his gaze.

“Yeah, I cook those things,” she admitted. “Truth is, I don’t know what the future holds. Coming home to Hearts Crossing always helps me sort things out, and I’m looking forward to the first wagon train of the season. Watching those tourists’ faces when they see the wagons, the mountains, a fish in a stream, well, I’m hoping it all might remind me how downright lucky I am.”

****

Just to be polite, Jason clucked his tongue in response but mostly yelled at himself inside his head. He slowed down as he crossed the bridge over Longshadow Creek. Of course it had been his idea to volunteer to pick up Kelley. It wasn’t her Ma describing her to a tee at all. Well, not all of it. The picture of her in that silver frame on the mantle in the big living room at the ranch had made him crazy from the first time he’d seen it in March. Those freckles, those sun-bleached, brown braids, loose now in long curls across her back and shoulders. And it seemed she was tons prettier than any old photograph. He gripped the steering wheel tight so he couldn’t reach out to wind his fingers in her hair.

And whenever she’d been back at the ranch for weddings or holidays, he’d either been exploring the Colorado outback in his free time or consulting for his parent company to earn money to pay for his jaunts. So first chance he got, here he’d blown it, mentioning a date with a woman who was nothing but a friend. Well, from his perspective. Just a Saturday night friends-with-burger-benefits if nothing better came up. Still…why hadn’t he just said he was getting a tooth drilled or something? Just because it was a Saturday?

Or was it a subconscious preventative strike? He tensed as he sped up. After all, he was a man filled with wanderlust. Deep inside, he didn’t really want a woman to tie him down. But a casual fling, now, nothing against that. He’d done it before aplenty. He relaxed against the driver’s seat. Something laid-back, uncomplicated before he took off again could work just fine. Even if she was his boss’s sister. A tad of unease tumbled down his spine, though, at the dangerous thought.

So he said another stupid thing, instead of charming her and letting things blossom. Aw, he’d seen her interested look when she came through the office door. It wasn’t arrogance or any such thing, but he’d seen the same in other female eyes since about the age of sixteen. “So business isn’t brisk, then.” He bit his tongue after the words shot out.

She settled against the seat, eyes closed, so he couldn’t read any messages in them.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to be nosy.” He unclamped his teeth from his tongue long enough to apologize.

“No, it’s all right. I know restaurants take a while to take root. I guess I’m just impatient. But I thought I’d done all the right research.” She opened her eyes now but kept them glued to the window, and he understood her need for silence. Along the road, the range teemed with cows, but he shifted his thoughts for a minute. Youthful stints in Sweden and Indonesia, Thailand and Russia, Argentina and the Aussie outback, while interesting, had assured him there was no place like the wide skies, rolling ranchland, and broad-shouldered mountains of the American West. Just days ago, he’d felt right at home helping the Martin brothers drive a hefty number of cattle up the hills into summer pasture.

Kelley’s feet shuffled as she sighed and tossed him a quick glance. He gave her a smile. At least he’d cleaned up. “With Main Street reinventing itself, I thought I’d picked the perfect town”—she went on—”a trendy coffee house, wine bar, Tex-Max Cantina…they’re all doing well. Lots of summer nature-lovers pass through, then snowmobilers and snowshoe-ers and skiers on their way to the mountains. But Vegeterra’s the other side of the junction, and they seem to bypass it, little did I know or suspect. And I learned soon enough the locals miss their meat and potatoes diner. Emphasis on
meat
.”

Something like regret, maybe even pain, rippled in her voice, and he longed to grab her hand.
Just comfort. That’s all
. If anything developed between them, he’d have her big brother—his boss—to deal with. Best take things slow.

“Aw, it’ll work out,” he said. “You got that great family behind you. A great place to come home to.”

She smiled then, bright and honest. “I know. Hearts Crossing does manage to make things better. But enough about me. You from these parts?”

She knew he wasn’t, else she’d know him by now. But he’d been all over the West, all over the world truth to tell, and northern Colorado with the Rockies’ Front Range was among his favorite places. Cities and flatland weren’t in his blood. Nor was sticking around. Fortunately, his parent company needed consultants wherever cattle grew.

“California, I guess.” He shrugged. Best he could do. “Born in San Francisco, but my folks are real free spirits. Never stayed put for long. Still don’t. College hippie throwbacks, you know. Berkeley. But they did hang on to get their degrees and made me get mine. Scholarship to Boulder. I find I like my ranch-hopping life.”

“Ranch-hopping?”

He chewed his cheek for a second, not sure how specific to get. Not sure what her family had said about him. The Martins were a tight clan with roots deep into their land going back a hundred and fifty years. Kelley had grown up with traditional values. Including regular church. Her mother was a woman of big shoulders ready to embrace any and all who crossed her path, and an even bigger heart, and he admired Elaine Martin.

But come Sundays, when he declined heading to Mountain Cove Community Church with the other hands, he could read the disappointment on her face. He shrugged. No need to be anybody but who he was. A man who could fill his heart peering over a mountain valley instead of pouring over a hymn book. “I seem to find myself moving on. This job had my name all over it. Just a temp until Nick gets back. And I’m building clientele for my parent company.”

Her forehead furrowed just a tad, and he wondered if it meant she wished he was one to stay longer, put down roots. Nope. Not his way. No matter how pretty her green-flecked eyes were.

“Then where will you go?”

Jason shrugged. “Wherever I’m needed. A lot of ranchers don’t hire a full-time geneticist, so I arrange DNA testing.”

“DNA testing?”

“Yep. BeauVine’s tests are a real accurate way to identify the genetic potential of a herd’s tenderness and marbling.” He shook his head, aware he sounded just like a brochure. “And artificial insemination and a herd’s estrus cycles keep me a busy guy no matter what. And I help at as many round-ups as I can.”

Her laughter warmed him so much he adjusted the AC vents to point at him. What a beautiful sound it was. “You should hear my sister Rachel—Nick’s wife—describe her first ‘field trip’ with Nick,” she said.

Jason howled now as he braked at La Luna Crossroads. “Matter of fact, I have. Talk about an icebreaker, first time we met. She’s quite a gal, handling a baby and that law office, Nick so far away.”

“That she is.” Kelley’s voice grew somber, and he recognized the cloak of worry most folks wore when a loved-one was deployed half a world off, no matter as Elaine Martin often preached that God was a refuge and strength in any kind of trouble. “But he should be home later this summer.” Kelley’s fists clenched before she gave him a smile. “Seems you know a lot about us Martins. A tad weird you and I have never met.”

He shrugged. “Not my intention. Our paths haven’t crossed ‘til now, that’s all. I trek out into the wilderness every chance I get.” When she didn’t say anything, he filled the silence even though he wasn’t much for chitchat. “Your big brother Hooper’s a great boss, a good foreman. I can’t believe the guy’s energy.”

She perked up. “He’s a cancer survivor, did you know? Making up for time lost to chemo.”

“I do know.” He gave up a silent marvel at Hooper Martin’s vitality. “That little girl of his sure is a cutie.” Jason’s voice thickened with guilt. He’d intentionally missed single dad Hooper’s wedding last month because marriage was the last thing he believed in. His folks had taught him well.

“That she is. Ella’s stolen every heart in Colorado. You know, right? Hooper’s new wife is also a cancer survivor.” Her words came slow.

“I do know,” Jason repeated, but neither spoke for a long minute. Wishful thinking to use the term for one with glioma.

At a second four-way stop, Jason observed full well there wasn’t another vehicle in sight, but he was slow to pull ahead, eager to take full advantage of the beautiful sight. Rippling like a staircase down the hillcrests was Lomita Creek where he’d taken a trail ride along the arroyo not long ago. Fine-looking place. If he believed in God, or any god, this might be just the sort of place He’d likely choose to live.

With some forty-five minutes left together before pulling up to the Hearts Crossing Ranch, he might as well get the conversation going with more talk of her siblings. Pretty safe topic. Lord knew she had enough of them. “You should have seen me and Pike last April. Helping a mama calve triplets during the last blizzard…”

But instead of praise for her veterinarian brother, or a chuckle or guffaw or even compliment at Jason’s own brilliance pulling off birthing three baby cows, he heard a deep sigh. He sighed back in disappointment. Glancing at her as he footed the gas pedal, he found her sound asleep. Aw, he wished he had a blanket. And he sure wished he could kiss her cheek.

But all he did was turn off the AC and roll down his window to let in the scents of Colorado.

2

Kelley groaned as she plunked up the stairs, Bryce the Golden Retriever hard on her heels. Ned had given her the pup long ago, and she’d never held it against the dog. Truth was, she longed for the dog every day. Hearts Crossing was the best place for him, though. Her tiny apartment above the restaurant and twenty-three hour days would be downright animal cruelty. Right now, she bent to hug the dog close but didn’t feel a whole lot better.

It was the
faux-
est of
pas
, falling asleep in a man’s company, a man you were interested in, that is. But the long nights of worry, of troubleshooting, of trying to invent new marketing techniques and concoct new recipes had taken their toll. Adding in the long days of food prep and Kelley wondered how she was surviving at all.

“I fell asleep!” She wailed to Chelsea as her baby sister lugged her bag into the bedroom they shared. Not long ago, Ma had converted Kelley’s childhood domain into a guest room for the ranch tourists. “And he’s the hottest thing I’ve seen for months!”

Chelsea snorted. “Glad you’ve gotten over Ned. I’d think Sunset Hills was chock full of cute cowpokes.”

Kelley rolled her eyes, unwilling to admit she did get lonely although leaving Ned behind had been good all round. Four and a half years with a man who couldn’t stick around, who couldn’t commit, who couldn’t propose had been long enough. ”That’s probably true. But none of them bother to set foot in my restaurant. I just don’t have time for any sort of a social life anyway.” Jacking her boots, she curled onto a twin bed in a weary clump, entwined with the furry Golden. “Why didn’t you tell me Jason was such a hunk?”

Chelsea shrugged. “I guess because he’s more like a big brother. He’s thirty-two, at least.

With a sniff, Kelley ran her hands through her hair, weariness clamping her shoulders in tight fingers. At nineteen, of course Chelsea would think so. But even at almost thirty with visions of Jason pounding in her head, Kelley herself felt like a child and ached for Ma’s big, strong hands to knead away her aches and troubles. Right now Ma would see right through her and besides, her mother was off, dusting pews and getting the sanctuary ready for services.

“Yeah, of course. An old man.” Kelley blew out. No way could she escape church tomorrow.

Without asking, Chelsea opened the duffel and began to unload clothes into the closet, drawers, and laundry hamper. “So business is that bad, huh?”

“What do you mean?” Kelley shot upright among the pillows like somebody had just yelled “fire.” The words were absolutely true, but hearing them was like a sticking your hand into a flame even though you knew it would blister your skin.