Heart of a Texan

by Charlene Sands

  “Take what?”

  “Nothing, bro. Just that she’s had her eyes on you for a while.”

  “She’s just being neighborly.”

  “Neighborly? Is that what they’re calling it these days?”

  “Okay, I hear you. But I’m not interested.”

  “You haven’t seriously dated anyone in two years. Maybe it’s time to jump back into the pool.”

  “Or maybe I’ll never swim again.”

  “No, but you could try putting your foot in the water to see how it feels.”

  “If I did that, a gator would come along and chomp my toes off.”

  Cooper laughed. “Okay, okay. I get it. Listen, the reason I’m calling, aside from going over some budgeting issues with you, is that Lauren would really like to see you and your new personnel. How’s it working out with her so far?”

  “Bella is very talented and having them here hasn’t been a problem. I hardly see them, except in the kitchen during mealtime.”

  “That’s good news. Marie seems to be lighter on her feet these days, too. She really needed the break. It’s a win-win.”

  “Yep, took me almost dying to figure that conundrum out.”

  “Don’t joke about that. Your accident shaved years off my life.”

  Jared sighed. “I...know. I’m sorry about that. No more jokes, I promise.”

  “I’d rather you promise you’re not going to be reckless with your life. That’s the real promise I want from you.”

  “I’m not reckless, bro. I know my boundaries. And I’m living my life my way.” Hell, their father had died at a very young age, his life cut short by illness. It made Jared realize that he needed to live his life fully, do the things he yearned to do and experience life on his own terms, without fear, without regret. Carpe diem had sunk into his skull. Each and every day he was living his life to the fullest. That was why being laid up was wrestling with his patience.

  “If you say so.” Cooper didn’t sound convinced. “Listen, can we invite ourselves over on Friday night, if you’re up to company?”

  “Sure thing. Come for dinner and you can taste Bella’s cooking.”

  “Sounds good, thanks. Now, are you up for a talk about next year’s budget for the ranch?”

  “Yeah, I will be as soon as I get over to the computer.”

  “Why don’t you call me back when you’re ready?”

  “I’m slow, Coop. Not totally useless. Hang on. It’ll just take me a minute.”

  “Sure. I’m glad to see you’re back to being a pain in the ass. Means you’re feeling a lot better.”

  “Funny, Coop. Real funny.”

  * * *

  Bella’s eyes popped open and she glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand. Yep, 2:00 a.m. She’d gone to bed at ten and four hours was all the sleep goddesses allowed her these days. While her insomnia could be her downfall, she decided long ago that rather than lie in bed and toss and turn for hours, she would get up and do the thing she loved.

  The baby slept beside her, all nice and snuggled up tight under the covers, her little head resting on a pillow. Bella bent down and blew an air kiss over her forehead. Sweet girl, she mouthed softly before gently sliding off the bed. She checked the video camera set on Sienna—the most valuable invention for a busy mom—and then donned a loose-fitting shift. Tiptoeing out of the room, holding the video monitor, she made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen.

  Turning on the light, she set the video monitor on the counter and gave it a glance. Thankfully, Sienna was sound asleep, looking extremely peaceful. Bella sighed and began taking items out of the fridge and cabinets. She had an idea for a wonderful low-cal pizza, but it needed a bit of testing first.

  She grabbed a head of cauliflower and quartered it using the chef knife from her new set she was still embarrassed about accepting. Next, she began grating a chunk of cauliflower against a stainless-steel box grater, and tiny pieces of the veggie showered down, covering the cutting board like fallen snow.

  Just as she was picking up her second quartered piece, Jared walked in, his eyes blinking against the kitchen lights. He wore a pair of jeans. Period. They hugged his waist below the naval and showed off a washboard chest. Bruises caught her eye for a second, but the beauty of his physique wasn’t lost on her, either.

  He padded farther into the kitchen. “Hi,” he mumbled, sleepy-eyed.

  “Gosh, I hope I didn’t wake you, Jared.”

  “That would mean I was sleeping.” His mouth crooked up in a smile.

  “You weren’t?”

  “No. I, uh... No. I toss and turn some nights. I figured I’d get up and get something to eat.”

  “Are you hungry at this hour?”

  “A little.”

  “What can I get you?” She dropped what she was doing and came around the kitchen island.

  Jared glanced at her shorty-short shift and then at her legs and suddenly she felt self-conscious. Especially when she could hardly keep her focus on his face while he was standing there bare-chested, his hair mussed, looking quite appealing in a devilish sort of way.

  “Nothing. I’ll just grab some bread and make a sandwich.”

  “I’ll get it for you,” she said, brushing by him.

  He gently clamped a hand around her wrist and pulled her back a bit. She turned to find Jared’s eyes on her, felt the warmth of his hand covering hers. “You’re off the clock, Bella. You don’t need to wait on me day and night.”

  His eyes were soft, his voice tender. And suddenly she was fully aware of Jared Stone, a sensation sweeping through her so raw, so impossibly alluring, that she lost her voice for a second.

  He bent his head a little to get her full attention. Little did he know he already had it.

  “Okay?”

  She swallowed and nodded.

  “So, what are you doing here?” he asked, letting go of her hand.

  “I hope you don’t mind,” she said. “I have trouble sleeping, so I use this time to come down and test out some recipes. Don’t worry, I eat my mistakes. So there’s no food going to waste.”

  He smiled and sat on a stool at the counter. “Go on with what you’re doing. Since I can’t sleep anyway, do you mind if I watch?”

  “Oh, uh, sure.” She couldn’t kick him out of his own kitchen. Not that she wanted to, but she wasn’t about to analyze why that was. “I can’t imagine it’s all that interesting, but I don’t mind.”

  She went back to her workstation and glanced at the video monitor. Sienna rolled over, but was still fast asleep.

  Jared caught her eye and raised his brows in question.

  “I keep an eye on Sienna while she’s sleeping. This way if she wakes up, I’ll know about it immediately. Lucky for me, she usually sleeps through the night.”

  “I imagine that monitor is pretty darn handy.”

  “It is. I’m sure a worried mom invented it.”

  He laughed. “Probably. So what are you experimenting with?”

  “Cauliflower-crust pizza.”

  Jared made a face. “What?”

  “Yes, cauliflower. It’s the new kale.”

  He shook his head.

  “It’s very healthy for you, low in calories and...well, has many uses. Do you like cauliflower?”

  He shrugged. “I suppose, but it’s not one of my favorites.”

  “Well then, you’re a good one to experiment on.”

  “Maybe I should go back to bed.” But then he winked and smiled, and Bella relaxed as he leaned his arms on the counter to watch her. Keeping her eyes down on her task, she pretended not to notice his biceps, broad shoulders and muscled chest, but she was aware. Oh, boy, was she aware.

  She finished grating the cauliflower and then poured it into the food processor, tossing in minced garlic, oregano and
basil. She pulsed it for a few seconds, added one egg and decided to also add in a few tablespoons of almond flour she’d found in the pantry. A few more seconds of pulsing to bind it all together and she hoped she’d have a delicious beginning to her low-cal pizza.

  She was beginning to roll out the dough when Jared got up and left the room. She looked up just in time to find Jared walking back into the room, gently pushing his arms into the sleeves of his shirt. His expression faltered but he managed it all on his own.

  “You’re doing better,” she stated while writing down her recipe in her binder.

  “A little bit each day, but yeah.”

  “I’m glad,” she said, feeling his gaze on her.

  “So what do you put on this pizza exactly?” he asked.

  “Anything you like. Why don’t you look in the fridge and bring me some things you’d like on the pizza. I’ve got mozzarella here.”

  She tipped the dough out onto the surface and began kneading it, over and over. Something swelled within her as she maneuvered the dough, making it flat and round and then patting it down. It was a thing. Maybe a chef thing, or maybe just her thing, but she loved getting her hands into the food, the way gardeners loved digging into the soil.

  Jared poked his head inside the fridge. “Doughnuts?”

  She made a face. “Eww, Jared.”

  “How about pickles?”

  “I think not.”

  “Chocolate chips?”

  “That could prove interesting,” she said, crisscrossing the dough with a rolling pin. “But no for tonight.”

  “I give up,” Jared said.

  “Open the crisper. What do you see?”

  He slid open the drawer. “Red and green bell peppers, string beans, tomatoes, onions, mango slices and three different kinds of lettuce.”

  Mango slices? “Pick three of those things.” And don’t let one of them be mango.

  Jared carried over onions, tomatoes and red bell peppers.

  “That’s good for a start,” she said. She left the workstation and walked into a double-wide pantry. “Let’s see,” she said, taking a quick tour of ingredients that might work. “Do you like olives?”

  “Love them.”

  “And, oh, here, how about artichoke hearts?”

  “Yep.”

  “Great, we have our toppings now.”

  “How about I put on a pot of coffee?” Jared walked over to the coffee machine. “We can have a cup while the pizza is cooking.”

  She blinked. She hadn’t intended for them to eat the pizza now. But he had said he was hungry. “Uh, sure. I’ll just chop up some of these veggies and then put the pizza in the oven. I hope it turns out okay.”

  “Me, too,” he said. And then smiled again.

  He was messing with her. He had been since he’d walked in here, but she refused to make anything of it. So what if he was charming, he was also her boss at the moment. And business and pleasure mixed like oil and water, to use a foodie phrase.

  The coffee brewed as she cleaned the kitchen. Once it was done, Jared poured a cup for both of them and they sat facing each other across the granite-topped island.

  The coffee warmed her up and went down deliciously. “Mmm, this is perfect.”

  “Yep. It’s not too bad. Just about the extent of my talent in the kitchen.”

  “I bet that’s not true.”

  “Oh, wait, I have been known to fry an egg or two.”

  “Really? How did you ever get by?” And get to be such a glorious picture of a man.

  “My mama was a good cook. She fed me real good. And then came Marie. I never had to learn.”

  “Do you want to?”

  He put his cup down and leaned forward, the twinkle in his eyes as blue as a sun-drenched lake. “You offering to teach me?”

  She tilted her head. Was he flirting? She’d always loved dishing it up with other foodies, but was he serious? “Don’t you already have a job?”

  He grinned and her heart nearly stopped. “I do. But as you can see, I’m not exactly running to the office every day.” He cleared his throat. “I mean my Dallas office.”

  She couldn’t afford to return his flirting. She was out of practice, so much so that she wasn’t even sure he was flirting. Besides, she had a gigantic wall surrounding her heart stamped with a No Trespassing sign. There was no room behind that wall for anyone other than Sienna.

  Certainly not a man like Jared Stone.

  Goodness, she still loved Paul. Her heart broke every day from missing him.

  “Well, uh...”

  “I was just kiddin’,” he said. “You’ve got enough to do around here.”

  How awkward. She really didn’t have a comeback for him. She was busy, but spending more time with a lonely, injured Jared Stone wouldn’t be wise.

  Because she liked him. It killed her to admit it.

  Her nerves jumpy, she sipped her coffee and checked the monitor screen. Anything to avoid eye contact with him.

  “How’s she doing?” he asked.

  “Sawing logs.”

  “So do you usually stay up the rest of the night?”

  “Lord, no. I’ll go back to bed in a little while. I might catch another hour or two, maybe three if I’m really lucky and Sienna doesn’t wake up. What about you? You said you toss and turn. Is it because you’re uncomfortable?”

  He gazed at her from just above his mug of coffee and shook his head. “Not tonight.”

  “Oh, no?” She bit her lip. “So then I did wake you.”

  “You didn’t. Honest. It’s just that I’m having...”

  “Nightmares?”

  He shook his head. “Flashes of memory. I see my car sliding off the road and me losing control. I must’ve hit some loose gravel and spun out. That’s all I remember.” He shrugged and stared into her eyes. “It’s weird, not knowing what happened. But it’s even stranger to see it happen in my mind in sort of slow motion.”

  “Oh, Jared. I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. I’m taking it as a good sign.”

  “But maybe with the trauma of it all, it’s better not to remember.”

  “Maybe. But whatever happens, I’ll deal with it.”

  He put his hand to his chest and rubbed at his sore ribs. Her gaze fell to that spot and when their eyes finally met, something warm and crazy stirred in her belly.

  Immediately she put her head down and stared into her mug.

  “What’s wrong?”

  She shook her head. “Nothing.”

  “Bella?”

  “It’s just that I’m feeling guilty.” About betraying Paul with her thoughts, her lies to Jared about her true identity and something else entirely.

  “What are you feeling guilty about?”

  “I might’ve been the one who broke your ribs.”

  A speck of acknowledgment flashed in his eyes. “Oh, that.”

  “You know?”

  “I was informed at the hospital that it could’ve happened when you applied chest compressions.”

  “If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t be in so much pain.”

  “If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be breathing. Besides, there’s every possibility the rib injuries were caused by the crash. Let’s leave it at that. You shouldn’t feel guilty about anything. My ribs will heal. So enough, Bella, okay? No more guilt about anything.”

  She glanced at his rib cage again, her heart fluttering wildly, and then met his eyes. “Okay.”

  The timer dinged and she rose instantly, grateful for the distraction. Pulling the pizza out, she was impressed with the results.

  “How does it look?” he asked.

  She showed him their sizzling veggie-topped creation. “Presentation is important, but what really matters is how it tastes.”
/>   “Well, dish it up. I’m dying to try it.”

  “Me, too.”

  She used a pizza cutter to slice it and soon they were digging into hot, crusty pieces.

  Jared gobbled the first one up. “Oh, wow. It’s pretty damn good.”

  “You really think so?”

  “Don’t you?” he asked.

  She took another bite and chewed, aware of his eyes on her. “I, um, yeah. I think it needs a bit more salt, but it’s pretty good. What do you think of the crust?”

  “Delicious,” he said, grabbing another slice. “You should add it to that cookbook you’re going to write.”

  “I’m writing a cookbook?”

  “You should write one.”

  She smiled. “Thank you.”

  “You made the pizza. I should be thanking you.”

  “I mean, because...well, it’s nice to have someone to experiment on.” Someone to encourage her.

  “Hey, I’m adventurous, remember. Experiment away.”

  “As long as you’re honest with me, I plan to.”

  “Yeah, Bella. I promise to always be honest with you. Honesty is something I value above all else.”

  Bella kept a smile in place but Jared’s words seared into her.

  And once again guilt replaced her sense of accomplishment over the meal. This time she was demanding something of Jared that she wasn’t willing to give herself.

  She couldn’t be honest with him.

  Keeping her secret safe had to be her first priority.

  Sienna’s future was at stake.

  Five

  On Friday evening, while Bella put the finishing touches on the meal she was creating for Cooper and his wife, Marie pushed Sienna around the kitchen on her tricycle. “Here we go again, Sienna,” Marie said. “You’re a good driver.”

  “I good, Mommy,” her daughter parroted.

  “Yes, you are, my baby.”

  “She’s getting the hang of this thing.” Marie had a note of pride in her voice.

  “Goodness, thank you so much, Marie. I just need a few more minutes and I’ll be through. Thanks for playing with Sienna for me.”

  “Nonsense. Anytime,” she said, waving her hand in the air. “This little one is the bright spot in my day. I can stay a few more minutes.”