Cowboy All Night (Thunder Mountain Brotherhood, Book 5) Read Online Free PDF

cook, I know my way around matches.”
    “I’ll just bet you do. And we should probably warn everybody what’s about to happen. They won’t be expecting flames.”
    “I thought Rosie and Herb had this once before.”
    “They did, but the flaming part was probably done in the kitchen. Rosie might know because she checked out the recipe years ago, but I can picture Herb dousing it with the fire extinguisher.”
    Brant laughed. “That would be—” Then he caught Aria’s thunderous expression. “Terrible. Absolutely terrible.”
    “Exactly.” She met his gaze and gave him a sunny smile. “Why don’t you tell them?”
    “Okay.” One look into those violet eyes and he was a goner. No point in fooling himself. He wanted her. But if she didn’t want him, or did want him but wasn’t happy about that, he’d recalibrate.
    “I’d suggest you explain it to them now, though,” she added. “We’re minutes away.”
    “Right.” He reluctantly stopped gazing into her eyes and walked over to the kitchen table.
    Herb glanced up. “Don’t tell me it’s done already.”
    “Not yet.” He realized he had incomplete info and turned back toward Aria. “How much longer before it’s ready to eat?”
    “After the flaming part, it needs to simmer at least another forty-five minutes.”
    Cade got out of his chair. “Then how about some more champagne and maybe some munchies?”
    “Just don’t spoil your appetite, hotshot.” Brant had become protective of this meal prepared by a woman he admired. “The food will be primo.”
    “I have no doubt,” Rosie said. “But cheese is very French.” She left the table and in moments was back with a cutting board, a knife and a block of cheddar.
    She offered some to Brant but he shook his head. “No, thanks. I’m saving my taste buds for the main event. But we’re about to pour brandy over the chicken and light it. When flames shoot up, we don’t want anybody to panic.”
    “Flames?” Herb straightened in his chair. “Is that absolutely necessary?”
    “It is if you want the real deal,” Aria called over.
    “She’s right.” Rosie passed the cheese board around. “The torched brandy was the reason I never tried it. That’s not in my repertoire.”
    Lexi stood. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I want to watch this flaming chicken trick.”
    “Me, too.” Cade put down the champagne bottle he’d been about to open.
    Herb scooted back his chair. “I should probably get the fire extinguisher.”
    “No, you will not.” Rosie gave him a look. “Aria knows what she’s doing.”
    “She absolutely does,” Brant said. “She’ll pour the brandy and I’ll light it. Easy peasy.”
    Cade gazed at him. “You’ve done this before?”
    “No, but how hard can it be?”
    “Like I was saying.” Herb headed for the pantry. “Nothing wrong with having the fire extinguisher handy.”
    Brant joined Aria at the stove while the rest of them gathered in a semicircle behind them. If his foster father tried to use the extinguisher, Brant was prepared to stop him. Whether Aria wanted one or not, she had a knight in shining armor. “Nothing like cooking with an audience, huh?”
    She sprinkled some flour on the chicken and continued to turn it in the pan. “I do it once a week. My friend Camille lets me use her restaurant kitchen to give cooking classes every Monday night.”
    “No kidding? That’s great.” And it explained her teaching skills.
    “Aria’s a busy lady,” Rosie said. “Works forty hours a week at the bank, teaches the class on Mondays and makes deliveries for Camille’s restaurant on the weekend.”
    “Wow.” Having her participate in Linus’s training might not be easy to arrange. Maybe that explained her hesitation where he was concerned. She was too damned busy. “When do you have fun?”
    “Having fun isn’t a priority.”
    He noticed that she didn’t sound resentful. Apparently she liked being under pressure, whereas he avoided