Cowboy in the Kitchen (13 page)

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

“M
OM
,
EVERYONE
WAS
so kind at the party last night. Hunt’s old friends even invited me to come to their Sunday afternoon baseball games in the spring, and if Hunt’s in town, he’s going to be their pitcher. In so many ways, living here is as if I had been dropped into Mayberry.”

“That’s wonderful. So why the long face?”

“Because this morning I’m feeling bad.”

“About what?”

“If Buzz and Rachel’s wedding goes off as we’ve planned, it’s going to bring publicity and strangers and noise into town, and maybe not always in a good way. It’ll blow the lid off their quiet lives.”

“Baby girl, some of those changes have to come in order for us to make a living here.”

Winter sun streamed through the new bay window onto the table in the kitchen where Gillian and her mother enjoyed a late cup of coffee. They sat together at the oversize built-in table installed especially for the lucky few diners who would get to watch the kitchen’s activity and interact with the Cowboy Chef himself. Or whoever replaced Hunt one day.

“Gillian, business is business. None of those folks who went on and on about their peaceful little town would trade paying jobs for quiet. You can throw a rock and hit any number of places where people can live undisturbed because there is no activity, no work and no income. They’ll be grateful that you’re stirring things up a bit.”

“Still, isn’t it wrong for me not to spell out the change that’s less than two weeks away?”

“Gillian, if you have to spell it out, they won’t get it anyway.”

“I suppose you’re right.”

Now that her mother had mentioned it, Gillian had never heard of an employer or business owner making a big confession about how their success might impact the community, other than in a good way with more jobs. And everybody was glad to hear that news. Along with any growth there were bound to be minor aggravations such as traffic and new construction and, with any luck, media.

“Do I at least owe it to Hunt to show him the plans for phase two? He’s going to hit the roof.”

“Gillian, that’s entirely up to you. But you’re the property owner, not Hunt. It’s your job to make decisions that are best for your hotel, and you don’t require Hunt’s approval or his support. I realize you two have feelings for one another, but they’re not set in stone.”

“They’re not even set in number two pencil.”

“Exactly.” Her mother folded the newspaper she’d been reading and laid it beside her coffee cup. “Let’s get phase one open and running while you continue the research on the spa. When the conditions are right you’ll share the plans with Hunt, and you’ll find the perfect words to explain your decisions.”

Forever in housekeeping mode, Meredith crossed to the deep stainless-steel sink to empty the coffeepot and dump the grounds in the compost bowl before wiping down the granite counter.

“Where are you and Dad off to today?”

Gillian followed her mother’s lead, soaped and rinsed her coffee cup, then placed it on the drain board.

“We’re going out to Lake Cherokee—this time in the daylight—to look for rentals. A home on the water would be something entirely different for us, and Cooper would love swimming with the ducks whenever the mood strikes him. We might even get him a buddy when we have more room.”

“I hadn’t considered you and Dad moving out so soon.” She felt the loss already. “I’ve enjoyed your company.”

“We’d always planned to find a place of our own, and you’ll want our suite for paying guests.”

“There’s no rush to go anywhere, Mom.” Why was everyone in a hurry to be on their way out of Gillian’s life?

“We’ll be working here with you at least six days a week for a while, so it’s not as if we won’t be close. And if I’m not mistaken, you weren’t exactly thrilled when we arrived on your doorstep. You expected us to argue with you on all your decisions and pressure you to do things differently, didn’t you?”

Gillian’s cheeks flushed. “How did you guess?”

“Easy. We imagined how we would have felt if our parents had shown up without being invited. It wasn’t hard to figure out that we were invading your space.” Her mother linked an arm with Gillian’s, pulling her close for a private moment.

“I realize how it is for you and your dad to be under the same roof again. You’re both decisive and stubborn and controlling. But you’re also hardworking and creative.” She squeezed her daughter tight. “He’s very proud of you. We both are.”

“Mom, you and Dad have made such an incredible sacrifice for me. I’m sorry if I’ve done or said anything that seemed ungrateful.” Gillian couldn’t believe she and her mother were having this conversation. They must think they’d raised a spoiled brat.

“You haven’t offended us in any way, sweetheart. You’ve been more than gracious to include us in everything, especially when a young man is unwittingly courting you.”

Gillian’s chin snapped up as if her mother had smacked her on the forehead. “What do you mean, courting me?”

“
Unwittingly
courting you.”

“What makes you say such a thing?” Gillian pretended not to understand her mother’s observation. The truth was she felt the same way some days...and then others Hunt would return to being her chef and nothing more.

“It’s okay if you don’t want to admit it, even to yourself. You care for that young man, quite a bit. You’re nervous about how it’s going to impact your life if he stays, and you’re scared of how you’ll deal with the pain if he goes.”

She took her daughter’s face in both hands.

“Let me clue you in, baby girl. He shares your concerns for the same reasons. Even so, he courts you, not fully understanding what it is he’s doing. I for one believe he’ll figure it out before it’s too late.”

“What makes you so confident?”

“Things weren’t so different between your father and me at your age. We played cat and mouse but we knew what we wanted. And you know, too. Just give your heart time and wait for Hunt to declare himself. Trust your mother in this. It’ll be a piece of cake for him to speak his heart when the right moment comes.”

* * *

“M
ISS
G
ILLIAN
,
ARE
YOU
absolutely sure these are the plans you want to follow for phase two? What you’re tearing down and covering over has pretty significant value to some people. Hunt’s gonna have a runaway when he finds out.”

“It can’t be helped, Karl,” Gillian explained.

Karl’s crew had done such a great job that she’d contracted Hunt’s old friend again to enclose the courtyard of the mansion and install a luxurious spa.

“I’m not going to have a dry-water well in the middle of my hotel just because it’s supposed to have
mystical
value. That thing is dangerous, and it stinks.”

“But if you’ll let me get an architect on it, there might be a creative way to save it, if you know what I mean.”

“Karl, I appreciate your concern. But I’m the property owner and that gives me the final word on the land, including that hole in the ground.”

“Yes, ma’am, that’s correct. You have the last say. But there’s folklore tied to that old well, and Pap Temple intentionally built around it because he respected those tales, though they were a bit tall even by Texas standards.”

“Exactly. There’s no shortage of tall tales and big fish stories around here. One less pinpoint on the map for speculation won’t hurt anything.”

“But still, when
certain people
find out...”

“Are
you
going to be the one to break the news to
certain people
that I plan to build over that eyesore, Karl?”

“No, ma’am.” He shook his head emphatically. “When I took this job, I made a commitment to you and the men on my payroll. If you want those rocks torn down and that old hole in the ground filled with cement, that’s what we’ll do. I just want to make sure you’re aware it will wipe away sentimental as well as hocus-pocus attachments. Are you sure you don’t want to talk to Hunt about this first?”

“Thanks, but no.” She closed the subject with a shake of her head. Her mind was made up. “I appreciate being able to count on you, Karl. The work you’ve done so far has been first-rate, and that’s exactly what I expect for the spa and salon. Those amenities will bring even more jobs and commerce into town. Within fifteen minutes of opening those doors, nobody will remember that well ever existed.”

“Have it your way, Miss Gillian.”

“Have you heard from the city on the new permits?”

“Not yet, but we put them in plenty early this go-around so we should be approved to start extending the roof by mid-January. Your new spa should be open by the end of February.”

“That sounds perfect, Karl. We have a private party planned for the weekend just before New Year’s, and general reservations open up on January first. You should be able to get the work done on the new space without too much inconvenience to our guests.”

“We’ll keep the construction to daylight hours on weekdays, just as you and I discussed.” He glanced at his wristwatch and settled his Stetson on his head. “If there’s nothing else, I should be on my way.”

“Karl, there is one thing.” She put a hand on his forearm. “As soon as the permit is issued, I expect you to get a couple of men over here to take care of that well. Let’s keep it quiet, if you know what I mean.”

“Yes, ma’am. You want that well gone before anybody hears about your plans and tries to throw a monkey wrench in your works.”

“That’s one way to interpret it.”

“I guarantee you that’s how my buddy Hunt’s gonna interpret it, but we’ve already been down that road.” Karl touched the brim of his hat to show his respect and headed for his pickup.

* * *

“I’
M
ITCHING
TO
get a full crew in here so we can service a packed dining room,” Hunt enthused. Gillian stood beside him at the kitchen countertop as they admired the hanging pot rack he’d just installed.

Even though there were no meals to prepare, he’d come over daily to arrange his supplies in just the proper place, tweaking his setup as he became familiar with the storage bins in the prep stations. He also preferred to interview and meet with the staff in close quarters to get a feel for how they’d interact in his kitchen.

His
kitchen. There it was again. He had to keep reminding himself it wasn’t his kitchen.

“Isn’t it driving you nuts to see your suites upstairs sitting empty?” He focused on Gillian to get his mind off selfish thoughts.

“It sure is, but that was part of the contract we signed with Rachel and Buzz. It’s important to them to be the first to rent the entire estate so there’s absolutely no chance they’ll be accused of ripping off what someone else has already done.”

“Isn’t it amazing and sorta sad how people with that kind of money have to plot and scheme their every move?”

“Oh, it is, Hunt. It truly is.” Gillian’s voice was flooded with exaggerated compassion. “It depresses me so much I can hardly sleep at night. I toss and turn over my concern that poor Rachel can easily afford to rent my place for weeks just to one-up her neighbors.”

Hunt examined Gillian closely to see if she was making fun of him. But when she spewed out laughter, he couldn’t help but join her. It was a silly moment they both needed, and they fell against one another, elbows on the granite counter, laughing until their sides hurt. Gillian stopped to catch her breath and rub the tears from the outer corners of her eyes. Her silky blond hair was caught up in a stretchy thing, and her ponytail bobbed above the round neck of a chocolate-colored sweater. He brushed two fingers across her forehead where her bangs had settled on damp, dark lashes.

“You were stunning in that red satin at Mac’s, but today you are even more beautiful.”

The amusement that had been on her face slipped away, a serious expression replacing the smile. “That’s a very kind thing for you to say, Hunt.”

He slid his hand across the smooth skin at her nape, lightly cupped her neck and pulled her face close to his own.

“It wasn’t meant to be kind.”

“Then what was it meant to be?” she asked, her full lips so very close.

“A compliment for...” The words stuck in his throat.

“...for the boss lady?” Gillian tried to spoil the moment, but he wasn’t going to let that happen.

“For the woman who has captured my heart.”

He realized with a start that
capture
was exactly the right word. So that’s what Hunt did to Gillian’s mouth before she had the chance to get logical on him and pull away.

He held one hand at her neck and smoothed the other down her spine to settle at her waist, then he pulled her close to his chest. Hunt couldn’t get enough of the softness of her skin and the sound of her sighs matching his own. This nearness, this oneness with a woman he loved was a sensation he’d never dared to imagine. He was getting a glimpse into what his married friends meant when they talked about wanting to be with one person for the rest of their lives.

The rest of their lives?

Hunt dragged his lips from Gillian’s, settled a soft kiss at her temple and held her quietly while he waited for the thumping of his heart to slow.

The rest of their lives?

It was a sobering consideration for the Cowboy Chef who enjoyed his gallivanting lifestyle and unsettled ways. He’d always been decisive about his career, and where he wanted to hone and practice his skills.

But how could he give up his freedom and his future for the sake of a dream that was Gillian’s? How could he not?

“Hunt, I don’t believe we’re ready to have this conversation,” she whispered against his chest.

Not letting either of them dwell on the emotional moment, he broke the silence. “You’re right, and I have an idea.”

It was up to him to to get them both out of this very private environment before they said and did things they might regret.

“Your folks were smart to take advantage of this beautiful day and an empty hotel to get out and have some fun. Let’s drive over to Longview and shop for Christmas gifts. There are only a few days left, and there’s not a single real gift beneath your tree.”