Black Gold Read Online Free PDF Page B

in here—cinnamon rolls are just about ready."
    Accompanying her words, an incredible smell wafted out of the bunkhouse, cinnamon and butter and cloves and yeast. Regina hadn't eaten breakfast, and she'd taken a pass on the motel coffee, which smelled like paint thinner that even the men heading out for their rig jobs left untouched.
    Even if Chase was already taken—and what did she care? She was here to sign him, not sleep with him—she supposed she could still enjoy a bite to eat prepared by his darling girlfriend.
    "I don't mind if I do," she said brightly, almost enjoying the way Chase's frown deepened.
    But before she could follow the woman into the house, a man came out on the porch behind her and wrapped his arms around her, pressing his stubbly face into her neck.
    "Oh," Regina gasped, before she could stop herself. The murmuring sounds of appreciation the man were more than just friendly. Had she stumbled on one of those ménage a trois scenarios that were all the rage in the spicy romance novels Meredith secretly loved to read? Did people really actually do that? Or—and her heart perked up considerably—was Chase perhaps merely a friend, a college buddy sleeping on the couch? A brother, perhaps?
    "Pardon Chase's manners," the second man said, disentangling himself. "I'm Matthew, and this is Jayne. And we'd love to have you join us. Chase told us you were going to come by to talk to Sherry."
    "About... who?"
    But Chase had switched gears. He was hustling her inside with a hand at her back. She was aware of his body close to hers as they formed a human traffic jam in the doorway. Once inside, however, he backed away from her as if she were on fire, and Regina was able to look around the inside of the bunkhouse.
    The large, open front room smelled like fresh lumber. Sun streamed in from skylights onto drop cloths draped over all the furniture. The walls were half covered in new drywall. Ladders and buckets of paint and a tool belt draped over a sofa completed the tableau.
    "Sorry about the mess," Matthew said, leading them through a wide passage into a huge kitchen. "The roof was leaking when we moved in here, so we had to start with that."
    "The skylights were my idea," Jayne said. "Isn't the light amazing?"
    She didn't wait for an answer. The aromas of baking were stronger in the kitchen. A huge pan of the rolls sat on top of an old cast-iron stove in the most beautiful kitchen Regina had ever seen. The floor was terra cotta tile, worn with age. The walls were pine, and rough-hewn pine timbers crisscrossed the ceiling. A huge white farmhouse sink was stacked with pots and pans, and a vintage pot rack shared space with a gleaming new stainless steel refrigerator. Open shelves held stacks of white pottery, simple plates and coffee mugs, cereal bowls and enough serving dishes and platters to feed an army.
    Four men sat at one end of a long wooden table that could easily seat a dozen. They all turned and stared at Regina.
    She'd seen them before. The men from the bar last night. The ones helping Chase celebrate his birthday. Most of them looked a little blearier than the night before. None of them had shaved and it didn't look like any of them owned an iron, but otherwise they were an indisputably good-looking group.
    "Boys, this is Regina," Matthew said. He grabbed a coffee thermos off the counter and filled a mug, handing it to Regina, who took it gratefully.
    "We already met her," one of the guys at the table said. "Last night. Well, we didn't actually meet, to tell the truth."
    "Chase didn't bother to introduce us," another said.
    Jayne rolled her eyes. "Date night," she confided in Regina, grabbing her elbow and steering her to a seat. "We missed out on all the good stuff."
    "Not all the good stuff," Matthew said, winking. Jayne blushed, leaving no doubt as to where their date night had ended up. He started down the table, filling mugs as he went.
    Chase stood at the head of the table with his arms folded