The Sheriff's Mail-Order Bride (The Watson Brothers #2)(19)
“To Chance.” Callie and Gina saluted the man of the moment and he grinned a little sheepishly before raising his glass.
“To Rory and Gina. Second chances for each of you. All the best of luck.”
Gina blushed and risked a glance at Rory. His gaze was upon her and a small smile creased the corners of his lips. She breathed a sigh of relief and sipped her wine, savoring the deep hint of plum on the back of her tongue. When she put her glass on the counter Gina looked at the meat, trying to decide what else to prepare for dinner. “So, salad or vegetables with this steak?”
“I’ll eat anything I don’t have to cook.” Callie shrugged her shoulders, batting her eyelashes at her husband. “I can’t help it if I prefer to herd cattle than bake cakes.”
“You’re the cook, do what you like.” Chance grinned at Gina. “I’ll eat anything you put in front of me.”
“Same here.” Rory put his glass down. “Can I help with anything; peel potatoes or something for you?”
Gina was lost for words. She’d never had anyone offer to help her before and she didn’t quite know how to respond.
Callie butted in. “I’m going to go and check that the baby is still sleeping. Chance, you can come with me.” She grabbed her husband’s hand and the wine bottle. “Call us when you want the table set.” They laughed and hurried from the kitchen.
“Um, that’s kind of awkward.” Gina could tell her cheeks were going red and kept her gaze on the wine glass. “They didn’t need to use Fisher as an excuse, once he’s asleep, he doesn’t wake up til morning.”
“They do it all the time. Guess it’s what happens when you’re newly married and head over heels in love. I’ve pretty much gotten used to it.” Gina noticed a wistful tone to his words. “I think they like to make out and most of the time it’s where I can’t see them. I have to at least thank them for that. Don’t know if I could live with the scars it’d leave seeing my brother in a compromising position.”
“That’s really sweet though, the way they act around each other.”
Gina walked back into the pantry and grabbed the bucket of potatoes, then put it on the counter. She picked out four around the same size, dropped them into the sink, and looked hopefully at Rory. “You could scrub these for me if you like.”
“Sure.” Rory put his wine down and reached for a brush and proceeded to scrub off the dirt. Gina chose a few vegetables from the chiller tray in the fridge and chopped them for a green stir-fry. She turned the oven on and then looked for tin foil to wrap the potatoes in. When Rory passed them over, she wrapped them tight in the foil and popped them in the oven to cook.
After a quick sip of wine, Gina checked the skillet and turned up the heat, wanting it smoking before she put the thick steaks on it. She knew that first impressions mattered and the need to wow this family was foremost in her mind.
“You look like you’re in your element here.”
Gina smiled, realizing how relaxed she’d become talking to Rory. “If I could be anything I wanted to, I’d be a chef.” She looked up at him. “I never had the chance to go to culinary school or anything, so I used to make up recipes in my head, not that I got to cook them as much as I’d like to have done, given our circumstances. We were on a set menu at the diner where I worked and I didn’t get the chance to try out my recipes but that didn’t stop me from dreaming them up in my head.”
“I’m sorry I can’t give you a definite answer straight away, Gina. Please don’t worry about your future. I’m sure we’ll work it out between us.”
“I hope so. I like it here. The snow is so pretty on the mountains and the air is much cleaner than in the city. It’d be a nice place to bring up children.” And with luck there will be more brothers and sisters for Fisher to play with. This was a gamble she couldn’t afford to lose. Desperation made her question every nuance, every word uttered, wondering if it was the one that would end her chance of a brighter future. But more than anything, Gina was a fighter, a go-getter and she wouldn’t give up her big chance without a fight. She had the feeling the lonely deputy would be worth all the angst she was going through right now.
“Do you think you could be happy with me?” He watched her closely, his fingers wrapped around the stem of his glass.
“You seem like a genuine type of guy and I can understand why you’re doing things this way rather than dating and all. You know I’m doing this for Fisher and I don’t want to lose sight of that. But I like what I’ve seen of you and your family. I guess if we work on it, we can make it happen.”
“I’m glad you decided to come here, I really am. I think you’ve done me more good in one day than I’ve done for myself in the last few years.”
She breathed an inward sigh of relief. “I’m pleased to hear it. Now I think I can put this steak on. Want to set the table for me? I’d hate to interfere with the newlyweds’ quiet time.”
“Sure.” He put out placemats while Gina moved the slabs of steak onto the grill. The sharp sizzle of meat making contact with the heat sent up a rush of smoke and the smell of steak filled the kitchen. In a fry pan, she tossed butter and a small splash of oil. When it melted together she tossed in the green vegetables and stirred them while keeping an eye on the steaks. “Better call the others if they want to eat. It won’t be long now.”