Chapter One
Miranda White had already been up for over two hours. It was just past five in the morning, and it was a typical day for her. She stacked the cookies she’d made for the café into a huge bakery box, mumbling under her breath. “Bob had better not complain about these cookies. They’re perfect just like they are. I swear I’ll stick one up his nose if he starts in on me this morning.”
She taped the box shut before pulling on her warm winter coat. December at River’s End Ranch had never been warm. It had never even been moderate! Idaho was not the place to live if you were a wilting flower where snow was concerned.
She pulled on gloves and wrapped her scarf around her neck. Picking up the bakery box, she stepped out into the cold wind. Trudging through six inches of snow to deliver cookies that were going to be griped about when she arrived was not her idea of fun. “Do I tell him how to make a burger? Of course I don’t. But there he is…grumbling about the way I make my cookies. My cookies are perfect just as they are!”
By the time she’d reached Kelsey’s Kafé, she’d worked herself into a true anger. She was done taking any flak from that man concerning her cookies. She’d do what she did best, and he could do what he did best. It was a simple as that.
She was ready for a fight when she pushed open the door of the café, walking straight to the counter and setting the box down. “Morning, Kelsi! I brought your cookies.”
Kelsi grinned at her. “Thank you so much.”
Miranda eyed Kelsi. “You look very happy this morning.”
Kelsi sighed happily. “I just love Christmas. Can’t you feel the love in the air?”
“Sure?”
A voice from the kitchen bellowed, “Is that Miranda? I need to see those cookies before she leaves!”
“The cookies are perfect, Bob! You need to get off my back!” Miranda shouted back at the cantankerous chef.
Bob came out of the kitchen, and without even a word of greeting, he opened her bakery box. He picked up one of the cookies and counted the chocolate chips. “Twelve. There are twelve chips. How many times do I have to tell you that you need fifteen? We have a business to run here, and we do not need skimpy cookies.”
It was all Miranda could do not to climb over the counter and hit him. “My cookies are perfect just the way they are. They don’t need more chocolate chips! I’m not going to keep arguing with you about this. I don’t tell you how to cook, and you don’t tell me how to bake. Comprende?”
“This is my café. People expect the food to be held to a certain standard. These cookies are sub-standard.” He folded his arms over his chest, glaring at her.
Miranda closed her eyes and counted to ten. “There are days when I want to hit you over the head with my rolling pin, Bob Blakely!”
“And there are days when I want to force feed you your inferior chocolate chip cookies! So what?” Bob leaned onto the counter between them. “Are you trying to pick a fight with me, Miranda?”
“I’m trying to get you to see reason. People don’t count chocolate chips in their cookies. Only you do that. Real people eat the cookies, and they enjoy the combination of flavors. They don’t need to be beaten over the head with chocolate!”
Bob looked at Kelsi. “Tell Wade we need a new baker. This one is obviously unwilling to accept constructive criticism.”
Kelsi bit her lip, obviously trying not to laugh at the two of them. “Do you want breakfast this morning, Miranda? I can have Bob whip something up for you before you head back to the bakery.”
Miranda smiled sweetly. “That would be really nice. I’ll have two eggs over medium, hash browns, bacon, and orange juice.”
Bob turned and walked to the kitchen, mumbling under his breath. “With arsenic on the eggs. Got it.”
“I heard that!” Miranda called to Bob.
“You were meant to!” Bob called back.
Miranda took one of the stools at the counter, shrugging out of her coat. “I don’t know how you can work so closely with that man and not murder him.”
Kelsi shrugged. “He’s not that bad when you’re not around.”
“Hard to believe.” Miranda took the juice Kelsi put in front of her. “How are you feeling? You’re really starting to show.”
Kelsi turned to the side, putting her hands on her belly. “I’m huge! I love every second of it. I mean, my feet hurt, but who cares? I have this amazing little girl growing inside me.”
“Have you and Shane picked a name yet?” The last Miranda had heard, Kelsi was calling the baby Wilhelmina, but it was Herberta before that, and Shania before that.
Kelsi frowned. “Not yet. He’s killing me. He doesn’t like any of the names I pick! I’m growing her. I should get to pick the name, right?”
Miranda silently agreed with Shane. All of the names Kelsi chose were ridiculous. “You should definitely have a say in the name of your child.”
Kelsi glared at Miranda, obviously catching her caveat in the statement. “Well, Zsa Zsa and I like my names just fine.”
“Zsa Zsa?” Miranda couldn’t help but grin. “That one is just as special as all the others.”
“I like it! Doesn’t it make her sound glamorous?”
Thankfully Bob came out with her breakfast then, putting it in front of her. He stood and watched her pick up her fork. “I’m not going to eat with you watching me, Bob.”
“I think you’re the most stubborn woman I have ever had the misfortune to meet.”
“Coming from you, that’s a compliment. Go away, Bob. I’m tired of your bad attitude and complaints.” She took a bite of the eggs, sighing. “What seasoning did you put on these?” The eggs were amazing, as was everything Bob cooked. If he wasn’t such a marvelous chef, she’d have hired a hit on him months before. He made her that crazy.
“Like I’m going to give you my secret.” Bob grinned as he turned away from her. Sometimes these short moments in the morning when he got to torment Miranda were the highlights of his day.
“Someone forgot to teach you manners, Bob Blakely!” Miranda watched as he walked into the kitchen without another word. “That man would make a saint start cussing.”
Kelsi grinned. “This is true. Very true. You should come to my house for dinner and card games tonight. It’s been a long time since we had anyone over.”
Miranda shrugged. “Sounds like fun. Don’t forget my early bedtime, though.”
“Mine is early too. Let’s start at four.”
“I’ll bring dessert.”
Kelsi’s eyes widened. “Zsa Zsa likes sugar and a lot of it.”
When Miranda was finished, she leaned forward so she could drop her voice. “Find out what Bob puts on his eggs.”
Kelsi giggled. “The seasoning?”
“Yup. I have to know.”
Miranda found herself grinning on her way back to the bakery. A good fight with Bob was the perfect way to get her blood pumping in the mornings. She’d have to take a different kind of cookie to the bakery tomorrow. That way he wouldn’t be able to complain about the chips. Her eyes widened as she came up with the perfect thing. She’d prep them today and bake them first thing in the morning. Bob would have a fit!
*****
Bob loved days that started with fighting with Miranda. At first, the chocolate chip thing had been real, but after trying one of her cookies, he had to agree, they were perfect as they were. Now—well, it was just fun to torment her.
He was working on his special of the day — Creole shrimp, dirty rice, and garlic bread — when he noticed Kelsi talking to Bridget, the nurse who ran the first aid station and her sister, Kaya. Kaya wasn’t usually up at this hour. What were they talking about? They had their heads together and all three were giggling.
Whatever. It didn’t matter.
After the sisters had left, Kelsi popped her head in the kitchen. “You should come to supper tonight, Bob. Might be fun to do card games.”
Bob frowned at her. “I guess that’s okay. Remember I need to be to bed early though. Food doesn’t prep itself.”
“That’s fine. I’ll make my famous enchiladas.”
Bob shook his head. “No thanks. You know I prefer my own cooking. I’ll bring something for supper.”
Kelsi shrugged. “More power to you. I’d rather take a nap between work and supper anyway. It’s good for Zsa Zsa. I’ll see you at four.”
Bob nodded, going back to cooking. He hated when he ran out of his special early in the day, and his dirty rice was popular.
*****
Miranda changed out of her white baker’s uniform and into jeans and a sweater for the evening at the Clappers’ house. She hadn’t been invited there before, and she was excited to get out and spend time with people. She’d been at the ranch for almost a year, but working as hard as she did made it hard to make friends.
She’d only been out on one date since coming to the ranch, and that was with Andrew, the engineer. She wasn’t sure why, but they hadn’t clicked, and she’d never gone out with him again.
Oh, there were definitely people she’d made a bond with. Bridget the Midget came to mind. The nurse came into her bakery every single morning for a sweet. They’d become fast friends, and Miranda loved it when Pastor Kevin came by to choose a special treat for his sweet, but slightly insane, wife.
She drove her old beat-up VW Beetle into town, smiling as she patted the steering wheel. She didn’t know what it was about these cars, but she’d loved them since she’d played punch-buggy in the backseat of the car with her kid sister. She pulled into Kelsi’s driveway, happy to just be out for a change. December had so many hours of darkness that sometimes it was hard to keep her head above water.
Kelsi’s car was parked in the driveway along with the sheriff’s four-wheel-drive city-issued vehicle. Miranda knocked on the door, clutching the cheesecake she’d made in one arm. She’d heard Kelsi had a soft spot for cheesecake, and she wanted to make the expectant mama happy.
The door opened, and the sheriff smiled down at her. “Come on in. Kelsi’s getting a nap. I’ll go wake her.”
“Oh, am I early?” Miranda knew she was a little early, but only about five minutes.
“You’re fine. She decided to sleep until you got here. No big deal. The more she sleeps the more she comes up with awful names for our daughter!”
“What do you want to name her?” She stepped into the small house, looking around. It didn’t look like a place she’d expect a Weston to live, but as Kelsi had told her, she was a Clapper now.
“I was thinking Victoria. We could call her Tori. Isn’t that sweet?”
Miranda nodded. “So much better than the names Kelsi keeps coming up with. I think Herberta and Zsa Zsa are my favorites so far.”
“I don’t know how we’re ever going to agree on anything.” Shane ran his fingers through his hair. “We’ve got three months, though. I can convince her to be reasonable in three months, right?”
“Do we know the same Kelsi?” Miranda asked, her eyes twinkling.
There was another knock on the door, and Miranda went to put her cheesecake on the counter. She’d done a s’mores cheesecake, knowing that poor Kelsi was craving chocolate like a champ. Combining her favorite with her craving should make things fun.
When she turned from the counter, she frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. “Really? Bob?”
Bob grinned, putting a few containers of food on the counter. “Food is here. Bob is here. It’s time for a party!” He held his hands out to both sides and did a little shimmy as he said party.
“Maybe Bob could leave the food and go back to his kitchen on the ranch where he reigns supreme?”
“Maybe Miranda could start being nice to Bob, who only ever wanted to help her to make her baked goods the best they could be.”
Miranda took a step closer to Bob, her head cranked back as she looked up at him. “Don’t you start with me, Bob Blakely!” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the sheriff—she couldn’t think of him as Shane—slip away. Probably to wake Kelsi.
Bob grinned, his eyes filled with humor. “You wanna know something, Miranda White?”
“Probably not. But I’m sure you’re going to tell me anyway.”
“I like you.”
She blinked at him a few times. “You like to torment me, you mean?”
“Well that too.” He shook his head, his slightly-too-long dark hair swinging from his forehead. “No, I mean that you’re beautiful, and I think I want to kiss you.”
Her eyes grew wide. “You can’t kiss me if you hate my cookies! What are you thinking?”
He put his hands on her shoulders, holding her in place while he took a step closer to her. “Your lips have nothing to do with your cookies.”
“But—.” Her words were cut off by his lips descending on hers. For a moment, she stood there in silence, trying to understand a world that had just rotated on its axis, but then she got into the spirit of the moment. She wrapped her arms around him and moved a little closer.
When he lifted his head, he grinned down at her. “Yup. That’s just what I was thinking would happen. Fireworks.”
She stared up at him, having no idea what to say or do. How could she exist in a world where Bob Blakely could kiss like that? He made her tummy tingle and her brain all mushy.
Kelsi broke the silence. “Oh good, you both came. Now we can eat! What did you bring me to eat, Bob?” She walked into the kitchen and peered at the containers curiously.
Miranda took a step back from him. It took everything she could do not to put her hand on her chest to try to calm her rapidly beating heart. She turned and looked out the window over the kitchen sink, trying to calm her nerves. She knew she was blushing. Why was she blushing?
Kelsi got out plates and silverware, seemingly unaware of anything happening. Miranda was unsure how she couldn’t feel it. The tension was thick enough to cut with a chainsaw.
Bob smiled, his eyes still focused on Miranda. “I brought leftovers from the café today. I made extra of the special, and thought it would make a good supper here.”
“You’re my hero, Bob. You know I never get enough of spicy foods.” Kelsi patted her burgeoning stomach. “This baby had better be born knowing how to handle her red pepper.”
Shane walked to the fridge. “How ’bout drinks for everyone? Water? Root beer? Milk? There are a couple of cokes at the back of the fridge, but I’m not sure how long they’ve been there…”
Miranda shrugged. “When in Rome...” She turned from the sink, finally having gotten her emotions under control. “I’ll have a root beer.” Bob’s eyes were on her, but she pretended not to notice.
“Water’s good,” Bob said. “My cooking needs no embellishment.” He helped Miranda remove the lids of the containers he’d brought food in, making certain to bump elbows with her. “It should all still be hot.”
Kelsi took a sniff of the dirty rice. “Oh, that’s awesome. I didn’t even have to add much seasoning to this when I had it for lunch.” She quickly set the table, helping Shane with drinks for everyone. “I thought we’d play euchre after dinner. If you two don’t play, we’ll teach you.”
“Sounds good to me,” Miranda told her. “I’ve never played, but I like learning new games.” Miranda and Shane carried the food over. “Should we grab anything else?”
Kelsi shook her head, grabbing a handful of napkins and throwing them in the middle of the table. “Just sit. I think we have everything.”
Miranda avoided Bob’s glances throughout the meal. She concentrated on talking to Kelsi instead. “Have you gotten your nursery put together yet?”
“Some. Not the whole thing. I want to add some pretty little girly things. Maybe some Zs.”
Miranda bit back a laugh. “Do you have a theme?” She had always been crafty and thought a baby quilt would be something she would enjoy making for Kelsi’s baby.
“Minnie Mouse. Is there a more perfect theme for a little girl?” Kelsi reached for a small green shaker can of Creole seasoning and dumped it onto her dirty rice, ignoring Bob’s glare. “It just needed a little something.”
“The rice was perfect as it was. Stop messing with my food.” For a moment, Bob contemplated making her switch plates with him, but he didn’t want to eat it after she’d ruined it.
Miranda gaped at Bob, looking at him fully for the first time since they’d kissed in the kitchen. “Are you kidding me? You tell me I need more chocolate chips all the time!”
“That’s different. That’s one professional to another. This is a lay person messing up my food!” Bob shocked Miranda by winking at her.
She looked down at her plate and continued eating in silence. It was seasoned perfectly, but she reached for Kelsi’s seasoning and sprinkled a tiny bit onto her food. She couldn’t handle much more, but she wasn’t about to tell him that. “You’re right, Kelsi. It does need a little something.”
Bob watched Miranda do her best to eat the meal without a drink of root beer between every bite. He couldn’t believe she was so stubborn that she would torture herself just to bug him. “Do you need a little more?” he asked.
“No, I think it’s good now.”
After dinner, Bob and Miranda did the dishes, while Kelsi sat with Shane. “You need to behave yourself,” Miranda hissed at Bob. “Kelsi should be able to add as much seasoning as she wants to her food. She’s pregnant!”
“I work with the woman every day. Trust me—I know what she’s capable of.” He sighed. “Let’s call a truce for the night. We’ll just enjoy playing cards and no arguing about chocolate chips.”
She looked at him, her eyes meeting his nervously. “Truce.”
He smiled, squeezing her hand as he loaded the dishwasher. “I’m going to follow you home tonight.”
She shook her head. “You don’t have to do that. I’m just a couple of blocks over. It’s a quiet town.”
“I don’t care how quiet it is. I’m going to watch out for you. We need to talk anyway.”
She shrugged, putting the last plate into the dishwasher and reaching for the dish soap under the sink. She added it and started the dishwasher, heading into the dining room where Shane and Kelsi were waiting for them. Shane had a thin deck of cards in his hand, beside him a pile of cards he’d sorted out of the deck.
He explained the game carefully as he dealt. She and Kelsi were a team and Shane played with Bob. “After you two figure out how to play, we’ll switch up. I like playing with Kelsi best,” Shane told them, grinning at his pretty wife.
Kelsi blew him a kiss, patting her baby bump. “She’s kicking.” She looked at Miranda. “Zsa Zsa always starts kicking when she hears Shane’s voice. He’s her favorite person. Her mama’s favorite person too.”
Shane grinned at her, instructing everyone to pick up the cards he’d dealt. He talked about the right and left bowers, explaining their purpose in a good hand. The first hand they played with the cards face up, so they could be helped.
When it was time for the second hand, Kelsi took a piece of the cheesecake, groaning a little as she took a bite. “Miranda, you should call this cake Sin. There’s no better name for it. Now we’re playing a game for real. This is war.”
Miranda grinned, not at all surprised. Kelsi wasn’t the type to do anything halfway, even if it was playing a confusing card game. “We’ll wipe the floor with them, Kelsi.”
Kelsi grinned. “That’s what I need to hear.”
The women did take the first game, and then Shane and Miranda switched places, so Miranda was across the table from Bob, and Shane was across from Kelsi. Miranda surprised herself with how nervous she was playing with Bob. This morning, he was just a big bozo who yelled at her about cookies. Now—she didn’t know what he was now, but he was more. So much more than just a cook who didn’t like her cookies. She didn’t know where they were going, or why they were suddenly on this road to that place…but she was pleased.
Bob watched Miranda as she took her turn to deal. She was careful as she dealt the cards in twos and threes as Shane had shown them, and she was careful not to look straight at him. Did he have little Miranda running scared? He hoped so. Would be so much more fun when he caught her.