The Rancher's Mail-Order Bride by Mindy Neff

Author:Mindy Neff
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-09-19T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

Wyatt decided he was going to get fat on Hannah’s cooking. She had a tendency to use elaborate sauces to mix strange flavors and textures. Combinations that sounded awful.

But sounding and tasting were two different things. The crisp green beans with garlic and slivered almonds were a perfect compliment to the tender chicken breasts baked in tarragon and some kind of fruity sauce. Warm bread, cheesy potatoes and plenty of everything on the table made it a hearty meal. A sophisticated meal.

“Is it okay?”

“It’s great. Makes me feel like I’m eating at a fancy restaurant instead of in the kitchen of my cattle ranch.”

The timer on the oven sounded and she grabbed a hot pad, removing a pie that had his mouth watering.

“By the time we’re finished with dinner, it should be cool enough to eat.”

The fear for his waistline grew.

“Pretty good eats, don’t you think, partner?” he asked Ian. The boy was being awfully quiet, which was suspicious. He kept peeking up as though he were hiding something under the table.

“Yep.”

“Ian, don’t you have something to ask?” Hannah coached, sitting back down at the table.

Ian shook his head.

Wyatt hid a grin, ducked his head and looked under the table.

Ian’s fork paused. He too, ducked and looked, meeting Wyatt’s gaze under the tablecloth. Chinook, who was laying at their feet—thrilled with Ian in residence—perked his ears, giving a canine grin of anticipation that they might be about to embark on some new and fun game.

Wyatt winked and Ian toppled out of his chair giggling.

“Oh,” Hannah groaned, her hand shooting out to catch her son. “Settle down, Ian.”

“Leave him be,” Wyatt said. “That was my fault.”

“I got the puppies in my room to s-sleep wif me. Did you know th-that I got a cut?” He held his finger up for inspection, and Wyatt tried not to laugh at the sly change of subject.

He’d noticed that Lady and her pups were missing from the barn, but Skeeter had already told him the boy had spirited the animals into the house.

Now, evidently Ian thought he could impart the information and at the same time run interference and distract.

Wyatt cupped the single digit Ian practically shoved up his nose, and inspected the minute cut with the solemn gravity of a funeral parlor director. Chinook sat patiently and gave a little whine as though to add his compassion. Sitting, the dog was nearly the height of Ian.

“This here’s serious business. Suppose we need to run you into town and get Doc Hammond to give it a stitch?”

Ian’s eyes widened. He considered, discarded. “It’s just a w-wittle baby cut.”

“Are you sure? Maybe you need a tetanus shot or something.”

Ian sucked in a gasp, ducked under the table, and popped up in Hannah’s lap. Chinook’s tags jingled as he raced to keep up, paws skidding on the tile floor before he sat politely by Hannah’s side.

“Kiss it,” Ian demanded, nearly poking her mouth with his finger. She obliged.

“All better,” he said, looking across the table at Wyatt as though daring him to dispute.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.