Marry Me at Christmas (Fool's Gold #19)(44)

“I like a man with a plan.”

“That’s me.”

They went into the kitchen.

“Someone’s done some work,” she said, thinking about the age of the ranch house compared with the modern kitchen.

There was a large island with a built-in wine fridge at one end, some kind of fancy granite countertop and beautiful wood cabinets that stretched to the ceiling. A huge farm sink sat in front of a bay window. Right now all she could see was semidarkness and snow but she would bet that when the weather was nice, the view was amazing.

“I had the kitchen gutted,” Jonny admitted. “It was the original one, and while I love avocado tile as much as the next guy, I figured it was time for a change.”

“You flew in a decorator?”

He nodded. “The construction team was local, though.”

“Hendrix Construction?”

“You know them?”

“They’re one of the founding families in town, so yes.” She smiled. “They do good work.”

“I agree.”

Off the kitchen was a dining room with a rock wall and a fireplace. It was open on both sides and beyond that was the family room.

Here there hadn’t been many changes, she thought, taking in the worn stone and the beautiful beam mantel. The table and twelve chairs looked well-worn, but happy. Maybe a strange description for furniture, but Madeline was sticking with it.

“Some of the furniture came with the house,” Jonny told her. “This dining room set and a lot of the wood pieces.”

Madeline knew that old Reilly Konopka had moved to Florida to be near his kids and grandkids, but that until he’d sold, his family had owned the ranch for about fifty years.

“There are a lot of memories in this house,” she murmured.

“I know. I like that. The history. There’s a good feeling here. Ginger likes the house.”

He showed her the family room. The furniture there was mostly new, but well done with a beige upholstered sectional and a couple of leather chairs. A big Christmas tree stood in the corner. It was artificial and looked professionally done. Beautiful, she thought, but without the charm of one that had been decorated with ornaments that might be worn but were also filled with emotional significance.

“The guest rooms are this way.”

The house was kind of U-shaped, with the kitchen and family room at the base of the U. They went down the right hallway, past an office. Jonny pushed open a door that led into a comfortable room with a queen-size bed, a dresser and an attached bathroom.

There were neatly folded towels on a bench and fluffy pillows on the bed.

“I use a service,” he admitted. “They clean and keep things ready.”

“It’s nice,” she said, wondering where the master was but not about to ask. The situation was a little awkward. Interesting, but strange. She was both nervous and excited, which left her feeling that she could easily do something foolish, like walk into a wall or say something ridiculous.

She told herself to relax, that she and Jonny had spent plenty of time together. If they ran out of conversation, there was always the wedding. They could discuss linens and music selections.

They went back into the kitchen. He showed her the pantry off the kitchen. In addition to shelves and prep sink, there was a large upright freezer. She opened it and started to laugh. He moved closer and looked over her shoulder.

“People dropped off some casseroles,” he told her.

“I recognize some of the serving dishes, which means I know what’s inside. We’re very big on casseroles here in town. There’s even a casserole cook-off.”

“I’ll have to be in town that weekend,” he said.

She raised her eyebrows. “On purpose?”

“Hey, I grew up with a single dad. Anything homemade is my favorite.”

“A man with low culinary standards. Tell me again why women aren’t lining up to marry you?”

He chuckled. “I leave socks on the floor.”

“Oh, well, then. That explains it.” She studied the various selections. “How about lasagna?”

“Sounds good.”

She pulled out the dish, unwrapped it and set it on the counter to start defrosting. She would finish that process in the microwave later, but first went back into the pantry to check for other ingredients.

Whoever did the shopping had made sure he had the basics. She found plenty of fresh vegetables, along with spices, flour and sugar.

“Do you have a generator?” she asked.

“Sure. Whole house. If we lose power, it kicks on in twenty seconds. Why?”

“I think I’ll make cookies.” She found a couple of packages of yeast. “And maybe some garlic rolls. Oh, and salad dressing.” There weren’t any lemons, but he had fresh garlic and white vinegar. She could whip up a flavored ranch dressing easily. “If you have milk.”

“I don’t have any recipes.”

“You don’t need them. I can do this from memory.” She handed him vinegar, garlic and the flour. “You’ve met my mother. Cooking is a big deal to her, so she taught me. Stand back and be impressed.”

“I already am.”

Thirty minutes later peanut butter cookies were in the oven. She set Jonny to work, washing out the cute elephant-shaped cookie jar she’d spotted in the pantry.