by Kim Fox
twelve
“That looks like you sat on it,” Jennifer said, laughing at Cole’s pathetic attempt at making creme caramel.
“It won’t stay up,” he said, tapping the plate and making it jiggle. “How come it’s doing that?”
“Because you suck at cooking,” she said with a laugh. “You’re lucky that you’re cute or I would have banned you from my kitchen a long time ago.”
He threw the dishtowel in his hand over his sexy round shoulder and walked over to her. “Tell me more about how cute I am,” he said, sliding a hand onto her hip.
She turned and poked his chest with her index finger, pushing him away. “How about I tell you how behind we are for the grand opening? The inn opens in five days and we still haven’t finalized the menu.”
“Nah,” he said, scrunching his nose up. “I’d rather you tell me how cute I am.”
She rolled her eyes as she laughed. “You’re very cute,” she said, grabbing a mixing bowl and thrusting it into his chest. “Now do me a favor and mix up the batter for the muffins.”
He groaned as he grabbed the flour and dumped it into the bowl. Jennifer smiled as she stole a glance at him over her shoulder.
Things had been going great between the two of them. After they had made up, she had returned as the head chef in the inn. Both Joan and Ashton had apologized profusely to her and she decided to let it go. They were a lot of fun now that she was getting to know them better and she really enjoyed hanging out with them every day.
But Cole was the real treasure. She couldn’t believe that she almost walked away from him.
After a few days of working in the restaurant and dating at night, he asked her to move into his trailer on the ranch with him and to her surprise, she had said yes.
She couldn’t come up with any good reasons to say no. So she did it.
Jennifer moved in the next day, about a week ago, and things were going great. She loved waking up next to his big sexy body and she adored going to bed with his hard powerful arms wrapped around her protectively.
She was still keeping her apartment for now, the lease was up in two months anyways, but she hadn’t even been back once. The Wilde Ranch was too good and she didn’t want to leave.
“What’s next, chef?” Cole asked when he was done with the muffin batter.
“Take your shirt off for the next part,” she said.
“Is it going to get messy?” he asked, pulling his tight shirt off over his head.
“No,” she said, groaning as she watched his perfect muscles ripple with every movement. “I just want you to stand in the corner like that so I can admire your hot body as I work.”
“Sounds good to me,” he said, striking a pose. “Do you want me to flex?” he asked, flexing his tight arms. “Or just act casual?” he said, placing his hands on his hips.
Jennifer watched with her pulse starting to race. “Let me see flexing again.”
She nodded, smiling as she watched him strike sexy pose after sexy pose for her.
“That one,” she said, as he flexed his abs. “Oh yeah. That’s the one.”
He held it for a minute, his face turning blue as she chopped up an onion.
“Can’t breathe,” he groaned.
“Oh, stop complaining,” she said, grabbing the warm quiche off of the counter. She thrust it into his chest and grinned. “Go give this to the hungry vultures waiting in the dining room. Before they give my kitchen a bad review online.”
Cole smiled. “If anyone gives your kitchen a bad anything, they’ll have to deal with a pissed off grizzly bear.”
Jennifer laughed as he walked away, disappearing into the dining room. The other members of the crew, Joan, Rhett, Rory, Ashton, and Gunner, were waiting there, excited to try the new menu items.
Jennifer was busy making every item on the menu as a test run and so that they could try every selection. She was both nervous and excited for them to try it all.
“What the hell?” she shouted when Cole returned thirty seconds later with an empty dish in his hand. “That was fast!”
“I almost lost a finger out there,” Cole said, glancing back over his shoulder. He placed the dish on the counter and shook out his hand. “They liked it.”
Jennifer glanced down at the dish that looked like it was licked clean and laughed. “No shit.”
For the next two hours, she cooked and presented the crew with every item on the menu, starting with the breakfast items, then lunch, and then dinner. When she finally came out with dessert, everyone was groaning in pain.
Gunner was leaning back in his chair, holding his stomach with a painful grimace on his face, and Rory was sleeping on the table.
“Who wants dessert?” she asked, holding up a tray of freshly baked goods and sugary treats.
They all groaned but lifted up their hands at the same time.
“Bring it over,” Ashton said, wiping his mouth with a napkin.
“Everything was delicious,” Joan said, looking around at the dirty plates on all of the surrounding tables. “We’re going to be rich with you in the kitchen.”
“I hope so,” Jennifer said, placing the desserts in front of them. Their eyes lit up as she lowered a fudge brownie, apple cobbler with ice cream, pumpkin pie, and creme caramel onto the table. They all looked like they were in pain from overeating but that didn’t stop them from grabbing spoons and fighting over the desserts.
Jennifer hung back and watched with a smile. Cole winked at her before grabbing a huge spoonful of chocolate brownie and stuffing it into his mouth.
This beats La Belle Vie any day.
Jennifer was so happy that she had turned down the job with Guy Laplante. She had already learned so much on her own and her cooking skills had increased significantly since she had arrived at the Wilde Ranch.
Rory threw down his spoon in surrender and looked around the dining room with a smile on his face. “Looks like we have a winner,” he said, nodding happily. “The Wilde Ranch Inn is going to be a hit.”
“I hope so,” Ashton said under his breath. “Because I don’t ever want to go back into the military.”
Rhett slowly got up and headed to the bar. He returned a few minutes later with a round of beers for everyone. “Let’s have a toast,” he said as he passed the beers around. His dark eyes hardened as he lowered a mug of beer in front of Gunner. The lion shifter’s eyes narrowed on Rhett in a challenging way. Jennifer got shivers just looking at them. Their relationship looked like a heated volcano about to erupt.
“Oh, God,” Joan complained. “I couldn’t eat any more toast.”
“Not toast,” Rhett said, looking at her funny. “A toast. To our new amazing chef,” he said, holding up his beer. Jennifer smiled shyly as everyone raised a glass to her and cheered, drumming the tables with their free hand as they drank.
“Thanks, everyone,” she said, sitting on Cole’s lap. “I’m really happy to be working with you all.”
“Working with us?” Joan said, snapping her head back. “No. You’re a part of the crew now. You’re a Wilde child. Just like us.”
Jennifer’s cheeks flushed red as they all nodded. The truth was, she really did feel like a member of the crew now that she was living on the ranch with them. They were all so welcoming and treated her like a part of the family. She was really starting to warm up to each one of them.
Ashton sighed after taking a long sip of beer. “This is probably going to be the last time we are alone on the ranch as a crew,” he said sadly. “In a few days, this place is going to be crawling with guests.”
“And employees,” Joan added. “They both start in two days.”
They had hired some help to run the inn, which Jennifer was thrilled about. She was excited to not be the new girl anymore. There was a new receptionist named Candice and a maid named Ruth. Joan had wanted to hire a waitress for the restaurant but Cole had refused, saying that he was going to do it. He claimed that it was because he loved serving tables bu
t Jennifer knew the real reason: he didn’t want to leave her side.
“Maybe one of the new girls will be good for Ashton,” Rory said with a grin.
“Nope,” Joan said, shaking her head. “No more hooking up with my staff.”
Jennifer smiled, joining in. “Then maybe one of the customers will be able to break your dry spell.”
Everyone turned their head to her in shock.
“Ah, Cole!” Ashton complained, dropping his head in embarrassment. “Even she knows?”
“She’s part of the crew now,” Cole said defensively. “We share everything.”
“Why do we have to share everything?” Ashton muttered. “I never signed up for that.”
“Don’t worry,” Jennifer said. “I can help. We’ll get you laid yet.”
“That’s what I’m talking about,” Joan said, pumping her fist into the air. “I like this girl!”
“Me too,” Rory said with a smile.
“Not me,” Cole said, squeezing his hard arms around her body, pulling her in close. “I fucking love her!”
epilogue
Three weeks later…
Cole rushed out of the dining room that was already full of hungry people. He had about a minute before table six’s appetizer was ready. If he was more than a second late to return, Jennifer would fry his ass instead of the salmon that he was off to get.
She wouldn’t let anybody, not even him, mess up the smooth running of her restaurant.
“Where are you going?” Rory asked, leaning on the counter of the reception. He was exactly where he always was lately, flirting with the new receptionist. She was a cute little fox shifter named Candice.
“Wherever it is,” Candice said with a pretty smile, “it better be close. You have a full dining room in there.”
“We ran out of salmon,” Cole said, rushing past them out the front door. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
He sprinted to the forest and ducked under a tree branch on his way to the river in the distance. The tall trees whizzed by him in a blur as he pumped his legs, running as fast as he could to the running water.
Who knew that Jennifer’s teriyaki salmon would be this popular?
It had sold out but people kept ordering it. Luckily, they had a river full of salmon only a quick run away.
He jumped into the cold water up to his knees and stayed very still for a few seconds until a giant salmon swam by. Cole reached down and snatched the fish out of the water, holding him tight so he couldn’t wiggle out of his hands. He threw the fish over his shoulder and hurried back, more than a little excited to see Jennifer again. He was always excited to see her.
Things were going better than perfect between them.
Cole loved living with her, working with her all day, and just being around her. His bear had been a total sweetheart around her, turning into a little teddy bear whenever she was around, which was always.
“That’s what you went to get?” Candice asked as he ran back into the inn. She was staring at him with wide amber eyes.
Rory laughed as Cole struggled to hold onto the wiggling fish. It was even more slippery than it looked.
Candice tucked a string of red hair behind her ear as Rory leaned a little closer to her. “I once caught a salmon ten times that size,” he said, trying to flirt but failing spectacularly.
“It must have been a whale,” Candice said, looking at him funny. “Salmon don’t get that big.”
“It’s true,” Cole said, trying to help his buddy out. “It was huge.”
Rory smiled at Cole, tipping his cowboy hat in gratitude.
“I’ll see you guys later,” he said, rushing back into the kitchen.
He stopped short at the entrance to the kitchen when he saw Jennifer moving around inside. She was a goddess, dancing to the music playing through the stereo over the sink. Her tempting hips were swaying as she shook her body to the beat while she cooked up a feast for the diners waiting outside.
Cole leaned against the wall, holding the now still fish in his hands as he watched his mate with a smile on his face.
She really couldn’t have made him happier. Jennifer was all that he needed. All that he wanted.
The sexy chef spun on her heels as she moved towards the cutting board, smiling as she saw Cole watching her. “What are you looking at?”
“Your curves,” he said with a quick breath. “They’re driving me crazy as usual.”
“You’re going to be looking at my spatula fly at your head if you don’t stop slacking off,” she said, pointing the spatula at him with a giggle on her lips.
“Yes, chef,” he said with a grin. He held up the salmon. “Where do you want this?”
“Thanks for getting it,” she said, looking at the fish. “Can you toss it on the counter and get to work on it?”
Cole bit his lip as he stepped into the kitchen. “I want to toss you on the counter and get to work on you,” he said, staring her down with a heated gaze.
“After,” she said, laughing as she planted a squished avocado covered hand on his chest, leaving a green hand print on his black polo shirt. “I need you to bring the appetizer to table six first.”
“Alright, alright,” he said, grabbing the lobster and crab dip as he walked out to the dining room in his soaking wet shoes. His socks squished between his toes with every step.
“Excuse me,” someone at table one said, stopping him. “Did you just run out, catch a fish and then run back in?”
Cole glanced down at his wet pants and shoes that were still leaking onto the hardwood floors. “Maybe,” he said with a grin. “Welcome to the Wilde Ranch!”
He continued past table four where Gunner and Jax were talking over a beer. The two lion shifters were deep in conversation and Gunner didn’t even turn his head when Cole slapped the back of it on his way to table six.
Cole put on his fakest smile as he reached the table. It was full of weirdos. Shifter Chasers they called themselves. Colwood, Montana was filling up with these conspiracy theorist, UFO nutjobs who were desperate to find a real life shifter. The Wilde Ranch Inn was getting more and more of them lately.
“Did you see any shifters in the kitchen?” the one with the thick black rimmed glasses asked.
“Not yet,” Cole said, taking a heavy breath. “But if I see one, you’ll be the first to know.”
He high-fived his two friends and smiled a goofy smile. “I want to catch a dragon shifter on tape,” the guy said as Cole placed their appetizer onto the table.
“Good luck with that,” Cole said, backing away. “I hear they like to hang out at the firehouse.”
Both Jax and Gunner turned to him, flashing him a warning look. There really was a dragon shifter at the firehouse, Draven Park, but those dorks were never going to figure that out. Draven was too smart for that.
“Cole,” Jax said, grabbing his forearm with a painful grip as he passed. “Don’t make me tell Draven that you’re telling these Shifter Chasers about him. You think you can handle some heat because you work in a kitchen but those ovens are nothing compared to what Draven will breathe down on you.”
“Those guys?” Cole said, looking back at the three dorks who were fighting over the big pieces of lobster in the dip. “I think he’ll be okay.”
Jax glanced over at the table and released his grip on Cole. “I’ll let it slide this time,” he said, shaking his empty mug. “If you get me another beer.”
“No problem,” Cole said, grinding his teeth. He didn’t like anyone grabbing him like that or threatening his house but Jax was a friend of Gunner’s so he let it slide. This time.
He walked back to the kitchen to check on the curvy chef. Cole walked with his hand on his chest, his palm hovering over his new tattoo. Jennifer had been kidding but he wasn’t. It wasn’t big block letters but it was still her name.
He had gotten Jennifer tattooed on his left pec in a tasteful italic font. She was always close to his heart anyway, he might as well have made it p
hysical as well.
She had freaked when she first saw it, telling him that he was crazy. But he could tell by the flush on her cheeks and the clear flattery in her eyes that she felt honored by it.
“Are you sure you want to get a chick’s name inked on your body?” the tattoo artist had asked before starting. “Sounds like it could be a mistake.”
“It’s not,” Cole said simply. He knew that his heart would only have one girl forever.
Jennifer.
It was the surest thing that he had ever done.
“What’s cooking good looking?” Cole asked as he walked back into the kitchen to a wave of mouth-watering smells. Jennifer grabbed two plates and sauntered over, swaying her curvy hips as she moved towards her man.
“Table ten’s roast beef,” she said with a grin.
Cole took the plates from her, never taking his eyes off of hers. He couldn’t believe how lucky he was landing a girl like her.
Cole laughed every time he thought back to his player days and realized how clueless he had been. He thought that random hookups was the way to go. How little I knew…
Jennifer was so much more to him than that. She brought his happiness to a new level, one that he didn’t even know existed and he was determined to not let that appreciation waste away. He would always be thankful for her, and to her for showing him the error of his ways.
“Are you going to bring those plates,” she asked still staring at his eyes as a grin hung on her face. “Or are you just going to stand here and stare at me all day?”
“I was going to go with number two,” he said, stepping back. “But I want all of the people eating back there to leave so I can have you all to myself.”
“Sounds good to me,” she said, biting her bottom lip seductively.
Cole turned to leave and she stopped him. “Wait,” she said, dunking her fingers into a bowl of spices.
She hurried over and inspected the plates one last time. “They could use a dash of spice,” she said, splashing the pieces of meat with the spices.
Cole smiled. “And I could use a dash of sugar.”