The first timed challenge had the chefs fighting over a variety of produce for a simple tasting course. The pace and the pressure made Evie cringe. She loved cooking with Miss Leona. She couldn’t imagine having to come up with a dish on the spot while trying to battle other people for the last of the bell peppers. She also made a mental note to ask Lilah if they could try out bell peppers.
She glanced over and caught Lilah looking at her as she held the open nutmeg just under her nose. “Sorry,” Evie said, only mildly embarrassed.
“Don’t apologize. I love the smell of nutmeg.”
“Right, but you don’t want to marry it.”
“Maybe it’s attached to a memory.”
“Oh yeah. Could be,” Vega said with a shrug.
“What do you mean?” Evie asked.
“Sometimes scents or sounds or even textures can remind you of something. Like I went with Zach to go have lunch with a new feed supplier a few weeks ago and he was wearing this awful aftershave that my brother Jack used to wear, and immediately, I just remember my mom telling him that he was gonna wilt every grape we had. It was like a memory of my mom just as much as it was a memory of my brother,” Lilah said.
“Hmmm,” Evie took another whiff. She couldn’t walk around with a container of nutmeg in her pocket, but she was strongly considering it.
* * *
Later in the afternoon, Miss Leona’s driver arrived and they sent her and Corie off for their New Year’s Eve adventure. With her official kitchen adviser away, Evie decided to give herself homework for the weekend. Pick a dish per day to make on her own—with Lilah’s help and Vega’s moral support. For dinner she tried her hand at spaghetti carbonara. She resisted the urge to add nutmeg. The execution was far from smooth. She dropped an egg on the floor. Burned some of the bacon. Luckily there was plenty more in the fridge.
She learned a valuable lesson about cheese graters as she almost took a nice chunk out of her finger while preparing some fresh parmesan. And while there was a big difference between crazed chefs and big dopey dogs, having Sugar Plum follow her back and forth from fridge to sink to stove until Lilah bribed her with treats so she would sit the heck down made managing the space pretty challenging.
She refused to give up, though, and in the end she made enough to feed half a dozen people. It was disappointing when she remembered it would just be their party of three. Vega and Lilah’s company was wonderful, but she wanted as much feedback as she could get. Zach was still tied up at the ranch and Jesse had a standing social engagement that had him going into town. He popped in to say hello before he and Clementine hopped into his truck and took off.
“He plays bingo down at the senior rec center every Saturday,” Lilah told them when they finally sat down to eat.
“Oh. I thought he was just sick of us,” Evie said. She took a sip of the tiny glass of wine Vega cleared her to try.
“That too,” Lilah said with a smile. “Okay. Wait. Have you been photographing any of your meals since you got out of the hospital?”
“No.”
“Okay. Hold on.” Lilah jumped up and played with the dimmer switch, adjusting the lighting. “Your phone, please.” Evie handed over her phone, trying not to notice that there were no new texts from Zach—and watched as she moved her plate around.
“Here, post that.”
“My assistant is still in charge of all that. I’ll send it to her.” She sent the pictures off to Raquelle, and Nicole for good measure, and then to Blaire just because she liked sharing things with Blaire. “Okay. Let’s eat.” What followed was a few moments of perfect silence as they all took their first bites. Evie didn’t want to get ahead of herself, but she thought it wasn’t half bad. She loved the creaminess of the sauce and the bite from the parmesan cheese. The bacon added just the right texture to the slick noodles. She wanted to know what Lilah and Vega thought, but figured she could put off grilling them for their opinions for at least a few minutes. Polite conversation seemed like the better move for now.
“Miss Leona said your family lives in wine country?” Evie asked Lilah. Maybe that was the wrong question to ask, because Lilah’s expression dropped. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”
“No, it’s okay. You’ve had plenty of drama lately. It’s only fair if one of us shares ours.”
“I mean. I’m technically on the clock so I’m keeping my drama to myself, but you two have at it,” Vega said.
Lilah chuckled a bit and shook her head before she went on. “I don’t know if Jesse or Zach told you, but I have a bunch of brothers. Six, and I’m the baby.”
Evie tried to imagine growing up with Zach, Jesse, and Sam times two, and then being the only girl.
“Okay, that’s a lot,” Vega said, taking the words right out of Evie’s mouth.
“It was great growing up. They are great. I love my brothers. My dad just—he’s old-school. Too old-school. He tried to marry me off.”
“Wow,” Vega and Evie said at once.
“Yeah. To a man twice my age. He wanted me to be taken care of, ’cause it’s 1840 in his mind? I don’t know.” Lilah let out a deep sigh and sat back from the table. “So Jess and Zach have the ranch and my other uncle, Curt, has his medical practice.”
“Right,” Evie said, encouraging her to go on.
“Well, we have the winery, complete with horseback tours and a bed-and-breakfast. My oldest brother, Jack, helps run the wine business, Brandon and his wife run the bed-and-breakfast. Kelly plays pro football, so he’s not involved in any of the businesses right now. The twins, Thomas and Micah, just started their own construction company. They’re off to a rough start, but they’re doing it. And Walker is in veterinary school. My other cousins are all still in grad school. I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do, but I figured I had a little time to figure it out.”
“But your dad had other plans?” Evie said.
“Oh yeah. A real estate investor who will not be named. My dad thought he was really doing me a favor when he invited this man over for dinner and pretty much announced our engagement without consulting me at all. I’d met him like twice. My dad didn’t think I’d actually leave home. I’m just glad my grandma didn’t send me back. And that Jesse trusted me enough to hire me. I was not cut out to be that kind of wife.”
“Man, that’s a lot. My dad is just happy that I’m employed,” Vega said. “That’s all he wanted for me.”
“Yeah, less unrealistic pressure is better,” Lilah replied. “Anyway, I haven’t talked to him since I got here. I message my mom, but I’m afraid to call her because I know she’ll put my dad on the phone and I know that makes me a horrible child, but I’m still pissed.”
Evie’s thoughts went back to the photos of her own parents. What had they wanted for her? Did they want her to get married and have kids? Would they be happy with the way her life had gone—minus the whole amnesia thing? She liked to think they would be proud of her.
Lilah leaned forward again and took a healthy bite. Evie watched her face as she sat back and seemed to analyze everything about the dish. Finally she swallowed and took a swig of wine.
“Well?”
“You still got it.”
“Don’t lie to me, Lilah,” Evie teased, even though she was completely serious.
“I’m not,” Lilah said, a real smile returning to her face as she laughed.
“She’s not. It’s good, Evie. Really good,” Vega added.
“I just followed the recipe,” Evie replied. She took another bite herself and yeah, it was really good. So good she was already planning on having a second helping.
“Listen. There’s no place for modesty at this table. I burn ice cubes,” Vega said. “And I’m not family. I’ll hurt your feelings if I have to. This is delicious.” Evie didn’t want to get her hopes up too high. Cooking dinner for a few people wasn’t the same as cooking in front of cameras or cooking in a restaurant. If she was going to get her life back she was going to have to keep practici
ng, maybe be a little more careful with the cheese grater, but for now, this really good pasta dish would have to do.
* * *
Zach was dead on his feet, but he wasn’t turning in before he gave Evie a proper goodnight kiss. The Getlier wedding party was great company, and Zach had been smart to show his face to greet Sebastian and his wife, Marsa. Getlier was a good man and he was very happy with the red carpet treatment Big Rock had rolled out for his daughter and her husband-to-be. That kind of relationship led to repeat business.
There were two full days left of ranch-related entertainment in store for the wedding party. Beyond the rodeo exhibition, Zach had to show his face at the rehearsal dinner and the reception. After losing the industrial freezer and scrambling to help save thousands of dollars’ worth of food, he still had to deal with the rest of his Saturday as planned. He needed some solid shut-eye, and that was the reason he jumped in his truck and headed straight for Miss Leona’s.
As he drove, the image of Nana Buck popped into his mind. Over the years he thought of her less and less, but still that mixed feeling of pain—and something close to resentment, though Zach was always hesitant to name it—filled his chest. He’d loved Nana Buck almost as much as his own grandmother. His father had taught him the confidence he needed to enter the arena, how to perform, but Nana Buck taught him everything he knew about how to properly care for his animals, how to ride with flare, and the sense he’d need to keep from breaking his neck. He’d never forgotten how clear she’d been when it came to him and Evie. He knew she’d never meant for their friendship to crumble. Still, the power of hindsight was a hell of a thing. Had he stayed away from Evie because of Nana Buck, or his own foolishness?
Now it was as if he’d finally been given permission by the universe to think about Evie again, and now that he wasn’t forcing himself to push every thought of her to the back of his mind or forcing himself to avoid her public image, she was all he could think about. All day long, he’d been thinking of ways he could cash in that rain check on that kiss, and maybe more. Getting her into bed was not his focus. He just wanted more time with her, wanted to make up for all the potential moments they’d missed, and, if he was being honest, soak up as much Evie as possible just in case her memory did come back and cussing him smooth-the-fuck-out was the first thing on her agenda. That what-if was still lingering in the back of his mind, but that didn’t change the way he felt now, and it didn’t change the fact that Evie had kissed him and had plans to do it again. Who was he to disappoint a lady?
It was only a little after nine p.m. when the dogs greeted him at his grandmother’s door. If Evie wasn’t awake, Zach was sure that all the barking Sugar Plum and Poppy did when he opened the door probably did the trick. But he was glad to see she was still up, watching television with Lilah and Nurse Vega. He was also pleased to see her scribbling in the journal he’d given her for Christmas.
“Evening, ladies,” he said with a tip of his hat.
“Hey, you’re back.” The lightness in Evie’s voice inflated Zach’s ego a little bit.
“What I miss?”
“Evie made some amazing carbonara,” Lilah said.
“Oh yeah?”
“There’s leftovers for you and Jesse in the fridge. If you want to try it.”
“I think I just might, but I had one question for you first. If it’s okay with Nurse Vega.”
“Ask away,” Vega said with a tilt of her head in Evie’s direction.
“You wanna check out the ranch?”
“Yeah.” Evie perked up even more. “I’d love to.”
“Grab your coat and your boots. The temperature’s dropped a bit.” Zach had his own wool-lined Carhartt jacket in the truck.
“Okay. One sec.” Evie jumped up and headed toward her room. Zach resisted the urge to kiss her as she passed by, but he did follow a few steps behind. They could catch up while she laced up her boots.
“Uh, Mr. Pleasant.” Zach turned back around just as Vega looked at her smart watch. “Wellness curfew is eleven p.m.”
“Absolutely. I’ll have her back at ten fifty.”
“Now you’re just showing off.” Vega smiled, then turned her attention back to the television.
Evie was back, jacket on, boots in her hand, before he could make it down the hallway. Euca was following close at her heels.
“You make some new friends?” Zach joked as Evie took a seat on the front entry bench. She dodged Euca’s attempt to lick her face and pulled on her boots.
“Yeah. I think she loves me.”
“Can’t blame her,” Zach said. “You want to bring her along?”
“Sure, I guess. If that’s okay.”
“The dogs are up at the ranch all the time. They just aren’t allowed in the dining areas.”
“Sure, let’s bring her.”
They said their goodbyes to Lilah and Vega, then loaded Euca into the back of Zach’s truck. Zach didn’t want to fuck around and waste any time he got with Evie alone. She must have felt the same way. A certain heat moved between them as she shyly glanced over at him.
“Hi.”
“Hey.”
A bright smile touched her face and she turned her whole body toward him in the seat. The heat instantly turned into something else, a deeply familiar warmth. Zach was falling for Evie all over again, but like Jesse, he was happy to have his friend back. He’d kiss the shit out of her another time.
“I also made French toast today,” Evie said.
Zach smiled at her triumphant tone. “Oh yeah? How’d that go?”
“Good. I discovered an unhealthy love of nutmeg that I’m learning to cope with, but the execution of the breakfast and dinner went relatively well. None of it was easy, but when I was finished and nothing tasted awful, I guess—I just thought cooking would be harder. I don’t know.”
Zach let a burst of laughter slip.
“What?”
“Cooking is hard. You’re a pro.”
“I just wish I could remember. I can’t recall any recipes at all, but when I get started my hands just know what to do.”
“Well, you lost—I don’t know the medical term—event-based memories, but your fine motor skills are intact and clearly there’s something to be said about muscle memory. You also clearly held on to your appreciation for quality spices.”
“I guess so,” Evie said with a sigh. “It’s just confusing, I guess.”
“Give yourself time. It’ll be a’ight.”
Zach started the truck, but Evie’s hand on his thigh stopped him from releasing the brake. He looked down at her delicate fingers as they slowly flexed across the fabric of his dress pants. Zach took his hands off the wheel and slid his arm along the seat behind Evie’s shoulders as he turned in her direction.
“Something I can help you with?” he said, his voice dropping.
“You owe me a kiss.”
“I owe you, huh?”
“I mean, I still haven’t decided if I want you to be my boyfriend yet. We’re just feeling things out right now. It seems like a bad time to start breaking promises.”
“Oh, so you’re talking about boyfriends now? I thought you just wanted to use me for sex.”
“Zach. Shut up.”
Zach chuckled a bit, then leaned forward and delivered on the kiss he’d been waiting on all day. Perfectly, their lips moved together and Zach didn’t deny Evie as she moved closer, pushing her tongue into his mouth. His hand slid around the back of her neck, careful not to brush the silk scarf she had tied around her hair. She moved closer then, her hand moving higher up his thigh. Blood rushed to his dick and while he knew she still needed time before she could help him out in that department, holding back didn’t change how bad he wanted her one bit.
They kept on kissing, and what he figured would be one thorough but quick kiss melted into something more. Her fingers brushed the bulge in his pants and he groaned. No way he was holding that shit in, even if he was still burying most of the emotion
that came with it.
They both had their own lives, and Zach knew whether her memory returned or not, Evie would return to hers. Charming wasn’t big enough for her shine or her talent. If she was nailing complex flavor profiles less than a week out of the hospital, she’s be back at The Dish in no time. Still, Zach couldn’t help but want this to last. Coming home from a long day at the ranch, seeing Evie’s beautiful smile, kissing her perfect lips, holding her close. It was something he could get used to.
When she finally pulled away, Zach was completely hard.
“You smell like nutmeg,” he whispered against Evie’s lips. The scent was coming up from the inside of her coat.
“I’ll explain later.” She moved back across the seat and fastened her seat belt. “We should go. Vega will be waiting up.”
“You miss Tilde?” Zach asked as he turned his truck around.
“This might be mean, but no. I don’t.”
Chapter 16
Still dazed by the feeling of Zach’s lips on hers, Evie did her best to take in the beautiful winter night as they made their way through the huge iron gates that welcomed guests onto the property of Big Rock Ranch. In the distance the property stretched out in front of them as they pulled up to a large log cabin–style building. She could see the paths that wove their way across the flat terrain, lit by electric lanterns. The ranch seemed to stretch on for miles, and even though it was dark, the moon lit the mountains off in the distance. Zach put the truck in park and gave her a few more moments to take it all in before he hopped out and came around to open her door.
“It’s so beautiful,” Evie said as he helped her down from the high cab.
“It’s not too bad,” Zach replied with a smile. “We’re on Serrano land. The Spanish came, and then Black people and Chinese people came, then the Mormons showed up. My grandparents bought the place from a Mormon family. Eli Smith. My great-grandfather used to work for him.”
A Cowboy to Remember Page 17