Read Online High Plains Hearts by Janet Spaeth - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Janet Spaeth
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needed healthy food, not this table-scraps stuff.
But the fight was lost as soon as she saw Cora’s goo-goo gaze resting adoringly on Jake. “Sure, go ahead,” she heard herself saying.
She took a sip of the coffee and almost choked. It was twice as strong as the way she usually drank it.
“Don’t you like it?” Jake asked as her eyebrows shot up at the bitterness.
“It’s a bit thick,” she said.
“It is?” He poured himself a cup. “I haven’t tried it yet, but we try to keep it at a constant level of strength.”
He took a sip and sighed. “No, this is right. Try it again.”
She did, and to her surprise she liked it.
“I guess I’m not used to tasting the coffee flavor so much, but I do like it.”
“How late are you open today?” he asked.
“Five-ish. Why?”
“Would you be interested in seeing Panda’s? I know you’ve been there already, but I’d like to show you the roaster and the back rooms. It’s really quite an operation.”
“Do I get to sample?”
“Everything.”
“Only if I can have decaf. If I drink coffee after four in the afternoon, I get wired and will be up all night.”
“Decaf?” He said the word with scorn. “That’s like artificial coffee.” But then he grinned at her to let her know he was teasing. “We have decaf. And it’s pretty spectacular if I do say so myself. And if you want to, we can eat supper at Panda’s, too.”
“I didn’t know you served dinner,” Tess said.
“We do now. A woman moved here from Santa Barbara who does incredible things with sun-dried tomatoes and sprouts that will set your tongue singing.”
He’d hit upon her second food weakness, sun-dried tomatoes. A day with sun-dried tomatoes and angel-decorated pastries was almost too good to be believed.
He picked her up at five o’clock sharp.
Panda’s was larger than she’d remembered. The grounds were landscaped now with small trees draped with lights. “At dusk they’ll come on. During the Christmas season each tree has a different color of lights. Otherwise, when the leaves are off the trees, they’re all white.”
She looked at the trees curiously. “What color are they?”
He began pointing them out. “That one is purple, that one turquoise, and that one green. That one is gold.”
“Not exactly the traditional Christmas colors,” she noted.
He nodded. “But at night, when they’re all glowing, the scene is rich and spectacular. Those colors remind me of the three kings—now here I go getting sentimental about Christmas, but I remember three gigantic Wise Men Mom always had inside the front door. One had a turquoise robe, one a purple robe, and one a green one. And each was highlighted with gold.”
“So these colors remind you of those Wise Men?” she asked.
“They sure do.” His mouth broke into a wry grin. “Then one memorable Christmas my sister and I came flying in the front door, covered with snow. As soon as our boots hit the tiled floor, the rest of us hit the floor, too. We crashed right into the display. Broke Melchior’s head off, gave Balthasar a ding in his elbow, and took a chunk out of Gaspar’s foot.”
“What did your mother do?”
He laughed. “Replaced those plaster statues with brass ones. She said the next time we did something like that, we’d be the ones with the gouges.”
“She sounds like a neat lady,” Tess commented.
“She is.”
She could smell the coffee even before they reached the door. She wrinkled her nose, and he chuckled.
“The aroma is a bit strong when the roaster’s going. For some it’s better than perfume. Others would rather have a face-to-face encounter with a skunk.”
He guided her inside the store. The building was made of rosy brick and smoked glass, a combination that shouldn’t have worked but did. She said as much.
“I wish I could take credit for it, but it has to do with an argument between the contractor and the architect. I don’t know all the details of it, but it
But the fight was lost as soon as she saw Cora’s goo-goo gaze resting adoringly on Jake. “Sure, go ahead,” she heard herself saying.
She took a sip of the coffee and almost choked. It was twice as strong as the way she usually drank it.
“Don’t you like it?” Jake asked as her eyebrows shot up at the bitterness.
“It’s a bit thick,” she said.
“It is?” He poured himself a cup. “I haven’t tried it yet, but we try to keep it at a constant level of strength.”
He took a sip and sighed. “No, this is right. Try it again.”
She did, and to her surprise she liked it.
“I guess I’m not used to tasting the coffee flavor so much, but I do like it.”
“How late are you open today?” he asked.
“Five-ish. Why?”
“Would you be interested in seeing Panda’s? I know you’ve been there already, but I’d like to show you the roaster and the back rooms. It’s really quite an operation.”
“Do I get to sample?”
“Everything.”
“Only if I can have decaf. If I drink coffee after four in the afternoon, I get wired and will be up all night.”
“Decaf?” He said the word with scorn. “That’s like artificial coffee.” But then he grinned at her to let her know he was teasing. “We have decaf. And it’s pretty spectacular if I do say so myself. And if you want to, we can eat supper at Panda’s, too.”
“I didn’t know you served dinner,” Tess said.
“We do now. A woman moved here from Santa Barbara who does incredible things with sun-dried tomatoes and sprouts that will set your tongue singing.”
He’d hit upon her second food weakness, sun-dried tomatoes. A day with sun-dried tomatoes and angel-decorated pastries was almost too good to be believed.
He picked her up at five o’clock sharp.
Panda’s was larger than she’d remembered. The grounds were landscaped now with small trees draped with lights. “At dusk they’ll come on. During the Christmas season each tree has a different color of lights. Otherwise, when the leaves are off the trees, they’re all white.”
She looked at the trees curiously. “What color are they?”
He began pointing them out. “That one is purple, that one turquoise, and that one green. That one is gold.”
“Not exactly the traditional Christmas colors,” she noted.
He nodded. “But at night, when they’re all glowing, the scene is rich and spectacular. Those colors remind me of the three kings—now here I go getting sentimental about Christmas, but I remember three gigantic Wise Men Mom always had inside the front door. One had a turquoise robe, one a purple robe, and one a green one. And each was highlighted with gold.”
“So these colors remind you of those Wise Men?” she asked.
“They sure do.” His mouth broke into a wry grin. “Then one memorable Christmas my sister and I came flying in the front door, covered with snow. As soon as our boots hit the tiled floor, the rest of us hit the floor, too. We crashed right into the display. Broke Melchior’s head off, gave Balthasar a ding in his elbow, and took a chunk out of Gaspar’s foot.”
“What did your mother do?”
He laughed. “Replaced those plaster statues with brass ones. She said the next time we did something like that, we’d be the ones with the gouges.”
“She sounds like a neat lady,” Tess commented.
“She is.”
She could smell the coffee even before they reached the door. She wrinkled her nose, and he chuckled.
“The aroma is a bit strong when the roaster’s going. For some it’s better than perfume. Others would rather have a face-to-face encounter with a skunk.”
He guided her inside the store. The building was made of rosy brick and smoked glass, a combination that shouldn’t have worked but did. She said as much.
“I wish I could take credit for it, but it has to do with an argument between the contractor and the architect. I don’t know all the details of it, but it
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