Authors: Kimberly Kaye Terry
Her aunt was well aware of what made her visits to the ranch few and far between: Holt Wilde.
Although they’d never openly discussed it, Yasmine being too embarrassed to open up to her aunt about her adolescent fascination with him, her aunt still knew.
“But maybe … maybe I can come out here to visit more often, Aunt Lilly,” she said, and knew she’d said the right thing when her aunt smiled, nodding her head.
“That would be a start,” she quipped, and Yasmine raised a brow.
“A start?”
“For now,” she said mysteriously, and Yasmine shook her head. She didn’t think she wanted to know what was behind the little smile on her aunt’s face.
As Lilly played with the spoon in her cup, stirring the contents of the herbal tea she favored with absentminded attention, Yasmine busied herself with the preparations for the noontime meal.
“Yasmine, about last night …”
“Good morning, Miss Lilly,” a cheery voice interrupted before her aunt could finish her thought.
“Good morning, Althea,” she said, smiling over at the woman.
“Oh, hi, Yasmine, I didn’t see you there!” Althea Hudson, Nate’s fiancée, said as she walked over to where Lilly sat. She planted a loud, smacking kiss on her aunt’s cheek.
Although Lilly made a shooing motion with her hand, Yasmine saw that she enjoyed the affectionate kiss.
It was good to know that her aunt had another female at the ranch; since Yasmine left, Lilly had been the only one. And after meeting Althea yesterday, she was already beginning to like her and was glad to know she’d be around for her aunt when she left again.
When Althea glanced her way, she smiled. “I came in to see if you needed any help, Miss Lilly, before Nate and I have to visit the pastor this afternoon for our premarital counseling.” She paused, looking at Yasmine, a hesitant look on her face. “Looks like Yas beat me to it.”
Yasmine pushed away the momentary sting of
jealousy and motioned Althea over. “Girl, come on over here, there is more than enough for you to do!”
Yasmine grinned back at her when Althea’s smile returned as she donned an apron, joining her at the counter.
“Now, as your aunt will tell you, although I’m not exactly the world’s
greatest
cook, I know my way around the kitchen a bit,” she said, a smug look on her face. “I think I can hold my own.”
“Oh, Lord,” Yasmine heard her aunt mutter, hearing the underlying humor in her voice.
Yasmine raised a brow and turned to look up at Althea, as she was several inches taller than she. “Oh, can you now? Oh, okay … cool! How about you help me make a special dish for the men. Nothing too fancy, just something to thank them for helping with my party. Let’s see here,” she said, pretending she was really thinking hard about what she wanted to place on the menu. She snapped her fingers. “Got it! I was thinking about starting with a
crêpe au fromage de chèvre,
as an appetizer. I think Aunt Lilly has some fresh spinach, I can go into town for the rest.” She frowned again, “Maybe top it off with a
poulet aux porto …
I know for sure I saw some chicken breasts in the freezer … and for desert something simple like crêpes suzettes. What do you think?” she asked, biting the inside of her cheek to stop the grin from breaking free when she saw the way Althea’s eyes widened in alarm.
“Uhhh … I was thinking more along the lines of peeling potatoes?” she said, ending the statement as a question, and both women laughed.
“Girl, if I presented the guys with that menu, they’d look at me like I was crazy,” she said. “So, yes, I can definitely use help peeling the veggies … These are ‘steak and potatoes’ type of guys, all the way!”
“I think you two might need me after all,” Lilly said, laughing along with them. “I can’t let the two of you have all the fun without me!” When she tried to get up, both women turned toward her, simultaneously issuing the order for her to “sit!”
With a resigned look Lilly sat back down, but before she turned away, Yasmine saw the pleased look cross her face and felt an answering happiness bubble up inside her. It had been a long time since she’d felt any type of female camaraderie. Too long.
In fact, the only times in her life when she had had been when she was with her aunt, the two of them usually in the kitchen, discussing everything from life to arguing about which was the best way to cook a roast. Maybe, despite the oddness and all-around craziness that her life had suddenly become, her visit might be the best thing that had happened to her in a long time.
She hoped it would be. It was time to lay to rest old ghosts and decide which direction to take in her career as well as her private life.
“H
ave you given it any more thought?”
“What about? Catering the wedding? Yes, I told you I would love to!”
“No. I mean, yes, about the wedding, but also about you opening a business. I was talking about it with Nate. He agreed it would be a fantastic idea. There isn’t anyone nearby who is doing anything like that, you’d have an open field, could provide something that is sorely lacking.”
Holt paused, stopping dead in his tracks as he had been headed toward the kitchen.
He frowned. He hadn’t known Yasmine had been thinking of starting a catering business. But why that should surprise him he had no idea. She was definitely a woman of purpose.
It had been nearly a week since his encounter with Yasmine in the horse stable. A week of her avoiding him. A week of remembering their explosive kiss in the barn. A week of thinking of her, nonstop.
With both of them living in the house, it had made it difficult for her to avoid him completely, but she’d managed to not be in the same room with him alone at any given time.
Not that he’d made it easy for her. He felt like a damn fool with the amount of times he’d made excuses to head back to the house, particularly with it being one of their busiest seasons, moving herd and getting ready for calving season as well as marketing the cattle.
After he’d gotten rid of Sheila after her ill-timed interruption of his and Yasmine’s scalding encounter, Holt had rushed inside the house in search of her, only to find she was no longer at her own welcome-home party.
Frustrated, he’d found one of his brothers and asked if he knew where Yasmine had gone, trying to be as casual as possible. It was then that Lilly had walked up behind him and informed him in a voice gone ice-cold that Yasmine had decided to call it a night. Although she’d been succinct, not giving more details besides the bare essential, her stony expression spoke volumes. She might not have known what happened, but he’d bet his prize steer on the fact that she thought he had something to do with it.
Tempted to badger Lilly for more info, Holt had glanced toward his brother Nate, who stood near his
bride-to-be, Althea, and caught the subtle shake of his head, telling him to leave it alone.
No one could ever accuse Holt of being the type to scare easily, but when it came to Miss Lilly … well, a man knew when to hold his cards and when to fold them and walk away. For now, he walked away.
He’d spent the rest of the evening evading his brothers, after realizing they suspected something was up, not wanting to deal with their questions. He’d had more than his fill trying to figure out what in hell he had to do to fix the mess he’d created, without dealing with his nosy brothers, as well.
The next morning he’d woken with a pounding headache … with his hand fisting his shaft, rock hard, from a night spent having the type of wet dreams that would make a prepubescent boy blush.
And the rest of the week hadn’t been any different.
Night after night his dreams got more and more erotic, the two of them doing things together that if Lilly even suspected he was thinking of doing to her beloved niece, she’d run him off his own ranch.
Yesterday he’d spent the majority of the day fighting the urge to find her, trying to get her out of his mind for all the good it had done him. After tending to the early-morning jobs on the south section of the ranch, he’d cut out early, leaving the rest of the work to his men, ready to find Yasmine. But he soon realized she was just as intent on keeping her distance from him as he was on trying to get to her Last night, after coming in late from helping the
vet with two births, he’d come up the stairs and been surprised she was still up. Thinking he’d finally get some time with her alone, he’d began to walk toward her, only for her to take one look at him and spin around and slam the door to her room in his face, leaving him to wonder what in hell he’d done that time to anger her so.
When he’d learned that Jake was going to take Yasmine and Miss Lilly to Sheridan to the Memorial Hospital for her surgery, he’d informed his brothers he’d be the one to take them instead. She wouldn’t be able to avoid him then.
He wasn’t sure who it surprised more, him or his brothers, his volunteering. But there was no way in hell he was going to allow Jake to do it, after the way he all but rolled over and asked her to rub his stomach as he catered to her at the party like a well-trained dog.
Although they hadn’t asked or protested his decision, he rushed in to explain that Jake was scheduled to accompany Nate to Cheyenne for an upcoming auction.
“Can you guys do without me for a few days?” he’d asked, as the plan was to stay for the three days it would take for the surgery and her recovery before driving back home.
“Holt, man, you don’t have to give us a reason. And, yeah, of course we can handle it—we have enough men to cover. You take care of Lilly and Yas, we’ll take care of the ranch,” Nate had broken in drily when Holt continued to rationalize his reasons. Holt caught the look
he and Shilah shared. “I’m sure Yas will appreciate the gesture.”
Holt hadn’t been so sure of that with the way she’d avoided him like the plague the past week. But she wouldn’t be able to avoid him when he drove her and Lilly to the hospital. The four-hour drive was a guarantee that she wouldn’t.
When the others broke for lunch, Holt had forgone eating and instead gone to the house, on the pretense of finding Lilly to discuss her upcoming operation. Now, he continued to listen to Althea and Yasmine.
“I know Miss Lilly would love to have you come back home,” Althea said, quietly.
“Please don’t tell me you talked about that with Aunt Lilly?” was Yasmine’s response “Oh, goodness, no,” Althea laughed. “I wouldn’t do that to you,” she finished, and he heard Yasmine’s relieved laughter.
“If she even thought for a minute …”
“I know.” There was a pause. “No, I wouldn’t dare say anything.”
“Good.” There was another pause and Holt leaned closer, straining to hear.
It was long moments before Yasmine continued, her tone nonchalant. “Besides, we’re only talking about me catering your wedding. As far as me opening a business … before I could even give that any serious thought … which I haven’t—” he heard her say, her tone cautious “—but before I even gave it
any serious consideration, if I were to do that, I’d have to talk to the brothers about it.”
Immediately Althea responded. “I don’t think you’d have any worries on that score. They all love you, Yasmine. They’d love to have you back home.”
There was a long pause and Holt became even more still, waiting to hear Yasmine’s response.
“Especially Holt.”
At Althea’s remark, his frown increased. Was it that obvious how interested he was in her?
“Oh, I don’t think it would matter to Holt one way or another,” she said, her voice light. It was long moments before she continued, her voice so casual, so nonchalant, had he not known her better, he would think she was brushing it off as nothing. But beneath the tone he heard a subtle nervousness to the laughter.
“Well, you’ve got a lot of options, Yasmine. That’s just one. I wanted you to know that although we’ve only just met, I would also like it if you gave it some thought. Coming home, starting your business. I would help in any way I could. We haven’t known each other long … but, well, you’re like the sister I’ve never had. I would help you in any way I could. As long as you don’t mind it being the grunt work.” She laughed. “My cooking skills are nowhere up to par with yours.” Holt heard the rustle of clothing and knew the two women had embraced.
“Thank you, Althea. That means a lot.”
He heard movement and quickly moved out of the line of vision before either one of the women knew he was there.
He wondered when, over the past few days, Yasmine had begun to think about opening a catering business and returning home.
He hadn’t heard about it from either of his brothers. From the conversation, obviously Nate knew of her plans. He wondered if Shilah knew as well, and if so, why he was left in the dark. He understood not telling Lilly, not wanting to build her expectations unless the plans were finalized, but why not tell him?
Holt waited until he heard Althea leave before making his presence known. Walking farther into the kitchen he stood watching Yasmine. From his field of vision he had a nice visual of her shapely behind, cupped sweetly in the skirt she wore as she bent over the stove.
A short-sleeved white blouse was tucked neatly into the waistband, and the ends of her apron tied in a bow near the top of her butt made him want to unwrap the pretty package she presented.
On her feet, again, she wore heels; although not as high as the ones she’d worn the day he’d picked her up from the airport, they still added definition to her already shapely legs.
She withdrew a large pan of what looked like muffins from the oven and stood back.
“I think my babies are too pretty to eat,” she said, and laughed lightly, dusting her hands down the sides of her apron as she admired her creation.
“I think I have to disagree with that,” he said as he admired her shapely backside.
“I—I didn’t see you there. When did you get here?” she said, spinning around to face him.
He ran a gaze over her body, past her small feet in the dainty little heels, past the short skirt that hugged her curvy hips to sinful perfection to the pulse banging at the hollow of her throat, before meeting her eyes.