Cowboy in the Kitchen (20 page)
Read Cowboy in the Kitchen Online
Authors: Mae Nunn
“Ladies and gentlemen, may I present your hostess for this event and the owner of this incredible boutique hotel, Moore House, Ms. Gillian Moore.”
When the applause died down, Emilio once again spoke into the microphone. “Cooking all day has fried your brain, my friend, and you misspoke. The name of this fine establishment is Temple Territory.”
Hunt shook his head. Emilio was wrong. This would be terribly embarrassing for Gillian and disastrous for him at the exact moment he had something life-changing to ask. He’d correct the mistake immediately.
“With all due respect to you, the name of this hotel is Moore House.”
“Not according to the brochure.” Emilio held up a glossy pamphlet, and everyone else in the room did the same. “Or this.” Emilio held up the cocktail napkin from beneath his drink, and everyone else in the room did the same. “Or that.” Emilio nodded and a guest at a nearby table handed Hunt a freshly folded cloth napkin. Hunt shook it open and held it to the light. The white monogram against the white linen clearly read
Temple Territory
.
The same guest handed Hunt a copy of the brochure and a cocktail napkin and both confirmed what Emilio had said: the name of the property remained Temple Territory.
Hunt’s raised eyes were brimming with tears.
Gillian held her breath, praying the timing of her surprise wasn’t more than he could publicly accept, because he still had work to do.
And there was one last thing to be revealed.
He exhaled the emotion that seemed about to overtake him, glanced one last time at the items that bore his family name, and then laid them on a nearby table. He reached both open palms toward Gillian, and she eagerly slipped her hands into his.
“All day long I assumed I was the one with a secret.” He tipped his head toward the dessert on his cart. “I hate to throw a competition, but as you can see, my layer still looks like the top of a wedding cake. It was baked with the finest ingredients, iced with tender care and decorated with yellow roses, a symbol of strength, courage and enduring love in our great state. I couldn’t tear this cake apart when it should be used for the purpose it was intended, to celebrate timeless and unending love.”
Hunt went down on one knee, and the room erupted. If Gillian hadn’t had crutches to lean on she’d have collapsed on the floor beside him.
“I don’t have a ring to offer you right now, Gilly. But only because I know you and you’ll want to pick it out yourself.”
The crowd broke into laughter when she nodded agreement. She couldn’t squeeze words past the lump in her throat.
“And you don’t have to answer me on the spot, because we haven’t even discussed this, and you’ll want time to think it over. And you may not be too crazy about me asking you with the eyes of Texas watching.”
Again he was right, and again she smiled and nodded, unable to speak.
“But if you would consider being my bride and letting me be your executive chef for the rest of our lives, you would make me a very happy cowboy.”
The first whoops came from Hunt’s brothers and Gillian’s parents. When Cooper added his bark of approval, the rest of the makeshift ballroom joined in the celebration.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
H
UNT
HELD
G
ILLIAN
close to shield her from the December wind. At the entrance to the property, the family gathered in the dark. His brothers, Gillian’s father and Felix tugged the cover loose and lifted it free from the Texas-size stone marquee. Spotlights hit the new landmark from every direction, and the small group caught their collective breath.
TEMPLE TERRITORY
was deeply etched into the finest Texas limestone, and the centuries-old rocks that had once been the exterior of the well were embedded in the base of the marquee and would forever remain part of Temple Territory.
The Caddo Nation protesters erupted in applause.
“I love you, Gillian Moore.”
“Because of Temple Territory?”
“In spite of it. You made me angry, and then you made me crazy, and then you made me see the light of day. You’re perfect for me. I adore you. I can’t wait to make you my wife.”
“I love you, too, Hunt Temple.”
“Because I want to stay?”
“In spite of that. You fought with me, and then you mentored me, and then you showed me I can trust you with anything. Even my heart. Hunt, with you I can be who I am, only a better version. We’re good together, and as long as your offer still stands, we’ll have the very first wedding at Temple Territory.”
Hunt pulled Gillian closer and showed her with his kiss that he never intended to let her go again.
“It’s strange, but this is not the way I pictured finding love. I always thought I’d work on my career and then later make the time for a relationship.”
Gillian’s confession was almost an apology, but Hunt understood exactly how she felt.
“I believe it was King Soloman who said, ‘In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.’”
“How true,” she agreed.
“We’ll make our plans together from this day forward, Gillian. With divine help, our forever will go on between us and not around us.” Back up on the hill, beneath the huge tent, a country band struck up an Irish reel to celebrate Robby’s win.
Hunt hardly noticed as he held Gillian close and hummed a Texas two-step in her ear.
* * * * *
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ISBN-13: 9781460322048
COWBOY IN THE KITCHEN
Copyright © 2013 by Mae Nunn
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
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