Country Heat (King Creek Cowboys Book 1) (3 page)

As self-assured as he appeared to be, she didn’t think he cared in the least whether or not he was complimented on anything. But she appreciated his friendliness and the fact that he hadn’t been offended when she had snapped at him when he’d startled her.

She glanced at the kitchen before turning her attention back to him. “I need to get back to work and get this kitchen cleaned and lunch made.”

He followed her gaze and looked at the countertops. “The men left you with one hell of a mess.”

“I’ve been digging my way through.” Kit waved it away. “I’ll get it done by the time lunch is ready and the cowboys start coming in.”

Carter walked across the kitchen and tossed his Stetson onto one of two hat “trees” that were made of horseshoes. He rolled up one of his sleeves as he returned. His hands were large and callused, and she had a quick flash of fantasy, involving those hands all over her body…

“I’ll take care of dishes,” he said.

She blinked as his words captured her attention again. “You don’t have to do that.”

“I know.” He rolled up his other sleeve and headed for the sink. “I want to.”

Kit was not about to look a gift dish-washer in the mouth. “Thank you.”
One Brownie point for Carter McLeod
.

He gave a nod and started running hot water into the sink basin and squirted dish soap in the water. His hands were strong and capable as he started in on the dishes.

Now that her heart rate had slowed, she took in the backside of her new boss. Damn, what a backside it was. Wranglers did things to a man’s ass that no other jeans could.

Not only did he have a magnificent rear view, the rest of him was just as drool-worthy. Short, coffee-brown hair curled just a little at his nape, and he had dark, straight eyebrows over deep-set blue eyes. He had the kind of sexy grin that would make most women sigh and dream about.

Especially a man who rolled up his sleeves and washed dishes.

The next best thing would be him washing the dishes shirtless.
Oh, yes.
One thing better than that would be if he wore only chaps and boots.

She nearly fanned herself from the heat that rose within her at the image.
Down girl.

Talk about a heart-stopping sexy man. Daisy hadn’t been far from the mark at all. No, she’d been right on target.

He glanced over his shoulder and the look in his eyes told her he knew she’d been checking him out.

She looked away and got back to work, assembling ingredients for the boss’s cake—while the boss was in the room with her.

Awkward.

“How was your drive from L.A.?” he asked as he continued to hand wash the dishes.

“Not bad at all.” She thought about her conversation with Daisy again. “The trip isn’t too long.”

He rinsed out a pot. “You have family back in California?”

“My mom and sister.” Kit didn’t want to share more about her family than she had to. “They live in the San Francisco Bay area.”

He put another pot into the sudsy water. “What do they do?”

She looked beneath the counter, in a cabinet where she found a couple of mixing bowls. “Mom owns a used bookstore-slash-coffee shop.”

“Sounds like something that would be successful in the city.” He rinsed off a serving dish and put it into the dish drainer. “Can’t beat books and coffee.”

A man after my own heart.
Kit set the mixing bowls aside and finished prepping the three round cake pans. “It is very successful. Especially popular with college students and anyone who wants to read and drink a cup of coffee in a relaxing atmosphere.”

She found herself talking more than she was used to with strangers, and she wasn’t sure if she liked it. She preferred to keep everything close to her chest, so a slight change in the direction of their conversation appeared to be in order. “What authors do you like to read?” she asked.

“James Lee Burke and his Dave Robicheaux series would have to be my favorite.” Carter looked thoughtful. “I read suspense and thrillers, too. David Baldacci, Mark Greaney, and Greg Iles are a few authors whose books I enjoy.”

More Brownie points for the boss.

“All great authors.” Kit smiled. “I also have a thing for urban fantasy by Kevin Hearne and Jim Butcher.”

“I’ll have try those.” Carter switched the subject on a dime. “Married? Any kids?”

Exactly where she hadn’t wanted the conversation to go. She swallowed down a lump.

Belle said Carter didn’t like lies, but he was a stranger. She didn’t have to tell him anything about something so personal and painful. Besides, it wouldn’t be lying if she didn’t tell him what had happened.

Would it be lying by omission?

Damn it.
He was her employer, but that didn’t mean he needed or had the right to know.

Kit studied the mixing bowl as she dumped ingredients into it. “I’ve never been married, and I’ve never raised a child.”

And that was
not
a lie...it just wasn’t exactly the truth, either.

She looked over her shoulder and met his gaze. “What about you?”

“Never met the right woman.” He shrugged one big shoulder. “I’d like a few kids, but as my kid sister’s friend pointed out, I’m not getting any younger.”

Show me a mature man who
doesn’t
want kids,
she thought.

“How old are you?” That might give her an idea of what to write on the cake since she couldn’t find any candles in the pantry.

“Thirty-six—” His mouth tipped at the corners. “Make that thirty-seven today. Got stuck making the boss’s birthday cake, am I right?”

“Spot on.” She laughed. “Happy birthday.”

“Thank you.” He went back to washing dishes and cleaned up a frying pan. “Did anyone warn you that I don’t like surprises?”

“Yep.” Kit tried not to laugh. “First thing. That and you don’t like parties.”

He chuckled. “Now that you have the most important aspects of your job down, you’re going to do just fine here.”

Other than the click and scrape of pans and dishes being washed, and the occasional whirring of the cake mixer, Kit and Carter continued talking. Their conversation was companionable and comfortable.

She asked him if he had any ranch dogs and he told her that he had one at the time. He had two, but one passed away at age thirteen about three months ago. The other, Lucy, had been attacked by a bobcat and was recuperating with Carter’s sister, Leeann.

“I’m done with the dishes.” Carter’s voice caught her attention. “I’d help you finish up, but I’ve got to get a few things done before the boys and the staff come in for lunch.”

“I appreciate every bit you’ve helped with.” She gestured to the filled dish drainer. “You are a lifesaver.”

He picked up his western hat from where he’d left it on the hat tree by the back door. After he tugged it on, he touched the brim. “Let Belle know if you need anything.”

“I will.” She smiled at him and her throat caught as his gaze lingered with hers.

He gave a nod and let himself out through the back door.

Kit put her palm over her heart. No way in hell was she going to get the hots for the boss.

She grimaced. Okay, so she already had a thing for Carter just from the short amount of time she’d spent with him.

But she wasn’t about to let it go anywhere. No how. No way.

T
he cake was still slightly warm
when Carter’s ranch hands and staff filed into the kitchen through the rear door. Kit hoped the dessert would cool off enough that she would be able to frost it without the icing melting off by the time everyone finished eating lunch. Knowing men, that wasn’t going to take long.

She had placed large pitchers of water, iced tea, and lemonade on both tables. Because she wasn’t sure where each person sat, she had decided to stack plates, napkins, silverware, and glasses at the end of each table.

She smiled and greeted each of the fourteen men and women as they walked in. The ranch hands set their hats on the hat trees before they took their seats.

Two of the female staff members were friendly and polite, but the third and fourth acted as if Kit was just one in a long line of cooks and they couldn’t be troubled getting to know her.

Maybe she
was
just one in many who had come to work at SSR before being booted. She wondered if that was what had happened to the prior cooks—assuming there had been more than one before her.

The ranch hands were all male, and the staff was all female, something that made Kit wonder—was it a gender thing, or did he just hire the right people for each job? They gathered around the two large tables and slid onto the bench seating. The ranch hands were at the longer table, the staff at the shorter one. The men joked, laughed, and cursed with whole-hearted, good-natured enthusiasm. The women spoke in low voices, leaning in to hear each other.

The last person through the door was a pretty, petite woman in snug jeans and a western top with a diamond cutout below the neckline and just above the swells of her breasts. She stopped and gripped Kit’s hand as tightly as any man might. “I’m Grace. Welcome to the Superstition Springs Ranch, Kit.”

“It’s great to meet you in person.” Kit returned the smile.

Grace swept her gaze over the countertops and appliances before looking back at Kit. “Good job with the kitchen. I saw it this morning and didn’t envy you one bit.”

Kit shrugged. “It wasn’t too bad. Carter stopped in and washed the dishes, which was a big help.”

Grace raised a brow. “Oh. Really.”

Her flat remark and expression showed clear disapproval. Even though she knew she hadn’t done anything wrong, Kit still felt like she had just screwed up.

She wasn’t entirely sure what to say. “I told him I could handle it, but he was very nice and insisted on washing them.”

“That was certainly a nice thing for the boss to do for a new
employee
.” Grace stressed the word employee. “I’m certain that won’t be necessary in the future.”

It wasn’t easy, but Kit still managed a smile. “Of course not.” She glanced at the table and at all of the hungry men and women sitting in front of the empty plates they had set in front of themselves. “I’d better serve lunch.”

Grace gave a nod and joined the four other women on the staff.

Kit raised her chin as she went for the seven large pie pans of quiche she had left on cooling racks beside the stove. One of the men offered to help and she smiled with appreciation.

“I’m Mark,” the brown-eyed cowboy said as he held his hand out. “It’s a pleasure, ma’am.”

She gripped his hand. “Please call me Kit.”

“Will do, ma’am.” Mark looked puzzled when he saw the pie pans, but said nothing. He was a big man and carried four of the seven to the large table while she carried the other three. Five were set in front of the nine ranch hands, and two on the staff table.

The men went silent as they stared at the quiche. The female staff members looked on, a couple of them with amused expressions. Kit was sure they were taking bets on whether or not the men would eat what she had made.

They would if they didn’t want to starve.

A man with a graying mustache and stubble pointed to one of the pans. “What’s this?”

“Bacon and egg quiche.” Kit’s impatience simmered on the edge as the men continued to stare at the pans.
For Heaven’s sake.
“The quiche is made with bacon, eggs, cheese, milk, pepper, salt, and onion on a pie crust.” Kit watched as one man reached for a pie plate. “I promise it won’t bite,” she added.

The men dug in, hesitated, then took bites of their quiche.

Gray Mustache Man looked at Kit and grinned. “Best damned bacon and eggs I’ve had.”

Kit relaxed as the rest of the ranch hands gave enthusiastic thumbs-up to the meal.

The ladies ate, but with less enthusiasm than the men. No doubt the couple of women who looked sour-faced had lost their bets, and their appetites.

“The quiche is very good.” Grace gave Kit a nod, as if to let her know that she might be able to redeem herself—eventually.

Kit served the large pans of potatoes to each table and the side was roundly approved of as well.

Thank God.

Kit hurried to frost the cake while the employees demolished the quiche and potatoes.

Just as she put the final touch to the icing, she heard the kitchen door open and close. Shouts of “Hi, boss,” and “You should try this stuff,” from the men were followed by, “Looks good and smells like heaven,” from the boss himself.

Damn. She’d forgotten Carter would be joining them for lunch.

The thump of her heart told Kit she was a little too happy to see her new boss again.

She turned and smiled. He nodded to her and the corners of his mouth tipped in response, making her stomach flip and giving her the desire to melt under his gaze. God, he seemed even more good looking than he had just a short time before.

“Are you hungry?” she asked.

“You bet.” He winked.

Her nipples went hard and she couldn’t have been more grateful for the apron than she was at that moment.

He surprised her by sliding next to an elderly office employee, and she would bet that he took turns sitting with the ranch hands or the staff each time he joined them for a meal. She wondered what it would take to get the men and women to mingle rather than grouping together the way they were now.

Carter ate a good helping of the quiche and the potatoes. The cowboys cleaned up all of the meal in the pans on their table, and most of the food was gone on the office staff’s table, too.

When Carter finished eating, Kit grasped the serving tray with the four-layer white cake that had a vanilla pudding filling and buttercream frosting. She felt like a cheat for using boxed pudding for filling, and butter and powdered sugar for frosting, but that was all she’d had and she’d needed the cake to go as far as possible, considering she was serving fifteen.

She approached the table to cheers from the men, who began a rowdy rendition of their own version of “Happy Birthday, Boss.” It was led by a blond cowboy who had produced a guitar, and the song included references to rattlesnakes, horses, cacti, six-shooters, and show girls.

By the time the men finished, Kit was laughing and Carter was grinning and shaking his head.

“This is the best damned cake I ever had.” Mike shook his head. “Ain’t tasted nothin’ close to it.”

Gray Mustache Man grinned at Kit. “Might have to keep this one around.”

The compliments and enthusiastic nods, accompanied by groans of satisfaction, warmed her through.

Members of the office staff barely had a chance to put a piece on each of their plates before the cowboys wiped out the rest of the cake.

The men were even friendlier leaving than when they had come in. They snatched their western hats off of the hat tree, nodded to Kit and left out the back door. The women thanked Kit for lunch and were polite, but Kit knew she hadn’t won them over—yet. One way or another she’d figure out the way to each of their stomachs.

“I should give you the night off after the amazing lunch you cooked for the employees and the great job you did on the kitchen.” Carter studied Kit. “You deserve an evening to yourself.”

“Thank you.” Her heart beat faster than it should have. “But then who would fix dinner for tonight?”

Carter shrugged. “We can always order pizza.”

Kit put her hand to her chest as if wounded. “Takeout pizza over a dinner cooked by me?”

He chuckled. “I had a feeling you’d be stubborn about it. Is there anything I can get you?”

Kit thought about it for a moment. “Where’s the closest grocery store?”

He flashed a grin. “Pantry on the pathetic side?”

“You could say that.” Kit glanced at the fridge and mentally ran through the contents. When she looked back at Carter her stomach fluttered at the way he was watching her. He wore an intense, thoughtful expression. “Just tell me where you like to do your shopping and I’ll make a quick run there.”

“Usually Costco.” He smiled. “For an operation this big, we buy in bulk, but tonight we can go with Fry’s.” He nodded toward the back door. “I’ll take you.”

The thought of Carter going with her made her pulse quicken. “I’m sure you’ve got more important things to do. I can go myself.”

He grabbed his hat off the hat rack. “I’m supposed to have some fun today, according to my little sister.”

Kit raised a brow. “Grocery shopping is fun for me, but is it for you?”

“I cook for myself when it’s just me.” He pulled his hat on. “I like to play around in the kitchen a bit.” He gestured for her to go ahead of him. “After you.”

She unhooked her purse from the hat rack. He held the back door open for her and she walked through it and into the early afternoon sunshine.

When they reached the Ford truck, Carter held the passenger door open for her. A shiver ran through her as he touched her elbow while helping her into the vehicle.

She tried to calm the crazy sensations that bounced around in her body just from his touch and his nearness.
This is crazy,
she told herself.
Slow down. You are not going to get the hots for the boss.

Too late.

She nearly groaned out loud.

He climbed into the truck and jammed the key in the ignition before throwing the vehicle into drive and heading away from the ranch.

“How far is it to the store?” She wondered what they’d talk about on a long drive.

“Five miles.” He shrugged. “We have a new Fry’s Marketplace not too far from the ranch.”

“That’s close.” She gripped her purse. “How has your birthday been so far?”

He laughed. “My youngest sister gave me a gift certificate for a massage and already had the appointment set for this morning. Never could say no to that kid. Turned out she was right—it was just what I needed.” He glanced at Kit. “Then a great lunch and a birthday cake with a hell of a country choir. I’d say it’s been a pretty good day.”

Kit smiled. “Is there anything you
don’t
like that I should avoid for dinner?”

“Hold the okra and toss out the beets. Never could stomach those, or squid. I doubt if I’d be crazy about snails, too.” He grinned as she laughed. “Other than that, I’m not what you’d call picky.”

She managed to rein in another laugh. “Chocolate crickets and roasted slugs okay?”

He winced. “Let’s throw those away, along with the snails and squid.”

“I’ll take that as a no.” She withdrew her phone from her purse. “What I plan to make won’t include those delicacies, I promise.” She pulled up her app that contained her favorite recipes.

They made it within a few minutes, and after he helped her out of the truck, they headed into the grocery store. Carter grabbed a shopping cart and they walked into the produce section.

She filled the cart with organic veggies and fruits, along with fresh herbs. In addition to what she would need for tonight, she piled in various ingredients she could use for breakfast and lunch tomorrow.

He watched her as she selected items. “What are you making for dinner?”

“It’s a surprise.”

He shook his head. “I know that you’re already aware that I don’t like surprises.” A teasing glint sparked in his eyes.

The more she was with Carter, the more she relaxed, so she didn’t have a problem teasing in return. “This is one time where you’re going to have to suck it up and wait to find out.”

“Feisty, aren’t you,” he stated and grinned when she shot him a look.

“Do you really want to know?”

He held up his hands. “Don’t shoot.”

She turned down the baking aisle and stopped in front of the spice racks. “I’ll think about that.”

Their banter and conversation made her feel somehow alive in a way she hadn’t felt for a long time. It was simple, natural. He made her feel comfortable while intriguing her with every moment that passed.

She had to force herself not to take her time…just so she could draw out these moments with Carter. She had work to do, and likely he did, too.

After he paid for everything, he pushed the cart to his truck and they loaded the groceries into the vehicle. He helped her into the truck before putting the cart away, climbing in on the driver’s side, and heading back to the ranch.