by
Shanna Hatfield
Books by Shanna Hatfield
FICTION
The Women of Tenacity Series
The Women of Tenacity - A Prelude
Heart of Clay
Country Boy vs. City Girl
Not His Type
Grass Valley Cowboys Series
The Cowboy’s Christmas Plan
><><
NON-FICTION
Savvy Holiday Entertaining
The Cowboy’s Christmas Plan
Copyright 2011
by Shanna Hatfield
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
For permission requests, please contact the author, with a subject line of "permission request” at the email address below or through her website.
Shanna Hatfield
shanna@shannahatfield.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
Thank you for downloading this ebook. It remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied and distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy at Smashwords.com, where they can also discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support.
To my favorite Sherman County redhead -
Thanks for your encouragement, support and friendship.
You are amazing and a continual inspiration!
Chapter One
Everyone has a plan 'till they get punched in the mouth.
Mike Tyson
“I don’t think I heard you correctly, Neil. Would you please repeat that?” Cadence Vivian Greer asked, looking at her boss in disbelief.
He has to be wrong, her mind screamed, while her body morphed into a consistency quite similar to watery oatmeal.
Neil Dumont took her by the elbow and steered her into one of his plush leather office chairs. Ordering her to put her head down between her knees, he released a long sigh.
“Cadence, I know this is a surprise, but it really shouldn’t come as a shock,” Neil said, sitting down next to her as he expertly patted her shoulder. Cadence absently wondered if he had a lot of practice comforting hysterical young women, since his daughter was her age.
“I know, Neil, but I need you to tell me exactly what happened,” she whispered, sitting up and dabbing at her eyes with her finger. She couldn’t fully wrap her head around the notion that all her carefully crafted plans for the future were falling around her like a crop of bad apples knocked from the tree.
Neil, one of the founding partners of the prestigious law firm where she worked in Seattle, was well-respected. A family man with a wife of 32 years and two great kids, he was someone Cadence admired. Normally, she heeded his advice. When it came to Bill, however, she had blocked out his warnings and done as she pleased.
Nodding his head, Neil handed her his pristine white handkerchief and cleared his throat, just like he did before stepping before a judge in the courtroom. Cadence knew what that sound meant. After working as Neil’s personal assistant for the past four years, she was familiar with all the sounds he made when he prepared to do verbal battle and win.
“Cadence, I warned you when you began working here to stay away from guys like Bill. I warned you when you two started dating that it wouldn’t end well. I even warned you when you announced your engagement to be careful. I know you, Cadence. You are a no-nonsense kind of girl, so don’t make me sugarcoat this. Bill sent an email out last night to all the attorneys in the office stating he had called off his engagement to you and was eloping with Miss Roberts.”
“But Bill said…” Cadence was cut off before she could finish her thought.
“I’m sure he said he loved you, that you were the best thing that ever happened to him, that he’d spend his life making you happy. What he failed to mention was that he has chased after every skirt in this office while you two were supposedly engaged and Miss Roberts didn’t even try to make it hard to be caught. You really shouldn’t be surprised that a guy like Bill would run off with his secretary.”
“How did I not see this coming?” Cadence said, starting to move on the emotional scale from devastated to angry. “How could he do this a week before our wedding?”
Cadence was more than flattered when Bill Aimes continually sought her out on breaks, walked her to her car after work, and invited her out for coffee. The hot-shot attorney was tall, handsome, successful and charming.
With a sigh of disgust, she thought about where that charm had gotten her.
For the first time in her life, Cadence felt like an idiot and a failure. If Bill had punched her in the face, she couldn’t feel any more abused, violated, and hurt than she did right at this moment.
Bill definitely pulled the rug out from beneath her. Refusing to move in with him until after the wedding, Cadence had given notice on her tiny apartment and sold off all her furniture. Bill owned a beautiful condo with posh furnishings and made it clear he didn’t want her hand-me-downs or second-hand finds in his sleek and modern environment.
And now Cadence had nothing.
“What am I going to do?” Cadence said, staring at Neil with a look of despair in her hazel eyes.
“Take a few days off, let your thoughts clear and give your heart time to mend, then come back to work with your head held high,” Neil said in his commanding voice. “You didn’t do a thing wrong, Cadence, except fall for a man who is completely undeserving of your love.”
“Be that as it may, I can’t keep working here. Not with him and his new bride coming back. I just couldn’t do it, Neil.”
“Now, Cadence, don’t be hasty,” Neil said, growing more alarmed by the look of determination on Cadence’s face than by anything that had happened so far. “Once the dust settles, tongues will be wagging about another juicy bit of gossip and all will be forgotten.”
“Maybe by the others, but not by me,” Cadence said, getting up and pacing across Neil’s office. “I can’t keep working here knowing I’ll run into him every time I turn around. It would be like rubbing salt in a wound on a daily basis. I don’t have a choice, Neil. I have to leave.”
Rising from his chair, Neil studied Cadence. She was the best assistant he’d ever had. If she wanted, she could have made an excellent attorney. Her mind was sharp, her demeanor cool and professional, and she quickly picked up on even the most infinitesimal details, except when it came to Bill.
Releasing another sigh, Neil knew Cadence was correct. Having to work in the same office with her former fiancé would be a form of torture. He’d love to see Bill kicked to the curb, but the fact that Bill’s uncle was one of the firm’s partners insured good ol’ Bill would still have a job when he returned from his honeymoon.
“Cadence, maybe I can make a few calls and find you a position elsewhere,” Neil offered as he walked up behind her where she stared out the window into the gray, rain-laden sky.
Turning, Cadence gave him the barest hint of a smile.
“Thanks, Neil, for the offer. But no thank you,” she said, shaking her head. “I’ve made up my mind. I’m leaving. I’ll start over somewhere else.”
“Where will you go? What will you do?” Neil knew she grew up in a middle class home in the suburbs. Her parents had worked hard to help put her through college. As an only child, Cadence had been utterly alone since her parents announced a year ago they were moving to southern Mexico, where they could live inexpensively and enjoy an early retirement. They’d been saving their pennies for years to live out their dream. Still, Cadence never thought they would actually go and leave her behind. Alone.
Maybe that was part of the reason she had been in such a rush to marry Bill. She needed to fill the quiet left by the departure of her parents. Cadence talked to her parents once a month or so and she often spoke of an aunt who lived out in the sticks.
“What if you go spend some time with your aunt in Oregon? I bet she’d take you in until you can decide what your next step should be,” Neil suggested with fatherly concern.
“Aunt Viv?” Cadence instantly warmed to the idea. Of course! She could go spend some time with Aunt Vivian and Uncle Joe in Grass Valley before she made any further mistakes or decisions.
Cadence smiled at Neil. “That’s perfect, Neil. Thank you for the suggestion. I hate to leave you without an assistant, but I feel like the sooner I can cut my ties and leave town, the better off I’ll be. Besides, I only have my apartment for another three days. I was going to stay at the hotel with my parents until the wedding.”
“You know I hate losing you, Cadence. You’ve been a top-notch assistant and if there is ever anything I can do for you, you let me know.”
Sticking out her hand, Cadence offered Neil a handshake, but he pulled her into a warm hug. “You’ve become like a daughter to me and all I get is a handshake? I think not.”
Letting out a shaky laugh, Cadence hugged him back and again brushed at her tears.
“Now, I better go pack up my desk and get out of here.”
Before Cadence finished cleaning out her desk, Neil walked by with a wink and a smile, dropping an envelope into the box she was filling with her personal belongings.
“You be sure and keep in touch,” Neil said as he stood in his office door. “I want to know you landed on both feet and are doing just fine.”
“I will, Neil, and thanks again.”
Cadence picked up the box and her purse, hurrying out to her car. Waiting until she was back at the apartment, she opened the envelope to find her wages due plus a hefty bonus that would help her start fresh somewhere else. A note from Neil simply said, “You’ve more than earned it.”
Sagging onto the one chair left in her apartment, Cadence let the tears flow. When they subsided, she straightened her shoulders, picked up the phone and began calling people to tell them the wedding was off, starting with her mom and dad.
><><
Watching the city’s skyline recede to a blur in her rearview mirror, Cadence let out another sigh. Things could not get any worse unless she suffered the same fate as Lot’s wife for looking back and ended up as a pillar of salt. And with the sky pouring down a steady drizzle of rain, the salt would quickly wash away and leave no trace behind.
She wished once again that her white-knuckled grip around the steering wheel was instead around Bill’s neck.
What kind of man runs off with his secretary days before his wedding?
The kind who isn’t worth crying over, as Aunt Vivian had told her multiple times during the last few painful days.
At 27, she was homeless, jobless, and jilted.
In her worst nightmares, Cadence would never have pictured herself in her current predicament. She was too serious, too organized, too grounded to let something like this happen.
And yet it had.
At least the last three days had passed in a blur. By the time she notified all her family and friends of the situation, returned the gifts, and reclaimed what funds she could from the canceled wedding plans, she was ready to leave and forget she had ever heard the name Bill Aimes.
As she drove south on the freeway toward Portland, she contemplated her journey to the middle of nowhere to stay with her Aunt Vivian in a self-imposed exile until she could figure out what she wanted to do with her life.
Casting one more glance in the mirror, Cadence mentally waved goodbye to the only life she’d ever known, resolved to face an entirely new one with tenacity and courage.
><><
Cadence stopped in Portland to do a little shopping before she finished the drive to Grass Valley. Her aunt assured her there were no malls, and suggested she might want to pick up a few things before heading east on the freeway.
When Cadence got back on I-84, she was the owner of six pairs of jeans, a handful of t-shirts, a dozen cotton blouses, a few sweatshirts, a warm waterproof coat and a pair of sturdy hiking shoes.
Growing up in the city and working at the law firm, Cadence’s wardrobe consisted of power suits, silk blouses, and high heels. Her casual wear included slacks, ballet flats and cashmere sweaters. Nothing that would be very useful in a country community as Aunt Viv had pointed out.
Pulling off the freeway a couple of hours later, Cadence turned south on Highway 97 and drove through the small towns of Biggs and Moro before she came to Grass Valley, population 170.
A sigh escaped as she stopped the car in front of her aunt’s pride and joy, Viv’s Café, and went inside.
Goodbye Seattle, Starbucks and Nordstrom.
Hello greasy spoon.
Chapter Two
The method of the enterprising is to plan with audacity and execute with vigor.
Christian Nestell Bovee
Timothy Andrew Thompson III, known from the day he was born as Trey, removed his dirty Stetson and wiped the sweat from his brow. Running a hand through his sun-streaked hair, he settled the hat back in place.
“Do you remember it ever being this warm in September?” he asked his brother, Trent, who was leaning over his horse’s bent leg, hammering on another horseshoe.
Removing the last nail from his mouth and tapping it into place, Trent squinted through the bright afternoon sunlight at his older brother. “Nope, but I reckon it won’t last much longer. Supposed to drop off cold in a few weeks.”
“Well, I think I might be ready for some cooler weather,” Trey said, as he put away their farrier tools and cleaned up the mess left behind from trimming and shoeing their horses.
“Sure you are,” Trent said, a teasing gleam in his blue eyes. “As soon as it freezes, you’ll do nothing but complain about how cold it is until the spring thaw sets in. You’ve got to learn to live in the moment and enjoy it, bro.”
Trey grinned at his brother. “And when did you go and get all philosophical? You been hanging out at the school trying to get a date with Miss Lindsay again? You’ve really got to stop mooning over that girl.”
Trent turned a narrowed gaze to Trey. “I do not hang out at the school and I certainly don’t moon over any female.” Trent rubbed the nose of his horse, “Except maybe this one. Lass is worth her weight in gold, aren’t you?”
The horse answered by bobbing her head and rubbing it against Trent’s chest.
Trey couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re pathetic.”
“Look who’s talking. When was the last time you had a date?” Trent questioned as he turned the horse loose in the pasture. “And escorting Mom and her cronies around does not count.”
Trey refused to take Trent’s bait and changed the subject as they walked toward the house.
“I think we should get cleaned up and head in to Viv’s for dinner. I don’t think I can stomach any more of your cooking or mine,” Trey said, holding open the back door for Trent to walk in ahead of him. Pausing inside the mud room, they removed their dusty boots, hung their hats on pegs and brushed at their dirty jeans. Old habits die hard.
Looking at each other, they grinned.
“Guess we’ll never forget to remove our boots before going inside after Mom and Lois drummed that lesson through our thick skulls,” Trey said as they walked through the mudroom into the kitchen. Washing up at the sink, Trey pulled two cans of Mountain Dew out of the refrigerator and slid one over to Trent. Wiping the cold rivulets beading down the can onto his jean-clad leg, Trey popped the top and took a sip.
“Why did Lois have to go and retire on us?” Trent asked, taking a deep drink of the soda. “It was bad enough when Mom up and moved to The Dalles, but to have Lois abandon us too left us in dire straits.”
Trey leaned against the counter. “I don’t think we’re exactly in dire straits, although we could definitely use another housekeeper and cook. But it isn’t like they grow on trees out here.”
Some people might refer to Grass Valley as the middle of nowhere. The sticks. Last stop before the edge of the planet gave way to a black abyss.
Trey and his brothers preferred to call it God’s country.
The Thompson family settled into Grass Valley back in the late 1800s and had been there since. Located in the central Oregon high desert country, the rolling hills of wheat and pastures filled with cattle were about as close to heaven on earth as Trey thought anyone could find. Especially on a day when blue sky stretched as far as the eye could see, interrupted by the occasional fluffy white cloud.
When his father passed away six years ago of a heart attack, Trey wasn’t sure how he and his brothers would keep the ranch going. He was only 24 at the time, Trent was 21 and their youngest brother Travis was 18. But they “put their backs into it” as their father taught them and kept things rolling along just like Drew Thompson would have done.
Their mother, Denni, was heartbroken when their father passed away and just couldn’t stay on the ranch where they had lived and loved for nearly 30 years. So she moved an hour away to The Dalles, went to work for one of her friends in a quilt and crafts store, and started a new life. The boys tried to visit her every other Sunday. Sometimes she drove out to meet them at the little country church in Grass Valley and came out to the ranch with them on the weekends when they didn’t drive into The Dalles.
Trey often wondered if it hurt their mother to see them. All three brothers looked like their father, muscular and solidly built. People knew better than to mess with one of the Thompson boys.
Although Trey was the shortest at 5’11”, Travis came in at 6’1” while Trent topped the charts at 6’5”. What Trey lacked in height, he more than made up for with broad shoulders, thick chest, and a commanding presence.
A few people had even been known to say he was the best looking of the Thompson boys. With a square jaw, thick wavy hair the color of fresh honey and a strong chin, he knew he had more than a few admirers among the female population. The fact that he inherited his grandmother’s striking aquamarine eyes didn’t hurt one bit either when he set out to charm the ladies.
His charm had gotten him nowhere with Lois. He finally came right out and begged her not to leave. Lois had been a housekeeper and cook for the family for as long as Trey could remember. When she became a grandmother in July, she decided she was ready to retire and moved to Boise to be close to her one and only daughter. At least she waited until after the wheat was harvested to pack up and leave.
So for the last month, Trey and Trent did the best they could at housekeeping and cooking. Their few hired hands had realized right away they could do better fending for themselves in the bunkhouse kitchen and had not been back to sample a meal at the main house since Trent set a pan of pre-made lasagna on fire. They were really going to have to get serious about looking for a cook.
The ringing phone brought Trey out of his musings. Taking two steps across the floor, he answered on the second ring.
“Thompson Ranch,” Trey said politely.
“Trey! How’s it going?” asked a familiar voice that sounded a million miles away.
“Great! How are you doing? Where are you at?” Trey was surprised to hear the voice of his youngest brother on the line. Travis was on his second tour of Iraq and they hoped he would be home in time for Christmas.
“You know I can’t give you specifics, but I wanted to let you know I’m doing fine and I got the package you sent. Everything was appreciated,” Travis said, his voice echoing across the line.
“You’re welcome,” Trey said, a smile lifting the corners of his generous lips. “You’re sure you’re okay?”
“Yep. The only way I could be better is if I was there to give you and Trent heck for letting Lois leave. Who is going to feed me when I finally do get home?”
Trey laughed. “We were just discussing that when you called. I’m working on some ideas.”
“Work faster,” Travis joked. “I don’t want to come home and have to eat your cooking. That is a guaranteed death sentence. Now let me talk to Trent.”
Trey passed the phone off to Trent and listened to the one-sided conversation.
They all were proud and scared when Travis came home and told them he had enlisted in the Army. The day he left state-side for Iraq, Trey wasn’t sure their mother would be able to handle her baby heading to a war zone. She surprised them all by calmly wishing Travis well, reminding him to wear clean underwear and call home when he could.
As Trent said goodbye, he passed the phone back to Trey.
“You be careful, Trav. We expect to have you home for Christmas.”
“I plan on being there, but you get busy finding a new cook. I’m not coming home if you two are doing the cooking.”
Trey laughed. “And just where do you get off being so bossy?”
“It’s all part of my job. Bye, Trey. Give Mom and Nana a hug for me.”
“Will do. You take care.”
Trey hung up the phone when he heard Travis disconnect. Turning to Trent he gave him a thoughtful look.
“Well, you heard our little brother. We better find a new cook and housekeeper before he gets home. It’s time to get busy planning where we’re going to find one.”
><><
Occupied out on the ranch, it had been a few weeks since the Thompson brothers made a trip into town to eat. They walked in the doors of Viv’s Café during the dinner rush hour. It took them a few minutes to wander to an empty booth, stopping to chat with neighbors and catch up on the local news.
Taking a seat, they hung their cowboy hats on the hooks at the end of the booth then picked up the laminated menus that were kept in a wire holder between the ketchup and mustard bottles on the surprisingly shiny table. Viv didn’t usually worry about keeping a high shine on anything. She figured if it was sanitized, it was good enough.
“What do you think?” Trey asked, surveying the menu that hadn’t changed since Viv took over the café fifteen years earlier. “Chicken fried steak or meatloaf?”
“Hmm. Good question,” Trent said, his stomach already growling as he thought about eating a decent meal.
The sound of ice and water glasses hitting the floor quickly drew their attention to the table across from them.
A flustered looking woman bent to pick up the tray of water glasses she had dropped. Her dark brown hair was caught up in a severe bun and her face was a fiery shade of red.
“I’m so terribly sorry,” she said in a quiet voice to the family seated at the table. “Please accept my apologies.” She hustled around the table with the tray of glasses firmly in hand only to slip on a chunk of ice and slide right into Trey. The one glass that hadn’t yet spilled tipped over and ran down his front, soaking his shirt and jeans.
Sensing her humiliation, Trey reached out an arm to steady her. A flash of fire shot through his fingers and up his arm. Jerking his hand away, the woman drew in a gasp.
“I beg your pardon, sir. I’m so sorry,” she whispered as she took a step back, looking horrified by what she’d done.
“Well, I reckon its fine,” Trey said, a slow grin spreading across his handsome face. Although one side of his shirt was ice cold and clinging to his chest and it would look like he couldn’t hold water if he stood up, he was incapable of wiping the smile from his lips. “I’ll dry out by the time I’m finished eating. Don’t worry about it. I…”
Trey’s words were cut off when Viv hustled out of the back to see what all the commotion was about. Coming to a stop, she rested a hand on the woman’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze.
“Well, if it isn’t the Thompson boys, come to grace my fine establishment,” Viv teased. “I haven’t seen you two in a coon’s age. You get tired of your own cooking?”
Trent laughed. “Yes, Ma’am, we did.”
“That’s just what I thought,” Viv smiled. “Now, did you meet my niece Cadence? She’s helping me out for a while.”
Trent and Trey shot each other a look, but neither one said anything.
Trey nodded his head in the woman’s direction and continued to smile.
“Nice to meet you Mrs…”
“It’s Miss Greer,” Viv said, looking between Trey and Cadence. “But you can call her Cadence. No need to be formal out here, is there?”
“No, Ma’am,” Trent agreed. “No need at all.”
Trent stood up and stuck out his hand. “I’m Trent Thompson and this is my brother Trey.”
Cadence looked up and then looked up some more to see Trent towering above her 5’6” frame. She managed to work up a small smile and take his hand without dropping the tray again. Turning her head, she stuck her hand out to his brother. He stood up, and she was glad to see he wasn’t quite so tall.
Darting a glance at his face, she was surprised by his eyes. Their color was the exact same brilliant shade as the Sea of Cortez, or at least how the water looked in the photo her parents had emailed her yesterday. Laugh lines crinkled at the corners of his eyes and his lips parted to show even, white teeth. She felt her own lips curl into a smile as she studied the cowboy named Trey. To say he was handsome would be making a gross underestimation of the truth. He was steal-your-breath-away gorgeous.
When he took her hand in his warm, callused one, she felt hot tremors shoot up her arm again and forced herself not to yank her hand back.
Angry for feeling attracted to any man, Cadence slammed the brakes on her emotions and put her cool demeanor back in place.
“It was very nice to meet you both,” she said politely before returning to the kitchen.
Trey and Trent both watched her hurry away, gawking at how well she filled out her jeans. Viv pushed Trey back into the booth, handing him a napkin.
“What’s that for?” he asked as she pushed the paper square into his hand.
“To wipe the drool off your chin,” she said with a wink. “Don’t you two go getting any bright ideas about my girl. She came here to get away from one of the most despicable examples of manhood you’d ever hope to meet and I don’t need either one of you breaking her heart in any more pieces.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” Trent said, looking at Trey with a raised eyebrow.
Viv motioned to Trey to scoot over and slid beside him, fanning herself with her apron.
“As much as I love that girl, she is going to be the death of my diner,” Viv whispered to the two boys she had watched grow up and become fine men. “She can’t wait tables to save her life. She’s broke more glasses in the last week than I’ve broken in a lifetime. Just today, Cadence spilled hot soup on Ermil Wright and dumped a platter of Buffalo wings on Fred Noder. I don’t know what I’m going to do with her.”
“Can she cook and clean?” Trey asked, surprised when he heard himself blurt out the question.
Viv slowly turned her head to look at him and took a moment before answering. “Can she cook and clean? That girl is fanatical about cleaning. She keeps running around with bleach wipes and a mop scrubbing anything that doesn’t move. Have you ever seen the front windows so spanking clean?”
Trey and Trent looked at the windows. They were so clean they actually held a bit of sparkle from the fading evening light.
“Well, what about cooking?” Trent asked, picking up on the direction where Trey’s thoughts were leading.
“She can cook, but it’s fancy pants food,” Viv said, sitting a little straighter in the booth. “She says all that grease I use to fry food is going to kill you all graveyard dead. One thing the girl can do fine is bake, though. You’ve never had pie like she can make. My Joe said her berry pie the other night was the best thing he’d ever eaten. Old coot!”
Trey smothered a laugh and patted Viv’s hand.
“Well, you know we’ve been left high and dry since Lois moved to Boise,” Trey said, hoping to play off Viv’s sympathy. “What do you think of Cadence coming to work for us?”
“As your cook and housekeeper?” Viv asked, as she considered the possibility. “I don’t know.”
“What’s not to know, Viv?” Trey said, liking the idea more by the minute. The girl might be a terrible waitress, but she wasn’t hard to look at, that was for sure. “We’d give her room and board and a wage on top of it. She’d be out of the café but still close enough you can see her anytime you want and keep an eye on her. We wouldn’t let anything happen to her, would we Trent?”
“No, Ma’am,” Trent said, liking his brother’s plan more by the minute. He could almost smell bread baking in their oven. “We’d treat her just like we would our own sister.”
“See, right there is the problem,” Viv said, shooting Trent a wary glance. “You don’t have a sister and you three hooligans are too much for even your own sweet mama to handle. I just don’t know if it would be proper for her to be living out there with all you bachelors. None of your hands are married are they?”
“No, Viv, they aren’t,” Trey said, starting to feel edgy under Viv’s resistance to his plan. “But this isn’t the Stone Age and we aren’t a bunch of cavedwellers. She could have the whole north wing of the house to herself and we’d be clear over in the south wing. Come on. What do you say?”
Viv was about to say no, but turned just in time to watch Cadence upend a breadbasket in old Mrs. Henkle’s lap.
“If she agrees, you boys can hire her,” Viv said, getting up from the table with a shake of her head. “But no funny business or you’ll answer to me.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” Trey said with a nod and a smile.
Trey and Trent watched Cadence spill, drop and fumble her way through the dinner service. Viv personally hand-delivered a brimming plate of chicken fried steak to each of them. They had just finished mopping up the last bit of gravy off their plates with a warm dinner roll when Cadence approached with two pieces of pie smothered by a crown of melting vanilla ice cream.
Although he had eaten his fill, Trey’s mouth began to water as she carefully slid a plate in front of him then set one down in front of Trent. Keeping her aloof façade in place, she said “enjoy” then walked back to the kitchen.
Unable to talk while they were devouring the best piece of apple pie to ever cross their lips, Trey and Trent communicated by raising eyebrows, grunting, and nodding their heads.
When the pie was gone, they didn’t care how much “fancy pants” food they had to eat, they’d do anything to be able to enjoy pie like that on a regular basis.
Waiting until the café was nearly empty, Viv came out to their table and motioned for Cadence to join them.
“Cadence, these two gentlemen have a business proposal for you,” Viv said as she gave Cadence’s shoulders a reassuring squeeze. Her aunt was tall and lean with a head full of short gray curls and pale blue eyes, a near replica of Cadence’s own mother. Cadence leaned into her hug and tried to keep her heart from pounding. She knew she had to be the world’s worst waitress and wondered how long it would be before Aunt Viv sent her packing.
“Miss Greer,” Trey said, deciding Cadence might prefer to keep things a bit more formal. “We are in need of a housekeeper and cook. Your aunt thought you might be interested in the position. You would prepare breakfast and dinner for us and our hired men and keep up the ranch house. The hired hands take care of the bunk house and do their own laundry. We’d pay you $1,000 per month in addition to your room and board.”
Cadence was quite surprised by the offer. The wages were more than fair considering they were in the middle of nowhere and to have room and board included was a bonus she had not expected at all. She would be close to Aunt Viv and Uncle Joe and would no longer have to be mortified every time she spilt something on a paying customer. She just wasn’t sure the idea of living close to two bachelors, especially two extremely good looking cowboy bachelors, was the very best idea.
“How many men would I have to cook for?” Cadence finally asked in her best business tone. She looked at Trent as she asked the question. Looking at Trey seemed to scramble her thoughts and she had to fight to keep from getting sucked into those ocean blue eyes of his.
“Generally, there are eight of us, although right now there are only seven. Our youngest brother is finishing up his tour of duty in Iraq,” Trent answered.
“Oh,” Cadence said, realizing from Trent’s tone how much their younger brother must be missed. “I hope your brother is safe.”
“I don’t know how safe he is, but when he called earlier today, he sounded just fine,” Trey said, giving Cadence a crooked grin.
“You mean you two sat here this whole time and didn’t even think to mention that Travis called?” Viv said, taking them both to task and pumping them for details about their brother. It gave Cadence a chance to study the two men seated before her. She decided they didn’t look cruel or unkind, just dangerously handsome. Her aunt seemed to genuinely like them and she was pretty sure Aunt Viv wouldn’t agree to send her anywhere that wasn’t reputable. She still wasn’t convinced this was a great idea. Cadence wasn’t nearly as worried about being around Trent as she was Trey. Just standing close to him she could feel a shimmer of something magnetic and mysterious pass between them.
“Well, Miss Greer, what do you say?” Trey finally asked. “Will you put us out of our misery and come be our cook and housekeeper?”
“Could I give it a bit more consideration and let you know tomorrow?” Cadence asked. She wanted to check with Neil before she made any decisions. She had contacted him a couple of times for his opinion and he had given her solid advice. She could shoot him a quick message and see what he thought.
“Sure, we’ll check with you after breakfast,” Trey said as he took out his wallet and paid for their meal, leaving a generous tip on the table.
As he and Trent sauntered toward the door, Trey turned back for one more look at Cadence and offered her a warm smile.
He didn’t know what had happened between them and was pretty sure he didn’t want to find out. If he was smart he’d forget about asking her to work for them and ignore the jolt that shot through him when he touched her. That is exactly what he would do if he was smart.
But every man had a weakness and it looked like Trey’s was, quite possibly, delicious pie.
Chapter Three
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11 - NIV
Cadence and Viv turned the café sign to closed, wiped off all the tables and finished cleaning up the kitchen. Viv was amazed, as she had been every evening, to watch how quickly and efficiently Cadence worked when it was just the two of them. She didn’t drop, spill or break anything. It was when the café was packed that Cadence got nervous and the wake of disaster hit high tide.
“Cadence, honey, do you have any questions about the Thompson boys or their job offer?” Viv asked as they scrubbed down the counters and finished putting away the clean dishes.
“Not really, Aunt Viv. They seem nice enough,” Cadence said, as her thoughts tumbled through her head. Most of them kept coming back to rest on Trey and those blue eyes of his. “So there are three brothers?”
“Yep, that’s right,” Viv said, stopping her scrubbing to lean against the counter. “All three of them look like their daddy, God rest his soul. Now there was a fine man. Miss Denni couldn’t have picked a finer husband, unless she had chosen my very own Joe.”
“What happened to Mr. Thompson?” Cadence asked as she hooked her arm through her aunt’s and they started out the back door.
“He had a heart attack six years ago. We thought Denni was going to die of a broken heart right alongside of Drew,” Viv said as they walked slowly down the street and up a block toward home. “Those boys rallied around her and took over the ranch like their daddy taught them to do. Travis, he’s the youngest, had a real hard time with his daddy dying. He got into a bit of trouble, but he eventually came around and the next thing we all knew, he joined the Army and was gone to be a soldier.” As they stepped onto the well-lit porch, Viv pulled Cadence down beside her on the swing.
“Trey is the oldest. He is the third generation to be named Timothy Andrew Thompson. Denni said that was too big of a handle for any boy of hers and decided to call him Trey from the start. He’s a fine man, honey, and an honorable one. All the Thompson boys are well-liked and the Thompson name goes back for more than a hundred years in these parts. They are good, dependable folks.”
“Yes, Aunt Viv,” Cadence said, taking in the information her aunt was sharing. “So where does their mother live now?”
“Denni lives in The Dalles,” Viv said with a smile. “After Drew died, she just couldn’t stand to be out at the ranch where his memory floated around every corner. She packed her suitcase, drove her car to The Dalles, got a job managing a quilt and craft store and rented a sweet little house. She seems very happy to be there. The boys go to visit her every couple weeks and when they don’t make it, she comes here to see them.”
Cadence listened to the quiet of the evening and pulled her sweater tighter around her.
“Aunt Viv, do you really think it is a good idea for me to take their job offer?” Cadence asked. “I know I’ve been about the worst help you could possibly have in the café, but I could find a job in Portland if I need to.”
Viv gave Cadence a warm, motherly hug. “Now, honey, why would you go running off to Portland when you just got here? I love having you around. Even if you don’t take the job with the Thompson boys, I bet I could come up with something else for you to do. I know waitressing isn’t exactly your ideal career.”
Giving her aunt’s cheek a kiss, Cadence swiped at her tears.
“No more tears, honey. I thought after you cried yourself dry last week you were all done,” Viv teased.
“I know, Aunt Viv. But I really appreciate you and Uncle Joe taking me in like this. I can’t tell you how much it means to me.”
“I’m as happy as a heifer with a new fence post that you’re here. If you do go work for the Thompsons you aren’t that far away. Now, I’m going to take these old creaky bones inside and head for bed. Sleep tight, honey, and give some thought to what the Thompson boys offered.”
Cadence watched her aunt go into the house and remained on the swing until the cold chased her inside. Uncle Joe said it would start getting chilly and feeling like winter in another month, right after Halloween. She hoped he was wrong. These hot, sunny days of the past week had been so welcome after the cold, drizzly gray skies of Seattle. Having never ventured anywhere except along the coast for weekend trips, Cadence didn’t realize the weather could be so different just a few hours to the east and south.
Going to her room, Cadence turned on her laptop and logged into her email account. Grateful her aunt had cautioned her that both internet and cell service could be erratic in Grass Valley, Cadence purchased a wireless internet card for her computer at the mall in Portland. So far, she hadn’t had any problem connecting.
Ignoring the new messages in her inbox, she quickly typed a message to Neil, asking his advice on the Thompson’s job offer. She then read through messages from her mom, some friends and the junk mail offering her special deals, discounts and items she couldn’t possibly live without. She was just getting ready to turn off the computer when a reply arrived from Neil.
Cadence smiled when she read it.
Are you kidding me? Room and board plus $1,000 a month, surrounded by good looking cowboys? You can’t pass this one up, Cadence! Go for it.
“I never said they were good looking when I mentioned the cowboys,” Cadence said aloud, as though Neil could hear her. “How could you know that?”
Cadence climbed between the cool sheets, tossing around the idea of working for the handsome Thompson brothers. As she closed her eyes and drifted toward sleep, it was Trey’s smile and bright eyes that filled her thoughts, along with a picture of how good he looked in those Wranglers and boots.
><><
The breakfast crowd was winding down when Cadence looked up to see Trey Thompson swagger through the door and sit down at a booth.
Managing not to smile and attempting to keep her run-away emotions in check, she brought a mug to his table along with a pot of hot coffee.
“Good morning, Mr. Thompson,” she said in her crisp, business-like tone. “Would you care for a cup of coffee?”
“Sure would,” Trey said, beaming a friendly smile that she found impossible to ignore. Using all her concentration, she managed to pour his coffee without spilling it. “Anything you recommend for breakfast?”
Taking a step back from the table Cadence made the mistake of looking into his eyes and getting tugged into their depths. “Well, I, um…”
Trey raised an eyebrow her direction and smiled encouragingly.
“I made cinnamon rolls this morning. Would you like one?” Cadence finally managed to say.
“Sounds great,” Trey said, smiling like a fool and feeling like an idiot. For some reason, Cadence Greer seemed to have that effect on him. He couldn’t stop smiling when he was around her and it was making him positively crazy. “Can you throw on a couple of fried eggs and some bacon, too?”
“Certainly, Mr. Thompson,” Cadence said, stepping away from the table and right into one of the departing patrons. Her cheeks flushed a deep red as she hurried back into the kitchen with his order.
Trey sat watching her exit and shook his head. He didn’t know if it was safe to bring her into their home. After that pie last night, he and Trent were almost willing to risk life and limb to get some more.
He also wouldn’t mind having Cadence around to watch on a more permanent basis. At first he thought she must be in her thirties from her severe hair style and cool demeanor, until Viv mentioned she was 27, same age as Trent. For some reason, that thought made him nervous and fidgety. It shouldn’t matter to him how old she was or what she looked like. At least he tried to convince himself of that.
Watching her lean over to clean off a booth, Trey got a great view of her backside and decided he was really going to have to keep his thoughts on a tight rein. She wore classic style blue jeans, a soft cotton blouse and flats. Nothing glamorous or big city about it, but with her hair pulled back in a bun and the aura of professionalism she exuded when she wasn’t spilling or breaking something, it made her seem more mature and different somehow.
He didn’t have time to contemplate his thoughts further as Viv came bustling out with his breakfast. One plate held a warm cinnamon roll with sweet icing running down the sides and puddling into delectable circles on the dish. The second dish held two eggs cooked to his idea of perfection, five strips of bacon and a generous scoop of hash browns, fried to a beautiful golden brown.
Inhaling the scent of cinnamon, Trey closed his eyes in bliss for a moment before sending up a prayer of thanks and picking up his fork.
When Viv sat down across from him, he quickly cut off a bite of the cinnamon roll and rolled his eyes in pleasure as the delicious pastry filled his mouth.
It was as good, if not better than the pie. If he hadn’t been sitting down, Trey wasn’t sure his legs would have held him. To be able to eat like that every day, he’d be willing to pay twice what they’d offered Cadence.
Viv sat with a knowing smile lighting her face.
“Did you talk to her yet?” she asked as Trey forked another bite of cinnamon roll.
“Nope, but I’ll ask her to marry me right this minute if she’ll make another batch of cinnamon rolls tomorrow,” Trey teased.
Viv grabbed his plate and pulled it away from him.
“Now you listen here, buster, and listen good,” Viv said, her eyes shooting sparks and her lips set in a thin line. “Don’t you joke like that with my girl. She got left at the altar a week before her wedding and that’s a sore subject with her. So don’t you be teasing her like that. You understand?”
“I’m sorry, Viv. I had no idea,” Trey set down his fork and looked properly scolded. “I promise the subject of marriage, weddings or matrimony will not come up at all, in any conversation. Now, may I please have that cinnamon roll back?”
Viv scooted the plate back across the table with a smile. When Cadence passed by, Viv grabbed her hand.
“Why don’t you tell Trey what you told me this morning, honey,” Viv said, giving Cadence an encouraging pat on the back.
Trey looked up from taking the last bite of his cinnamon roll and hoped Cadence was about to make him a very happy man.
“Mr. Thompson, after giving your proposal due consideration, I will agree to your offer. If it would work for you and your brother, the other Mr. Thompson, I could drive out this evening and be ready to start tomorrow morning with breakfast.”
Trey studied Cadence, who stood with her hands clasped primly in front of her. She was a comely girl, with clear bright skin, big hazel eyes, rosy lips and, from what he could see around her waitress apron, a nice shape. He knew it was more than nice from the back view he’d snuck a glance at no less than half a dozen times this morning.
But he was willing to bet his best hat that if she learned to smile a bit more, loosen up those tight stays and have some fun, she’d be downright beautiful.
Not that he would notice or care.
“Well, Miss Greer, I reckon that would be just fine. Viv can give you directions. Please call me Trey and my brother Trent. All this Mr. Thompson business could get downright confusing. Do you need help moving any of your things?”
“No, but I would like to pick up some supplies before I come out, unless your kitchen is well stocked.”
Trey let out a laugh. He was pretty sure the uptight Miss Greer would not think mac-and-cheese, boxes of cold cereal and microwave popcorn comprised a well-stocked kitchen. The only thing they had in abundance was beef and potatoes.
“I think you’ll probably find the kitchen supplies sadly lacking,” Trey said, pulling out his wallet. He dug out three crisp $100 bills and handed them to Cadence. “We’ve got a freezer full of beef and about fifty pounds of potatoes, but beyond that, you won’t find much else in the kitchen. Why don’t you run into The Dalles and get what you need before you come out this evening? Would that work?”
“That would be more than satisfactory,” Cadence said as she stuffed the bills into her jeans pocket. What kind of man handed a perfect stranger $300 and sent them off shopping? One that was impressively trusting. Or impressively stupid. Or just plain impressive.
Viv stood up and threw an arm around Cadence. “You know, honey, it gets dark pretty early these days and since you don’t know the area well, I think you better get packed up right after breakfast then head into town to get supplies. You can be back early afternoon and out at the Triple T before it gets dark. Don’t you think that’s a better idea, Trey?”
“Yes, Ma’am,” Trey said as he stood up from the table, left money for his breakfast and settled his hat on his golden head. “I don’t want the maker of the best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever eaten to get lost somewhere out in the hills.”
Trey pulled a business card out of his shirt pocket and handed it to Cadence. “If you get lost on your way out, you can call the house phone, my cell phone number is on the back, but it doesn’t always get great reception. See you this afternoon.” With that, he tipped his hat and walked out the door.
><><
Helping Aunt Viv clean up after breakfast, Cadence went home and packed her suitcases and the few belongings she’d brought with her, loading them into her car. Giving Uncle Joe and Aunt Viv a hug, she travelled north toward the freeway and drove into The Dalles where she spent some time exploring and ate a leisurely lunch.
Proceeding to a grocery store, she filled not one but two shopping carts to overflowing with basic cooking and baking supplies. She added in plenty of fresh and canned fruits and vegetables as well as some cleaning supplies.
She felt pretty smug as she rolled the carts out to her car, having spent $249.63 for all the groceries and supplies.
Opening up the back of her silver PT Cruiser, Cadence looked from her already full car to the full carts and decided it might take a bit of work to get everything loaded. Dropping down the back seats, Cadence worked quickly and efficiently. In no time at all, the car was completely loaded and she was headed back toward Grass Valley. She programmed the address on Trey’s business card into her GPS system and hoped it knew where it was going because she wasn’t sure. Driving through Grass Valley, she stopped for a minute to say goodbye to her aunt and give her a hug before heading out to the Triple T and the Thompson men.
Cadence should have listened to Uncle Joe and followed him out to the Thompson Ranch. Instead, she had to be her independent, stubborn self and now she was sure she was never going to find the ranch. Following the detailed directions her uncle wrote out for her, and listening to the GPS, she drove just a few miles south of town before taking a left turn onto a gravel road. Driving down a dusty, winding road for what seemed like forever, Cadence hadn’t seen a thing except bare fields, wheat stubble, and pasture being grazed by a sea of black cattle.
She was certainly glad she had listened to Aunt Viv and made this trip in daylight. Out here lost in the dark would really cause her to panic. Just when she was about ready to call Trey and ask where she’d taken a wrong turn, she topped a rise and saw a sprawling ranch ahead.
The rustic farmhouse, while one story, seemed massive. A porch ran the length of the front of the house and wrapped part-way down the sides with chairs placed in inviting clusters. Off the main section of the house on each side was a long wing that gave the house a definite “U” shape. Driving up the long driveway, she was impressed with how neat and well-kept the place looked. There was a large barn, corrals, a shed with machinery parked inside, a building that she assumed was the bunk house, a carport and garage, as well as several other assorted sheds. Continuing past the circle drive at the front of the house, she followed the driveway around to a side door she hoped was the kitchen.
Pulling to a stop, she appreciated how tidy and friendly the house looked with its split cedar shakes on the roof, light tan siding and warm brown and white trim. Just as she was ready to step out of the car, two rambunctious dogs came running down the porch steps and over to her door.
Never owning a pet and not spending time around dogs, Cadence didn’t know if she should be afraid. Deciding the dogs probably weren’t any more vicious than their owners, she opened the door carefully, stuck out her hand and talked softly to the dogs. Both dogs yipped and wagged their tails, then proceeded to lick her hand as she got out of the car.
Having not had that experience before, she wasn’t sure she liked the feel of their slobbery tongues on her fingers.
“Bob, Bonnie, you two get back,” a friendly voice rumbled from behind her. Cadence spun around to see Trey walking toward her with a smile. “Wasn’t sure you were going to make it,” Trey said as he walked up next to her and gave each dog a pat on the head. “I was about ready to call out the posse when I saw the dust from your car coming up the road.”
“How did you know it was me?” Cadence asked, curious.
Trey laughed as he walked to the back of her car and opened the hatch door. “Anyone else who would be coming out here is already here.”
As he pulled the door fully open, grocery bags shifted and started to slide out.
“Be careful,” Cadence said, grasping the handles of two bags before they tumbled out of the car. “I’ve got a pretty full load.”
Trey looked into the car and whistled. “I think that might be an understatement.” Grabbing as many bags as he could carry, he led her toward the door on the side of the house. “Did you leave anything in the store for anyone else to buy?”
Cadence didn’t hear the teasing in his voice and went on the defensive. “I most certainly did. In fact, I brought you back $50.37 in change. I’ve got it right here in my purse.”
“Miss Greer, I trust you,” Trey said, setting the bags down on the kitchen counter. “If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have given you the money in the first place. Looks to me like you did a good job of shopping.”
Trey walked back out to the car to get another load, wondering what had made Cadence so touchy.
Cadence let out a deep breath and walked back to the car. Bill, for all the money he liked to flash around, was a penny-pinching tight-wad. Any time he gave her money to pick something up, he wanted a receipt and the exact change, right down to the penny, accounted for. She was going to have to get used to people trusting her and trusting them in return. She stopped suddenly as she realized she nearly married a man she didn’t trust. That should have been a big warning sign to her. Nearly as big as the one she failed to notice that said Bill would never trust her.
“You okay, Miss Greer?” Trey asked as he walked by on the way into the house with another load of groceries.
“I’m fine, thank you,” Cadence said, hurrying to the car to help unload.
By the time they had all the groceries and supplies unloaded and Cadence’s belongings in the house, Trent arrived and helped carry in the last box.
“Well, this might take some time to put away,” Trey said looking around. “Trent, why don’t you go park Miss Greer’s car in the garage for her while I take her luggage to her room. Miss Greer, if you don’t mind, we’ll let you put the groceries away where you like, that way you’ll know where to find everything when you jump into cooking tomorrow. Is that satisfactory?”
Cadence was once again caught off guard. They were going to allow her to waltz into their home and completely rearrange the kitchen to suit her? Who were these people?