The Chef Chases his Cowboy Dream (Silverstone Ranch Book 3)

by April Murdock

  They walked out of the building and she led him toward the house. She dug an elbow into his ribs, eliciting a yelp. “Besides,” she said, “I don’t need you messing this up. Lily and Wes deserve to be happy and they belong together.”

  He studied her, his brown eyes boring into hers. “There you go again. I don’t think you’re doing this solely for them, are you?”

  Mia placed her hands on her hips. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “You’re jealous.” He lifted his chin and beamed at her. “Yep, I’ve seen that before. You don’t want me flirting with those girls because you want my attention.” He patted her on the head. “It’s okay, I can save a dance for you.”

  Mia shoved him away. She wasn’t jealous. And even if she was, it didn’t matter because Christian didn’t want to date anyone exclusively and she wasn’t good at sharing. It would never work between them. “Knock it off. Just because those girls can’t see through your fake charm doesn’t mean I’m blind too. I’d prefer a man wanting me and only me to someone who doesn’t want to settle down.”

  Christian frowned. “Easy, Mia. I was just teasing. I thought we were friends.”

  Friends. Right. That was almost worse than a flirting buddy. Friends rarely saw each other as anything more. Lily and Wes were the exception. She gave a sharp jerk to her head. “I’m going to tell Wes that he’s free to date other people. You keep Lily occupied—dance with her and we’ll see if we can rile the two of them up enough for them to admit they don’t want to be with us. Got it?” She bounced on her toes. “Look. There’s Wesley.” She pointed to Wesley as he rounded a storage shed. “How much do you want to bet if we wait long enough, Lily will come—”

  Christian smirked as Lily appeared from the side of the shed. “You think they were making out?”

  Mia shrugged. “Who cares? It’s time to put the next step of our plan in place.” She hurried toward the barn, leaving Christian to do his thing. All he had to do was be a charmer. She’d witnessed enough of it to last a lifetime. He’d do fine.

  She pulled Wesley to the dance floor. It was perfect. He kept looking around the room, obviously seeking out a certain someone. And the moment Christian and Lily took to the dance floor, his whole body stiffened.

  Mia looked over her shoulder to see Christian pulling Lily close. He moved around the dance floor like he’d been born to do just that. He smiled at Lily like she was the only person in the room. His eyes danced and he laughed.

  Mia’s stomach roiled and she tightened her grip on Wesley. That should be her. They should have just switched dates. Who was she kidding? This whole charade was ridiculous. Why didn’t she just pull everyone into the same room and tell them to get off their high horses and be together?

  But then Christian still wouldn’t be available. At this rate, he never would. She could attempt her own plan where she tried to make him jealous. But if he didn’t like her, that wouldn’t work. A sigh burst from her pressed lips. Stick with the plan. She could do that.

  Wesley bolted. Had something happened? Where were Lily and Christian? A few women glanced in her direction with pity on their faces. Good. They thought Wesley was interested in Lily. Or maybe they were just feeling sorry for her because her date took off.

  Mia wandered to the refreshment table and popped a tomato in her mouth. The juices exploded, coating her tongue with the sweet taste. More people whispered around her. She was being paranoid. Of course they weren’t talking about her. Their gossip had nothing to do with her.

  She dusted off her hands and headed for the door. Maybe she could give Wesley a pep talk and help him see that now was his time to admit his feelings for Lily. He should never give up on love.

  Mia stepped outside. Across the property where everyone parked, her gaze landed on Wesley and Christian. Everything happened so fast. Suddenly they were on the ground, yelling at each other. She took a step toward them but thought better of it. Maybe this was what Wesley needed. Or maybe Christian hadn’t been honest with her. What if he liked Lily too? It made sense. He could have fallen for her just as easily. Now she was making him give her up. She hugged herself. Well, that was just great. Two men wanting the same woman and here she was on the outside yet again.

  She heard her name. What was Christian saying? He looked up and their eyes met, then he scowled at Wesley and strode toward her at a fast pace. Her eyes were large as her gaze bounced from Christian to Wesley and back. He grasped her upper arm and pulled her inside the barn.

  Christian spun her around and faced her. He placed his hand on the small of her back and held her other hand. His breathing was heavy and his features were stonelike.

  “What happened?” she mumbled.

  “Nothing.”

  “It didn’t look like nothing. In fact, it almost looked like you two were fighting over the same girl.”

  His brows lowered but he didn’t meet her gaze. “That’s what I’m supposed to do, right? You want me to get my brother all riled up.”

  “Yeah. But I didn’t think you guys would fight—”

  Christian stopped in the middle of the dance floor and stared at her. “Make up your mind, Mia. Either we make him so mad he has to fight for something he wants, or you make it easy and we both walk away.”

  Mia swallowed the lump in her throat. If they walked away, she wouldn’t be spending any more time with him. That sounded so selfish. Could that be what this whole thing was about? Deep down, did she just want an excuse to spend time with him? The realization weighed on her shoulders. As long as Wesley and Lily got together, it wouldn’t hurt to get a little something out of it. But that wouldn’t work if Christian was actually fighting for Lily too.

  She lifted her gaze to meet his. “Do you like her?”

  Christian let out a bark of laughter. “What? No. Lily is a sweet girl, but she’s totally not my type.” His arm again slipped around her waist. “No, I like my women feisty. They know what they want and they go for it, to the devil with the consequences. Besides, I prefer blondes.”

  Mia sucked in a sharp breath, just as he lowered her into a dip. He was turning his charm on her. She should put a stop to it. It wasn’t healthy to play pretend. She was going to get hurt.

  His lips curled into a smile. “In fact, I’m surprised the two of us have never—”

  She scrambled away from him. “Don’t, Christian.”

  His eyes narrowed and his brows furrowed. The smile left his eyes, though remained on his lips. “What?”

  Mia took a deep breath. “Nothing. I’m leaving town tomorrow morning. I have my internship. I’ll try to get everything taken care of early so I can come home and monitor things. But until then, I need you to give me updates. If anything looks like it is going off the rails, call me immediately.” She rubbed her arms, waiting for him to respond.

  Christian gave her a curt nod and she moved past him.

  Her heart hurt. Christian knew exactly what to say to get her blood pumping and her heart dancing. He could turn a girl into a melted puddle on the floor with one look. Despite knowing all of this, she’d allowed herself to get sucked in—and only in a matter of minutes. Good thing she was headed to the city. She needed to clear her head.

  Chapter Four

  His reputation had finally caught up with him. All night, Christian couldn’t get his mind off Mia. From the moment he’d seen her dancing with Wesley, to the second their eyes met after his fight with his brother, she’d tormented his thoughts.

  Tormented was too strong of a word. Fascinated. That was what it was. It was borderline obsessive, but not in a creepy way. At least he hoped not.

  His phone sat on the table beside his chair. Wesley had left about an hour ago. Probably to go spend some time with Lily. Mia might like an update about that. He picked up his phone, swiped to her contact page, and stared at her number. His thumb hovered over the call icon. Christian put the phone down and folded his arms. Mia would be in bed by now. He’d call her tomorrow.

  It was
getting late. If he stayed up much longer, he’d be dead on his feet tomorrow. He groaned and got to his feet. After turning out all the lights, he headed for his room and dressed for bed.

  Christian was just on the verge of sleep when his phone rang. He reached out with eyes closed and his hand smacked down on the table again and again until his fingers touched the cool glass of his phone screen.

  He squinted in the darkness at the bright screen. Wesley.

  “You better be dead in a ditch somewhere, Wes.” His groggy voice sounded strange even to him.

  “If I were, I wouldn’t be calling you.”

  “Get on with it, Wes. I have to get up early tomorrow.”

  “I just got home and I think some of the horses got out.”

  Christian sat up in bed and already had his jeans on when he barked out his next question. “Where? What happened?”

  “Out front. I’m securing the corral now, but you should probably get out here and check for yourself.”

  He tugged on his boots and tossed his phone on the bed. How had the horses gotten out? Had some drunk partygoer messed with the corral before they left? He hurried down the steps, jumping from the third from the bottom. It was completely dark, but his eyes were still adjusted. He ran to the front door, yanked it open and sped outside.

  Solo cups toppled around his ankles, saturating his pant legs with cold liquid. His gaze dropped to the hundreds of cups filled to the brim with water. He peered into the darkness. “Dagnabbit, Wesley! You’re cleaning this up right now!”

  Christian folded his arms and kicked a few more cups out of the way to get to the edge of the porch. His eyes narrowed. “I see your car, Wesley. Get your behind over here and clean this up!”

  Two figures darted around Wesley’s car. At least Lily and Wesley were spending time together even if it meant they were messing with him. Mia would love that. Wesley’s car sped off of the property. Christian surveyed the cups on the porch. There was no way he would clean this up.

  If his brother refused to take care of it, he would make him pay. There was nothing like being woken up with a splash of cold water to get one’s heart pumping. Christian nudged a few cups out of the way and headed inside.

  Christian skipped down the steps of the front porch, laughter still rippling from his chest. The look on Wesley’s face when he’d splashed him with water had been priceless. And the second bucket—totally worth the lack of sleep he’d experienced because of his brother.

  The sun crested the hills, bathing the property with an orange glow. The air was still cool and crisp, but that wouldn’t last long—one of the reasons he got up so early. One day he’d like to find a girl who was a morning person just like him.

  He tilted his hat with his index finger and folded his arms on top of the fence rail that encircled his cattle. Would Mia be interested in this kind of life? She was a city girl now, but she’d been raised in the country.

  Blowing out a breath, Christian turned and leaned against the corral. There he went again, allowing his thoughts to drag him into a reality that was not his own. Mia wasn’t his. She didn’t even like him. For all he knew, after her internship, she’d be moving to the city and they’d never see each other again.

  The phone in the back of his pocket vibrated. It was just after five in the morning. Who’d be calling him this early?

  Mia’s name flashed across the screen.

  His heart stopped and his mouth went dry. He rubbed his jaw as the phone continued to vibrate. He was acting completely ridiculous. This was just Mia. The girl his brother dated in high school. The insanely beautiful matchmaker who only cared about her friends. And she was calling him. Who cared if it was to check on his brother? She wanted to talk to Christian Hall and he planned to take full advantage. His thumb swiped across the screen and he held it to his ear.

  “What are you doing up so early?” His voice cracked and he grimaced. He was acting like a lovesick teenager.

  “I’m sorry. Did I wake you? I thought Wesley said you get up early to take care of things on the ranch.”

  “No. I was awake. I just didn’t expect you to call. Is something wrong?”

  She laughed. “I guess I was just wondering how things were going. I have to be to work in an hour and I know I’m going to have a long day. Right now was my only chance to touch base.”

  “Didn’t you just leave? What could possibly have happened in the last few hours that you would need to know about?” he chuckled as he stuffed his hand into his pocket.

  “I don’t know, Christian. I guess after the dance, Wesley could have gone after Lily and—” She laughed again. “I must sound absolutely insane. I overstepped, didn’t I? I shouldn’t have called—”

  “You were right.”

  “I’m sorry—wait, what?”

  Christian turned toward the house. Wesley’s car was parked next to his truck and the cups were still all over the porch. A smile tugged at his lips. “Wes went to see Lily after he stress-baked two dozen cupcakes.”

  She gasped. “You’re kidding.”

  “I’m not. For being a big shot chef, he can sure leave behind a big mess.” Mia laughed again and his smile widened. “I love hearing you laugh.”

  It went quite on the other end. Had he said something wrong? He cleared his throat and started toward the barn. “That wasn’t all. After he took her the cupcakes, they got it into their heads that they were teenagers again.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  He scratched his cheek as he entered the barn and glanced around for his pitchfork. “You remember all the trouble they used to get into when you guys were in high school?”

  “Do I? He never admitted to it, but I always wondered if they were responsible for this big chicken incident.” The smile was back in her voice.

  “They blocked every door to my house with cups full of water. Then Wesley called me just as I fell asleep and told me some horses got out.”

  Mia snickered. “No.”

  “Yes,” he couldn’t help the chuckle that slipped from his throat. It hadn’t been humorous at the time, but going over it with Mia seemed to lessen his irritation. “Got the bottom of my pants pretty wet.”

  “Oh no! That’s awful.” Even as she said it, she giggled.

  He shook his head, imagining her smile and her bright eyes. Just listening to her filled him with more joy than he’d experienced in the last few years. How was it that one woman could do that? “You don’t think that at all, do you?”

  “No, not really. I’m just sad I missed it.” Mia grew quiet again. “I miss out on a lot out here.” The melancholy tone of her voice tugged at his heartstrings. She sounded so lonely. For all her matchmaking and insisting she was happy, something was missing for her too.

  Christian opened his mouth and stopped. What was he supposed to say? Quit her internship and come back to town. She’d be able to find a good job here. All those suggestions sounded absurd coming from him. There was no reason for him to propose such drastic changes.

  “Maybe you could come back early?” Christian grimaced. He shouldn’t have said that. He’d dropped the wall between them. His interest in her came through in that one statement and he’d shown his hand. She was too quiet. Did she think he was asking her to come back for him?

  “Maybe I should.”

  His heart pulsed harder. Really? Did that mean…

  “Because, let’s face it. If I leave this all up to you, the whole plan might come crashing down.”

  His body felt like it was being torn in two directions. Relief she was teasing him again. Disappointment she wasn’t interested. Still, all she cared about was getting Wesley and Lily together. “Gee, thanks for your vote of confidence.”

  “I’m not saying you’re not capable…” she giggled again.

  “But you’re not saying I am either.”

  Mia’s voice softened. “Let’s just say you don’t have as much experience as I do with these kinds of things. Don’t worry, I’
ll make a matchmaker out of you yet.”

  Chapter Five

  After a long day at work, Mia entered her apartment and tossed her keys at the counter. They slid across the laminate and clattered to the floor. She kicked off her heels and dropped her purse on the floor. Next week would be her final one at the design firm and she’d have to decide whether she wanted to stay on.

  Her supervisor dropped a few hints regarding an opening—something that should have filled her with excitement, but it didn’t. Instead, her thoughts were consumed with a certain blue-eyed man.

  She really shouldn’t have called him so early the day before. The moment the phone rang in her ear, she wished she could take it back. But then he answered and his voice soothed all the rough edges. The way it filtered through the phone could have melted her on the spot.

  Mia closed her eyes and collapsed onto the loveseat, crossing her ankles on the armrest. She placed her hands behind her head and stared at the ceiling of her two-bedroom apartment that she shared with three other women. It was absurdly quiet, even for a Tuesday. Where was everyone?

  Sitting up, she strained to hear any noise coming from down the hall. Usually one of her roommates would be hanging around. At that moment, the door burst open. Kylie and Alyssa came in carrying large, brown grocery bags.

  “Oh, hey, Mia.” Alyssa shoved her bags on the counter beside Kylie’s. “You’ve been working late a lot. Have you eaten yet?”

  Mia groaned and rolled off the loveseat. She checked her phone but there were no notifications. She shoved it in her back pocket. No more checking. “With what time? I have a theory everyone is trying to squeeze every last bit of work out of me that they can.”

  Alyssa gave her a sympathetic smile. “We got the craving for Italian. The good kind.” She winked. “Kylie and I had to get a few things. You want some?”

  Mia’s stomach growled and Alyssa snickered. Kylie pulled her brown hair into a ponytail and got out some dishes. Without thinking, Mia dug her phone out of her pocket. No missed calls or messages. She sighed and put it down on the counter. So much for not checking it anymore.