month? And in all that time you’ve never served dessert.”
“I am now. So enjoy it.” Alexa got out two plates and took the pie from the fridge.
“Yeah, well I’m thinking squash is pretty normal for you.” He sniffed the slice of pie she handed him. “You didn’t put any of those weird herbs in here, did you?”
“Oh, for Pete’s sake! All this because I put rose hips and marigold seeds in a couple of salads?”
“And dandelion leaves in place of lettuce.”
“Mixed with romaine.” She sat down and ate a bite of her pie. “If you don’t like the meals here, then I guess you’ll be anxious to go home with Sierra next week. A week from tomorrow, actually.”
Rafe’s fork stopped halfway to his mouth. “What makes you think that?”
“I don’t feed you dessert. I make funny salads. I’m guessing Sierra cooks a lot like your mother did. Tonight you all but drooled when you spoke of her food.”
“My mom made great albondigas soup, homemade tamales and chile rellenos. And my favorite dessert is probably a toss-up between churros and almendrado. ” He polished off the final bite of pie. “I may seriously have to add squash pie to my list.”
“Flattery gets you nowhere, bub. Supper tomorrow night is still going to be vegetable kebabs. What’s almendrado? I’ve never heard of it and I’ve eaten in tons of Mexican restaurants.”
“I can’t tell you what’s in it. My mom didn’t use a recipe. She started out with a pan of white, pink and green puff things that would melt in your mouth. She scooped those out in individual bowls and topped each with almond custard. I bet it was just loaded with calories.”
Alexa got up and cleared the table. “At home we had a cook. But my mother is obsessed with maintaining her figure. My dad insisted on steak and potatoes once a week, but other than that our meals were vegetarian. I’m sorry, Rafe, I should have asked what foods you liked, instead of making you eat what I do.”
“Hey, not to worry. I’m just teasing. And you did offer me steak the first night and I turned you down. If it’ll make you happier, you can add chunks of beef to my vegetable kebab, and serve me meat from now until I leave.”
“I can do that.”
“You don’t sound too thrilled. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Nothing’s wrong,” she repeated.
But, there was. In just a short while, Alexa thought, Rafe would be leaving.
D OG WHINED AND PAWED at Rafe’s knee. That generally meant the animal was ready to go to bed. Rafe got up and carried his plate to the sink. He had felt a definite shift in Alexa’s mood. “Is everything okay?” he asked. “Your cooking’s actually pretty good, you know.”
“Nothing’s wrong. I was just thinking I’ll miss your help with the horses when you leave.” She put away the pie, shooed Rafe out of the kitchen and snapped off the light. “Good night. It’s going to be cold again in the morning, so we probably can do your acupuncture right after breakfast and do the outside chores later.”
“Sure. That’d be good.” Rafe headed down the hall but he had only taken a few steps when he stopped and called in her direction. Something was bothering him. “I’m not overly anxious to get back to Sierra’s, you know.”
He waited for Alexa’s response, but there was nothing.
He’d really messed things up by coming on to her. Maybe she was anxious for him to go. Truth was, he’d grown comfortable here. Comfortable with her. But Rafe wouldn’t ask her if he could stay. That would be pathetic. He might be a lot of things, but he wasn’t pathetic.
CHAPTER SIX
A LEXA GOT UP EARLY , showered and clipped up her hair before hurrying out to take care of morning chores. “Sheesh mineeze, it’s freezing today, girls,” she grumbled to the laying hens, who refused to move from their warm roosts. A thick coating of frost in spidery white lacy whorls blanketed her ranch as far as she could see. The only positive to the morning
“I am now. So enjoy it.” Alexa got out two plates and took the pie from the fridge.
“Yeah, well I’m thinking squash is pretty normal for you.” He sniffed the slice of pie she handed him. “You didn’t put any of those weird herbs in here, did you?”
“Oh, for Pete’s sake! All this because I put rose hips and marigold seeds in a couple of salads?”
“And dandelion leaves in place of lettuce.”
“Mixed with romaine.” She sat down and ate a bite of her pie. “If you don’t like the meals here, then I guess you’ll be anxious to go home with Sierra next week. A week from tomorrow, actually.”
Rafe’s fork stopped halfway to his mouth. “What makes you think that?”
“I don’t feed you dessert. I make funny salads. I’m guessing Sierra cooks a lot like your mother did. Tonight you all but drooled when you spoke of her food.”
“My mom made great albondigas soup, homemade tamales and chile rellenos. And my favorite dessert is probably a toss-up between churros and almendrado. ” He polished off the final bite of pie. “I may seriously have to add squash pie to my list.”
“Flattery gets you nowhere, bub. Supper tomorrow night is still going to be vegetable kebabs. What’s almendrado? I’ve never heard of it and I’ve eaten in tons of Mexican restaurants.”
“I can’t tell you what’s in it. My mom didn’t use a recipe. She started out with a pan of white, pink and green puff things that would melt in your mouth. She scooped those out in individual bowls and topped each with almond custard. I bet it was just loaded with calories.”
Alexa got up and cleared the table. “At home we had a cook. But my mother is obsessed with maintaining her figure. My dad insisted on steak and potatoes once a week, but other than that our meals were vegetarian. I’m sorry, Rafe, I should have asked what foods you liked, instead of making you eat what I do.”
“Hey, not to worry. I’m just teasing. And you did offer me steak the first night and I turned you down. If it’ll make you happier, you can add chunks of beef to my vegetable kebab, and serve me meat from now until I leave.”
“I can do that.”
“You don’t sound too thrilled. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Nothing’s wrong,” she repeated.
But, there was. In just a short while, Alexa thought, Rafe would be leaving.
D OG WHINED AND PAWED at Rafe’s knee. That generally meant the animal was ready to go to bed. Rafe got up and carried his plate to the sink. He had felt a definite shift in Alexa’s mood. “Is everything okay?” he asked. “Your cooking’s actually pretty good, you know.”
“Nothing’s wrong. I was just thinking I’ll miss your help with the horses when you leave.” She put away the pie, shooed Rafe out of the kitchen and snapped off the light. “Good night. It’s going to be cold again in the morning, so we probably can do your acupuncture right after breakfast and do the outside chores later.”
“Sure. That’d be good.” Rafe headed down the hall but he had only taken a few steps when he stopped and called in her direction. Something was bothering him. “I’m not overly anxious to get back to Sierra’s, you know.”
He waited for Alexa’s response, but there was nothing.
He’d really messed things up by coming on to her. Maybe she was anxious for him to go. Truth was, he’d grown comfortable here. Comfortable with her. But Rafe wouldn’t ask her if he could stay. That would be pathetic. He might be a lot of things, but he wasn’t pathetic.
CHAPTER SIX
A LEXA GOT UP EARLY , showered and clipped up her hair before hurrying out to take care of morning chores. “Sheesh mineeze, it’s freezing today, girls,” she grumbled to the laying hens, who refused to move from their warm roosts. A thick coating of frost in spidery white lacy whorls blanketed her ranch as far as she could see. The only positive to the morning
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