Pinch of Naughty Read Online Free PDF Page A

the opinion of them all.
    “Not gonna happen. I need to eat too. Slim, I’ll tell Mable to send out more beans and we’ll make do with your meals until I get a fit housekeeper who can cook.” Cyrus thought of the sweet skin and soft curves he’d be giving up and then shrugged, indicating indifference he didn’t feel.
    His strategy worked when fifteen groans, including Slim’s, filled the air.
    “What the hell’s taking her so long?” He wanted her employment to appear in jeopardy, although every whiff of lilac he inhaled made her stay a lot more certain.
    He stood, strode to the kitchen door and pushed it open, expecting to see a cake the size of a pigeon egg. The scent of cinnamon and apples hit him first and then drifted into the dining hall, interrupting the grumbling going on.
    Her face was pink, her upper lip dotted with perspiration and her expression apologetic when she carried in the tray loaded with apple pies straight from the oven.
    She set the tray down and cut the three pies in thick wedges of flaky crust and oozing filling. She left, returning with two chocolate cakes and a pile of something she named éclairs.
    Excitement filled the air. Cyrus didn’t recognize the name but when he bit into the chocolate shell, cream pudding squirted into his mouth, melting on his tongue before he swallowed. When she set down the bowl of cookies—pecan, his favorite, oatmeal and sugar—he knew he was going to hire her and to hell with what the ranch hands wanted.
    Silently she replenished the coffee in the pot and refilled each mug, watching the men anxiously as they devoured the exotic concoctions. Not many had sampled such riches and none, including Cyrus, had ever known anyone who could make them.
    “I am terribly sorry to have under-calculated your needs. It’s a mistake I promise I won’t repeat if Mr. Burke gives me the opportunity to continue as his housekeeper.” She’d paused at the door, ignoring Cyrus as she apologized to his ranch hands.
    The men licked the tines of their forks, drank fresh coffee and forgave her from sugar-glazed eyes. Reluctantly they stood, filling their pockets with cookies before they left.
    Cyrus grabbed a pecan sandy and followed her retreat into the kitchen. Not one to compliment half accomplishments, he reminded her of her lack. “You’ll have to adjust your proportions.”
    Taking a bite of the cookie, he chewed it reflectively before judging it the best he’d ever had. Supper had been half measures, but still… He licked sugar from his lips, savored the pecan flavor and remembered the feel of her soft mouth under his.
    She moved him aside, stepping around him, shedding his presence as soon as the last man’s departure gave her a reason to leave the kitchen. She paused in her trek to the dining hall to get in a smart remark. “In the future, I’ll cook enough to feed a pack of wolves. Then I’ll fix more for your crew.”
    So Mrs. Prim ’n’ Proper wants to get snippy. Cyrus smiled grimly. “After you clear up the supper mess, I’ll be working on my books at the table. Go upstairs and use the bathing room. I like a clean woman in my bed.”
    The order sounded pretty rough even to him, but if she was going to bolt he figured it might as well be now. He’d told Jake to be prepared to escort her back to town.
    Cyrus already knew better than to expect silence. She stared at him, scanning his dirty denims and sweaty shirt.
    “I trust you will acquaint yourself with that facility as well.” Having gotten the last word, she elevated her nose, telegraphing her pugnacious desire to hit him as she cleared the supper dishes, leaving a clean table for his work.
    First the sound of pots banging then a closing door drifted from the kitchen. Did she leave? I’ll be damned if I go looking to see. Cyrus immersed himself in cattle business, trying to ignore his internal hum as his curiosity prodded him. Just how serious was Mrs. Lacey about this job?
    “Mrs. Lacey, here’s