CHAPTER 1

C HAPTER 1

Nilsen Ranch, near Quincy, California. Christmas.

Pen Jones took a deep breath and paused to appreciate the silence. In front of her a swath of dark-green pine forest swept majestically up the foothills and onward to the snow-covered peaks beyond. Behind her was the Nilsen Ranch, where she'd come to meet her boss. She spent most of her time in her family home in Quincy or working various minimum-wage jobs in town and often forgot how amazing the world around her could be.

Not that it was quiet. She smiled as the sounds of the forest became more distinct: the rustle of pine needles and the critters flitting in and out of the tall tree canopy. She'd already seen a posse of squirrels gathering last-minute supplies, two woodpeckers, and some kind of raptor circling lazily in the leaden gray sky. The predator wouldn't have much luck today, as the first snow had fallen, covering everything in a patchy white blanket.

Pen didn't mind the snow, which was good, because once it got going, it tended not to stop for months. The mountain peaks often retained their icy, white caps way into the summer.

"Pen!"

She turned to see a figure waving and hollering at her from the fence above the pasture where she stood. "What are you doing ?"

It was a question Pen heard a lot in her life.... She started back toward the barn, retracing the tracks she'd already made on her way across the field. Her breath frosted in the air as she tried to increase her pace.

Her cousin Bernie, who was not only her boss but the person getting married to Luke, the owner of the ranch, waited for her to reach the fence. She was easy to recognize because of her red hair and beaming smile.

"Are you okay?"

"I was just admiring the scenery."

Bernie repressed a sigh—something else Pen was used to. For some reason, Pen's wayward attention span made people worry about her. She didn't mean to annoy anyone, but she never understood the urgency people had for the simplest of tasks.

"I thought I'd arrived too early because I couldn't see any other trucks," Pen explained as they walked up toward the charming, wood-framed ranch house. "Then the sun peeked through the clouds, and I had to check out the view."

"Perfectly understandable." Bernie patted her shoulder. "Anton's going to be late, and Rob's already here."

They entered the ranch house where the smell of coffee and fried bacon fragranced the air. Pen's stomach growled.

"Have you eaten?" Bernie asked as they both took off their substantial winter coats and boots.

"I had some cold pizza at six this morning." Pen paused. "Or was that yesterday?"

"Come and eat, and then we can start making plans." Bernie ushered her toward the kitchen. "We've got to wait for Anton anyway."

Luke and his mom, who co-owned the ranch, were chatting away at the table while Rob, who rarely cracked a smile, and never in Pen's direction, sat quietly sipping coffee.

"Morning, Pen! Take my chair." Luke Nilsen, Bernie's fiancé, stood and offered his seat. "I need to get out to the barn and help Noah. With Max lording it up in England, we're a bit shorthanded."

Rob raised his hand. "I can help."

"Not until we've finished our planning session." Bernie wagged her finger at Luke. "Don't forget you work for me, Rob."

Rob sat up straight, his brown gaze serious. "I' d never forget that, boss."

Luke looked amused. "Don't worry—I'm way too scared to pinch your café staff, Ber."

"Good. Now, off you go while I sort out our wedding catering. You do want to get married, don't you?"

"Absolutely." Luke blew her a kiss and turned to the door. "Don't be a stranger, Rob!"

Bernie pretended to huff and turned to Pen. "Help yourself to coffee. There's plenty of food being kept warm on the stove, so grab a plate and dig in."

Pen took a pancake, some syrup, and a deep, rich purple-colored berry compote.

"There's bacon and eggs in the other pan," Rob said as she sat opposite him.

She looked up into his brown eyes. He had such an interesting face; she could stare at him for hours. Unfortunately, he absolutely hated it when she tried.

"Thank you for mentioning them, but this is fine." She surveyed her plate. It was rare for him to initiate any kind of conversation, as he tended to keep to himself.

"You forgot your coffee." To her surprise, Rob went to fetch her some. "White with two sugars, right?"

"How do you know that?"

His eyebrows rose. "We work in the same coffee shop."

"But I don't know how you like your coffee," Pen pointed out.

"Black," Rob said. "Just as it is."

Pen nodded. "I would've expected that." She returned her attention to her food. "This is very nice."

"Glad you're enjoying it," Bernie said from beside her. "Luke's still cooking for three calorie-consuming cowboys, when he's the only one left."

"Noah's gone, too?" Pen asked.

"No, he's just moved into his new house with Jen and Sky," Bernie reminded her. "He's doing his own cooking now."

Pen was just finishing her pancake when Anton walked in, complaining loudly about the state of the roads, the snow, and the unacceptable position of the ranch in the middle of nowhere. He'd grown up in a city, loved noise and crowds, and found life in the middle of a gigantic national forest somewhat trying.

Bernie let him grumble as she settled him at the table, dished him up a plateful of food, and brought him coffee. Pen continued to surreptitiously study Rob, who was pretending not to notice. He'd rolled the sleeves of his shirt up to his elbows, revealing some of his tattoos, which were mainly done in black. When Pen had asked him about the art, he'd clammed up and not spoken directly to her for days.

She was used to people avoiding her annoying questions and didn't take it personally. But she'd learned her lesson and tried to suppress her immense curiosity around him. From what she could make out, the tattoo on his left arm was a dragon of some kind. She wondered how far up his arm it went.

"Pen?"

She jumped as Bernie spoke to her.

"Sorry." She smiled at her cousin. "What's up?"

Bernie had her boss face on and was holding her tablet, which meant she was about to get all business. Pen still wasn't sure why she'd been included in the offsite café-staff meeting, as she was just a barista. Anton did most of the baking. Rob ran the online delivery business, and Bernie did everything else.

Bernie smiled. "Thanks for coming out here. I wanted you all to see my wedding venue so that we can work out the logistics of feeding and entertaining everyone."

"Uh, I think we've all been here before, boss," Anton said. "We did Noah and Jen's wedding last summer."

"I know, but summer and winter are very different here," Bernie said.

Anton glanced outside and shuddered. "I guess."

"Everything will have to be inside so space will be tight." Bernie looked around the kitchen. "The good thing is that the guest list is small because we're planning on holding a second party in town so everyone local can attend regardless of the weather."

Pen nodded. "That's very smart of you, Bernie. If it does get bad no one would get out here at all."

She loved the winters when the town got cut off and the tourists stopped passing through. She also knew that several members of her family relied on those tourist dollars to make a living including her parents' bookshop, her cousin Lucy's B&B, and Bernie's café in town.

"As I can't supervise the catering on my wedding day, I'm going to rely on you guys to make sure everything gets done properly," Bernie said. "Anton's going to manage the food prep, most of which we'll have to do offsite. Rob's in charge of the logistics of getting everything up here, and Pen . . ."

Pen looked up.

"You're going to be the public-facing member of our team."

"What exactly does that mean?" Pen asked.

"You're my troubleshooter." Bernie smiled. "You're going to make sure everything is running smoothly, deal with the guests, and support the rest of the staff when necessary."

"You want me to do that?"

"Yes." Bernie looked at her. "Why wouldn't I? You're perfectly capable."

"Most people wouldn't agree with you."

"Then here's an opportunity to prove them wrong," Bernie said without so much as a blink. "I have faith in you, Pen."

Pen looked at Anton and Rob, but neither of them looked surprised at Bernie's decision to give her an important job at the wedding. She'd expected them to object or outright laugh, because even though she was twenty-eight, most people didn't think she could do anything except be a blond airhead.

"You might want to take notes while I'm talking to Anton and Rob about their parts in this event," Bernie suggested. "Obviously I'll send you all the info, but you might have suggestions or insights of your own to add."

Pen picked up her phone and stared attentively at Bernie who was flipping through the pages on her tablet. If her favorite cousin trusted her to make sure her wedding went off without a hitch, Pen would do everything in her power to make that happen.

As the youngest of three kids and a member of a large and boisterous extended family of cousins and aunts, she was used to being considered the weird one. Seeing as most of the guests would be her family, she was looking forward to proving that maybe she had her uses after all.

* * *

Rob glanced surreptitiously at Pen, who sat diagonally opposite him at the kitchen table. She was hard not to look at with her blond hair, bright smile, and sparkling positive attitude. Inwardly, Rob grimaced at his own thoughts. Little Miss Sunshine was just too much for him to deal with, so he tended to keep away from her. Unfortunately for him, Pen had never known a stranger and had tried on numerous occasions to draw him out.

He'd resisted so far, but it was difficult. He didn't understand why she kept trying. They had nothing in common, and if she really did get to know him, she'd probably run away screaming when she found out what he'd done and where he'd been. He wasn't a good man, but he was trying to become one, and he didn't need any distractions from achieving that goal.

He took another look. She was pretty, though, and right now she was glowing with pride because Bernie had asked her to act as the wedding coordinator. He had a sense that the offer had come as a surprise, but he wasn't sure why. From what he'd observed at the café, she was good at her job, and great with the customers, which was exactly what Bernie needed.

"Rob, the logistics of ordering the food, and whether getting it prepped at the café or waiting until the day itself, will be on you," Bernie said. "I'm absolutely sure you'll ace this."

"I'd better," Rob said, shifting in his chair. "I don't want to be the one to ruin the boss's wedding."

"Oh, don't worry." Pen grinned at him. "That will definitely be me."

"It will be neither of you," Bernie said. "Because I have faith that this day will go off without a hitch."

"No pressure, then." Anton sat back. "I guess I'd better finish that wedding cake."

* * *

After the meeting, Anton gave Rob a ride back to town while Bernie went with Pen.

When they turned out onto the county road, Anton glanced at Rob. "Are you okay about working directly with Pen?"

Anton had recommended Rob for the job with Bernie, and Rob would never forget it. Getting a job after being in prison was always difficult, and Anton had come through for him big time. Rob loved his work. To his surprise, he also loved living within the great national park, the fresh air, and the feeling that he could run for miles and never see another human being. It reminded him of home. He never wanted to feel trapped again.

"Rob?"

He realized Anton was still waiting for an answer. He shrugged. "Not a problem for me."

"She's family. I guess Bernie thinks she'll be great at handling all the awkward relatives."

"Pen's good with people."

Anton nodded. "Yeah, she is. In her own particular way."

He lapsed into silence until they pulled up behind the café on Main Street. "I'll show you the menu Bernie and I have planned for the wedding buffet, okay?"

"Sounds good." Rob got out of the SUV. "The sooner I know what we need, the better, because I have a feeling, we're going to need supplies as soon as possible." He glanced over at the snow-covered hills. "Last year this place got completely cut off again, as did the ranch."

Anton waggled his eyebrows at him. "Maybe you shouldn't have decided to move out of town, then."

"I think you needed your space back." Rob keyed in the code to the new extension at the back of the café that housed the state-of-the-art industrial kitchen. "And you snored."

Anton chuckled. "Yeah, and you hate my cat."

"Correction. Your cat hates me. I love cats. My mom had several. . . ." He stopped speaking. Talking about his family made him feel bad, and he needed to be positive and focused right now.

Rob took off his coat and boots, washed up, and made sure he was ready to enter the kitchen in a hygienic state. Since Bernie had expanded the business, they needed to do things to code, and as one of the team leaders, he had to set an example. He still couldn't believe he had a team working under him. At first it had been just him and Bernie, but the online café had taken off, and now he was managing real people with a substantial budget, and there was talk of a statewide expansion....

Sometimes he woke up at night terrified he'd been found out and dragged back to prison, but so far so good. Bernie trusted him and his team seemed to listen to him. Back before he'd succumbed to the lows of painkiller addiction he'd worked in a Michelin-starred restaurant and ran a team of twenty. He'd been fired because he couldn't handle the pressure. After that, he'd slid slowly down the ranks from employed to unemployed, and then onto the streets, where things had gotten ugly.

"Hey, Rob!"

He looked over toward the large pantry where Matty was waving at him.

"Can you take a look at our chocolate chip supply? I think we're getting low."

"Can't have that." Rob walked over to Matty. "The customers would riot."