Some Like It Hot (Sweetrock Cowboy Romance Book 1) (11 page)

N
ick was happier
than he'd been in a long time. Glancing over at Sam, his heart hitched.

She
was the reason.

He didn't know whether to be elated or depressed about that. As far as he knew, Sam was still leaving for Boston after the chili contest.

Would recent events change her mind?

He had noticed a change in her at the barn. He could tell she was starting to appreciate Sweetrock life. Heck, the wide open spaces and fresh air had to be a lot better than the congested, crowded city. But Boston was where Sam dreamt of opening a restaurant, and who was he to try to talk her out of it?

Unless there were something better for her here. Like an exceptional opportunity at something she really loved to do that would still make her parents happy. He snuck another look over into Sam's tent just to see her.

"Hey there, buddy, you better keep your eyes on your chili. I got money riding on you." Cash stood in front of his booth, his hands in his pockets, a teasing grin on his face as he flicked his eyes from Nick to Sam. "I mean she sure is something to look at, but money is money, and there are plenty of minnows in the pond."

Nick laughed and spooned some chili into a bowl for Cash. They'd always had that saying about girls, meaning that there were plenty and both Nick and Cash had had their share of them. They'd spent many nights out carousing together in their youth, but in recent years, Nick hadn't enjoyed it as much. Oh, he still liked women, but now it didn't seem as much fun to have a different one every night. Though, apparently Cash still thought it was a lot of fun, judging by the variety of women Nick had seen him date last summer. Maybe Nick had been ready to settle down a while ago and was just waiting for the right woman. His eyes drifted over to Sam again.

"Anyway, how's it going?" Cash's question pulled his attention back to his own booth. Cash jerked his chin toward the scoreboard. "I see you guys are tied. Don't tell me you're gonna let some city slicker beat out our home-town boy in the chili contest."

Nick shrugged. "It's been going back and forth. She does make a mean chili, but the weight of the vote is still with the judges’ tasting on Saturday, so your money might still be safe."

Over in Sam's booth, he could see that Tessa had arrived with a shopping bag dangling from her hand. They'd never made it to Tessa's place for Sam to pick up the change of clothes. Tessa must have brought them to Sam. Nick craned his neck as Sam peeked in the bag. He hoped there was more than one change of clothes in there. If that were the case, then maybe she could be persuaded to stay at his house again tonight.

Cash was looking in that direction, too, but instead of craning his neck to see what was inside the bag, Nick noticed a strange look of desperate longing on his face. The kind of look you get when you've got it bad for a girl. Nick wondered if he got that look on his face when he looked at Sam. He sure did have it bad, but he'd never known Cash to long for any woman in particular and the only two over there were Sam and Tessa.

Jealousy pricked at his neck. Surely Cash wasn't looking at Sam?

Then Nick saw a statuesque blonde, just beyond Sam's booth. Tall with long legs—just the type that Cash liked.

"She's pretty hot," Nick said.

Cash jerked his head back toward Nick, his brows furrowed together. "What?"

Nick nodded toward the blonde. "The blonde over there. I saw you checking her out."

Cash slid his eyes in the blonde's direction. "Oh, yeah. She is pretty hot. What do you think?" He wiggled his brows and then turned on the charming smile. The one he kept reserved for hitting on women with. The one that attracted them like a BOGO sale at the shoe store.

"I'm sure she can't resist you, but you better hurry, she's getting away." Nick gestured toward the end of the aisle.

"Nah. I came here to show you this." Cash put down the half-eaten bowl of chili and pulled a folded flyer out of his back pocket and unfolded it. It showed a picture of The Chuckwagon and across the top was typed "Who Has The Best Pecan Pie In Sweetrock?" then in smaller print below that went on to explain there would be free pecan pie and a tasting contest at The Chuckwagon tonight. "These flyers are all over town."

"Beulah sure does have ingenuity," Nick laughed. "She and Sam have a little pecan pie contest going."

"You got money on it?"

"No, no money yet. Something more important, though. The future of The Chuckwagon."

Cash picked up his chili again and started eating, his gaze drifting over to Sam's booth. Nick wondered if he was going to head over there next for a comparison bowl of chili. "What do you mean?"

"A big food critic, Nathan Hargrove, is coming to eat at the Wagon tonight. We wanted to offer him full courses and Beulah and Sam got into a little argument over who makes the best pecan pie, so Beulah came up with this contest idea."

"Sounds like a great idea. I'm there. Plus, I think we need to make another side bet on this." Cash pointed to the bowl of chili. "I had some of Sam's yesterday and honestly I'm a little worried about the investment I made in you with the chili contest side bet. Might have to hedge my bets to recoup my losses. I'll find Jackson and the rest of the gang. Heck, for free pie I'm sure they'll all be there."

Nick's heart expanded. He knew his friends would come to support him whether there was free pie or not. "It's pretty ingenious of her. The free pie contest will bring in a lot of people and a crowded restaurant is more likely to get a good write-up from Hargrove. If we get a good write-up, it could bring more people in."

And a bad one could be the ruin of it.

Over in Sam's booth, Tessa was leaving. She looked over, smiled and waved at Nick and Cash before turning down the aisle.

Cash tossed his bowl in the trash. "Well, gotta run." He spun around and trotted off to catch up with Tessa. For a split second, Nick thought he saw that look in his friend's face again. But that was crazy as he was looking at Tessa.

The three of them had been friends since they were practically in diapers. They'd gone all through school together from kindergarten to senior year. Even though they had gone to separate colleges, they'd still hung around together like old friends in the summers. All three of them had come back to live in Sweetrock after they'd graduated, picking up their friendship as if they'd never left.

Cash was probably just in a hurry to catch up with Tessa so he could get the ball rolling for the pecan pie side bet and recover his potential losses on the chili bet. He was sure Cash would run into that blonde again, anyway. Nick chanced another glance over at Sam. She smiled and waved, causing his heart to tumble in his chest. Nick was desperate for the ten grand from the chili contest, but he couldn't bear the thought of taking it from Sam.

Sam pulled a pecan pie out of the oven, and his thoughts turned to more serious matters. He'd be cooking in the kitchen at The Chuckwagon tonight for that food critic. The most important meal he'd ever cooked in his life. He needed to have his head on straight for that because what happened tonight could make or break his future…a future that he was now almost positive he wanted Sam to be part of.

S
am glanced
out of the round window of the swinging kitchen door into The Chuckwagon’s main dining room, her heart racing with excitement. The restaurant was packed to the brim with every table occupied. The din of conversation and clink of cutlery on plates drifted into the kitchen, mingling with the sizzle of steaks. The air was spiced with the savory smell of grilled beef and the sweet scent of baked pecans and brown sugar.

Nathan Hargrove, a white-haired gentleman with a white handlebar mustache and a denim cowboy shirt, sat at the best booth in the corner. Beulah fluttered around nearby. Tessa, Cash, Jackson, Kade, Melina, Iris and Donnie sat at a large table, a wad of cash in the middle. Bets on the pecan pie, Sam assumed.

Almost every diner had two small dessert plates in front of them, one for Sam’s pecan pie and one for Beulah’s. She had to hand it to Beulah. Her idea had been brilliant and had drawn in a huge crowd. Her only regret was that they hadn’t been able to get all the ingredients needed to implement the menu changes Sam had suggested to Rena. But Rena had been busy all day printing up new menus with the new meals on them which she’d been showing to some of the customers as a sneak preview.

Maybe now that people had seen the new food choices, more of them would come here to eat.

She glanced back at Nick, who was calmly cooking and plating food amidst the turmoil in the kitchen. He’d taken her suggestion and moved some of the food prep stations around as well as relocated the pantry. So now, instead of a frenzied mess, the cooks moved in more of a chaotic, syncopated rhythm. Nick looked as cool as a cucumber, but he had to be as excited as she was.

“How’s it going out there?” Nick asked.

“Still packed.” Sam went to him. “Hargrove looks content, and all the pecan pies are gone. I guess we should have made more.” Between her and Beulah they’d made sixteen pecan pies. Each pie served ten, which meant the restaurant must have served at least eighty people. She imagined it was probably the best night they’d had in a while.

The smile on Nick’s face said it all. He was pleased. “Well, if you’re done then why don’t you go out and join the others?”

Sam scanned the kitchen. There were several sous-chefs chopping and frying, but she could do any of those jobs. “I could stay here and help you.”

Nick leaned over and dropped a kiss on her nose. “No problem, I got it covered. It’s almost closing, and there’re only a few more orders. I want to make sure they come out perfect. Why don’t you go out and relax?”

“Okay.” Sam would have liked to have stayed and cooked, but she didn’t want to be pushy. Maybe Nick didn’t want her around in the kitchen? She tossed her apron in the laundry barrel and headed out front. Tessa waved her over. She pulled out a chair and slid in beside her.

“Hey, awesome pie, Sam.” Cash pointed to his empty dish.

“Thanks.”

“Could use a bit more bourbon,” Melina said, holding up a forkful. She was apparently more sober than the last time Sam had seen her and didn’t look the least bit embarrassed. Did she even remember the other day in the bar? “But it’s pretty good. Beulah, on the other hand, poured it in like water.”

“Yeah, she can drink it like water, too,” Jackson joked.

Sam eyed the money in the middle of the table. “I see you guys have a bet going. Who’s coming out the winner?”

“I think it’s even,” Iris said diplomatically.

“But we’re not telling who voted for who,” Cash cut in.

“As long as Hargrove liked them, I don’t really care who wins.” Sam snuck a look at the corner booth where Hargrove was smiling up at Beulah.

“I think he likes more than the pie,” Jackson said.

Sam’s brows shot up. “Really? Beulah?”

“She’s only in her nineties. Still plenty of spunk in her,” Kade joked.

“Well, I’m hoping her pie wins.” Sam glanced at the glass container at the front near the podium. It looked like a giant cognac glass and was filled with the little pieces of paper that customers had used to cast their vote for which pie they liked best. Rena was standing next to it, taking out the pieces to tally the score.

“Really?” Tessa leaned in and lowered her voice. “I think your pie was better.”

“Yeah, but Beulah is older. I have more opportunities in front of me to enter pie contests.”

Tessa regarded her out of the corner of her eye. “Oh, so does that mean you’ll be staying in Sweetrock?”

Sam jerked her gaze from the giant cognac glass to Tessa. “I didn’t say that. I think they have pie contests everywhere.”

Did they?
The truth was Sam actually
had
pictured herself entering them right here in Sweetrock.

“I know. But I would love it if you stayed here, and I think there is someone else who would love it, too.” Tessa’s eyes flicked toward the kitchen.

Sam shifted in her seat. “Well, I don’t know about that. I mean, I haven’t known Nick that long…”

Tessa waved her hand in the air. “Oh, come on. He’s smitten. Any idiot can see that, and I should know. I know Nick better than most anyone. And I know
you
pretty good, too, and I have a feeling the smitten-ness might be mutual.”

Sam blushed. She
was
smitten, but how long would that last? Was one week of knowing someone enough to base a future on? Then again, she didn’t really have much of a future in Boston. There wasn’t much to lose back there. But organized planners didn’t pick up and move halfway across the country on a whim.

And what about Nick? He probably didn’t even want her to move out here, though Tessa seemed pretty sure and she’d known Nick since they were kids. Sam knew that Tessa, Nick, and Cash were almost like brothers and sister. They knew how to read each other.

“I’ve never seen him look at a girl quite the way he looks at you, Sam. And I’ve seen him look at a lot of girls,” Tessa added as if reading her mind. “What have you really got back in Boston, anyway?”

“Well, my family is near there, and I love the city life.” Sam liked living close to her parents and her sister, but the truth was she didn’t see them all that often. Not only that, but she realized that these past couple of days she hadn’t even missed the city life. The beautiful countryside and advantages of living in Montana were growing on her.

Tessa covered Sam’s hand with hers. “Look, I don’t want to pressure you. I’d love it if you stayed, but if you want to go back I understand. In either case, I know you’ll be leaving in a few days so how about you and I go out tomorrow night? We haven’t spent a lot of girl-time since you’ve been here. Unless you’d rather…” Her eyes drifted toward the kitchen again.

“No. I want to spend more time with you. I’ve been so busy with the chili contest, and I apologize for ignoring you. Tomorrow night. It’s a date.”

As if summoned by the conversation, Nick came out of the kitchen, a smile blooming on his face as he approached the table. He stood slightly behind Sam, resting his hand on her shoulder as if it belonged there. “Thanks everyone for coming. It really means a lot.” He looked at the restaurant behind him. “Great turnout, huh?”

“Yeah.”

“Awesome.”

“We knew you could do it.”

A round of glass and beer-bottle clinking ensued.

They were seated near the door and when it opened to admit a tall, gorgeous blonde it drew the attention of most of the table, but when she walked into the other room where the bar was, their attention returned to the table. Except for Nick and Cash who were giving each other raised eyebrow looks.

“What’s that about?” Sam murmured to Tessa.

Tessa shrugged. “Who knows with those two. Pretty girl. Probably in town for the fair. One of them probably has their eye on her. Cash, not Nick.”

Sam's chest constricted as images of another blonde—Lizette—flashed through her mind. Lizette had gone after Eddie like a piranha after a goldfish. Though she'd soon realized she was much better off without Eddie, she still felt an ominous pang. Blondes were bad luck for her.

She glanced at Nick, but he wasn't looking at the blonde anymore. He was looking straight at Sam with something in his eyes that made her heart flutter. Her cheeks flamed. Of course Nick wasn't as shallow as Eddie—he didn't have intentions toward the blonde. Tessa was right. He was looking to fix her up with Cash.

Sam didn’t get much of a chance to think further about the blonde. Beulah had come to stand beside Rena. She clapped her hands together loudly. “Okay, now it’s time to announce the winner of the pie contest.”

The restaurant hushed, and everyone looked at Beulah. “Since I made some of the pies,” Beulah paused graciously to accept applause. “We’ve chartered an impartial party to count up the entries. Rena, will you tell us who the winner is, please.”

Beulah made an exaggerated gesture toward Rena, who looked nervous and uncomfortable. Rena held up a pile of papers. “After counting up twice, just to be sure, I can safely say that the winner is…Beulah Grady!”

The restaurant erupted in applause. Sam clapped enthusiastically along with them. She was happy Beulah had won. She didn’t really care about winning. It was fun just to do the baking. Fun to be in the kitchen at The Chuckwagon using her pastry skills. Fun to cook alongside Nick.

Beulah bowed and hammed it up. Accepting a trophy—an old rodeo trophy they’d pulled out of storage in a pinch just to have something to award.

“Let’s hear it for my competitor, Sam Dunn.” Beulah gestured toward Sam. “Didn’t she do a great job? I think we’re both winners.”

Sam’s cheeks burned as Beulah came over and shook her hand, pulling her in and whispering. “You did good, but stick with me here in Sweetrock, kid, and I’ll teach you how to really make pies.” She winked as she walked away to show her trophy off to some of the customers.

Apparently, most everyone that was there for dinner had stayed to see who won the pie contest and the place emptied out soon after that. They divvied up the money from the pie bet good-naturedly, those who won apologizing to Sam for betting against her.

“Well, Sam, you’re quite a chef. The pie was just as delicious as your chili. I haven’t tasted chili quite like it, actually, and now I’m regretting betting on Nick.” Cash slid teasing eyes in Nick’s direction.

“Thanks.” Sam leaned close and said in a false whisper. “They’re secret family recipes.”

Everyone laughed, and Sam felt like part of the gang as if she’d been hanging with these people her whole life.

Everyone gathered their things to leave, and Tessa turned to Nick. “I have somewhere to go. Maybe you can take Sam home?”

Nick grinned. “My pleasure.”

Tessa shot over her shoulder as she walked away, “I believe she has some extra clothes in the bag I brought her today, so I won’t wait up.”

“Yeah, that’s no problem with me either,” Sam joked. “Not that she gave me any choice.”

“Well, looks like you’re at my mercy.” Nick pulled her close, his eyes dropping to her lips. “I might hold you captive and try to kiss those secret family recipes out of you.”

Sam stepped in closer, her lips a scant inch from his. “Don’t threaten me. I’ll never give those up.”

“No? It sure will be fun trying, though.”