Harlequin Desire February 2018--Box Set 1 of 2 by Joanne Rock

Author:Joanne Rock
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781488092473
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2018-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

Losing himself in memories of past winter meals at the cabin, Broderick flipped open the lid of the slow cooker. He checked the status of his family’s recipe for caribou stew. A roll of steam billowed out with the scent of thyme. He waved some of the fog toward his face, breathing in the smell of the hearty meal promising a flavor he found only in Alaska. Comfort food, really.

His personal favorite, and he looked forward to sharing it with Glenna after she finished putting the baby to bed. At the moment, she was oblivious to his nostalgia, sitting on a quilt on the living room floor with Fleur and some activity toy.

His parents would sleep in the master bedroom. The girls slept in the small spare room—a room Fleur would use now—and the boys would sprawl out in the loft. Family time was full of snowmobiling, fishing and hikes, until they came back to the cabin exhausted and famished, leaving a trail of soggy snowsuits, caps, gloves and boots behind them.

This recipe came down from his grandmother. Every time he made the stew, he envisioned his grandma and mother dicing the tomatoes and onions. They didn’t need to measure the broth and spices. Everything was done by eye, and even when his family had become richer than Midas, with a crew to help in the home, his grandmother had insisted the recipe wasn’t falling into any stranger’s hands. And that even if a staff chef attempted to recreate the recipe, no one could cook the stew as well as she could. Broderick agreed.

The caribou stew recipe was a part of their family DNA.

Taking a wooden spoon off the ceramic spoon rest, he stirred the chunky soup, which had been simmering all afternoon, checking the color and consistency. He felt as if someone was staring at him and looked up to find Kota sitting pretty. Those icy blue eyes left no mistake. The puppy was working his charm for a treat.

“Kota, buddy, I’m not sure I’m supposed to feed you table scraps,” Broderick said. “Glenna would probably kick my butt.”

“Yes,” she called out, “I will kick your butt if you mess with my pup’s good manner.”

The pup tilted his head and let out a whimper.

“Yeah, yeah, puppy,” Broderick continued, half amused at her speedy response. “I know it’s not fair. But I’ll tell you what. I do have a soup bone tucked away in the fridge and if your mama says it’s okay, you can have that all to yourself. Right, Glenna?” “After I check to make sure the bone won’t splinter or make him sick,” she called back, tapping a jingling toy, enticing Fleur to reach for it.

Kota kept waiting expectantly, making Broderick feel like the meanest human alive. He checked that Glenna wasn’t looking, and then pulled out a chunk of cooked meat and rinsed it.

Kneeling, he whispered to the puppy, “Our secret. You can have it if you work for it, okay? Your mama says the key to a balanced, well-trained dog is the motto ‘Nothing in Life Is Free.

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