A Bride for a Blue-Ribbon Cowboy by Judy Duarte

Author:Judy Duarte
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

After Cindy left the kitchen to get dressed, Blake opened the window and turned on a fan, hoping to rid the house of the burnt-apple stench.

The hinges squeaked as Tuck entered the back door, with Shep on his heels. The retired rodeo cowboy hung his hat, paused by the sink in the service porch, then peered through the doorway to the kitchen and grimaced. “What in tarnation is going on? It smells like the house caught fire.”

“No need to call nine-one-one. Cindy made a pie and the filling spilled over into the oven. I’m just trying to air the place out a little.”

Tuck blew out a slow whistle. “Where is she?”

“Getting dressed for dinner.” Blake slid the old man a slow grin. “But go easy on her, will you? She’s proud of what she made, even if it looks and tastes like heck.”

“Why on earth did she go and bake a pie?” Tuck snatched a couple of paper towels from the roll and dried his hands. “I told her I wanted to go out tonight.”

“She wanted to practice so she can enter the baking competition at the fair.”

Tuck’s attention lit on the golden-brown blob that cooled on the countertop, and he arched a bushy gray brow. “Is that it?”

Blake nodded.

“It doesn’t look edible.”

In spite of not wanting to make fun of Cindy’s handiwork, a smile tugged at Blake’s lips. “My taste buds are still rebelling. And I’m not sure if my stomach will ever forgive me.”

Tuck ran a craggy, callused hand through his hair. “What would possess her to do something like that? She doesn’t know how to bake anything from scratch.”

“She’s dead set on winning a blue ribbon at the fair. And she figured, with one of your wife’s recipes, she’d be a shoo-in.”

Tuck blew out a heavy sigh. “Sue Ellen could throw an old boot into a bucket of rainwater and make it taste like a million bucks. She had a gift. And any time her friends tried out one of her recipes, it never tasted quite the same.”

Blake cleared his throat and looked around, making sure Cindy was gone. “Just so neither one of us has to come up with an excuse not to have any more pie tonight, we’ll be sure to order two or three desserts with our dinner.”

“Good idea.” Tuck eased closer to the pie, bent forward and furrowed his brow. “Looks more like a cowpie to me. Maybe, if we accidentally knock the plate on the floor, Shep will do us a favor and eat it.”

Blake looked at the dog. “I don’t think he’ll take more than a sniff.”

“Well, let’s get moving. I’d like to be at The Alibi before six.”

“Why’s that?”

“No reason.”

Blake had a feeling Tuck was up to something, but he was hungry. And as bad as that slice of pie had tasted, it hadn’t put a damper on his appetite. He was as eager to get on the road as Tuck. There were just so many beans and franks a guy could stomach, and Blake was looking forward to some decent food.

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