Charming Chef
Rivers End Ranch Series
Pamela M. Kelley
Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Epilogue
Also by Pamela M. Kelley
About the Author
Seafood Carbonara Recipe
Nashville Dreams Sneak Peek
Copyright © 2016 by Pamela M. Kelley
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Dear reader,
This series idea was born in May at the Chicago RWA writers conference. Kirsten Osbourne told Cindy Caldwell and I that she wanted to write a series set on a ranch and would be interested in joining her? Of course! We brainstormed all night, and then asked Caroline Lee and Amelia Adams to join us. We hope that you enjoy this fun, sweet world as much as we do! Thank you so much for reading! ~Pam
If you’d like to join my list and hear about early release discounts and other fun news, please sign up today.
Click here for new release alerts!
Created with Vellum
Introduction
Barbi Johnson is on the verge of having her biggest dream come true. She's been working hard as a waitress for years, and saving money to open her own yoga studio. She has a verbal agreement with one of her favorite customers to buy her Victorian home, with a dance studio on the first floor. It's perfect.
But then Rita unexpectedly dies and her nephew and Barbi's first love, Ryan Calhoun, now a celebrity chef, comes home for the funeral. Barbi hasn't seen him since senior year of high school when she dumped him. She's regretted it ever since and thought of Ryan often. She's shocked when she learns that Rita left the house to Ryan and that he's going to be spending the next few weeks in Riston--working at her restaurant as a favor to his good friend, Wade.
Ryan Calhoun is a successful restaurant empire owner and celebrity chef. but Barbi is the one that he never quite got over. He's not sure how he feels about selling his aunt's house to her or about spending more time with her during his working vacation. He's more attracted than ever, but can he trust that Barbi won't hurt him again?
Chapter 1
Barbi Johnson still had occasional daydreams about one day running into Ryan Calhoun, but none of them had been at a funeral. Yet, here she was, waiting in a receiving line along with what seemed like half the town to pay her respects for the unexpected passing of his Aunt Rita. And instead of looking gorgeous and put together, she was wearing black, which always washed her out and made her pale blonde hair look lifeless. Barbi also knew that her nose was as red as Rudolph the reindeer’s. It always did that when she cried—swelled up and looked ridiculous. She couldn’t help it, though. She missed Rita.
Rita’s death had taken everyone by surprise. Barbi had grown quite fond of the older woman in recent years, as she’d come into the River’s End Ranch restaurant regularly for an early dinner or to join her friends on trivia night and always requested Barbi as her waitress.
Rita was eighty-eight when she died and even though she’d had a long, happy life, Barbi still wasn’t ready to lose her. Rita had been one of those people who lifted others up. She was always smiling and in a good mood. She had been about to sell her house and move into an assisted living community. She had a place all picked out and a seller lined up for her house. Barbi knew this because she was the buyer.
Rita had suggested the idea to her a few weeks ago, and it had seemed like the perfect solution for both of them. Rita was having her attorney draw up the paperwork, and Barbi was going to be signing the purchase and sales agreement in the coming week. She supposed she’d hear from Rita’s attorney at some point. At the moment, it wasn’t a high priority. She was too busy missing Rita.
“That’s how I’d want to go when the time comes,” said a soft voice by her side—hher good friend Lily had come along for moral support.
“I suppose that was the best way to go, peacefully, in her sleep,” Barbi agreed. She was glad that Rita hadn’t suffered.
Eventually, they made their way inside, and Barbi looked around. Cartmell funeral home was very pretty and elegant, with thick gray rugs on polished hardwood floors. Somber watercolors hung on pale, rose-colored walls and there were gorgeous flowers everywhere. Barbi glanced around the room at the many familiar faces until she saw the one that stopped her in her tracks.
She’d known that he would probably be at the wake, and she’d tried to mentally prepare herself, but it had been so long since she’d seen Ryan in person. He was standing with the immediate family, as he should be, and while high school Ryan had been handsome, this Ryan was breathtaking. She felt a bit guilty even noticing. Given the circumstances, it didn’t seem appropriate. But she couldn’t help it. It was Ryan, and the years had been very good to him.
He was a few inches over six feet tall now and his black suit fit him to perfection, emphasizing his broad shoulders and lean muscles. Given his profession, it almost didn’t seem fair that he hadn’t gained at least some weight. His hair was still thick and dark and his eyes a rich, warm brown. The kind of eyes that were easy to get lost in. He looked her way and smiled, and Barbi felt her knees go weak.
She’d always loved Ryan’s smile but now it had more character. Along with the dimple on his chin, there were laugh lines on either side of his mouth, deep ones that indicated that he laughed a lot. Barbi forced herself to put one foot in front of the other. To walk up to his family and pay her respects to them one by one.
His father looked the same as ever, ramrod straight and serious at all times. He was retired military, and it showed. He and Rita were related but so different, in looks and temperament. His wife, Sylvia, was by his side. She was a pretty woman with a perfect blonde bob and a friendly smile. Barbi murmured her condolences to both of them and then it was Ryan’s turn.
“I’m so sorry for your loss,” she said softly.
“Thank you.” He smiled slightly, though his eyes looked sad. “It’s good to see you, Barbi. It’s been a long time.”
“It has.” She’d thought she was over him. That her first love was just a high school crush, so many years ago that it would be different now. But, if anything, the feelings were still there and the attraction even stronger. And she shouldn’t even be thinking such thoughts. There was a time and place, and this wasn’t it.
“I know you were close to her. She spoke of you often these past few years,” Ryan said.
“She was a special lady. I’m going to miss her.” It didn’t seem real that she was gone. She’d seemed fine, though a little more tired recently.
Ryan nodded. “We all will.”
�
��It’s good to see you. I imagine you’re heading back to Boston soon?” Between his Food Channel show and growing restaurant chain, she didn’t think she’d likely be seeing him again.
He hesitated. “Actually, I’m going to be staying here for a little while. I’m overdue for a vacation.”
Barbi was surprised. “You are? Well, that’s nice. I’m sure your family will be glad to see more of you.”
“Yeah, I don’t know about that. You know my dad.” Ryan’s father had always been difficult. They’d never been particularly close and he had never approved of Ryan being a chef. It didn’t seem manly enough to the former army general. Barbi glanced over and Ryan’s father looked as stiff and stern as ever, though his hair was grayer and she was surprised to see him smiling at his wife.
“Maybe the years have softened him?” Barbi wondered. His father had remarried a few years ago, and he and his new wife came into the restaurant occasionally.
“Maybe. Hard to say.” A cloud passed over his face for a moment but then his mood brightened. “Aunt Rita left me her house, if you can believe it. That’s why I decided to take some time off.”
Barbi’s heart sank. “She left you her house? That’s wonderful.” She felt small and petty wondering what that meant for her, and pushed the thoughts aside. It wasn’t the right time to even think about that. “Well, I should let you go. I’m holding up the line.”
“Bye, Barbi. I’ll see you later this week.”
“You will?”
He grinned. “Wade talked me into filling in at the restaurant for a few weeks. I’m the new sous chef!”
Chapter 2
Three words. Would his life be different now if he’d said them? The thought crossed Ryan Calhoun’s mind, not for the first time as he accepted Barbi Johnson’s condolences and watched her walk away. Would she still have dumped him in high school if he’d had the courage to tell her how he really felt? Maybe it wouldn’t have made a bit of difference. He’d thought that he’d made peace with it years ago. Told himself it was just puppy love. And as he always did, he reminded himself that Barbi obviously never felt the same or she wouldn’t have ended things the way that she did.
The problem was that Barbi had set the bar high, and no one else over the years came close in comparison. And she looked even better than he remembered. He knew that she probably thought she looked washed up in black, but he thought she looked beautiful. The color did make her look a little pale, but to him it highlighted her delicate bone structure and those blue-gray eyes. It had been hard not to stare. Even at a wake, Barbi was gorgeous. He was pretty sure she was still doing yoga. She was in great shape, her arm muscles long and lean, and she’d been so passionate about it when they were younger. He didn’t fully relax again until she exited the room.
“If you’re interested in selling your aunt’s place it won’t be hard to find a buyer. She sort of promised it to someone already,” Wade said as he handed Ryan a beer. Wade Weston was still one of his best friends, even though they mostly kept in touch by phone and email. After the wake, they’d gone to the bar inside the River’s End Ranch restaurant. Wade and his family owned and operated the ranch. Ryan had booked a room there for a few nights before he learned that his aunt had left him her house. He wasn’t ready to move in there quite yet, and it was just a short walk from the restaurant to his room in the main house.
“She did? Who wants it?” Ryan had just barely wrapped his head around the fact that Aunt Rita had left him the house, and now it was almost sold, too? Maybe that would be for the best. After all, his life was in Boston now, not Riston.
“Barbi Johnson. She was planning to live there and turn the first floor into a yoga studio.”
“Barbi wants it?” He wasn’t sure how he felt about that.
“Your aunt used to give dance lessons there, didn’t she? She told Barbi it would be perfect for yoga.”
Ryan nodded. “She did. It probably would be good for that. Barbi always did love yoga.”
“She teaches a few days a week at the YMCA downtown. Has been saving her money for a long time.”
“Does she still live with her mother?” he wondered out loud.
“She does. And she’s not dating anyone, in case you were curious.” Wade grinned as he reached for his beer.
“No way I’m going there again. That ship sailed a long time ago.”
“I don’t think she’s ever been serious about anyone. You two have a lot in common, always did,” Wade said thoughtfully.
“I’m not planning to stick around Riston long enough to date anyone, especially not Barbi.”
Wade raised his eyebrows at that but wisely said nothing.
“I’m meeting with the attorney tomorrow. I’m here for a few weeks, but that’s it, so I will fill in for you. It’ll keep me busy while I’m here. But don’t get too comfortable with it,” he warned.
Wade chuckled. “I won’t. I appreciate it. I’m working on getting a few people lined up to interview over the next two weeks.
Ryan relaxed when he heard that. “Good. It’ll be fun, then.”
“When do you start filming again for the next season?”
“Not for another few months and I’ve got a good management team in place for the restaurants. I could probably stay here longer if I wanted to, but I’m already feeling anxious to get back. A few weeks will be perfect.”
“I got lucky, then.” Wade lifted his beer and took a sip. “How’s Tuesday night work for you? Sam can show you around and get you settled in.”
“Perfect.”
Chapter 3
When Barbi got home after the wake, her mother was in her usual spot, relaxing in her baby blue velour recliner, sipping a glass of white wine and watching a taped episode of Dancing with the Stars. Her fluffy, black cat, Jasper, was curled up on her lap.
“Come join me. It’s just a few minutes in,” she said.
Barbi kicked off her heels, which were already on the verge of giving her blisters, poured herself a small glass of wine and joined her mother in the living room. She settled on the soft, cream love seat and stared at the dancers on TV. Her mother loved the show. Barbi watched it with her just to keep her company.
“How was the wake?” Her mother put the show on pause.
“It was sad, but nice. Rita would have been pleased with the turnout.” Barbi smiled at the thought. Rita had been a social butterfly. It didn’t surprise her that so many in town had gone to pay their respects.
“I’ll stop by tomorrow. I just wasn’t up to it today. I went to see Oscar earlier.” Her voice broke just a little, and Barbi’s heart went out to her. She knew what was coming.
“He said that he and Wanda are getting back together, but that he’ll always think of me fondly. Fondly! Can you believe that?” Unfortunately, Barbi could. Oscar had come into the post office where her mother worked a year ago and had been hanging around ever since. He was a retired heavy equipment operator with a big belly and the belief, for some unknown reason, that he was a ladies man.
“You’re too good for him. Let Wanda have him.” Barbi had never been at all fond of Oscar. She’d often wondered what her mother had seen in him. But her track record with men wasn’t great. She had a tendency to pick the ones that would never stay. She didn’t seem as heartbroken as usual this time, though. Barbi suspected that she was probably more upset about losing him to Wanda than anything else. Wanda Owens was loud-mouthed and generally annoying. Barbi actually thought she was a better match for Oscar—they deserved each other.
“I know you never liked Oscar.” Her mother sighed.
“Not a bit,” Barbi agreed. “Forget about him. Let’s book pedicures for this weekend. Go out for a nice brunch and pamper ourselves.” They hadn’t done that in ages.
“That’s a good idea, honey. I’d like that.” She took a sip of her wine and looked thoughtful. “Did you see Ryan? Did he come home for the funeral?”
“He did. It was good to see him.”
“I
always liked that boy.”
They were both quiet for a moment before Barbi added, “Rita left him her house.”
Her mother looked surprised and then concerned. “She did? Well, he’ll still sell it to you, won’t he?”
“I really don’t know what his plans are. I guess I’ll find out soon enough.”
Chapter 4
Ryan drove down Main Street Monday morning, taking in the bustling businesses and shops that were getting ready to open for the day. The street looked as he remembered it but with a few more new businesses. His aunt’s attorney’s office was in a small brick townhouse at the older end of the street. Raymond Mertell was close to retirement age himself and had been his aunt’s attorney and friend for as long as Ryan could remember. He parked and entered the office a few minutes before their scheduled nine o’clock appointment. Raymond was waiting for him and waved him into his office.
“Lucille just made a fresh pot of coffee. Would you like to join me with a cup?”
“No, thank you. I already had my limit this morning.”
Raymond settled into the leather chair behind his polished wood desk that was neat and uncluttered. He gestured toward the empty seat across from his and Ryan sat and waited. Raymond pulled the top file off a stack of folders, and opened it. He pulled out two copies of his aunt’s will and handed one to Ryan. They read through it together and it was all fairly straightforward until Raymond got to the part about conditions.
“So, it’s your aunt’s wish that you hold onto the property for a full calendar year before selling it.”
“A whole year? Really? Is that a suggestion? Or a requirement?” Ryan had thought a lot about Barbi since seeing her at the wake. He was prepared to sell the house to her as soon as all the paperwork was finalized. There was no reason for him to stay in Riston any longer than a few weeks.
Charming Chef (River's End Ranch Book 7) Page 1