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She chuckled. “So arrogant.”
“I’m a fox. It goes with the territory. Now make yourself at home while I grab the rest of the food. I’m starved.”
“Do you need help?”
“Did I ask for help?” He sounded snippy. Much more like the Gerald she worked with than the sexy bachelor standing so close.
Too close.
“Foxes,” she said under her breath and left the formal dining area to look around.
Everything was neat and organized, from his entertainment magazines in a straw basket by the couch to the coasters and remotes on the coffee table.
The furniture was comfortable, stylish, and large enough to fit a whole sleuth of bears, she noted with approval. Gerald had a large-screen TV mounted to the wall, and nearby, a fireplace blazed with heat.
Pictures of nature and animals decorated the walls, along with a few family photographs leading into the hallway. She studied them, seeing a lot of his father in Gerald, though he had his mother’s eyes. His brother had a smug grin and looked exactly like his twin, only a dozen years younger.
“How does your brother like college?”
“He loves being out from under my mother’s thumb.”
She grinned. “I’ll bet. Is he planning on becoming a lawyer?”
“Sadly for my mother, yes.”
“Poor Colleen.”
“But the good news is my cousin, Bev, is rebelling with her parents and getting an internship with my mother’s company as soon as she can.”
“Bev? Do I know her?
“She’s in middle school.”
“Oh, uh, wow.”
“A Winter is never too young to have drive,” he said drily. “Just ask Mom.” After a moment, he added, “Two more minutes and brunch will be served.”
The smells coming from the kitchen made her mouth water. She was starved. Contrary to her size, Laura didn’t overeat. In fact, she’d missed dinner the night before, which hadn’t been smart. But she’d been distracted by Gerald and busy shoveling her driveway.
Waiting, she sipped her coffee, spotting several pictures of Gerald and his gang of friends—mostly those mischievous members of the catamount clan. Cats, a wolf, a bear, and even a lone fox—her boss.
Gerald had been friends with that particular group of guys for years. It said a lot about his character. Ty, Burke, and the others would never tolerate prejudice or injustice and had been instrumental in keeping the town safe several times over.
It figured Gerald would be part of that crowd, and yet one more reason why everyone seemed to love the sneaky fox. And why she had a tough time remembering to keep her distance, especially when he wore that smarmy yet handsome grin.
“All right. Time to eat!”
He waited for her to sit before doing the same. His manners made her feel funny, the way he treated her like someone to be cherished and not a deputy to take care of everyone else.
He’d placed a bunch of different dishes on a large lazy-Susan on the table, and he turned it showing her everything he’d prepared.
She stared at it all. “Wait. You made all this?”
“I like to cook.”
She continued to gape at the table as he pointed everything out.
“We have a blueberry buttermilk French toast, homemade jelly donuts, truffled toast with radicchio and egg, a spinach quiche with ham, bacon—which needs no accompaniment—and a potato and Boursin frittata. I know, I went a little crazy on the eggs, but I was dying to try a few recipes.”
