He layered dinner in the cast-iron pots, then insisted she not watch as he put together the last dutch oven.
Merry Anna walked over to the horses and checked their water while he continued working on the surprise dish.
She must’ve seen him put the last pot on the fire, because she walked back over.
He went inside and turned the radio to a country-music station through the outside speakers.
The coals glowed vibrant orange. “It smells so good,” she said as they relaxed by the fire.
“Yeah. Makes my mouth water.” He got up and stoked the fire. “Wait until we eat. There’s nothing like good dutch-oven cooking, and I’m not just saying that because I’m the one doing the cooking.”
“How much longer?” she asked. “The aroma is making me hungry.”
“Good. Should be about ready now.” He grabbed two plates and heaped a little of everything on each one, hoping she wasn’t one of those women who ate like a bird in front of a guy. He turned and placed one of the plates in front of her.
“Wow.” Her eyes widened. “That is a lot of food, but I can’t wait to try it.”
He sat down with his plate. “Pork shoulder, my special cabbage recipe, and potatoes with onion and bacon.”
“Sounds like comfort food.” She lifted her fork and took a generous bite. She took in a breath as she chewed. “Adam, this is amazing.”
“Wait until we get to dessert.” He gave her a wink and took a big bite of the potatoes.
It was a long, leisurely evening. They talked after dinner until they lost track of time. Finally, he served dessert—a dutch-oven apple pie.
Merry Anna set down her napkin. “Adam, that was delicious. This has been the best birthday.”
“Thanks for letting me be a part of it.” He leaned in, wanting to kiss her.
She moved back, putting some space between them. “It’s so nice to have good friends to enjoy things with. No pressure and all that.”
The move surprised him, but he tried to recover quickly. “Yeah, right,” he said nonchalantly. “People always want to make things so complicated.”
“They don’t have to be, do they?”
He shook his head. “No, they don’t.” They’d talked so easily all night, but now a silence fell over them. Interestingly enough, complicated was exactly how things seemed right now. Just a little kiss was all that was on his mind, but he didn’t want to rush things. “Are you ready to ride back?”
“I have to get on that horse again?” She looked deflated. “I’m so sore.”
“We can walk if you want. Actually, it’s a really short walk if we go through the field rather than take the horse trail.”
“Could we? I’d be forever grateful.”
It had been a pretty long ride for a beginner. “Hey, it’s your birthday. Anything for the birthday girl.” He stood and held out his hand.
She took it and stood, and they headed back to the bunkhouse. The evening was cool, and the dew on the ground was so heavy that their pant legs were wet. About halfway there, he took off his jacket and laid it across her shoulders. “Here. It gets chilly in the mountains at night.”
He wasn’t chilled at all, though.
When they reached her porch steps, she turned to him. “Good night,” she said. “This was a great birthday.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it.” He leaned in for a kiss. This time she didn’t stop him. Her lips were soft and warm. Her eyelashes tickled his cheek, and he wanted to pull her closer, but…she pressed her hands to his chest.
She looked away, letting out an audible breath, then looked back at him again. “My life is really complicated.”
“Seriously?” He tapped his chest. “What’s complicated about a little birthday kiss?”
“No. I liked it. I—”
