Chapter 12
Bailey didn’t want to return to the medical clinic. She figured, now that some of the excitement was over, everyone would need food. She checked her watch—six o’clock—and it was, indeed, breakfast time or least time for more coffee. Anything other than coffee would probably take an hour.
But Alfred shouldn’t be cooking at all today. Possibly not for several days. She didn’t want to step into his domain without permission, but it was the one thing she could do to help. Not knowing what she should cook, she walked upstairs to the kitchen and put on coffee.
She processed the kitchen contents to see if Alfred had plans for breakfast. An ample amount of sausages and bacon were in the small freezer, but she couldn’t find anything thawed out. She’d only been here one morning, so she didn’t know if he put on a feast like that all the time or if it was just because of the extra people. The walk-in cooler was downstairs, but she wasn’t sure she’d be up to taking food out and bringing it up.
Then she spied a second fridge. She opened it and, to her delight, found it full of fresh vegetables, fruits and several large briskets, waiting to be cooked. That she could handle, although that was probably for dinner.
As she slowly turned around in the kitchen, she struggled with what to prepare for breakfast. Sure, she could do fried eggs, but she didn’t know how many people here liked them that way. She wished there was a simpler answer.
She frowned. Alfred wouldn’t be short on the basics. In which case, she could make up a huge batch of cinnamon buns. She checked her watch again and calculated the time, realizing it would be tight. The dough had to rise at least once, although she’d learned a few tricks of the trade that would make the process faster. She searched the cupboards, wondering if she had all the ingredients available.
Very quickly she found what she needed. With the largest bowl she could find, and the island completely cleared off, she went to work. Rhodes arrived first, looking for coffee. He poured several cups and stared at her with curiosity but never said a word. He filled a tray with the coffee cups and disappeared.
She realized he’d almost emptied the coffee pot. She put on a second pot and continued with breakfast. She hadn’t said anything to him, just gave him a small smile. She wasn’t exactly sure if tripping into Alfred’s domain was a big no-no or not. She worked as fast as she could, wanting to get the buns done before anybody else showed up.
It had been a while since she’d had to work at that pace, but she picked it up quickly again. Her hands easily fell into the same rhythm she needed to make massive loaves of dough.
As she worked, she hummed gently. She’d forgotten the joy of cooking. Somewhere along the line she’d forgotten the happiness of just being alive. If she learned one thing from all this mess, it was that she had to enjoy every day, not just the special days. There had been few—very few—special days in her world in a long time.
With the buns in the oven a short while later, she cleaned up and wiped off the counter and washed her dishes when she heard a sound behind her.
Alfred, leaning on Ice’s arm, stood with stubborn pride in the kitchen doorway.
She rushed over. “How are you feeling? Are you sure you should be up?”
He patted her hand and gave her a small smile. “Of course I should be up. It was only a knock on the head.”
She snorted. “A knock that can be very serious.”
Ice led him to the small table in the kitchen and sat him down. Bailey picked up a coffee cup, filled it and brought it to him.
Ice spoke to Alfred, with a nod toward Bailey. “As far as I’m concerned, you have found your partner for the next few days. If need be, everyone here can wrestle food for themselves. I can cook in a pinch as well. I’ve done it before.”
Alfred gave her a smile. “Go. Bailey and I have things to take care of. We’ll figure it out.”
Ice grabbed a cup of coffee and disappeared. He leaned over the tabletop and in a low voice asked, “All right, what kind of cinnamon buns did you make?”
She grinned. “Is it okay? I felt terrible, thinking I might be stepping on your toes.”
He settled back with a weary sigh. “It’s a damn relief, that’s what it is.”
“But they’re all used to things like sausages and hash browns and pancakes. I just wasn’t sure if this would be welcomed or not. It has sugar.”
“It’ll be refreshing. Every one of them has a damn sweet tooth. They will survive. If you made enough.” He rolled his head toward her, a question in his eyes.
She winced. “I quadrupled what I would normally make. Honestly, some of the men here are big.”
That startled a chuckle out of them both. “This bunch is definitely full of healthy eaters, and half of them aren’t even here, off doing missions.”
The aroma caught her nose. She lifted her nose and sniffed the air, got up and walked to the oven. Finding oven mitts hanging on the hook above the stove, she opened the first of three counter-height ovens and rotated each of the baking sheets containing the cinnamon buns.
When that was done, she sat back down again and said, “Maybe ten minutes.”
“Perfect. You’re on top of everything.”
“I can make icing.”
“Oh, lovely. I do that myself.”
Then they embarked on a discussion of cinnamon bun bread and fast-rising yeast and other tricks of the trade.
A few minutes later she said with a happy sigh, “I forgot how much fun it is to cook.”
He shook his head. “Now that is sad, because you’re obviously very talented.”
She snorted. “Hmm. You haven’t tasted anything I’ve made yet.”
He chuckled. “You stepped into a foreign kitchen, picked up the slack when needed, found ingredients you wanted and created something. That takes talent. It also takes a can-do attitude. And even better the kitchen is clean. So you also know how to function and clean up behind yourself and leave a place the way you found it.”
Just then Dakota walked in. His nose wrinkled as if sniffing the air. His gaze zeroed in on Alfred. “I’m glad to hear you weren’t badly injured, Alfred.”
“He took a knock on the head and was unconscious. He should be in his apartment resting,” Bailey said with a touch of exasperation. “But he won’t listen.”
Dakota nodded. “Like the rest of us, he has too much stubbornness for his own good.” He cocked his head to the side, raised an eyebrow and said to Bailey, “You should easily relate.”
Smiling, Alfred settled back. “We’ll see how you feel when there’s no food.”
“I can scramble up seven dozen eggs, if need be,” Dakota said. “I can’t guarantee how they’ll taste though.”
Alfred smiled. “I’m sure they will all be fine.”
Dakota studied him for a long moment. “How long have you been here?”
Alfred told him, “Just a few minutes.”
Dakota’s gaze zeroed in on Bailey. “Did you make whatever’s in the oven then?”
She slunk a little lower in her chair. “Maybe.”
He waggled an eyebrow. “What is it?”
She watched as he turned into a little boy right in front of her eyes. “What do you care? You can scramble seven dozen eggs,” she teased.
“If that’s something sweet,” he said, almost dancing with hope, “every one of us will go down on our knees and thank you.”
She shook her head. “I doubt it.”
Alfred patted her hand. “Time’s up.”
She hopped to her feet, grabbed the oven mitts and opened the first over door. She took out the first of four trays of golden brown cinnamon buns that had risen well over top of the pan, the brown sugar bubbling atop each bun.
Dakota’s whistle swept through the kitchen. Right behind him Rhodes and Levi stepped into the room. Their gazes were on the cinnamon buns in her hand.
She put the hot pan on one of the wire racks on the counter, pulling out the second tray and the third also. She retrieved the fourth cookie sheet and quickly flipped it upside down on a sheet of parchment paper. They looked at her in outrage.
“Why would you do that?”
She smiled and said, “You’ll see.” With the men watching, she wiped a wet dishcloth over the bottom of the pan. When she lifted the pan, it came off easily. As they watched, she took a spatula, scraped out the syrup the buns had been sitting in so it all flowed over the buns. “These are different.”
She put the pan in the sink to soak. Turning to Alfred, she and said, “Do you have any cream cheese?”
He motioned to the fridge closest to him. “In the bottom drawer.”
She opened the big door, pulled out the drawer, found a huge block of cream cheese. Frowning, she grabbed a knife and hacked the cream cheese block in half. She tossed it into a mixer, added the rest of the icing ingredients while the men salivated beside her, impatiently waiting. She quickly slathered the top of the cinnamon buns with the cream cheese icing. When the icing melted and ran in front of them, their anticipation was palpable.
She didn’t put any on the upside-down pastries.
Dakota pointed to them and asked, “What’s with those?”
She just raised an eyebrow and stared at him. “What about those?”
He narrowed his gaze at her. “I want one of each.” He quickly added, “Please.”
She dished up three plates for the three men. She gave Dakota one of each, an iced cinnamon bun and a sticky bun, yet put just one cinnamon bun on each of the other two plates.
Rhodes stared at her. “I know you love the guy, but surely he doesn’t get that much special treatment.”
Blushing furiously, she scooped up one of the upside-down buns for his plate too. Levi looked at her, and she chose the biggest she could find for him.
He grinned. “She already knows who’s the boss.”
“You shouldn’t be eating them now. They’re too hot.”
After a snort from Dakota, the guys moved to the dining room, but there was only silence at first, followed by moans. She turned toward Alfred, grinning wildly. “May I get you one?”
He motioned to the upside-down sticky buns. “Only a half.”
She took one of the sticky buns, cut it in half, slit it open, spread cream cheese icing on the open cut and sat down at the small table to share it with Alfred. Listening to the three men gorge on the cinnamon buns, the two of them sat in complete silence.
When he was done, Alfred whispered, “The best I’ve ever had.”
Inside a smile unfurled, and she was sure it was the first time since her husband had died.
*
Dakota closed his eyes and inhaled the cinnamon buns. He would never say anything to upset Alfred, but, swear to God, this was the best damn cinnamon bun Dakota had ever had. He wasn’t too sure what to do with the upside-down one, but he was game. As soon as he tasted the sugary flavored syrup all the way through the inside of the bun, he was hooked. He didn’t slow down until both were gone. He stared at his empty plate and glanced over at Rhodes and Levi. Both were staring at empty plates.
Rhodes lifted his eyebrow. “Any chance of seconds?”
Dakota wasn’t sure why Rhodes asked him, but, since Bailey had made them, Dakota might be the best bet to getting more. “I guess we’ll have to find out,” he said with a grin. He grabbed his plate, walked back into the kitchen to see Alfred and Bailey enjoying a cup of tea together. He held out his empty plate and, in his best Oliver Twist imitation, said, “Please, ma’am, may I have some more?”
Her face lit up.
He grinned. “They’re delicious.”
She hopped to her feet, saying, “You’re just looking for a sugar fix.”
But she cheerfully plated another cinnamon bun for him. He stood and waited. She looked at him and said, “You can’t possibly eat a fourth, can you?”
Smirking, she gave him one of the upside-down ones, and he quickly disappeared into the dining room.
He had to make his way past Rhodes and Levi, both standing with their plates out. He could hear her laughter in the kitchen as she served them. He hadn’t a clue she could cook like this, but she’d certainly found a way into everyone’s hearts. The fact that Alfred was hurt, and likely shouldn’t be in the kitchen at all, made her arrival all that much more perfect.
He refilled all three mugs of coffee, and the men sat down again. “I presume the intruder is in our jail?”
Levi nodded. “He is. But we don’t have any ID. He’s got nothing on him. Will you move his vehicle into the garage when you’re done eating?”
“Will do. See if that will tell us anything.”
“If we weren’t so short on men, we’d be out there right now. Everybody’s off on jobs. It’s left us a little defenseless at home.” Levi shook his head.
“But how can you tell how many we’ll need when you don’t know when you’ll be under attack?”
Just then they heard a vehicle on the rocky driveway. Dakota bolted to his feet. “Who’s driving the truck from the bend?”
“That would be Stone,” Levi said with a smile, as he got a message over his comm. “He left the control room.”
Bailey said from the doorway, “In the capable hands of Ice. She brought Alfred here and then headed back up.”
Just then Stone walked into the kitchen and froze. His nose lifted, and he took one look at the cinnamon buns fast disappearing down his buddies’ throats, and his gaze zeroed in on Bailey. “Is that cinnamon buns?” he asked hopefully. “You didn’t let them eat them all, did ya?”
“No, there are lots left. I promise.”
Stone nodded agreeably. “Good. Could I possibly have a couple?”
She disappeared into the kitchen while Stone sat down beside Levi. “I checked the glove box. No ID, no insurance, no registration papers.”
“Of course. What if the license plates were stolen too?”
“Probably were. The VIN’s been scraped off.”
“That fits. We decided he was a pro. Now it’s a matter of who could afford his wages.”
“The mayor has that kind of money,” Dakota said.
Just then Bailey delivered a large plate with four cinnamon buns from the kitchen and placed them in front of Stone. He took one look, and his smile was so bright it lit up the room. “Do I get double because of my size?” he asked. “Or have these pigs already eaten this much?”
She gave him a gentle smile. “Your size has nothing to do with it. If you need more, you tell me. They’re already on seconds.”
He glared at the men. “You would’ve finished all of them without even telling me they were here, wouldn’t you?”
Levi snorted. “As you would have too, if you’d been here first.” He looked at Stone’s plate. “That’s your first serving. We only got half that, so quit your complaining.”
Bailey smiled and disappeared into the kitchen.
Stone lowered his voice. “What’s with the upside-down one? Did she drop it?”
Dakota snickered. “You should try those first.”
Stone gave him a look of disbelief. “She meant to put it upside down?” He picked it up and took his first bite. And then he stopped, a look of complete rapture on his face.
Dakota realized just how true that adage was. The way to a man’s heart was through his stomach. Still his heart had already been awakened and on alert status when it met Bailey. But to know she could cook like this … Talk about being a keeper.
He almost choked at the word. If ever something meant forever, marriage and permanency, it was that word. Not so much related to this group, but he knew Mason, another SEAL at the Coronado base. Mason’s Keepers group was legendary. And of course Legendary was Levi’s group’s name. Levi didn’t ever want to hear the word heroes used in conjunction with his group, yet there was no doubt about it; the women had coined multiple hero phrases as they had all joined the group. However, Levi probably liked those better than the matchmaking jokes.
Dakota wasn’t sure what Bailey would think about all that yet. Or if she was even interested. He had to question why he was thinking about it. He was interested in her, but he knew she was still hurting from the loss of her husband. Not to mention she was a woman in need. And he’d never leave anyone in need if he could give assistance.
“Next move?” he asked Levi.
Levi laid down his fork, finished his last mouthful, then said, “Mannford will be here soon. He’ll pick up the prisoner and take him to town.”
Dakota nodded. “I know I’m from California and new here, but this is Texas. Any reason we can’t just take him up the hill and shoot him?”
Levi gave a bark of laughter. “I keep forgetting how bloodthirsty you are. If we’d done so at the time, the attack would’ve been completely justified, but we needed information from him.”
“We could just beat it out of him,” Bailey said with a dark undertone from the doorway. She eyed Stone’s plate, checking on his progress. But, since he still had one and a half left, she seemed content to leave him to finish it. “We’re allowed to protect our property in any way, shape or means.”
“That’s correct, but torture is still not an allowable method of defense,” Levi said gently.
Her shoulders dropped. “Right.” She turned and walked back into the kitchen.
Dakota smiled. “She’s been through a lot these last couple days.”
“She’s a trooper,” Stone said, although his words were hard to hear through the cinnamon bun in his mouth. He picked up the last bun and ate it in a few bites, setting his empty plate off to the side. “She’s not only a trooper but she can cook. Nice choice, Dakota.”
He shook his head. “It wasn’t a choice.”
Stone nodded sagely. “Isn’t that the truth? When we get hit, we get hit, and we can do absolutely nothing about it.”
“Hey, that’s not what I meant either,” Dakota protested. But the other men weren’t listening.
“Do we trust Mannford?” Rhodes asked.
“We have to trust somebody. He is the detective on the case. And he comes highly recommended by Logan’s father.”
“Gunner? Maybe he could help out Bailey.”
Levi shrugged. “He’s been traveling lately, so I haven’t brought him in on it. Not even sure he’s home.”
“What about the other new recruits?” Dakota asked. “We’re shorthanded anyway. Don’t you have other men you can bring in?”
Levi propped his elbows on the table. “I’ve spoken to Michael several times, but, so far, he’s turned me down.”
“Michael?” Dakota asked. “Do I know him?”
Rhodes piped up. “Michael Hampton. He did his time—left on a very sour note. Hell of a man, hell of a warrior. But his attitude toward the military brass took a hit.”
Dakota snorted. “It did for a lot of us.”
“Indeed. Now he’s resting while he decides what he wants to do with his life. He lives a couple hours from here in a small town in Texas. But nothing is keeping him there. We keep coaxing him to move here.”
“Give him time. It might work out.”
“Maybe. But Michael is like a wall of granite that refuses to move when he doesn’t want to. You”—Levi pointed at Dakota—“would just want to push him along. As for other recruits, there are a few,” Levi said slowly. “We just vetted two more. I’m not sure I have enough work to keep everybody going.”
“And yet look at us,” Rhodes said.
Stone nodded. “The world is in a rough place right now. That’s why we’re so busy.”
A horn honked outside. They turned to the security screen to see a sedan sitting on the other side of the locked gate. Stone got up, walked over to the control panel and called out, “Identify yourself.” As they waited, the monitor revealed the face of the man in the car.
“Detective Mannford.”
“You’re early.”
“I am? Or I’m late. I haven’t been to bed yet.”
Stone hit the buzzer to unlock the gate. It swung wide.
It was a sign of how tired Dakota was that he hadn’t even noticed the sound of the gate closing behind Stone as he drove the gunman’s vehicle inside the compound earlier. They had several remotes they could take out with them if they needed to come back in on their own. It was a good system. Until people lost remotes, which happened a little too often to make everybody happy.
Mannford drove to the back door and parked. Stone walked over, opened the door and said, “You are just in time for coffee and a cinnamon bun.”
“I won’t say no,” the man said, fatigue coloring his voice. “I don’t mind telling you, it’s been a pretty rough night.”
“What’s happened?”
Mannford stopped in the middle the room and looked at Levi. “The mayor’s been shot.”