Contractor's Cookies (Culpepper Cowboys Book 9) Read online

  “It’s got to be weird being the object of so much attention because of your sister’s fame. Does it bother you at all?” he asked.

  “No, not really. I’ve been dealing with it for four years now. Lazy Love is about to start its fifth season.”

  Felicity grinned. “Do you know if they’re going to work Valerie’s pregnancy into the storyline?”

  “Absolutely. They’re going to have to. She’s already showing, and she’s going to be huge soon. Jesse’s loving every second of it.”

  “How’s Valerie feeling?”

  “She’s having a hard time with the heat of the Texas summers, but other than that, she’s fine.” Rikki shrugged. “As soon as they film the episode with her announcing her pregnancy, she won’t have to be out in the heat as much. For now, they’re letting her put cold packs in her pockets, and she’s drinking a lot of water between scenes.”

  Brenda came over to their table to get their drink orders. After she was gone, Allen looked at Rikki. “Where did you live before you moved here with Jesse and Valerie?”

  “I lived with my mom in a small town in Iowa. I needed to have a fresh start, though, and Jesse and Valerie knew they wanted a nanny while they were here, so I’ll be a nanny one week out of every month for free room and board.”

  “So you’ll be taking a week off at the bakery every month?”

  Rikki shrugged. “I seriously doubt it will come to that. I don’t think Valerie will really let anyone be a nanny the one week out of each month she can completely devote to that baby. She was just trying to get me out of Iowa.”

  Felicity grinned. “I’m glad you’re here. You make the bakery run a great deal more smoothly.”

  “Only because having me there means that you don’t have to be there every minute the place is open. I want to learn to bake at least one kind of cookie tomorrow.”

  “You already bake a mean chocolate chip!” Felicity protested.

  “Yes, but I want to learn to bake one of your specialties.” Rikki looked at Allen. “Which of her specialties did you like best today?”

  “Oh, definitely the caramel stuffed apple cider! I thought I was going to faint from sheer pleasure of those things hitting my tongue.” Allen could close his eyes and still taste them.

  “That’s what I want to learn to bake then. Will you teach me?”

  Felicity nodded. Part of the agreement when they took her on, was that they’d teach her to bake, and she wouldn’t only do grunt work forever. It was time. “Yeah, I’ll teach you. We’ll make a huge batch tomorrow.”

  Rikki practically bounced up and down in her seat. “Do you mean it? You’ll teach me?”

  Felicity laughed. “I never agree to things I don’t mean. And we’ll make Allen taste them and let us know if they’re as good as he remembers.”

  “Oh, please don’t torture me!” Allen said, putting the back of his hand to his forehead.

  “Yes, because Allen hates my cookies. I can tell every time he takes a bite.”

  “Cookies?” Allen asked.

  Felicity looked at him. “Yes?”

  “Hush up.”

  Felicity looked at Rikki. “He’s started calling me Cookies, and I think I like it. Isn’t it a sweet name for just him to call me? I’ve never had a nickname before.”

  Rikki grinned. “I love my nickname.”

  Felicity looked at Allen. “Do you have a nickname?”

  He shrugged. “Some people call me Al, but I prefer Allen.”

  “I’ll come up with something for you. Let me think on it.”

  Allen groaned. “I don’t want my name to be zingy or anything like that.”

  She frowned at him. “I would never call you zingy. It would be too hard to explain to random strangers. I’ll come up with something really good.”

  Allen looked over at Rikki, his eyes wide. “Please help me!”

  Rikki giggled. “You’re not a scary man after all.”

  “I wish my kid brother was here. You’d love him.”

  “Where is he?” she asked.

  “He graduated from college a couple of years ago with a degree in agriculture, so he’s now running his own business helping Montana ranchers. He’s going to move back here in another year or so to take over our grandfather’s ranch when he retires.”

  “Well, I’m sure I’ll meet him then.” Rikki shrugged. “I’m not exactly ready to start a relationship right now. Maybe someday I will be.”

  “I guess I wasn’t thinking of that.”

  Rikki nodded to Felicity. “What about you two? Are you starting a relationship?”

  Allen hadn’t expected the point-blank question and wasn’t quite sure how to respond. “I don’t know yet. I think Felicity is really special, but I’m not sure I’m the right man for her. She should start out with a man with no kids.”

  Rikki made a face. “I have a feeling that doesn’t matter to Felicity at all. It wouldn’t matter to me. Where’s your kid now? With his mom?”

  Allen frowned. “His mother ran off with one of the underwear models.” He knew both women would understand what he meant. No one was in Culpepper for long before hearing about the underwear model shoot that had ended in a blizzard and most of the town’s women running off with the models. “She hasn’t had any desire to see him since. He’s at football camp this week. He’ll be home Saturday.”

  “How old is he?” Rikki asked, while Felicity let the same information she’d heard from Linda sink into her mind in a different way.

  “He’s ten and the most incredible kid alive. I’m ready for him to get back here. Name’s Tristan.”

  “Oh, I like that,” Rikki said. “What grade is he in?”

  “He’s going into fifth. Being a single dad wasn’t something I ever planned to do, but I sure do love my kid.”

  “It’s sad that his mom doesn’t want to see him. He needs a new mom. Don’t you think Felicity is good mom material?”

  “Don’t push it, Rikki.”

  Rikki laughed, the sound traveling around the diner. It was a light tinkling laugh that sounded like her sister’s. “I’ll back off.”

  Brenda came back with their drinks and took their orders. She looked pointedly at Allen’s hand holding Felicity’s under the table, but she didn’t say anything about it and soon left to give their orders to the cook.

  “When will the parking lot part of the project be finished?” Felicity asked, changing the topic to something much safer.

  “The cement will be poured this weekend if it doesn’t rain.”

  “That quick? I thought it would take longer.”

  Allen shook his head. “Nope. I’ve got most of the framework done already.”

  “That’s great. So next week, you’ll start on the dining room?”

  He nodded. “Yup.”

  “Will you do everything yourself?” Felicity asked.

  Rikki watched the conversation, smiling. She obviously approved of the relationship blossoming across from her.

  “Mostly. There are a few things I’ll need help with, but I’ll do my best to save them all for the same day, and one of my friends will come in and help. I help him with the same types of things for projects he’s involved in.”

  “It’s good that you have someone you can share the workload with that way.”

  He nodded. “Yeah, I worked for him right out of high school, and he taught me everything I know. When I started my own business, we kept in touch, and we help each other now.”

  “I couldn’t run a bakery without Grace, Patience, and Rikki.”

  Rikki rolled her eyes. “You guys don’t need me. You do need another person, but at this point, I’m completely disposable. Within a year, I plan to be indispensable.”

  Felicity smiled. “You’re already getting there. We adore you, and you make our jobs so much easier.”

  Their food came then, and they all focused on their meals. “What kind of cookies are you going to make me tomorrow?” he asked.

  “Oh
, I’m done baking you cookies. Being spoiled one day per month is enough for you.”

  He laughed. “I don’t think you could stop if you tried!”

  Felicity sighed loudly. “You’re right. It’s a compulsion. I see you, and I want to bake cookies and force feed them to you. I figure you’re burning off calories faster than we can shove them down your throat anyway.”

  “So you’re going to keep feeding me cookies all month, right?”

  She nodded. “And then when you leave to go work somewhere else, I’ll find your house and bring you cookies every afternoon for the next day, because by that point you’ll be trained to eat my cookies every hour, and I won’t have it on my head if you go into withdrawals and almost die from lack of cookies in your system!”

  He laughed. “I’m glad you’ve got my back and won’t let me die from lack of cookies. So kind of you.”

  “And when your son gets back from football camp, I will slowly start adding the excess cookies to his diet as well. I don’t know how you two have survived for so long without my cookies! I can’t tempt the fates and let you continue on this horrible path to destruction!”

  He looked at her, fork in the air. “What if I insist that I want to go down this path to destruction, and more cookies will make me choke, and only bring unhappiness and doom upon me and my household?”

  “Then I will sit on you and order Rikki to force the cookies into your mouth.” She made a face at him for a moment as if considering. “I kind of like the idea of sitting on you. Please refuse more cookies!”

  He laughed, shaking his head at her. “You amuse me as much as you frighten me.”

  Felicity looked over at Rikki who was watching them with wide eyes. “Tell him it should be all fear with no amusement mixed in. He has no idea what I’m capable of, does he?”

  Rikki shook her head. “Obviously not. He scares me less and less as the minutes tick by, but you scare me more and more.”

  “And just think—we’re going to be roommates starting tonight!” Felicity said with a grin.

  Allen grinned. “Did you two finish up the move?”

  “No, but the back of Rikki’s car is loaded up with everything she wants to take to the big house.”

  Allen looked over at Rikki. “Do you feel comfortable enough with me to let me help?”

  Rikki nodded. “You’re not nearly as scary as you seemed at the bakery. Now that you’re with Felicity, you’re not scary at all!”

  “Because her scary is overwhelmingly worse than my scary?” he asked, winking at Rikki.

  “No, because you put up with her madness and silliness. Any man who will do that, can’t be bad at all.”

  Allen smiled at that, taking a big gulp of his iced tea. “You’re right. I’m just a sad little puppy dog. I’ll help you finish up that move.”

  Rikki nodded. “We’d both appreciate it.”

  5

  Felicity decided to try a new kind of cookie the following afternoon. She’d always thought that a simple gingersnap with caramel added, would be a perfect treat. With Rikki watching, she carefully experimented with a couple of different mixtures, trying to get them just right.

  Both types of cookie went into the oven at the same time, and when they finished, the four co-workers all crowded around. “Which do you think is better?” Felicity asked. “The one with the caramel on top, or the one with the caramel cooked through it?”

  Felicity tried the first, the one with the caramel on top, and almost moaned with pleasure it was so good. She sighed happily. “I think this is my favorite cookie I have ever eaten.”

  Rikki took a bite of the same one, her eyes widening with pleasure. “Wow. I never would have put those flavors together, but this is amazing.”

  Patience tried the other cookie and she grinned. “This one is great too. How are we going to choose?”

  Grace tried the same one Patience had. “Felicity, these are crazy good. I’ve never tasted anything like it!”

  They all swapped and ate the other cookie. Each of the women agreed the cookies with the caramel on top had turned out best, so Felicity piled the cookies on a plate and took two bottles of water outside. When she reached Allen, he was working away at something, bent over at the waist.

  Her eyes went to his shoulders, and she wanted to touch him again, but she wouldn’t. She knew better—mostly.

  Allen spotted her standing in front of him and straightened, reaching for one of the bottles of water she’d brought. “I was just thinking it must be getting close to cookie time.”

  “See? I was ten minutes late for our regular hourly cookie break, and you noticed it took too long! You do need cookies every hour!”

  He chuckled. “You’re spoiling me, Cookies. I think I like it.” He reached for one of the cookies, looking at it with interest. “What do you call this one?”

  She had no idea, so she said the first thing that came to mind. “Heaven. We call those heaven.”

  He raised an eyebrow, but took a big bite. His eyes closed as he chewed slowly, swallowing the mouthful. “Oh my goodness. Will you marry me?”

  “Yes. Yes, I will!” Felicity knew he didn’t mean it, but she’d never admit that to him.

  He opened one eye and looked at her staring up at him eagerly. “I was asking the cookie.”

  “Too late now! I’ve already found my dress!”

  “You had three seconds. No one can find a dress that fast!”

  “I had Hope make me one. I figured once I found the right man, I’d marry quickly like everyone else in Culpepper. Now, when should we marry? Tomorrow? Saturday?”

  He shook his head. “You’re a crazy little thing.”

  She shrugged. “It’s my job to be crazy.”

  “Why?”

  “Why what?”

  “Why is it your job to be crazy?” Allen sighed. The woman was going to be the death of him.

  “Always has been, I guess.” She shrugged. “Now, about the wedding. Since Tristan will be home Saturday, maybe it would be best if we married tomorrow. That will give us a wedding night without a child in the house.”

  She had him when she mentioned the wedding night. He looked at her skeptically. “So you’ll marry me tomorrow after work? Just like that?”

  “Of course, I will. You’re perfect for me. You’re kind, hard-working, and your zing quotient is out of this world!”

  “And that’s all that matters in marriage?” Allen asked, shaking his head.

  Felicity shrugged. “That’s not all that matters, but the rest will come.” She stepped toward him, putting her free hand against his bare chest. She loved that he worked stripped to the waist most of the time. “I do think we could make a good life together.”

  He studied here carefully. He had feelings for her that were more powerful than he’d had for anyone in years. Or ever. Slowly he nodded. “Tomorrow afternoon sounds good.” He didn’t expect Tristan to be exactly pleased by his marriage, so it would be better if he got it over with while he was still at camp.

  Her whole face lit up. “Really? We’re marrying tomorrow afternoon?”

  He nodded, expecting a feeling of dread to wash over him at the idea, but was surprised to feel nothing but elation. “I’ll call Brother Anthony. Does five work?”

  “Let’s make it seven. I can switch shifts with one of the others to get ready, but they’re still going to want to be there for the wedding. Let’s get married at Linda’s.”

  He shrugged. “That works, I guess. Are you going to come see my place this evening? Once you see my house, you might change your mind.”

  She laughed, shaking her head. “I don’t trust myself alone with you. Not going to happen.”

  He raised an eyebrow at her, questioningly. “Why don’t you trust yourself alone with me?”

  “Haven’t you listened to me at all? The zinginess! I would knock you down and jump your bones to feel more of the zinginess!”

  He grinned, unable to help himself. “You would? I wouldn�
�t complain about that, you know.”

  She shook her head again. “Nope. Not happening. And I’m not kissing you until Brother Anthony pronounces us man and wife. What do you think he’ll call me?”

  “No idea. Does it matter?”

  “I guess not. Oh, and you can’t really kiss me until we get home to your place.”

  “So what do you want me to do when Brother Anthony pronounces us husband and wife? Miss your lips?”

  She nodded eagerly. “Yeah, go just to one side of my lips, and we’ll kiss at each other.”

  “Why?” He went along with a lot of her craziness, but he didn’t understand this request at all.

  “I’m afraid once we start kissing, I’m going to go a little bit crazy.”

  His eyes widened. “You think once I kiss you, you really are going to be that eager for sex, you need to be at home first?”

  “And preferably lying flat and naked. Yup.”

  Allen laughed. “I don’t think my kisses pack that kind of wallop, Cookies.”

  “Oh, trust me. They will. I got all melty in my girly bits when you kissed my hand. I’d probably end up in a puddle at your feet if you kissed me.”

  “Don’t you think we should at least see if you like my kisses before we marry?”

  “Aren’t you listening?” Felicity’s voice was practically frantic. “Puddle woman!”

  He grinned at her, leaning down to kiss her cheek. “All right. All right. No puddle woman for me. Brother Anthony at seven at Linda Culpepper’s place. I can do that.”

  Once Felicity was back inside she looked at the others and let out a short scream. They all looked at her, and Rikki ran to her side. “What’s wrong?”

  “We’re getting married. Tomorrow! At seven! Linda’s place, so wear something appropriate! Grace, you have to switch shifts with me!”

  Grace shook her head. “You can’t work on your wedding day! Nope, we’ll cover for you. I’ll work late. Rikki will take Allen his cookies, don’t worry.”

  “Was it that obvious?”

  Patience grinned at her sister. “Only to people who know you. I’ll be there as soon as I’m done with my shift to help you get ready. Can I wear the bridesmaid dress you wore for my wedding?”