After they hung up Letty thought about what Riley had done the other night.He’d not only dragged her out of Grey’s but then he’d also kissed her.Then the following day he’d asked her out.Could she be the person he was thinking of settling down with?
She wondered if he was actually going to show up.Her doorbell rang the moment she thought about it.
Sure enough, Riley stood on her doorstep looking mighty fine.He was going to have to do a lot more than just look good if he really was interested in her.She’d managed to write him off when she threw herself at him as a childish crush.It had bothered her for longer than it should have.Several years later she’d gotten involved with Kyle Masters.
Kyle, the gorgeous and worthless cowboy who she’d spent way too much time on.A rodeo cowboy who had a woman in every town, although she hadn’t been smart enough or cynical enough to know it.At least until she was hit in the face with proof.After that she stopped dating cowboys.
Riley was a cowboy too, but he wasn’t on the circuit.No, he was a rancher.Hard-working and dependable.As far as she knew, he was perfectly happy with his bachelor lifestyle.Not that there was anything scandalous that she’d heard of.His parents lived on the ranch too, and that had to put a crimp in any wild ideas he had.
“Can I come in or are you going to stare at me all morning?”
“Sorry.”She stood aside and let him in.She took his coat from him and hung it in the entryway closet.“Do you know anything about cooking?”
“Very little.But I’m a fast learner.”
Letty had never taught anyone else to bake.It was a lot more fun than she’d realized it would be.She’d made the dough the day before.This morning she rolled out the bottom layer and placed it in the pie pans, ready for the filling.Which involved peeling and slicing a whole bunch of apples.Riley helped cheerfully and they were ready much more quickly than when she did it all herself.Especially since they had to prepare double the filling.
“Who taught you to bake pies?”he asked as she mixed the rest of the ingredients in with the apples.“I know it wasn’t my mother.And pies aren’t really Mercy’s thing,” he said, referring to the Fletchers’ housekeeper.“She likes baking cakes more than pies.”
“My mom taught me.She made the most delicious pies.After she died, I didn’t make one for a couple of years until I decided it was criminal to let her recipes go to waste.Now it’s tradition for me to do it every Thanksgiving.”She transferred the filling into a large pot to cook for a short time on the stove top.
“My family appreciates it.Especially me.I had no idea it was so much trouble.”
“It goes a lot faster with help.”
“I think the filling needs tasting.”
She laughed and put some in a small bowl.Riley started to pick it up, but she smacked his hand before he could.
“I thought you made that for me.”
“I did but it’s hot.Really hot.So, if you want to blister your mouth, go right ahead.”
“I’ll wait.”He watched as she transferred the rest of the filling onto a couple of pans to cool.“What do we do now?”
“We wait.And wash dishes.”
They talked as they cleaned up.It was almost like other times she’d been with Riley over the years.Almost.Of course, there had always been other people around, even if it was just baby Vivian.
One thing that wasn’t like old times was the awareness between them.She was annoyingly aware that Riley was a damn good-looking man, that he smelled good, that his forearms were muscled and his hands capable.Capable of breaking a horse, wrestling a cow, building a fence, pitching a hay bale, and who knows how many other things to do with running a ranch.
She suspected those hands could be gentle, too.And arousing.Dragging her gaze away from him, she reminded herself that wondering what his hands would feel like stroking her skin or being buried in her hair as he kissed her was not productive.Because it wasn’t going to happen.
By late that afternoon they’d finished baking the pies.Letty expected Riley to leave but instead he said, “Let’s go get a bite to eat at the diner.”
Eating something besides pie filling, because naturally they’d had to taste-test it, sounded good.But she hadn’t forgotten that Riley had asked her to a concert, even though she hadn’t gone.
“It’s not a date.”
“Of course not,” he agreed.“Just two friends grabbing a quick meal.”
While they ate, they talked about the library and what she did there when she wasn’t helping others, segueing into talk about the ranch and Riley’s horses, particularly his stud, Meteor.Meteor was a black paint, a gorgeous black and white stallion.He planned to breed him to Athena, his new mare who was a beautiful dark bay with cream markings.
“So I take it your business is going well.”
“It is.My dad is feeling a little better, and he’s been able to help more, which makes him happy.Me too, or I wouldn’t have been able to help you today.”
“From what I remember Jasper is always grumpy when he can’t work with the horses.”
