A Season to Celebrate

by Fern Michaels

  Billy grimaced. “Yeah, I got stuck in town helping Bella Williams in the Red Dragon kitchen. I wanted to talk to you about her staffing situation.”

  “Sure! Come back into my office so we can chat. It’s way too cold to be standing out here.”

  Glad to avoid his mother’s kitchen and her questions for a few more minutes, Billy followed Avery into the newest part of the ranch, which housed the guest dining room, state of the art kitchen, and the company offices. She was using her stick today, which meant she was moving more slowly.

  “What can I help with?” She perched on the corner of her desk. “Ruth said that Bella had been having some problems keeping staff.”

  “That’s right.” Billy sat down in the nearest chair. “I told her I’d ask you if you had anyone in mind who could help out—even temporarily.”

  “Well, there is someone.” Avery reached over and picked up a piece of paper from her desk. “Do you remember Dev Patel, the architect who designed the guest center and the new barn?”

  “Yeah, he’s great, but why would he want to work in Bella’s kitchen?”

  “Not him—his sister Sonali,” Avery said. “She’s been staying in his apartment in town since she finished up her catering degree. She was working up here with Gustav for a while, but now our kitchen is shut down for a month. I’m sure she’d be more than willing to work at Bella’s.”

  “Have you asked her?”

  “Not yet, but I know she’s been looking for work because she told me Dev’s been nagging her to pay her share of the apartment bills.” Avery grinned. “Do you want me to give her a call and ask her formally? She’s not far from Bella’s place, so she could pop over for an interview anytime, and she’d be nice and local.”

  “That would be great.” Billy smiled at Avery. “Bella’s going to need someone long term eventually, but if Sonali can help out for a few weeks, that will certainly make things easier for her.”

  Billy stood up, came over to the desk, and kissed Avery on the cheek. “Thank you.”

  “You’re very welcome.” She blushed and tucked a curl of hair behind her ear. “Bella’s a really nice person.”

  “She definitely is,” Billy agreed. “We were in kindergarten together.”

  “Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth?”

  “About then.” He tried to smile. “We’ve certainly known each other a long time.”

  “Is there something wrong?” Avery asked shyly. “I mean, not that there should be, but you just look so sad.”

  “Nothing for you to worry about, Avery,” Billy said. “I’m just trying to come to terms with how relationships can change and surprise you.”

  “You mean like between you and Bella?”

  Billy grimaced. “You’ve been talking to Ruth and Chase, haven’t you?”

  “I have heard them discussing certain things about you—you know what they are like.”

  “And what are they saying?”

  “Just that you seem to like her—a lot.” Avery paused. “Not that they think that’s bad, just that they’re surprised.”

  “Not half as surprised as I am,” Billy muttered. “I don’t know what to do.”

  “About what?”

  “About liking Bella,” Billy confessed. “And I do like her.”

  “Then why don’t you ask her out?” Avery looked at him expectantly.

  “On a date?”

  Avery grinned at him. “Isn’t that what you old folks call it?”

  “We’re hardly likely to be hooking up, being friends with benefits, tindertweeting, or all the other stuff you guys use to knock boots these days,” Billy pointed out.

  “Good to know.” Avery was obviously trying not to laugh. “Take her out to dinner, or bring her up here and cook her dinner.” She studied him seriously. “What have you got to lose?”

  “Her friendship?” Billy was long past thinking it was weird to be having a heart-to-heart about his current romantic predicament with his son’s fiancée. “Neither of us are planning on leaving this town, so if things go wrong, we’ve got to live with the consequences.”

  “You’re both reasonable people,” Avery pointed out. “I don’t see either of you making everything into a big drama if things don’t work out. You’d both carry on being the nice, sweet people you are.”

  When Avery said it, it all sounded so reasonable.

  “You think she’d like it if I cooked for her?” Billy said slowly.

  “What woman wouldn’t?” Avery asked. “Especially seeing as Bella spends her whole life cooking for other people.”

  “It might work. . . .” Billy nodded his head. “I have to get her up here to pick a menu for the wedding party. I could cook her a proper dinner after that.”

  “And I’d make sure the rest of the family stayed over in the ranch house,” Avery promised. “Because otherwise they’d all be over here sticking their noses in your business.” She hesitated. “I think you should go for it.”

  Billy nodded slowly. “Thanks, Avery. Then maybe I will.”

  * * *

  Bella got out of Billy’s truck and took in the silence and immediate sense of space around her. Spending her days in a busy kitchen made her happy, but coming out here where the skies rolled endlessly above your head and you could hear a pin drop was a whole ’nother world of peace.... She’d left Jay in charge of the bar and her newest team member, Sonali Patel, in charge of the evening shift.

  Sonali had impressed Bella with her quick ability to understand the menu and serve up the food in a fast and furious manner. It was also midweek, so the volume of customers was lower and more centered on the local fries and burger clientele than the more fussy tourists.

  Bella checked her phone, but there were no texts either from Jay or Sonali, so she could proceed with her meeting with Billy without a care in the world. Well—apart from the whole wanting to jump his bones thing, and him wanting to think about it. Bella retrieved her purse from the backseat and waited for Billy to come around the truck.

  Maybe he had an answer for her tonight, and the meeting wouldn’t all be about choosing cake.... Bella smiled at her own absurdity. If Billy didn’t want to commit to a more complex relationship, then she was fine about it. She liked him just the way he was.

  “Hey.”

  She turned as he came toward her, his smile so full of delight that all she could do was grin foolishly back at him. He hadn’t gotten out of the truck when he’d picked her up seeing as he wasn’t stopping and they’d spent the journey back exchanging local gossip and family news. He wore a blue checked shirt that matched his eyes, and his usual jeans and cowboy boots.

  “Thanks for picking me up,” Bella said. “My car needed gas and Jay said he’d get it for me after his shift.”

  “No problem.” He leaned in to give her a quick hug. “I’m just glad you could get away.”

  She elbowed him in the side. “You knew I could. You’re the one who sent that treasure of culinary goodness, Sonali Patel, my way.”

  “That was all Avery’s doing.” Billy took Bella’s hand and walked her away from the house, toward the guest center. “She said Sonali was looking for something to do.”

  “Yes, Sonali told me that after she gets some practical experience, she’s planning on becoming a personal chef to some Silicon Valley millionaire.” Bella chuckled. “I told her she should be talking to Chase.”

  “She definitely should, but maybe not until you no longer need her.” He opened the door into the quiet guest center. “You’ve been in here before, right?”

  “Yes. It’s a lovely space.” Bella admired the dining room with its huge fireplace and the large windows looking out toward the impressive Sierras. “Perfect for a party.”

  “Sonali’s brother Dev designed it.”

  “That’s right. So she was telling me.” Bella followed Billy through into the state of the art kitchen, and sighed with pleasure. “Sometimes I wish my place looked like this.”

  “Yeah, it
’s pretty awesome.” Billy nodded. “Chase wanted it to be the best, and he’s good at getting what he wants.”

  “He and Jay have a lot in common,” Bella murmured as she noticed two places laid at the kitchen countertop. “They just exercised their talents in different ways.”

  Billy lit the candles and moved the bud vase containing a single rose out of the way. “I know you said you wanted a buffet, but I thought we could work our way through the courses, sampling potential beverages and food as we go.”

  “Sounds good to me.” Bella put her purse on the work top, and hitched herself up to sit in one of the chairs. She’d chosen a long skirt over her cowboy boots with a silky embroidered top with long sleeves. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  Billy returned from hanging up his hat and her coat. “Nope, not a thing. I want you to just sit there and enjoy.”

  Bella laughed. “It feels odd to be sitting in a kitchen and not working.”

  For the first time Billy hesitated. “Would you rather sit in the dining room? I can bring everything out there.”

  “No this is fine. I was just kidding.” She wasn’t sure why, but he seemed a little nervous. “It’s all good.”

  “Okay.” She fought a smile as he tied a flowery apron that she suspected must have belonged to Ruth around his lean waist. “We’ll start with six cold appetizers, and take it from there.”

  * * *

  Billy watched Bella’s face as she sampled each plate, and tried to work out whether she was enjoying the food he’d so carefully chosen and cooked for her. She wore a red knitted skirt and a black flowery top, and her hair was down around her shoulders. He wanted to plunge his hands into her hair, and hold her still as he kissed her lips....

  “Mmm . . .” She licked her lips, and everything male in him stood to attention. “This is all so good! Did you make everything ?”

  “Yeah,” he admitted. “I did.” He wouldn’t tell her that it had taken him all day and several trips to the nearest big town to get all the ingredients he required. “I like to cook.”

  “You’ve been holding out on me.” She pointed her spoon at him, her brown eyes dancing. “You’re capable of manning way more than a grill.”

  He shrugged. “I’m just glad you’re enjoying yourself.”

  “If you have desserts, then I’ll probably lose it completely.”

  Billy shot to his feet. “I have desserts.” He hurried into the refrigerated section of the kitchen hoping a cold blast of air might restore his equilibrium. But the sight of Bella Williams licking her spoon and moaning over his food was now seared in his brain. He stuck his whole head in the industrial-sized refrigerator and dragged in a few lungfuls of super-cold air. Nope, nothing was going to help.

  “I wasn’t sure whether you’d want hot desserts because they’re more labor intensive, so I made these seven cold ones. I have mini Pavlovas, banana pudding, baklava, Eton mess, all kinds of sorbets, ice-cream, and fancy ice pops.” He set the plate down carefully in front of her. “I’m sure Ruth will insist on adding pie regardless, so we’ll definitely have something hot.”

  Not as hot as he currently was . . . He hadn’t felt like this since he’d been a horny teenager ogling his high school gym teacher.

  “Oh, I love Pavlova,” Bella breathed. “I never have time to make it at the bar.” She picked up the small piped circle and popped it into her mouth, crunching down on the stiff sugar base, the cream, and berries.

  A trickle of raspberry juice touched her lip, and Billy instinctively wiped it clean with his fingertip.

  Bella grinned at him. “Am I making a mess? I don’t care. This is to die for. . . .”

  He offered her the second one, and she raised an eyebrow. “You like seeing me all messy?”

  He could only nod as he presented the treat. She eased it into her mouth, leaving his fingertips pressed against her lips.

  “Bella . . .” He might have groaned before he bent his head and kissed the sweet stickiness of her mouth and the lingering sharpness of the berries within.

  With a soft sound, she wrapped one hand around the back of his neck and kissed him back.

  He forgot everything except the fullness of her body now pressed against his and the tantalizing taste and scent of her. She fitted perfectly against him, and he never wanted to let her go again.

  Sitting on the high stool meant Bella was at just the right height for them to be eye to eye. He eased his second hand around her waist and drew her closer to the edge of the chair.

  “Is this okay?” he murmured.

  “Oh yes. ” She wiggled even closer until the bulging fly of his jeans pressed against the woolen fabric of her skirt. He wanted to take the skirt off her so badly. . . .

  Before he lost all sense of decorum, he forced himself to remember that they were in a public place, and even if Avery barred the door of the ranch house and lay down across the threshold of the guest center, a determined Morgan would find a way to get around her.

  “Come with me?” Billy asked.

  For an answer, Bella slid off the stool right down his front, almost giving him a heart attack it felt so good. He took her hand, and led her deeper into the building. His only thoughts were he needed a horizontal surface, and a room with a door that locked.

  He stumbled into his office, snapped on the lamp, and locked the door behind Bella. There was a couch against the wall, and he drew her down onto it, his mouth glued to hers, his hands now roaming over her body.

  “Where are we?” Bella asked between kisses.

  “My office.” Billy kissed down her throat.

  “I didn’t know you had an office.”

  Billy wasn’t really into making small talk, but he made the effort, straightening up, and looking right into her eyes. She looked gloriously rumpled and not at all worried.

  “We don’t have to do anything,” Billy said. “We can just sit together and chat.”

  “Okay.” Bella nodded, and then reached out to run her hand down his muscled upper arm. “I don’t want to chat.”

  He smiled at her. “What do you want to do then?”

  “Kiss you? Touch you?” She bit her lip. “But only if you are okay about that.”

  “I can’t say I have any objections.” Billy tried to keep a straight face. “Seeing as it’s a long time since either of us have been in this position, how about we start with a little making out on the couch session?”

  * * *

  Bella couldn’t help noticing that Billy Morgan was definitely very happy to be with her, and that he’d obviously gotten over any doubts about kissing her. She liked the idea of taking it slow, though. Leaning in, she kissed him very carefully until he shuddered under her hands. He tasted of good food, and hot, excited man, a combination that was far more addictive than she had realized.

  She toyed with the top button of his shirt. “May I?”

  “Sure.” He grimaced. “Not much to see except a few scars.” He held his breath as she undid each button, sucking his stomach in to make her task easier as she yanked the ends of the shirt out of his jeans.

  “When did you get this?” She touched the faded outline of a heart tattooed on his tanned skin. “It’s the names of all your kids.”

  “Yeah.” He let out a breath that stirred the top of her bent head. “I had it done when I was in prison to remind me not to give up on them again.”

  She kissed the ragged blue outline, and he shivered, his hand coming to rest in her hair.

  “As soon as I got my head on straight, I missed the kids so much,” Billy confessed. “After I got out of jail, I sent money home to Mom whenever I had any, and made sure she had some idea where I was. It was the least I could do after causing her all that pain.”

  “She never gave up on you.” Bella raised her gaze to his face. “I’d see her in town and at church, and she always prayed that you would come home.”

  “Like the prodigal son?” Billy’s smile was so wistful it made Bella’s heart hurt. “
Ruth is amazingly strong.”

  “She is, but I don’t really want to be talking about your mother right now,” Bella said. “I thought we were making out.”

  “We are.” He picked her up and settled her on his lap. “Now it’s my turn to kiss you.”

  She didn’t argue, and didn’t speak for quite a while as he took a leisurely tour of her mouth, his strong hands finding their way up inside her top to tease and cup her breasts. She might have moaned into his mouth as his fingertip grazed her nipple.

  She tore her mouth away from his. “What base are we at now?” she gasped.

  “It’s so long since I even played the game, I can’t remember.” He paused. “Are you still okay with this?”

  She opened her eyes wide. “Did you hear me complaining?”

  “Just making sure.” His hand settled over her hip. “Can I persuade you out of that top?”

  She bit her lip. “I’m not as skinny as I used to be.”

  “In kindergarten?” He raised an eyebrow. “The last time I accidentally looked up your skirt was when we were climbing the monkey bars at recess.”

  “Billy Morgan, you didn’t!” Bella exclaimed.

  “Couldn’t help myself.” He winked at her. “I went home and told Mom you had dinosaurs on your panties, and that I wanted some just like yours.” He chuckled. “She had a few things to say about that.”

  “I bet.”

  “And now I’m back to talking about my mom again.” Billy sighed. “I’m beginning to feel like a real teenager.”

  Bella lifted her arms, took off her silky top, and watched his eyes glaze over as her still glorious bosom was revealed.

  “Wow . . .” He leaned in and kissed the spot between her breasts. “Beautiful.”

  “Thank you.” As she’d recently remarked to Maureen, her boobs were her best feature, and she wasn’t afraid of showing a bit of cleavage occasionally.

  Within moments, her bra had gone as well, and then she just leaned back and enjoyed the sensations Billy aroused in her as she squirmed on his lap. By the time she opened her eyes again, she was half lying on the couch with Billy almost on top of her. She grabbed his hand, and guided it between her legs, and he went still.