Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

E very single time Nathan went outside, the new teenager was there.

Reading a cookbook.

Working in the herb garden.

Helping the cowboys unload the supplies.

Finally, he wore down, and he went to the picnic table and sat across from her. “Hey, you. You okay?”

“Uh-huh.” She gave him an uncertain little smile. “How are you?”

“Good. So…” What do you want seemed rough. “Talk to me.”

She took a deep breath. “Can you teach me to cook? I mean, I’ve been cooking for myself for a long time, and I’ve watched food shows and tried recipes I found online…”

Like he had time for that. Still… “What’s your favorite thing to cook?”

How mean could he be to this lost kid?

Her eyes lit up. Her eyes were the same blue as Ames’s. “So far? I’ve had to stick to stuff we had in the house, but I make a great kitchen sink pasta. And a good mac and cheese. Oh! And I made really good deep-dish pizza.”

In other words, they had a lot of dried pasta, flour, and jarred red sauce. He remembered those days.

“All right. Come in and make the two of us lunch. I’m not judging, this isn’t a competition. I simply want to see where you are. Fair?”

“Okay.” She bit her lower lip, but he saw when she decided to take the bull by the horns and go for it. She hopped up to follow him into the kitchen. “What am I not allowed to touch?”

“This is my knife kit; it’s off-limits. Also, let’s avoid the mandolin, please.” He didn’t want to explain a lost fingertip.

“Okay. And that stuff is for supper?”

“Yep.”

“Got it.” She nodded, then grabbed an apron to tie it on. Then it was a little like watching Chopped .

He sat and watched her. Her knife cuts weren’t amazing, and she needed to learn patience, but she had a decent palate, and she wasn’t scared of spices.

When she served him his lunch, he had a creditable stir fry with sesame noodles, and he ate all of it.

“Okay. You’re hired after school.”

“Yeah?” She beamed at him.

“And over the summer, if you want. We have a big client for the Fourth of July party, so…”

“We do? Who is it?” She forked up the last of her noodles, slurping hard.

“Stefano Abruzzi. He’s a journalist for a biggie-wow magazine and the bosses are worried.” He wasn’t worried.

“Wow. That’s scary. Are you scared?”

“Are you kidding? I have a budget, a plan, and three hundred people to feed.” He was terrified.

“Oh. Well, I can help.” She perked up. “So can Uncle Ames. He’ll be back by then.”

He bit back a groan. “No, that’s okay.”

The last thing he needed was to serve grape jelly meatballs and pigs in a blanket.

Although…

Hrm…

He could totally serve elevated country finger food. Take the boy out of Texas, but not the Texas out of the boy, so to speak. He could make a going thing out of that for the fancy magazine guy, and the ranch folks would love it too.

“Mr. Greene? Chef? Are you okay?”

“Huh? Yes. Yes, you gave me a great idea. Tomorrow, bring in a notebook and a pen, also, closed-toe shoes, hmm?”

“Oui, Chef.” She bounced and, thank God, she managed to run off without hugging him. That might have been one nicey-nice too many.

And now he had to start on supper for some hungry cowboys. He was lucky that Ames was out on the trail. Not a hamburger in sight.

In fact, tonight they were going to try moussaka. He thought the guys would like it.

He wouldn’t warn them about the eggplant until after they’d eaten it. If they pressed him, well, he could say it was a ground beef casserole.

He grinned at the thought. It was a hoot, in fact. He would love to rub Ames’s nose in that.

God, what was wrong with him? Seriously? One little pissy, I-don’t-like-your-food comment, and he was going to be a bitch forever?

Really?

Nathan was going to have to have some thoughts about that, because that felt super fucking vindictive, and he wasn’t.

He was a reasonable type. Nuturing-ish. Sort of logical.

So if that was the case, it had to be Ames. The man had an incredible effect on him. Like matches and gasoline. But why? Lots of people had been way meaner about his food. Hell, Ames had said he liked it. He’d wanted something more pedestrian once or twice a week. So why was it so annoying?

God, maybe he needed to call his therapist.

He was not going to be a bitch, and especially not to that little girl who wanted to cook.

Oh.

Cooking.

She needed knives, an apron. Was there a way to get those out here in twenty-four hours? If not, they could plan and work on egg cookery.

Scrambled eggs first. Then fried.

Ooh…ramen. They could so make ramen for tomorrow.

He wandered off, humming under his breath.

Noodles made everything better.

Ames felt like he’d been on the trail for two years, not two weeks.

Little Danny Maines had broken his leg on the first day out, and they’d had to airlift him from a flat spot on one of the pastures.

They found a small herd of wild horses in with one of the groups of cattle, so it had taken them an extra damn day to sort those out and make sure they hadn’t killed any calves.

And he’d been worried as hell about Sophie. He knew she wasn’t alone, but he’d still hated leaving her and going off where he could only be reached by sat phone for a damn fortnight.

He headed in from the barns, wanting to get Sophie, take a shower, and then drive into town for Mexican food.

He was starving.

He popped into the main house, coming face-to-face with the housekeeper, Nanette. “Good afternoon, ma’am. I’m hunting for Sophie.”

“She’s working in the kitchen, Se?or Ames.”

“In the kitchen?” He was in the kitchen. So what the heck did Nanette mean?

“With Se?or Nathan.”

“What?” Working? What the fuck? She was just a kid.

Nanette nodded. “She’s working hard. She made biscuits for breakfast this morning, I hear.”

“I—Okay. Thank you, ma’am.” He wasn’t going to growl at Nanette. Not her fault. Nathan? Was going to get an earful.

He stormed out of the house and headed for the commercial kitchen, putting his feet down hard. This was the second time he’d gotten home wanting to relax and eat and Nathan had interfered…

Okay, so Nathan had nothing to do with the last one, but this time, he was smack in the middle.

The kitchen door opened, and Sophie ran out the big door. “Ames! Hey! How are you?”

“Hey, kiddo.” He held out his arms and she hugged him, grinning hard. “I was looking for you.”

“Yeah? I was making some tortillas.”

“Why?” He shook his head when she frowned. “I mean, yay, but you know you don’t have to work to earn your keep.”

“Huh? Chef Nathan is offering to teach me! Like for free! He bought me knives and an apron, and a copy of his favorite cookbook, too. He says I have a great palate, and that I’m a natural.”

“Oh.” Well, shit. She was wreathed in smiles. “You get along with him?”

“He’s so nice. He doesn’t fuss at me when I mess up, and he tries all my food. This is… I never ever thought I’d be doing this now .”

“Wow.” He bit back all his protests, because she was so excited, and if Nathan was good to her, what could he say? “You got time to go to supper with me tonight?”

“Of course! Yes. Chef said to go on and spend time with you. I—I made biscuits this morning. Want to come try one? I saved it for you.”

“I do.” He would brave the chef’s den for her and hope his ass didn’t get kicked out.

“Chef! Chef, can I fix Ames a biscuit?”

“Oui, Sophie, tu peux.”

“Merci, Chef.”

Okay, this was weird.

Nathan nodded to him, knife sliding through bell peppers that sure looked burned. “Have a seat. How was the drive?”

“Long and dusty.” He perched on a stool at the non-business side of the through bar.

“It’s getting warm, hmm?” Nathan passed him a cold bottle of lemonade from a huge fridge.

“It is. But we did pretty well. Not much loss this year.” Were they having a conversation? Did three or four sentences make an actual talk?

“Excellent.” The knife started moving again, almost flying.

He watched, fascinated, as Nathan chopped while Sophie put him together a plate. Surely he wasn’t letting her do…that.

“Do you want butter, whipped honey butter, butter and jam?”

“Honey butter, thanks.” That sounded amazing.

“Cool! I can do that.” She seemed so happy. “We ran out of gravy.”

“Mmm. But now you know how to make it.”

“Yes, Chef. I can totally do it. It’s so good, too.”

“Yay.” This was the weirdest fucking situation ever. He took the plate Sophie handed him, having a big bite of biscuit. “Oh, yum.” It was flaky and a touch salty.

She actually bounced. “That’s right. Yum. Go team me.”

“You’re amazing, kiddo. I’m proud of you.”

Nathan gave him an approving glance over Sophie’s head, the first he’d ever seen from the guy.

“Thanks. Chef Nathan is teaching me so much. I’m going to be in charge of one of the apps for the Fourth of July party.”

“Wow. That’s really cool, kiddo.” He would have to talk to Nathan about that in private. She needed to be able to be a kid and enjoy the party.

“Better than.” She beamed at him. “Is there anything you need from me, Chef?”

“No. Not at all. You go hang out with your family.”

“Thanks!” Sophie was all smiles. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Whenever you have the time and inclination, Soph.”

Sophie nodded, then came to take his hand. “You got it, Chef. You need a shower, Ames.”

“I do. I thought we’d go up to my house. You can check out your room there and tell me what all you need. I can take a shower, and then we can go get pizza or Mexican food.”

“Yum.” She laughed. “Chef is being so nice. I know I’m probably a pain, but I want to learn all sorts of stuff.”

“So, you—is he paying you?”

“Huh? No. Nope, he talked to the Chiaras, and they talked to Mr. Wat. Chef says that I have a lot of time to do this for money, but learning is great. So I keep records of how many hours I’m in the kitchen, and Chef tells the skills I’ve worked on, and I get school credit.”

“Oh.” Well, that was good, right? Really good. And that made him feel better about the whole thing. Now he felt like he needed to thank the guy.

“Right? Like I told you, he says that I show promise, and that I’ve got a good palate. Can you believe it? He bought me a knife kit of my own! Like a real chef. They’re expensive and so cool!”

“That’s super kind of him. I wouldn’t think he had it in him.”

“What? He’s amazing. Seriously, Ames. You would like him. He makes these brisket tacos with yuzu that are amazing.”

“He and I didn’t hit it off too well, kiddo. I think he’d rather not like me.” He led her to his truck.

“Oh, yeah. I mean, you mean the camping thing. He was so scared. I heard him talking to Mr. Wat.”

“He was scared?” Ames blinked. He’d sure never let on. Not once.

“He’d never seen a horse up close before. He’s never even had a cat or a dog or anything .”

“Oh, man.” Shit. He’d known Nathan had never ridden, but damn.

“I know, right? It’s, like, insane, but he grew up in a little apartment in Austin, and it wasn’t an option.”

“I gotta admit, I feel bad now.” They headed to his place, and he was pondering his next move with Nathan. Apologize? Let it go and be nicer? Go on like before?

“Don’t be. He’s cool. I want to get him a kitten or something.”

“A kitten? On a ranch? Nah. We’ll get him a dog.” A purse dog. With a bow.

“Okay! That would rock. Thanks!” She hopped into his truck.

He chuckled. Lord have mercy. “So what’s your feeling on pan pizza?”

“Pan pizza rocks my world. Can we have sausage on it?”

“We can.” He grinned. This kid got him. “And they have this salad wagon…” Man, he could murder that.

“Oh, yum. Mom hated salad.” Her chin quivered a moment. “So I always got the salad bar at The Chuck Wagon.”

The Wagon was their hometown’s answer to a sit-down restaurant.

“Well, then, we’ll have pizza and salad, and you can tell me all about your time here. Are you settled at the main house?”

“Yes, sir. It’s nice. There are two other teenagers besides ’Lijah. We’re all friends. So, am I going to have two rooms? Am I going to be alone when you’re gone now?” She sounded worried, but she was trying not to be.

“Ryder and Kase and I agree that your room at their house is yours. When I’m on the trail, you’ll stay with them. And there might be times when you stay down there when I’m home, because of late hours at the branding or something.” She needed to comfy and confident.

“Is that…selfish?”

“What?”

“Well, to have two rooms when there are kids here that have nothing? I mean, I see how hard everyone works…”

“I think it’s fine as long as the room is available.” He glanced at her sideways. “And you help out, right?”

“Oh sure. Dani and Nell think they’re keeping me company, but really, I watch them for Nanette sometimes.” She shrugged and smiled. “And Charlie shows me all sorts of weird things I can do. She’s home for, like, two months, and then she’s moving to Albuquerque. She’s going to UNM. Cool, huh?”

“It is. She’s a good kid.” He could remember that Charlie had given Kase and Ryder a few worries, but she seemed to be on the right track now. He was glad Sophie liked her.

“Yeah. I’m going to culinary school. I’m going to make it happen. I’m going to be a chef and own my own restaurant one day.”

“What kind of restaurant?” The drive to his place didn’t take long. His was one of about seven houses at the edge of the ranch before the road curved into town. Two bedrooms, two baths, and a bonus room he used as a gym right now…

“Honestly? I’m thinking upscale comfort food—so biscuits and gravy, but with amazing ingredients and fancy sausages.”

“Nice. I can see that.” Someplace not here, anyway.

“Yeah. Or maybe green chile sausages… I wonder if Chef would let me do that.”

“I’m sure he would. You mean, like, grind sausage meat?” His dad was a hunter; he’d taught Ames how to do that.

“Yeah. I mean, yeah. I would so try…”

“I can help to begin with, and then Chef Nathan can streamline it with you, if you want. I have a hand grinder.”

“Oh yeah? For real?” She grinned at him. “Cool. I want to be able to experiment, huh?”

“Yes. We’ll get some pork shoulder and some good fat at the store. And I have green chile out my wazoo in the freezer, already roasted.”

“You rock. Thanks.” She grinned at him, and he felt like he might be on the right track.

“Thanks, kiddo.” He pulled into the cool little tract of houses, all with three- or four-acre yards. Well, not lawns. Cactus and scrub and a garden… “So this is my place back here. Our place.”

“Oh. It’s pretty! You need roses and an herb garden, okay?”

“We can work on it this summer.” He had places to put stuff like that. He’d never had a reason to bother. And he’d have to make it puppy-proof if he was getting one for Nathan… And for him.

“Oh, cool! I’d love that. I mean, it’s totally sweet that you’re letting me in.”

“Hey, it gives me a reason to do stuff. The yard is terrifying,” he teased. “Tumbleweed city.”

“Yeah, but things will grow, right? I mean, growing things are good.”

“They will. We get water and fertilizer to roses, and they’ll thrive. The herbs we’ll do in raised beds.” Their granny had loved gardening, so it felt nice to do this with Sophie.

“Yeah? I’m so in. I want to make this a little more home and less ‘I’m a big single guy’.”

“Cool.” He laughed. “Come on. Your room, huh?” He led her in, showing her the neat, if dusty, main room and kitchen, the dining nook and hall bath. “This is your room, kiddo.”

It wasn’t fancy, but it was a blank slate for her to decorate as she wanted.

She wandered around, eyes a little misty. “Can I have my things from my house?”

“You can.” Dammit, he was going to get them. The boss said the lawyer had waded in, arms swinging.

“Oh, you rock. I was…there’s special stuff, you know? Those were my things. No one else’s.” Her eyes filled with tears.

“I know. And you need that stuff.” In fact, he would see about driving up to get her stuff as soon as he could. He’d call the lawyer tomorrow. “Do you have…anyone important you’d like to talk to in person?”

She pinked and shrugged. “We chat. She’s in Ruidoso. We met in church camp.”

They shared a knowing glance, because that could be damn tough for people like them.

“Ah. Well, cool. You let me know if you need to talk.” He wasn’t wordy guy, but for her, he would do it. He’d wished so many times to have someone to just ask shit.

“Can she come visit maybe? Like before school starts?”

“If her folks say yes, and I’m home, I don’t see why not.”

“Okay, cool.” She tested the bed. “I mean, I can see why you wouldn’t want to put that on the big house.”

“Yep. You’re my cousin.”

“I am. I’m like your…orphan?” She rolled her eyes. “Little Orphan Sophie.”

“Well, maybe? I mean, what does that make me? The weird gay cousin who disappeared one day, and they find him buried in the garden?”

“Ooh…that would be very Wednesday Addams of you.”

“Thank you. I like her better than Pugsley.” He grinned. “I’m gonna go de-stink. There’s a big screen and a Switch in the front room.”

“I’m gonna go see where I might want to put the herb garden.” She shrugged, the move well-and-often practiced. “And I want to snoop. It’s a thing.”

“You got it. Snoop away.” He winked, then headed for his bedroom. He was pretty much an open book.

This day had been—well, more confusing and off-putting than he’d expected. Hell, he hadn’t expected it to be any of that, to be honest.

He scrubbed up pretty quick, got dressed, and grabbed his wallet. “Pizza time!”

“Cool. I’m ready.” Her eyes reflected the blue of her tank top.

He paused, so proud of her it hurt. “You’re a good egg, kiddo.”

“I’m trying. I keep trying hard, you know?” Her lips tightened, quivering.

“I know. It’s tough, and I’m sorry.” He offered a hug, and she took it. Then he guided her back out to the truck. “Less stinky?”

“Much, thank God.” She winked at him. “I mean, whoa, horsey.”

“Yeah. Well, I spent more time with horses and cows on the trail than I did people.”

“Of course. It’s a big herd, huh?”

“It is. And it’s not even the largest share of what we do on this ranch.” Ames shook his head in admiration. “This is a damn big outfit. I love it. It’s a challenge.”

“So…how did you end up here? I mean, did they advertise ‘big gay ranch’ in the cowboy newspaper or something?”

“Or something. I got my ass handed to me at a ranch about an hour north. Some guy took exception to my choice of reading material. Which he had to sneak into my bag to find.” Man, that had sucked. “Anyway, a day laborer there told me I might like the company here better, and the Chiaras took me right in, bruises and all.”

“That’s cool and it sucks, all at the same time.” She sighed and shook her head. “I mean, will people always be assholes?”

“I think some of them will. It’s already better than when I was your age.” Sometimes. Sometimes it got scary, but she knew that. He didn’t need to tell her.

“Yeah. And maybe in a hundred years it’ll be better again, huh?”

A hundred years. Christ.

“I sure hope so, kiddo. I mean, I hate the idea of fighting the same battles over and over again, but as a species, we sure do that.” Good thing they also made things like pan pizza. Buttery, crunchy goodness.

“Right. But there’s also super crazy delicious food and music and stuff.”

“Exactly.” Great minds thought alike.

“I’m glad you’re back from the gather, Ames.” She grinned over at him as they made their way back to the road into town.

“Me too, kiddo. Me too.”