Read Online The Rancher Takes a Cook by Misty M. Beller - Free Book Online Page A

Virginia. Or better yet, Ginny.
And over there talking to Reverend Walker is my husband, Everett,
with our little girl, Katie. She’s a handful, that one, but such a
joy, too.” Ginny glowed with motherly pride as she talked of the
girl.
    “She does look precious.” Anna smiled at the
young mother. “How old is she?”
    “She’s three now but will be four by the
time the new little one arrives.” Ginny rubbed her slightly
expanded mid-section, a hint of pink rising to her cheeks. “Should
be sometime in January.”
    “Oh, that’s wonderful.” Anna touched the
woman’s arm.
    Ginny grabbed Anna’s hand in return and gave
her a delighted smile. “Oh, I just know we’re going to be good
friends. It gets lonely out on the farm, so it’ll be so nice havin’
someone my age within riding distance. I hear you and your brother
are working on the Double Rocking B?”
    Anna laughed at the petite woman’s
exuberance. “Yes, I do the cooking there and Edward is one of the
cowboys. It’s a new venture for us both, but we’ve settled in.”
    “I’m so glad to hear it. Well, I need to run
now. Everett’ll be hungry and it’s a long ride home. See you soon.”
As the little blonde magpie hurried off, Anna smiled to herself. It
would be so nice to have a friend and neighbor like Ginny.

CHAPTER NINE
    The next few days flew by as Anna consumed
herself with her work. She was determined to make her meals the
best they could be—the highlight of the men’s days. She scoured her
memory for every dish her mother or neighborhood women had made. As
her repertoire grew, Anna began experimenting with food mixtures
and seasonings. Most of the men had grown up in Mexico, where the
food was cooked with peppers and strong spices. The first time she
fixed tamale pie for the men, they responded with such impassioned
thankfulness that her heart grew two sizes.
    The next day, Anna prepared Arroz con Pollo
for supper. She had spent hours in the preparation, seasoning the
tomato sauce to just the right flavor and hovering over the chicken
so it boiled to the perfect tenderness. She hoped the men would
find the taste satisfactory.
    After Mr. O’Brien’s prayer came the typical
mad scramble to fill plates and scarf down food. As the men took
their first bites, Anna held her breath and searched the faces
around the table to catch their expressions. Many were so
weather-worn they took on the appearance of dark, wrinkled leather,
making them harder to read than an Indian chief.
    Juan was the first to speak. In a hushed,
reverent tone he declared, “Senorita, will you marry me?”
    Every noise in the room ceased except for
Anna’s sharp gasp. The tough leather around Juan’s eyes crinkled
and his cheeks creased to reveal dimples as big as valleys. The
dark brown skin made his coffee-darkened teeth appear a stark
white. “The food you make is so magnificent. I only think to pay
you the highest honor I know. You make magic en la cocina,
Senorita.”
    There was a general murmur of agreement as
the cowboys went back to devouring their food, but Anna’s cheeks
burned as hot as the fire she’d used to cook the meal. She glanced
at Jacob. His deep blue eyes penetrated her. She couldn’t read his
expression, a mixture of approval and something else…it looked
almost like jealousy but couldn’t be. She wasn’t sure what emotions
she read there, but they held her captive for several seconds
before she found the strength to look away.
    Just then, a crash of thunder reverberated
through the room. Anna must have jumped six inches from the
surprise of it. She placed a hand over her racing heart.
    “It’s going to be a rough one this time,”
Paco announced in his lilting Mexican accent. “The wind, she was
strong.”
    As if he had summoned it, a distant shriek
of wind called from outside the sturdy walls. With that howl
echoing through the room, the buoyant mood changed to a somber
scene. The men went back to eating, heads down and food