She had the table clean and the sink full when Amber and Gray entered first, their dog Boomer at Amber’s side.
Amber clapped her hands. “It smells like apple heaven in here.”
Gray grinned. “You’re hired.”
Mara’s face flushed as she turned to find the pair smiling at her. Amber nodded. “You are, in case you didn’t already figure that out. I can’t wait to show you the other kitchen tomorrow. It’s a bit bigger and has a couple of industrial dishwashers.”
Ford entered the kitchen, laughing. “I should’ve known you wouldn’t be able to resist this kitchen. Apple pie?”
She nodded. “It’s just cooling. I used some of Dani’s honey.”
The oven timer rang, and she pulled the loaves out. They would take a few minutes to cool, but she was glad she’d made a few.
Soon, most of the farm’s inhabitants were there. Jolie, Ford, Thea, Knox, Nash, and Dani. Mara was pleased she knew the names and connections. There were so many people to remember at once.
Then Lawson entered through the back door with a wide grin on his face. He bent down to kiss Dani’s cheek, then he looked at Mara. “Whatever you’re making, I’ll have two. It smells fantastic. And now, my surprise. Come on in, Babs.”
Babs? Instead of the woman she expected, a tall, muscular man entered the kitchen and nearly sucked the air out of the space.
Gorgeous. Rugged movie-star gorgeous. Mara’s belly swooped, and she steadied herself with a hand on the sink. She wasn’t one to care much about the outside package; it was the heart of a man that pulled at her.
Until now.
Wow.
She covered her flush by rinsing her hands and drying them while the men in the room rushed across the kitchen to welcome the man with hugs and backslaps.
She turned off her playlist, although “Let the Sunshine In” from Hair was appropriate. The sunshine had just walked in.
She was ridiculous.
As the men broke up the welcome huddle, Lawson turned to the room. “Okay, time to introduce you to the ladies. Seth Walters, aka Babs, Dani Richards; my sisters, Jolie and Amber; Thea Zimmer; and Ford’s sister, Mara. Nash’s Olivia is down at the house with the kids, but you can meet her tomorrow.”
Seth nodded to them all individually. When his gaze locked on hers, Mara was glad she’d leaned on the counter. Deep hazel eyes she could happily drown in.
Then he broke eye contact, and she released a breath. Yep, ridiculous.
Maybe the emotional past few weeks and the drive from New York had cross-wired her system. She’d never gone loopy over a gorgeous man before. She was probably overtired.
In the morning, she’d have her reactions under control, and he’d be just another guy.
Right. That was as likely as him breaking into a rendition of “All That Jazz.”
Seth kept his thoughts to himself. The gorgeous woman with her hands in the sink was a chaos machine.
The counters were covered with the disarray of her baking. Admittedly, the end products smelled and looked delicious, but he’d bet his knife set that she’d only cleaned off the table when Lawson texted the group to meet in the kitchen.
Cleaning up as you cooked was vital in a restaurant kitchen. She’d have been fired within minutes if they’d worked together back in LA.
Still, her big brown eyes seemed to knock into him. Ford’s sister was a looker.
And she was Ford’s sister, so he’d have to stop noticing that.
Seth turned his attention to the rest of the group and worked to put names to faces. He would figure out the pack of dogs later, but he worked to attach the right woman to the right man.
Ford and Jolie Malssum were together. Ford was a carpenter while Jolie worked to improve the farm’s biodiversity. All good for the vegetable and herb gardens he’d yet to see. She had a flock of ducks to control the snails and was considering adding geese. All good eggs, but he wouldn’t mind adding some chickens into the mix.
Lawson had hooked up with Dani Richards, the woman who made honey from her own bees. Seth wondered if she was willing to experiment with subtle flavor additions. Fresh honey would be a definite bonus in his kitchen.
