Page 125 of Her Boss, Her Rancher: Sunrise On The Ranch

“It is. I’m sure a worried mom invented it.”

He laughed. “Probably. So what are you experimenting with?”

“Cauliflower-crust pizza.”

Jared made a face. “What?”

“Yes, cauliflower. It’s the new kale.”

He shook his head.

“It’s very healthy for you, low in calories and...well, has many uses. Do you like cauliflower?”

He shrugged. “I suppose, but it’s not one of my favorites.”

“Well then, you’re a good one to experiment on.”

“Maybe I should go back to bed.” But then he winked and smiled, and Bella relaxed as he leaned his arms on the counter to watch her. Keeping her eyes down on her task, she pretended not to notice his biceps, broad shoulders and muscled chest, but she was aware. Oh, boy, was she aware.

She finished grating the cauliflower and then poured it into the food processor, tossing in minced garlic, oregano and basil. She pulsed it for a few seconds, added one egg and decided to also add in a few tablespoons of almond flour she’d found in the pantry. A few more seconds of pulsing to bind it all together and she hoped she’d have a delicious beginning to her low-cal pizza.

She was beginning to roll out the dough when Jared got up and left the room. She looked up just in time to find Jared walking back into the room, gently pushing his arms into the sleeves of his shirt. His expression faltered but he managed it all on his own.

“You’re doing better,” she stated while writing down her recipe in her binder.

“A little bit each day, but yeah.”

“I’m glad,” she said, feeling his gaze on her.

“So what do you put on this pizza exactly?” he asked.

“Anything you like. Why don’t you look in the fridge and bring me some things you’d like on the pizza. I’ve got mozzarella here.”

She tipped the dough out onto the surface and began kneading it, over and over. Something swelled within her as she maneuvered the dough, making it flat and round and then patting it down. It was a thing. Maybe a chef thing, or maybe just her thing, but she loved getting her hands into the food, the way gardeners loved digging into the soil.

Jared poked his head inside the fridge. “Doughnuts?”

She made a face. “Eww, Jared.”

“How about pickles?”

“I think not.”

“Chocolate chips?”

“That could prove interesting,” she said, crisscrossing the dough with a rolling pin. “But no for tonight.”

“I give up,” Jared said.

“Open the crisper. What do you see?”

He slid open the drawer. “Red and green bell peppers, string beans, tomatoes, onions, mango slices and three different kinds of lettuce.”

Mango slices?“Pick three of those things.”And don’t let one of them be mango.

Jared carried over onions, tomatoes and red bell peppers.

“That’s good for a start,” she said. She left the workstation and walked into a double-wide pantry. “Let’s see,” she said, taking a quick tour of ingredients that might work. “Do you like olives?”