12
Sliding the last of the fries onto a platter, Zoë looked up when Ethan entered the kitchen. He’d come in to help carry food out to the dining room, as always, and his eyes lit up when he saw what she’d prepared. She set aside her normal insistence on serving healthy fare in favour of a fun meal tonight. It was Friday, and only Ethan, Skip, Jeff, Murray, and she would be dining together tonight as most of the hands left to return home, only sleeping at the ranch during the week. In fact, only she, Ethan, and Skip remained at the ranch the entire weekend, the cows spending that time in paddocks or the barn.
She’d prepared fried chicken, hand-cut fries, biscuits, and gravy. While Ethan’s reaction wasn’t dramatic, it did inform her that she’d chosen well. She’d become quite adept at reading his subtle expressions as he continued to be frugal with his words. He’d liked all the meals she’d served that week, despite his insistence on making odd faces over her choices, and of course, his outright demand of yesterday that she stop preparing them. Time had given her some perspective over their last conversation. While at first, she’d been bound and determined to serve the most impressive meals she could conceive up, truly upping her game from what she had prepared so far, she’d decided against it. It wasn’t giving in to Ethan’s demands so much as a reality check. Perhaps, from the beginning, she should have taken Ethan’s advice—that the men’s palates were unsophisticated—to heart. As usual, she was stubborn. Bull-headed. She could be unreasonable, and knew it, but she enjoyed making the meals she had, including the fancy touches. Besides, every time she had made something the men normally wouldn’t eat, Ethan’s reactions amused her. He always looked about to scream at what was on his plate, and then ended up eating every last bite of it. They were her silent victories, never acknowledged by either, but she inwardly celebrated each one. Her childish behaviour had to stop though. If he lost his temper entirely, he’d fire her, and she’d be in danger again. It was an idiotic game she played, and she’d decided to put an end to it.
As he picked up a platter to bring to the dining room, he dipped his head to her. “This looks great. Thank you.”
His pleasant tone had her feeling more conciliatory. “I decided on a simpler meal tonight. You were probably right in that I was too ambitious in my food choices.”
“Nope. You were right, I was wrong, and can admit it. The men have loved everything you’ve prepared. You did great this week. Thank you. Your pay cheque has been deposited.”
He exited the kitchen, leaving a stunned Zoë in his wake. A grin spread across her face and she felt like fist-pumping the air. She’d managed to win him over, at least on the job front. While she still couldn’t ascertain how he felt about her personally, still confused by his vastly differing moods over the past two days, at least her job seemed secure. Figuring it would be a while before she heard a reply to her text, she’d passed the first hurdle on her way to a safe life. She’d secured a place to stay in a secluded town, out of the reach of Nino Rosati.
Dinner was much more enjoyable with the smaller group, all able to converse together with ease. Soon talk turned to everyone’s plans for the weekend. Ethan and Skip still had chores to perform but had plenty of downtime and Murray and Jeff announced they were attending a friend’s party later that evening.
“Well,” Skip said, with a shrug, “I was thinking about going to The Goose tonight for a beer or two.”
“The Goose?” she questioned.
“Yeah, The Scruffy Goose. It’s the only bar in town.”
“With a name like that, it sounds like fun. Can I come along?”
“Of course, I’d love it if you did,” he replied. “It gets a little rowdy in there sometimes but it’s a fun place. We could go tonight, or even tomorrow if that works out better for you, you know, if you wanted to visit with family or something this weekend.”
He was fishing for information but, unlike Ethan with his calculating looks, she knew Skip’s interest was born of curiosity only. Still, she intended to nip his questioning in the bud, unwilling to reveal any personal information to anyone in town.
“I don’t have any family,” she answered, purposely lending a sad inflection to her voice, “so I’ll be staying at the ranch on the weekends.”
Skip’s eyes flashed pity and she felt awful for playing on his emotions, even as it was necessary to stop his questioning of her.
“Then tonight it is,” he declared.
“Wanna join them?” Murray asked Jeff. “We’ve got time before the party. We could pop in for a beer.”
“Sure,” Jeff responded, “I’m in.”
All eyes turned to Ethan who nodded, a small smile on his lips. “I’m game. I haven’t been to The Goose in a while.”
“Great,” Skip enthused. “You can be our DD, in case Zoë and I tie one on.”
He winked at her and she laughed. When she looked to Ethan, he wore that lop-sided grin she liked, and there appeared to be a warmness to his eyes. Apparently yesterday’s fireworks were forgiven, maybe also forgotten. Huh, tonight might turn out to be more fun than she’d expected.