“You make me happy.” She reached up, pulled his head down, and covered his mouth with hers. When they finished kissing, she said, “Cooking makes me happy. Feeding people makes me happy. And someone once told me I had to stop being so critical of myself. That I had to start believing in myself. I’d say opening a destination restaurant is a good step in that direction, don’t you?” She took a deep breath. “I won’t lie. I’m scared to death. Scared I’ll fail…become a laughingstock. But I’ll never know if I don’t try, will I?”
“Only if it’s what you want.”
“It’s what I want. And you, Sawyer Dalton, is who I want.”
He held her so close he could hear the beating of her heart. “Right back atcha, baby.”
“Shall we take a walk and tell everyone?”
“Soon.” He lifted her off the couch. “First, I want you all to myself.”
She stared into his eyes and his pulse picked up, doing that two-step again. Forty-two days ago, Gina DeRose had taken over his house and now she owned his heart.
“How soon can you move your stuff here?” He carried her inside the bedroom.
She touched her hand to his chest. “Soon as I can hire movers. Do I get dibs on the closet?”
“As long as I get dibs on you.” He started to undress her. “At some point, though, we’ll have to discuss your choice in luggage.”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh shut up, Sawyer Dalton, and kiss me.”
“Will kiss for food.” He laid her gently on the bed and came up alongside her.
“You’ll get plenty of both. Now love me, cowboy.”
“With pleasure.” And with that, Sawyer did what he was told.
Epilogue
Six months later
“There.” Gina pointed to the space where her new ovens would go, then turned to the far wall. “That’s where I’m putting the grills and griddles.”
As the new brand ambassador for Supplycrafters she was getting all her restaurant equipment free. In return, the appliances would be featured in her new FoodFlicks reality show,Restaurant Chronicles, which would document the start-up of DeRose Steak House.
Only two more months until they started taping. Two months after that, the restaurant’s soft opening.
Sawyer turned in a wide circle. “Wow, it’s huge. You think we can actually fill this place?”
“I don’t think it, I know it. We’re booked solid the first month. The local hotels are going to love us.”
The sound of electric tools floated through the space. Since September, there’d been nonstop construction. First, the flower shop and Tuff’s saddlery went in and now they were finishing the build-out of a small sarsaparilla and pie stand next to the restaurant. Laney came nearly every day to boss around the workers.
The complex, a series of rustic buildings that mimicked Charlie and Aubrey’s old barn and a group of landscaped trails with benches and picnic tables, had a bird’s-eye view of the creek, the mountains, and the cattle pastures. The parking lot, cordoned off with a low split-rail fence and hitching posts, also mirrored a Western theme.
A general store and butcher shop was next in line. And who knew what would come after that?
Gina’s steak house announcement and the national press it received had been good for publicity. So far, they had a stack of applications from companies that wanted to set up shop on Dry Creek Ranch, including a proposal to put in six EVgo charging stations for electric cars.
Sawyer liked that venture the best. While road-weary travelers juiced up, they’d spend time eating and shopping.
Cha-ching.
Gina spray-painted a series ofX’s on the wall.
“What’s that for?”
“I changed my mind about the location of the walk-in cooler. I want it to go here.”
