Capturing the Cook Read online

  Ernie laughed. “I’m assuming you’re talking about William. Opinionated fellow, that’s for sure.”

  Ashleigh’s eyes narrowed. “How do you know my cousins?” This man knew altogether too much about her. It was as if he’d been following her for her entire life. . . or at least for the past few months!

  “I know all about you, Ashleigh. But we don’t have much time. You need to spend more time with Alexander Pierce so he’ll propose to you. He’s your destiny,” Ernie said, still holding the sack of sugar.

  “Excuse me?” Ashleigh was overwhelmed by Ernie’s speech. What did he mean, Alexander was her destiny? “California is my destiny.” She couldn’t let her cousins leave without her. They were all she had left.

  Ernie shook his head. “That’s what you think now, but if you go to California, tragedy will befall your cousins, and you’ll end up sad and alone. You need to stay here in Creede. It’s for your sake, your children’s sake, and your grandchildren’s sake, not to mention the women your cousins are supposed to marry.”

  “How do you know all this? Are you some kind of fortune teller?” Ashleigh didn’t know whether to think Ernie was a deluded old man or deliberately trying to confuse her. Maybe he was even working with the masked men! Ashleigh looked around, wondering if she should cry out for help.

  “I’m not trying to hurt you, Ashleigh! For goodness’ sake, I’m here to help you!” Ernie exploded in frustration.

  Ashleigh grabbed the sugar out of his hand, slammed the door shut, and ran back into the kitchen.

  Becky was placing a tray full of biscuits into the oven. “Is everything all right?”

  “I think so. Becky, can you tell me more about Ernie?” Ashleigh hoped her new friend could shed some light on the situation.

  Becky’s brow creased. “Who is Ernie?”

  Just then, Ned came downstairs. “Good morning, Ashleigh.”

  “Hello, Ned,” Ashleigh replied. She had noted that the older man seemed to come and go as he pleased into the kitchen, which was unusual for male guests. She wondered if Mrs. Franklin knew Ned did that.

  “I wanted to ask how you were doing. Becky told me what happened yesterday,” Ned explained.

  “That’s very kind of you. I’m doing about as well as can be expected. In fact, I’m making cookies to thank Alexander for saving me yesterday,” Ashleigh told Ned.

  “Okay!” Ned cheerfully headed out to the dining area to update Ashleigh’s cousins.

  Ashleigh busily mixed together all the ingredients she needed for the cookies. Becky showed her where a few extra pans were, and she greased one and lined it with cookies. She hoped she wouldn’t be late on her second day to work.

  Fortunately, the cookies baked quickly, and Ashleigh took them out. As they cooled, she looked around for a box to put them in.

  “What do you need?” Becky asked.

  “Do you have a little box or tin I could put these cookies in? I feel so bad that I don’t have anything nice to offer Alexander. He saved my life. Are cookies really thanks enough?” Ashleigh fretted.

  Becky hid a smile. “Ashleigh, you seem so nervous. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you had a crush on Alexander.”

  Ashleigh felt her face turning red. “Oh, no! I don’t even know him!”

  “Don’t worry. It doesn’t matter to me at all. When I met Amos, I was pregnant by another man,” Becky said nonchalantly.

  Ashleigh’s eyes widened. “Excuse me?” She thought she had misheard.

  “That’s a story for another day.” Becky chuckled as she put biscuits into a bread basket. They smelled wonderful. “Eat one if you’d like!”

  Ashleigh accepted Becky’s offer and carefully selected one of the biscuits. She sank her teeth into it. It tasted delicious—buttery, soft, and flaky.

  “Oh, I’ve almost forgotten what you asked me. I think there’s a tin in that old closet where you got the sugar. Do you want to check there? You can use that to put the cookies in,” Becky rambled as she prepared to bring the basket into the dining area.

  “Okay, I’ll check,” Ashleigh said nervously. She tentatively crept down the hallway, a little afraid of running into Ernie. When she opened the door to the closet, he was nowhere to be found. She breathed a sigh of relief. Having a stranger pop out of a pantry at her wasn’t an experience she ever wanted to repeat! She found the tin Becky was talking about on the top shelf and brought it back into the kitchen. She put all the cookies she’d baked inside of it and put the lid on.

  Next, Ashleigh went out into the dining area. William, Philip, and Gilbert were shoveling forkfuls of food into their mouths.

  “Are you hungry?” Ashleigh teased her cousins.

  “You wouldn’t believe how hungry we get after working in the mines,” Gilbert hastily explained between bites.

  Ashleigh smiled. She remembered that while they were growing up, Aunt Nancy had always joked about how much food her boys could go through, while Ashleigh ate delicately, like a bird. It was nice to see that their appetites hadn’t gone away in their months of hardship.

  Ashleigh looked at the clock hanging on the wall. “Oh, no. I’m going to be late. We should leave now.”

  Gilbert took another few bites of his food and leaped to his feet. “At your service, ma’am,” he said with a silly salute. Ashleigh giggled.

  William rolled his eyes. He didn’t have much patience for his brother’s antics. “You know the plan, Gil. Straight to work and make sure she gets in the door before you leave.”

  Gilbert sighed. “Yes, William. You only made me repeat it about a hundred times.”

  “Have a good day, Ashleigh,” Philip said pleasantly.

  Ashleigh kissed William and Philip on their cheeks. “You two have a good day as well. Be safe in the mines.”

  Gilbert and Ashleigh left the boardinghouse and started off toward Graham’s Grub. Ashleigh carried the cookie tin in front of her carefully. She hoped Alexander would like her baking. The recipe she’d used had been a family favorite. Ashleigh wondered where her mother had gotten the recipe originally, if it had been passed down for generations or shared by a friend. She felt a twinge of sadness at the thought that now, she’d never know.

  “What’s wrong?” Gilbert asked, sensing a shift in Ashleigh’s mood.

  “Nothing,” Ashleigh replied. “I’m just thinking about my mother. I wonder what she’d think about all of this.” She took a deep breath, determined to be happy about her future and not depressed about her past.

  “I worry about the same things,” Gilbert confided. “Especially with what happened to you yesterday. Should we have just stayed on the ranch, even though it was going to be hard to make ends meet?”

  Ashleigh was glad she wasn’t the only one having second thoughts about leaving Oklahoma. Graham’s Grub appeared in the distance, and they continued to approach it.

  “Are you sure you’re going to be okay? You could easily take a few days off, no one would mind,” Gilbert assured Ashleigh.

  “Oh, no, I’ll be much happier at work,” Ashleigh explained. “I want to feel like I’m doing my part for the family.”

  “I know you’re a hard worker, Ashleigh. I just got really worried about you yesterday. Are you certain you are all right?” Gilbert stopped walking and looked at Ashleigh seriously.

  “Thank you, Gil. I appreciate your concern.” Ashleigh meant it. Gilbert was more like a brother to her than a cousin, and she knew how lucky she was to have him in her life. Whoever he would marry one day was a very lucky woman.

  They got to the door, and Gilbert waited until Ashleigh got inside. “Goodbye!” Gilbert called as the door closed behind her.

  Ashleigh called good morning to Patience and made a beeline to the kitchen. Alexander was fussing with one of the burners on the stove.

  “Good morning,” Ashleigh said tentatively, not wanting to disrupt him.

  “Ashleigh!” Alexander seemed almost startled as he turned to face her.

  Ashlei
gh held out the tin. “I hope you like these. I made them as a thank you for yesterday. They can’t begin to convey my gratitude, though.”

  Alexander accepted the tin and opened it, peeking inside. “Oh, my goodness, these smell wonderful. What’s in them?”

  “It’s an old family recipe,” Ashleigh said coyly. “I can only reveal it to relations.”

  Alexander bit into one of the cookies, and his eyes widened. “Oh, my goodness. This is fantastic.”

  “I’m glad you like it. I should probably bake you cookies like this every week as a thank you for saving my life,” Ashleigh told Alexander. She still felt nervous being this close to him, but she was getting more comfortable talking to him. He was so handsome and tall, and he smelled like cedar and sandalwood. She wished he would take her arm again as he had the day before.

  “I’m torn. I want that so badly, and yet I’m afraid if you did, I’d gain so much weight that I wouldn’t be able to fit through the doorway!” Alexander confessed. He took another cookie and bit into it. “I need to put these away before I eat them all.”

  Ashleigh looked around the kitchen, realizing everyone was flurrying around, preparing for the restaurant’s guests. “Anyway, I’ll leave you alone now so you can get back to work. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

  “Ashleigh, you haven’t disturbed me at all.” Alexander smiled at Ashleigh and watched as she walked over to the peg on the wall and took down an apron. She fastened it around her waist, pushing her hair out of the way so she could tie it.

  Alexander took his work seriously and didn’t care for distractions, but Ashleigh Steepleton was the most beautiful and perfect woman he’d ever set his eyes on. She was stunning but seemed to have no idea how beautiful she was. She didn’t seem to care about unimportant or petty things like most young women her age did. Her clothes were elegant but simple, and she was thoughtful and considerate each time they spoke.

  Alexander realized he had a major problem on his hands. Every time he tried to focus on an ingredient or a dish, he found himself thinking about Ashleigh’s hands, lips, or sweet smile. He longed to know what it might be like to take those lips with his or whisper into her ear.

  Alexander had never felt this way about a woman before, and it made him extremely agitated. Even his assistants noticed something was interfering with his work. He dropped pans, burned a soufflé, and forgot to grease a pan with butter before putting it on the stove.

  Alexander decided to take a walk at lunchtime to cool off. He didn’t know why he was losing his mind because of a pretty new girl helping out in the kitchen. Normally, cooking for others relaxed him and put him at ease. He had come to Creede specifically for the opportunity to lead a large restaurant kitchen. If he wasn’t able to get it together, the Grahams would have to let him go. Alexander felt a swell of panic.

  He had an idea of what he needed to do, but it seemed foolhardy. Yet a little voice inside of him was telling him, She’s your future wife. You need to propose to her.

  Alexander didn’t know what to think about this. He had only met her the day before, and he didn’t even know where she was from. She had mentioned that she was traveling with her cousins to California. She probably had a man there waiting to marry her.

  Alexander sighed as he thought about another man marrying Ashleigh. Everything about her felt so comfortable and natural. At only twenty-four, he hadn’t even considered marriage before. But as he imagined proposing to Ashleigh, it all seemed to fit.

  Alexander shook his head, trying to clear it as he walked down Main Street. Thinking about Ashleigh also made him think about her attack. He tried to remember what the attackers looked like, but he hadn’t seen them very well. He had been so concerned about making sure Ashleigh hadn’t been hurt. He wished he would have chased them down or gotten a better look at them.

  He balled his fists as he thought about the men responsible for the attack. He didn’t care if they wanted money. They could have that as far as he was concerned. Punishment would catch up to them eventually. But putting a young woman’s life at risk was inexcusable. He knew it was wrong, but he wished he could find the men and turn the tables by hurting them. Thinking about them putting their hands on Ashleigh made him want to strangle them!

  Alexander was getting even more upset, defeating the purpose of his walk. He tried to take a few deep breaths before he walked back to the restaurant. He was so distracted that he was barely looking where he was going, and suddenly, he barreled right into another man, who was coming out of the mercantile.

  “Oh, I’m so sorry!” Alexander apologized once he’d stood up.

  The other man was dressed for the mines and carrying a black satchel. He brushed himself off. “Why weren’t you looking where you were going?”

  “I’m terribly sorry,” Alexander repeated. The man looked familiar, but he couldn’t place him. “Excuse me, do I know you?”

  “William Steepleton,” the man replied gruffly, extending a hand.

  “Alexander Pierce. Are you related to Ashleigh Steepleton?” Alexander asked.

  William stiffened. “Yes. She’s my cousin. Why do you ask?”

  “I work with her at Graham’s Grub. I’m the chef,” Alexander hastily explained.

  “I’ve heard rumors about this town. Don’t get the wrong idea about my cousin. She’s a good girl,” William said aggressively.

  Alexander blushed. “Of course, she seems like a wonderful young woman. I hope you’ll enjoy your time in Creede.” William’s face seemed to get madder and madder. Alexander had no idea what to say.

  “Don’t get used to having her around. We’ll only be in Creede for a little while,” William warned, storming off.

  Alexander watched him walk away, puzzled. How had he managed to offend the man in a simple conversation? Perhaps he was just protective of his cousin. Alexander could understand that.

  He knew he should return to the restaurant, but a tiny voice in his head urged him to go into the mercantile. Without knowing why, he entered the shop even though he didn’t need anything.

  He found himself approaching the counter and old Mort Jackson, who ran the mercantile. “Good morning, Mort,” Alexander said pleasantly.

  “Morning, Alexander. How’s Graham’s Grub?” Mort asked jovially. He was a kind man, who had run the mercantile for many years.

  “It’s fine. I have a strange question to ask. The man who just left—William—what was he doing in here?” The words poured out of Alexander’s mouth. He wasn’t sure why he was asking them, but he couldn’t stop.

  “He was selling off some family heirlooms. A pocket watch, a bracelet, and a ring,” Mort told Alexander.

  “A ring?” Alexander felt his heart beat faster. Was this the reason all this was happening? “May I see it?”

  Mort shrugged. “Sure.” He bent down behind the counter and took out a small box. Alexander saw a gold pocket watch engraved with initials, a gold bracelet, and the most delicate diamond ring.

  “The ring,” Alexander whispered. “I’d like to buy it.”

  Mort’s eyes widened. “Well, sure, son. Would you like to know how much it costs first?”

  “Whatever it costs, I need to have it,” Alexander said, not believing the words that were falling out of his mouth. Even though it seemed mad, he knew it was true. He had to have it. One day, he’d give it to Ashleigh, and they’d be married. He felt like he was dreaming, but when he pinched himself, he was very much awake.

  Mort was staring at him like he’d lost his mind. “All right.” He wrote down something on a slip of paper.

  “This is the cost.” Mort was still staring at him strangely.

  Alexander looked at the paper and gulped. The price was expensive, more than four weeks of wages at Graham’s Grub. But every part of him knew that he needed to buy this ring for Ashleigh. He had a feeling that it was important to her.

  Alexander took a deep breath before he responded to Mort. Although he felt sure he needed to make the purch
ase, there was a small, nagging voice in his head warning him that he was being impulsive. He barely knew Ashleigh. She had mentioned herself that she and her cousins would be moving to California shortly. Why would he spend so much money on a gift for a woman who might be gone in a matter of weeks?

  Alexander nodded, finally making a decision. “I’ll take it.” Mort wrote him out a receipt, and Alexander gave him a deposit of wages, promising to return each week with the rest of the wages until he had fully paid for the jewelry.

  Alexander shoved his hands in his pockets as he exited the mercantile. He found himself whistling with a cheery expression on his face. If he didn’t know any better, he’d think he was going mad. How was it possible that Ashleigh had had such a strong effect on him in so little a time?

  Alexander grinned the whole way back to his home, just a few blocks away from Graham’s Grub. His mind was racing with all the possibilities for places he could take Ashleigh or activities they could do together. One day, he hoped she’d liven up his apartment—it was a little drab and colorless without a woman’s touch. And maybe soon after that, there’d be the pitter-patter of tiny footsteps walking across the threshold. He knew that he had a lot of work to do to convince Ashleigh, an eligible young woman, that he was her perfect match—but he was ready to do it. She was his destiny. He just had a feeling about it.

  Chapter Four

  At the boardinghouse that night, Ashleigh wore a dreamy smile and seemed distracted.

  “Ashleigh! Are you all right?” Gilbert asked, concerned. Usually his cousin was calm and level-headed. He wondered what occupied her thoughts.

  “It’s nothing,” Ashleigh sighed happily.

  Gilbert and Philip exchanged glances. Neither of them knew what was going on, but they were both suspicious.

  All three of the triplets quickly cleared their plates of the pork and beans Becky had prepared that evening. Ashleigh simply pushed the food around with her fork.