“She did.” He glanced over at her as he was stopped at a traffic light. “I told her I was going to help you in the kitchen.”
She laughed. “You’re helping me in the kitchen?”
“I figured I could put on a suit and carry trays around if you need me to.”
“You’d do that for me?” She was shocked that he’d pass up the chance to go to the party instead of working at it.
“Only if you promise to save one dance for me.”
“Jennifer would hate it if ‘the help’ danced at her parents’ anniversary party, so I’m all for it! Let’s do it!” She tried to be a good person, but she was just vindictive enough to love the idea. “Thanks for being willing to help out.”
“I would do anything for my future wife.”
“I’ve never agreed to marry you.” She shook her head. He was getting more persistent every day.
“I’m going to figure out the right way to propose by watching those musicals. I have a list, and I’m renting them all online and watching them when we’re not together.” He didn’t add that he was watching them while soaking in baths filled with Epsom salt to help his sore body. The morning runs were really getting to him. He was going to have to buy a pass to go and soak in the hot springs that weekend. He was getting that sore, and he’d heard about the “healing powers” of the hot springs. Whether he believed in those healing powers was another story entirely.
She just grinned at him, having no idea what to say. He’d been telling her they’d marry since she’d first cooked for him. She was a good cook, and she didn’t dispute that. Having a man who loved her for more than her homemade bread would be nice though.
Shopping with him was an experience. He had to push the cart, and she put in the things she’d need that didn’t have to be purchased fresh. Jennifer had been right about her dad’s taste in food. It was absolutely ridiculous. There was work involved in all the things she was making, but most could be made by the average teenager who knew how to preheat an oven and set a timer.
Anthony had her pick up several things that she wouldn’t normally buy because he wanted her to make them for him. “I’m supposed to be shopping for the party, not for you!” she said after the fifth thing, getting exasperated.
“Yeah, but I’m helping at the party to pay for all the extra food I eat.”
Bri shook her head. “You’re so good to me.”
In the frozen foods aisle, and she had no idea what had made them end up there, they ran into her cousin Molly. “Oh, this must be the new contractor in town. Mom told me you had a honey.”
Bri froze, feeling more than a little mortified. “Molly, this is Anthony. Anthony, my cousin Molly.”
“Oh, you must be Bekah’s sister,” Anthony shook her hand, noting the lopsided smile. He loved that all the family he’d met so far had that same smile. It made them stick out from the other new people in town.
“Nope! I’m Steve’s kid. Bekah is Bob’s youngest.” Molly grinned at him, obviously thrilled to get to meet the man her cousin was seeing.
“Wait…how many cousins are there?” To him, a man with no cousins, there seemed to be hundreds.
Molly shook her head at Bri. “You haven’t shown him the family tree yet? Mom has you guys married and pregnant already. Better get on the ball!” To Anthony, she said, “Once upon a time, there were three brothers. Each brother had children. Ralph became a banker and had three feisty brats. Steve became a lawyer and had three wonderful children. Bob became a real estate agent, and he and his wife had four rotten runts.”
Bri rolled her eyes. “Only Steve’s kids are worth anything, of course.”
Anthony looked back and forth between the cousins. “So there are ten of you running around?”
Bri nodded. “Bekah and I are the babies. She’s a week older than me.”
Molly eyed Anthony, obviously curious about the man her cousin was seeing. “Are you scared yet?”
He shook his head. “I have no family other than my dad. I want to have siblings and seven cousins!”
Bri just laughed. “That’s because you haven’t seen us all together yet!” She raised her hand to wave at Molly. “I need to get home and start prepping for the party.” She knew she didn’t have to say what party, because not only were they a tight-knit family, but they lived in a small town. There was no way to hide anything from anyone else, and she’d stopped trying years ago.
Molly rolled her eyes. “That’ll be fun.”
“Yippy skippy!” She started wandering off down the aisle, and after a moment, Anthony followed her.
“She’s nice!” Anthony told her.
Bri shrugged. “She’s a cousin. I have them coming out my ears, so I don’t rate them often.”
“If I didn’t want to marry you for your cooking, I’d want to marry you for your family. You all seem to really get along.”
“We do. We pick on each other and fight like cats and dogs, but there’d better not be anyone outside the family picking on one of us. We close ranks fast.” She looked down at her list and then at the items in the shopping cart, trying to figure out what she was missing. “Oh, we need milk. I mixed up the dough for chocolate chip cookies while you were gone, and I’m going to bake them tonight. My way of thanking you for helping me shop and prep stuff.”
“Can I just put you in my pocket and keep you there? Forever?”
“Stuffing random women in your pockets is frowned upon. I think it would be best if you didn’t do that.” She pulled the groceries from the cart and put them on the conveyor belt, smiling at the woman checking them out. “Hey, MaryJo. How’s the new grandbaby?”
The woman’s whole face lit up at the question. “He’s the most beautiful thing this side of the Rockies.” She pulled a framed picture from down next to her cash register and handed it to Bri. “See?”
“Oh, he’s gorgeous! I wish they lived a little closer.”
MaryJo nodded. “You and me both. Denver’s not so far as the crow flies, but over those mountains in the winter gets scary. Randy’s going to drive me over next week. I need to snuggle that boy and pinch his little cheeks.”
Bri laughed as she paid. “I know you’re looking forward to that.”
“You bet I am.” MaryJo leaned forward over the expanse of counter separating them. “Your new man is pretty sexy. Tell Jennifer to keep her hands off for a change!”
“I will! See you soon!” Bri headed toward the door, leaving Anthony staring at the woman dumbfounded.
After a moment he hurried to catch up. “She seemed to know about us.”
“Oh, everyone in town’s been talking about us since Monday evening. Welcome to Silver Springs.” She went through the automatic door as it opened, trying not to laugh. She was sure a city boy like him was having trouble keeping up with the small-town gossip. He’d have to get used to it though.
Chapter Seven
Anthony carried the groceries in while Bri put everything away. She tasted the stew and decided it was cooking fast enough in the crock pot, so she let it be and started spooning the cookies onto a cookie sheet.
Bekah walked in and plopped down into a chair. “What a day.” She leaned down and massaged her calf muscles. “I know we need the little bit extra that I get from working two shifts waiting tables every week, but I can’t wait to quit!”
Bri smiled at her cousin. “Seven weeks!” After they’d graduated in December, they’d decided that Bekah could do her share of the work in less hours than Bri, at least until they opened. So Bekah worked two late afternoon into early evening shifts every week at a local restaurant.
“I’m counting the hours.”
Anthony walked in and plopped one last grocery bag onto the table. “That’s all of them.”
“Thanks.” Bri was always a little startled when she realized just how easily Anthony fit into her life.
“You need an Epsom salt bath,” he suggested to Bekah. “It helps achy muscles.”
Bekah nodded.
“Better yet, after supper, I’m going to grab my bathing suit and walk over to the hotel. The hot springs are calling me.”
“Not a bad idea.”
“Anthony’s going to help me with some of the food prep for the party tonight. You’ve done your share for the day, so you go rest there.”
“I’ll help on Sunday. I work tomorrow.” Bekah leaned back in her chair. “Supper smells good!”
“It does, doesn’t it?” Anthony sniffed deeply. “She’s making fresh bread.”
“You’re getting spoiled. She never makes fresh bread for me.”
“I’m a better kisser than you are,” he responded.
Bekah burst out laughing. “I don’t know about that, but since I never plan to kiss my cousin the way you do, I think I’ll just let you win this argument.”
“You will?” He grinned happily. “I didn’t think any of the Roberts would ever let me win an argument. I feel like I’ve just won a gold medal in the Olympics! Or better yet a Nobel Prize!” He cleared his throat. “I’d like to thank the academy…”
Bekah shook her head at him. “You have to marry Bri. You feel like a brother or a cousin to me already.”
Bri turned and looked at her cousin after sliding the bread into the oven. “I can’t believe you just said that!”
“Oh, puhlease. You know as well as anyone that I’ll say anything I want to say whenever I want to say it.” Bekah shrugged at Anthony. “At least you know one of the family likes you.”
“We ran into Molly at the grocery store,” Bri told her. “She went into how superior Uncle Steve’s kids are. Again.”
“Of course she did. She’s got to feel superior about something. She’s one of us after all.”
Anthony looked at Bekah. “What do you feel superior about?”
“My ability to speak my mind and stand my ground verbally with every member of our family,” Bekah answered quickly.
“Okay,” Anthony said, thinking about her answer. “Bri, what do you feel superior about?”
“My cooking. It may not be quite as good as my mom’s but it’s good enough that people ask me to cater, so I can live with that.”
“You’ll be making meals when the B&B is open?” he asked. He hadn’t really thought about the big house becoming a business. He liked it the way it was.
Bri nodded. “I’ll make breakfast every morning, and that’ll be included in the price of the room. We’ll probably let locals come for breakfast if they want, but that won’t happen until after we’re open for a month or two and get used to the routine. I’ll make boxed lunches for anyone who wants one. We’re such a touristy place because of our beautiful mountains. I know the guests will want to be able to take a lunch with them, rather than having to come all the way back to town to eat.”
“No suppers?”
“I’ll cook for Bekah and me like I always do.”
“And me?” he asked, acting offended that she wasn’t including him.
She laughed. “If you’re still hanging around here after we’re open, I’ll make you supper, I guess.” She slid the first batch of cookies onto wire racks to cool and plopped more dough onto the cookie sheet.
“I don’t suppose I could talk you into a cookie before supper? I’m wasting away to nothing over here!”
Bekah sat back and watched the banter between the two. She already thought of Anthony as one of the family, but she didn’t say that. She loved to watch her cousin and the man she was sure would someday be her cousin-in-law. Was that even a word? “Is cousin-in-law a word?”
Bri turned and glared at Bekah. Between Anthony and her cousin, she wasn’t sure which one brought up marriage more often.
The chime they’d had installed on the front door rang, and a voice called loudly, “Where are you hiding?”
Bri groaned. “In the kitchen, Mom!” Her parents had both stayed away a lot longer than she’d expected, so she shouldn’t be surprised.
“I finished the Wicked quilt, and I thought you’d like to see it,” Mom said, stepping into the kitchen with her arms full. “Oh, I didn’t realize you had company.” She elbowed Dad. “Look, Ralph. Bri and Bekah have company.”
Bri rolled her eyes. “Mom, Dad, this is Anthony Black. He’s the new contractor in town. He’s helping me prep food for the party, so I’m fixing him dinner.”
Anthony jumped to his feet, suddenly feeling nervous. He hadn’t expected to meet her parents. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Roberts.”
Ralph stepped forward and shook his hand. “Good to meet you too, son. Can I call you son?”
Anthony looked at Bri over his shoulder before responding. She looked disgusted with all of them. “I’d like nothing more!”
“I’m making stew. There’s enough for five if you guys are hungry.”
“No, your dad’s taking me out tonight. Bekah, you should come with us. I feel like we never get to spend time together now that you girls are grown and you’re not coming over for sleepovers every weekend.” Mom held up the quilt and Bri grinned.
“It’s perfect! Who would have thought a woman who loves to meddle so conspicuously into her children’s lives could make something so beautiful?” Bri walked over and touched it with one finger. “I love it. The furniture for the bedrooms will be here Monday, and I can’t wait to get the room completely put together. I put up curtains this week too.”
“Why don’t I come over Tuesday to help? I’d love to be part of it.” Mom nudged Bekah. “Are you coming to dinner with us or not?”
Bekah groaned. “Not. I worked at the restaurant today, and my legs are killing me. I’m going to let Bri feed me then take myself over to the hotel to soak in the hot springs.”
Dad was still sizing up Anthony. “How do you like Silver Springs?”
Anthony shrugged. “It’s definitely a small town. I’ve never lived anywhere where everyone knew my business quite like here.”
“Where are you from?” Dad asked.
“Denver.” Anthony wanted to sit back down, because his legs were killing him after all the running he’d been doing, but he didn’t dare. He wanted to make a good impression on his future father-in-law. And no matter what Bri thought, she was going to marry him.
“What brings you to Silver Springs from Denver?”
“I got tired of the fast-paced city life. I’ve worked for my dad my entire life, and I got tired of being called Junior. I wanted to live somewhere I could establish my own identity, and not just be the boss’s kid.”
Dad grinned. “Well, I think that’s a fine reason for moving here, Junior. Now tell me about your intentions toward my daughter.”
Bri shook her head and went back to her baking, while Anthony sputtered looking for an answer.
“I plan to marry her just as soon as I can convince her it’s a good idea. She thinks that I’m going to run off with Jennifer the first chance I get, but that girl isn’t worth running off with.” Anthony carefully didn’t look at Bri, knowing she wouldn’t like him having this conversation with her dad.
“You don’t mind if I run a background check on you, do you, Junior?”
“Not at all, sir. I have nothing to hide.” Anthony couldn’t believe the man was so bold in asking, but he knew if it was his daughter, he’d want to do the same thing. He probably wouldn’t though.
“Good answer. You have my permission to ask her to marry you. I know you were going to come to me and beg for permission, and I should make you sit there and ask me over and over, and maybe force you to undergo different forms of torture only known in spy novels, but instead, I’m going to give you permission now. Please, take her off my hands!”
Bri gasped. “I’m not on your hands, Dad. I’ve been on my own for two years now! Go away!”
Dad sighed. “You might want to think about finding someone who is more polite to the man who fathered her, though. I’m not sure if she’s good enough for you.”
Anthony grinned. “I’ll keep her. I think she’s just right for me.�
��
“Suit yourself.” Dad looked at Mom. “You ready? I trust him with the girls.”
Mom frowned. “That was awfully fast, Ralph. What if he’s just a fast-talking city boy who knows how to make fathers trust him?”
“I’d know. Go put the quilt in the guest parlor. You can come back on Tuesday.”
“What time Tuesday?” Mom asked Bri.
“I’ll be ready to work at six-thirty like always. Do you want to come before or after lunch?”
“I’ll come for lunch, and we’ll work after. How would that be?”
Bri nodded. “Jack is coming Tuesday to help carry stuff upstairs too. He just doesn’t know it yet.”
Mom looked at Anthony. “It was nice meeting you. I’m reserving judgment until I get to know you better.”
“Sounds very wise to me,” Anthony replied, having no idea what else to say to her. He wanted her to love him immediately, but he couldn’t fault her for not.
“When will I get to meet your mother?” she asked him.
“My mom died of breast cancer when I was two. My dad never remarried.”
Mom’s face softened and she hugged Anthony. “You need to marry Bri so I can be your mother then.”
Bri shook her head. “Really, Mom? You caved fast!”
“The boy needs a mama. You marry him, Bri!” Mom waved as she took Dad’s arm to pull him away. “Nice meeting you, Anthony. If you ever need a good home-cooked meal, you come see me.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Roberts.”
“Just call me Mom.”
As soon as her mother was out of the room, Bri groaned. “Now she’s never going to shut up about me marrying you. What were you thinking?”
Anthony threw his hands up in the air. He wasn’t quite sure what had just happened, but he liked her parents. He liked them a lot. “I think I have a new mom.”
Bekah’s soft laughter erupted into loud raucous guffaws at that point. “Bri, he got Robertsed!”
Bri sighed. “I guess he did. Welcome to the family, Anthony. I guess I have a new brother.”
Rocky Mountain Mornings (Roberts of Silver Springs Book 1) Page 7