IF THE SHOE FITS...

From her post in the kitchen at Maverick Manor, chef Lily Hunt feels like anything but a princess. But when lanky rancher Xander Crawford lopes into the restaurant, Lily suddenly finds herself wishing she had a magic wand. The wealthy cowboy loves her cooking but sees her as just a friend, until a makeover makes him appreciate her womanly side. Lily, however, wants a prince who loves her inside and out...

MELISSA SENATE has written many novels for Mills & Boon and other publishers, including her debut, See Jane Date, which was made into a TV movie. She also wrote seven books for Mills & Boon’s True Love line under the pen name Meg Maxwell. Her novels have been published in over twenty-five countries. Melissa lives on the coast of Maine with her teenage son; their rescue shepherd mix, Flash; and a lap cat named Cleo. For more informa-tion, please visit her website, melissasenate.com

Also by Melissa Senate

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Mummy and the Maverick

The Maverick’s Baby-in-Waiting

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk

Rust Creek Falls Cinderella

Melissa Senate

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-09138-1

RUST CREEK FALLS CINDERELLA

© 2019 Harlequin Books S.A.

Published in Great Britain 2019

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

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Version: 2020-03-02

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Dedicated to

Marcia Book Adirim and Susan Litman.

Thank you for inviting me to Rust Creek Falls,

one of my favorite places to visit.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Note to Readers

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Epilogue

Extract

About the Publisher

Chapter One

Any minute now, Lily Hunt’s first blind date ever—one of the six gorgeous Crawford brothers—was going to walk through the door of the Maverick Manor hotel. Lily waited in a club chair in the lobby’s bar area by a massive vase of wildflowers, her gaze going from the window to the door every five seconds. She crossed and uncrossed her legs. Folded and unfolded her hands. Slouched and sat up straight, then slouched again. Tried for a pleasant smile.

She also tried to get the better of her nerves, but she still worried that her date would take one look at her, pretend something suddenly came up, like a family emergency or a bad cough, and hightail it out of there.

Oh, stop it, she ordered herself. Even though she really did fear he might do exactly that. Lily, part-time cook, part-time student, twenty-three-year-old tomboy who lived in jeans and sneakers and had more hoodies than most teenage boys, was not the kind of woman who made a man think, Ooh, I want to meet her. That was more her good friend Sarah, who was gorgeous and so nice Lily didn’t think it was fair. A month ago, Sarah had been the single mother of an adorable baby girl until she’d found herself falling for one of the Crawfords, ranchers from Texas who’d moved to Rust Creek Falls in July. Now she and Logan were married. And happily raising little Sophia together.

The Crawford brother Lily was meeting tonight? Knox. Tall, dark and dreamy like his brothers. She’d met some of the Crawford clan last month when they’d come to the Maverick Manor for dinner. Sarah had introduced Lily, and one brother was so drop-dead gorgeous she couldn’t speak, which likely also contributed to why he hadn’t glanced twice at her.

Confidence, girl! she pep-talked herself. Sarah had insisted on it earlier when she’d phoned to tell Lily to have a wonderful time and to call her after the date with every detail. And Vivienne Dalton, a wedding planner who’d been the one to fix up Lily with Knox, had also called to make sure she hadn’t chickened out. (Yes, Lily had taken some serious convincing to accept the date in the first place.) Lily had assured Viv she was getting dressed and would be right on time at 7:00 p.m., classic date hour at the Maverick Manor. Viv had said, Honey, I will give you only one piece of advice. Lily had held her breath, waiting. Viv was gorgeous herself and married to Cole Dalton and ran her own successful business—a walking example of making things happen.

Be yourself, Viv had said.

That old yarn? Being herself hadn’t exactly gotten Lily very far. Granted, she had a great job as a cook at the Maverick Manor, the fanciest hotel in town. And people raved about her food, which had done more for her confidence than any appreciative glance from a guy ever could. Lily dreamed about having her own place—a small restaurant or a catering shop. Someday.

Today—tonight—was about her love life.

Two short-term relationships were all she had in that department.

She eyed the door. It was 7:00 p.m. on the nose. Lily had been there for five minutes, unfashionably early. She’d changed for the date in the women’s locker room, stashing her work clothes in her locker and putting on her one good dress and one pair of heels and one pair of dangling earrings. She never wore makeup, but Sarah had suggested she try some tonight. So Lily had swiped on Maybelline mascara and sheer pinkish-red lipstick and felt like she was playing dress-up, but she supposed she was. She’d left her long red hair down instead of pulling it into a low ponytail the way she did every day.

Now 7:05 p.m. Knox Crawford was now late. Bad sign? Her stomach gave a little flop. The date clearly wasn’t high enough on his priorities for him to be on time. Oh, cripes—now she sounded like her dad! Maybe she was getting antsy too early. Calm down. Go with the flow. Sip your white wine.

She took a sip...7:09 p.m.

Seven twelve. Humph.

Lily might not be Ms. Confidence when it came to men, but she would never let anyone treat her disrespectfully, and being almost fifteen minutes late for a date was bordering on rude. Right? Her last date was six months ago (no interest on either side) so she wasn’t really up on date etiquette.

Seven fifteen.

“Lily!” came a female voice. “How lovely you look! Job interview here at the Manor? Front desk?”

Trying not to sigh as she smiled up at Maren, a woman she’d gone to high school with, Lily glanced down at her royal blue boat-neck, cap-sleeve shift dress, a cotton cardigan tied around her shoulders, and sandals with two-inch stacked heels. It worked for church and weddings, so she figured it would work for tonight.

“Actually, I have a date,” Lily said, taking another sip of wine. Waiter, bring the bottle!

Maren eyed her up and down. “Oh. Well, have fun!” she said, tottering on her sexy high heels to the main dining room.

Lily looked around the swanky lobby’s bar area at the women sitting with dates or out for drinks and appetizers with girlfriends. Skinny jeans and strappy high-heeled sandals. Form-fitting dresses. Slinky skirts. Everyone looked great and evening-ready. And here she was in her Sunday best.

Oh, Lily, get a clue already!

Seven eighteen. Her stomach flopped again, her heart heading south. She was being stood up. First time she actually “put herself out there,” like her mom always told her to do, and whammo: humiliated.

She could be plopped on her couch at home with Dobby and Harry, her adorable dachshunds, eating leftover linguini carbonara and garlic bread, and instead, she was about to burst into tears. Whatever, she told herself. She’d just go home, work on a recipe, watch a movie, play with Dobby and Harry.

Just as her pep talk started making her feel better, her cell phone rang.

She didn’t recognize the number but she was sure it was her date—or lack thereof. “Hello?”

“Lily, this is Knox Crawford. I’m so sorry I’m not there.” There was some weird background noise as if he was covering the phone with his hand and talking to someone else beside him or something. Double humph. “Look, um, something came up and—”

Oh, did it? Suuure.

“And I’m really sorry but I can’t make it,” Knox said. “I—”

More weird background noise. Weird ocean-roar in the phone as if someone was definitely holding a hand over the speaker. Maybe he had his own female version of Davy Jones there with him. Selena Gomez or Charlize Theron, maybe.

“Hello?” a different male voice said. “Lily? This is Xander Crawford. My brother can’t make it tonight, but I happen to be free for dinner and I’ll be taking his place. See you in five minutes.”

Uh, what?

“No, that’s okay,” she said, hoping her voice didn’t sound as clogged to him as it did to her. I am not a charity case! The famed ire of the angry redhead? She was about to blow, people! “No worries. Bye!” She clicked End Call and stuffed her phone in her stupid little purse—she hated purses!—stood up, took another long sip of her wine, and stalked back into the kitchen, wondering how a person could feel angry and so sad at the same time.

Xander Crawford. Please. She’d seen him up close and personal and he was too good-looking, too sexy—with a Texas drawl, to boot. She’d clam up and stammer or mumble or ramble, especially because of how weird this all was. And what was she? Someone to pity? The poor stood-up date? No thank you!

She was grateful her fellow cooks and her friend AnnaBeth, a waitress, were all so busy they didn’t see her slip back into the break room. She opened her locker, and a photo of her dogs, one of her beautiful mother, and a restaurant review from the Rust Creek Falls Gazette that had raved about her filet mignon in mushroom peppercorn sauce with roasted rosemary potatoes and sautéed garlic-buttered asparagus reminded her who she was. Lily Hunt. She was meant to be creating magical recipes and figuring out how to get where she wanted to be in a year or two. Not trying to be something she wasn’t: a woman who dated gorgeous, wealthy ranchers the entire town was vying for.

Yes, vying for. There were five Crawford brothers left and, according to Viv, their dad wanted to see them married and settled down, so he’d put the wedding planner on the case to find them the right women. All the single ladies in town had put their names in the hat, and hell, why not Lily, tomboy and all? She was flattered Viv had even asked.

And now some stand-in Crawford was showing up, probably only to save the family name since they were new in town and didn’t want their dating reps to be ruined. Yeah, no thanks.

“Well, Mama,” Lily said, looking at Naomi Hunt’s photo, her red hair all she’d inherited from her sophisticated mother. “I did put myself out there, but it didn’t work this time. Maybe next.” Not that she’d agree to another date anytime soon.

She changed back into her jeans and sneakers with a relieved ahhh, put on her T-shirt and tied her hoodie around her waist. She wiped off the lipstick and put her hair in a low ponytail, closed her locker and headed out the swinging door into the lobby.

Right into the muscular chest of Xander Crawford.

* * *

“I’m so sorry,” Xander said to the young redhead he’d just barreled into. He’d been in such a hurry to catch Lily Hunt that he hadn’t considered that the door into the kitchen might have someone coming through it from the other side. Luckily it hadn’t been a waiter with a tray of entrées. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she said, but her eyes were like saucers and her cheeks were flushed.

Maybe it was hot in the kitchen? “I’m looking for Lily Hunt. Do you know her? She works here as a cook. Is she still around?”

The redhead stared at him, and for a moment he swore she was shooting daggers out of those flashing green eyes. “I’m Lily Hunt. We met last month in the dining room. I was with my friend Sarah, who’s married to your brother Logan.”

Oh hell. Awkward.

“I’m bad with faces,” he said, which was true. “I’ve met so many people since we moved to Montana that my head’s still spinning.”

Not to mention all the women who’d introduced themselves to him over the past month. Everywhere he went there seemed to be a smiling woman, offering her card—some of which smelled like perfume—and letting him know she’d “just love to have coffee or a drink or dinner anytime, hon.” At first he’d wondered if women were that friendly in every town in the state of Montana. Until he’d realized why women were coming at him in droves. They were coming at all the single Crawfords—thanks to his dad. Maximilian Crawford had made a deal with a local wedding planner to get him them all hitched, and that wedding planner had apparently spoken to every single woman in Rust Creek Falls.

Why was that wedding planner so raring to go? Finding all the eligible women in town who might be interested in being set up with a Crawford brother?

Because Max had offered Viv Dalton one million bucks to get them all married.

One. Million. Dollars.

If he and his brother Logan hadn’t witnessed the exchange with their own eyes and ears, Xander never would have believed it.

Anyway, Xander had a drawer full of scented cards and had not made a single call. His father shook his head a lot over it.

Still, he was surprised he didn’t remember meeting Lily. She had the determined face of a young woman who was going places. He liked it. She had freckles, too. He’d always liked freckles.

He was aware he had a smile plastered on his face. Now she did, too.

“Uh, so,” she said, “like I said on the phone, no worries. Let’s just forget this ever happened, okay?”

He tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

“Your brother got cold feet about our blind date and canceled. You felt bad for whatever reason and took his place. You know who I don’t want to be? The woman sitting across from the guy who gave up his evening to ‘do the right thing.’”

“I always try to do the right thing,” he said. “But trust me, dinner with a lovely woman is hardly a chore, Lily. I’d love to take you out to dinner if you’re up for it.”

Her expression changed from wary and pissed to surprised. She lifted her chin. “Well, when you put it like that.” She flashed him a smile, a genuine smile that lit up her entire face. For a moment he couldn’t pull his gaze off her.

“You’re probably wondering why I’m wearing a hoodie and sneakers on a date,” she said. “I just changed back into my work clothes. I could put the dress on again if you want to wait a few minutes.”

“You look incredibly comfortable,” he said, tugging at the collar of his button-down shirt. “Trust me, I’ll take jeans and a T-shirt over a button-down and tie any day. Luckily, as a rancher, I’m not often forced into a tie.”

She smiled that smile again. “Well, then, guess we’re not eating here. Unwritten dress code. And to be honest, though I love the food at the Manor, I have it all the time.”

“Perk of the job, but I get it,” he said. “Casual always works for me. I’m new around here, but I already know Ace in the Hole and Wings to Go pretty well. Either of those sound good?”

“Ooh, I’m craving chicken wings—in extra tangy barbecue sauce.”

“Woman after my own heart,” he said, gesturing toward the door.

She stared at him for a moment, then rushed outside as if she needed a gulp of air. “Uh, Wings to Go isn’t very far.” They started walking, Lily stopping to pet a tiny dog with huge amber eyes, then to look at a red bird on a branch. He liked that she noticed her environment—and animals in particular. Xander’s mind was always so crammed with this and that he’d walked straight into a fence post the other day. Two of his brothers had a good laugh over that one.

Once inside the small take-out shop, they ordered a heap of wings and four kinds of sauces. Lily got out her wallet, but he told her to put it away, that tonight was on him.

“Well, thank you very much,” she said. “I appreciate that.”

“My pleasure.” He glanced out the window. “Given that it’s such a gorgeous night, want to take our dinner to the park? We have a good hour of sunlight left.”

“Perfect,” she said with a smile. “And good thing my dachshunds aren’t with us. Dobby and Harry would clear out the wings before we could unpack them. They’d even eat the celery on the side because it smells like chicken wings.”

He laughed at the thought of two dachshunds attacking a piece of celery. He held the door open, and they exited into the breezy night air. She sure was easy to talk to, much more than he expected. Not that he’d expected anything since the only thing he’d known about Knox’s date was her name. “I’ve always wanted dogs. Maybe one day.”

On the way to the park, they chatted about dog breeds and Lily told him a funny story about a Great Dane named Queenie who’d fallen in love with Dobby but ignored Harry, who was jealous. He told her about the two hamsters his dad had finally let him get when he was nine, and how they were so in love with each other they ignored him. She cracked up for a good minute and he had to say, she had a great laugh.

Rust Creek Falls Park was just a few blocks away and not crowded, but there were plenty of people walking and biking and enjoying the beautiful night. Since they didn’t have a blanket, they chose a picnic table and she sat across from him. For a moment they watched a little kid try to untangle the string of his kite. He looked like he might start bawling, but his mom came over and in moments the green turtle was aloft again. Xander swallowed, the tug of emotion always socking him in the stomach when he saw little kids with their moms. Big kids, too. He was always surprised at how the sight affected him. After all these years.

He turned his attention back to Lily and started opening the bags containing their wings. “My brothers and I love the food at the Maverick Manor. We’re there for lunch and dinner pretty often. I’ll bet you have something to do with that.”

She popped open the containers of sauces. “Well, thanks. I hope so. I love cooking. And I love working at the Manor. I can try all kinds of interesting specials and the executive chef always says yes. Lamb tagine was last night’s special and it was such a hit. Nothing makes me feel like a million bucks more than when someone compliments my food.”

“I love how passionate you are about your work,” he said. “Everyone should be that lucky.”

“Are you?” she asked.

He dunked a wing in barbecue sauce. “Yes, ma’am. One hundred percent cowboy. A horse, endless acres, cattle, the workings of a ranch—it’s what I was born to do.”

She stared at him, her green eyes shining. “That’s exactly how I feel—about cooking! That I was born to be in the kitchen, with my ingredients and a stove.”

He held out his chicken wing and she clinked hers to his in a toast, and they both laughed.

Huh. Whodathought this night would work out so well? When he’d heard his brother Knox arguing with his dad earlier and then calling his date and canceling, he’d been livid. Not so much at his brother for not just sucking it up and going on the date, but at his father for being such a busybody. Knox might have gone on the blind date if he hadn’t learned his dad had been responsible for it in the first place. Xander and Logan had told the other four brothers what their father was up to and to hide behind all large tumbleweeds if they saw Viv Dalton coming with her phone and notebook and clipboard, but Knox had thought the whole thing was a joke. Until Viv had apparently cornered him into going on a blind date with one Lily Hunt. He’d agreed and had apparently meant to cancel, then had put the whole thing out of his mind. Until his dad had said, “Knox, shouldn’t you be getting ready for your date tonight?”

Knox’s face: priceless. A combination of Oh crud and Now what the hell am I gonna do?

“What’s so terrible about you going on a date?” Maximilian Crawford had said so innocently. “Some dinner, a glass of wine. Maybe a kiss if you like each other.” The famous smile slid into place.

Knox had been fuming. “I always meant to politely cancel. I’ve been working so hard on the fence line the last couple days that I totally forgot about calling Viv to say forget it.”

“Guess you’re going then,” Max had said with too much confidence.

Knox had shaken his head. “Every single woman in town is after us. Who wouldn’t want to marry into a family with a patriarch who has a million dollars to throw around? No thanks.”

“Well, it is a numbers game,” their dad had said.

Knox had been exasperated. “I don’t want to hurt my date’s feelings, but I’m not a puppet. I’m canceling. Even at the eleventh hour. She’ll just have to understand.”

Would she, though? Getting canceled on when she was likely already waiting for Knox to show up?

So Xander had stepped in—surprising himself. He’d avoided Viv Dalton, the wedding planner behind the woman deluge, like the plague whenever he saw her headed toward him in town with that “ooh, there’s a Crawford” look on her face. But c’mon. He couldn’t just let Knox’s date get stood up because his brother was so...stubborn.

And anyway, what was an hour and a half of his life on a date with a stranger? Some conversation, even stilted and awkward, was still always interesting, a study in people, of how things worked. Xander had been trying to figure out how people worked for as long as he could remember. So he could apply it to his own family history.

“Best. Wings. Ever!” Lily said, chomping on one liberally slathered in maple-chipotle sauce.

“Mmm, didn’t try that sauce yet,” he said, dabbing a wing in the little container. He took a bite. “Are we in Texas? These rival the best wings in Dallas.”

“That’s a mighty compliment. Do you miss home?”

“This is home now,” he said, more gruffly than he’d meant. “We bought the Ambling A ranch and are fixing it up. We’ve done a lot of work already. It’s coming along.”

“So you and your five brothers moved here, right?” she asked, taking a drink of her lemonade.

“Yup. With our dad. The seven Crawford men. Been that way a long time.”

Her eyes darted to his. “My father’s a widow, too. I lost my mom when I was eight. God, I miss her.”

Oh hell, she’d misunderstood about his mother and he didn’t want to get into the correction. “Sorry to hear that.”

“I’m sorry about your mom,” she said.

Well, now he had to. “Don’t be. She’s not dead, just gone. She took off on my dad and six little boys—my youngest brother, Wilder, was just a baby. When I let myself think about it, I can hardly believe it. Six young sons. And you just walk away.”

He shook his head, then grabbed another wing before his thoughts could steal his appetite. These wings were too good to let that happen.

Change the subject, Xander. “So what else do we have in common?” he asked, swiping a wing in pineapple-teriyaki sauce. “You have five brothers, too?”

She smiled. “Three, actually. All older. So you can guess how they treat me. We all live together in the house I grew up in—the four of us and my dad.”

“Protective older brothers. That’s nice. Princess for a day for life, am I right?”

She snorted, which he didn’t expect. “Exsqueeze me? Princess? My brothers treat me like I’m one of them. I don’t think they know I’m a girl, actually. I’m like the youngest brother.”

He laughed, imagining the four Hunts racing around the woods, playing tag, trying to catch frogs, swinging off ropes into rivers.

“They do appreciate that I cook for them, though,” she said. “And I do so because they’re hopeless. I told my brother Ryan that I was teaching him to cook and that he should heat up a can of stewed tomatoes, and I swear on the Bible that he put an unopened can of tomatoes in a pot and turned on the burner and asked, ‘How long should it cook?’”

Xander cracked up. “That’s bad.”

“Oh, yeah. He’s better now. He can even crack an egg into a bowl without sloshing half on the counter or floor. It’s all great practice for me for one day owning my own business—either a restaurant or a catering shop. I’m also studying for a business degree online—just part-time. But I want to learn how to start and run a successful business. I’m covering all the bases.”

“Wow, impressive!” he said. “You’re what, twenty-two?” She looked young. Very young. Too young for him, certainly.

“Twenty-three.”

“I’ve got seven years on you, kid,” he said. “And I’ll tell you, following your passion is where it’s at. I’m a big believer in that.”

She sobered for a moment; he wasn’t sure why, but then those green eyes of hers lit up again. “Me, too.”

They spent the next twenty minutes talking about everything from the differences between Texas and Montana cattle and terrain, where to get the best coffee in Rust Creek Falls (she was partial to Daisy’s Donuts but he loved the strong brew at the Gold Rush Diner), the wonders and pitfalls of having many brothers, and her favorite foods for each meal (omelet, chicken salad sandwich on a very fresh baguette, any kind of pasta with any kind of sauce). They talked about steak for ten minutes and then steak fries, thick and crispy, seasoned just right and dipped in quality ketchup.

The wings were suddenly gone but he could talk to her for hours more. They laughed, traded stories, watched the dog walkers, and she told him funny stories about Dobby and Harry. He loved the way the waning sun lit up her red hair and he felt so close to her that he leaned across the table, about to take both her hands to give them a squeeze. He truly felt as if he’d made a real friend here tonight.

But when he leaned, Lily leaned.

Her face—toward his.

He darted back.

She’d thought he was going to kiss her?

He cleared his throat, glancing at his watch. “It’s almost nine? How did that happen?” He tried for a good-natured smile, but who the hell knew what his expression really looked like. Xander had never been able to hide how he felt. And how he felt right now was seriously awkward.

He liked Lily. A lot. But did he like her that way? He didn’t think so. She was a kid! Twenty-three to his thirty. Just starting out. And she was the furthest thing from the women he usually dated. Perfume. Long red nails. Slinky outfits and high heels. Sleek hair. And okay, big breasts and lush hips. He liked a woman with curves. Lily was...cute but not exactly his usual type. Not that he could really tell under her loose jeans and the hoodie around her waist obscuring much of her body.

All he knew was that he liked her. A lot.

As a friend.

“Yikes,” she said, that plastered smile from when they first met on her face again. She jumped up. “Dobby and Harry are going to wonder where I am.”

He collected their containers and stuffed them back in the bag, his stomach twisting with the knowledge that he’d made things uncomfortable. Never lean toward a woman, he reminded himself, unless you’re leaning for a kiss.

“I live pretty close to the park, so I’ll just jog home,” she said quickly, tossing him an even more forced smile. “I’m dressed for it,” she added. “Thanks for dinner!” she called, and ran off.

I’ll drive you, he wanted to call out to her, but she was too fast. He watched her reach the corner, hoping she’d turn back and wave so he could see her freckles and bright eyes again, but she didn’t.

Hell if he didn’t want to see her again. Soon.

Chapter Two

The Ambling A was a sight for the ole sore eyes. Sore brain, really. Xander had thought about Lily all the way home, half wanting to call her to make sure she’d gotten home all right, half not because she might read into it.

Which made him feel like a jerk again, flattering himself.

But the way she’d leaned in for that kiss...

He would not lead her on.

He parked his new silver pickup and got out, the sprawling dark wood ranch house, which literally looked like it was made from Lincoln Logs, making him smile. He loved this place—the house, the land, the hard work to get the ranch the way they wanted. Xander headed in, never knowing who’d be home. Hunter, the second-oldest Crawford (Xander was third born), lived in a cabin on the property. A widower since the birth of his daughter, Hunter and his six-year-old, Wren, needed their own space, but the girl still had five uncles to dote on her. Logan, the eldest, had recently moved to town now that he was married with a baby to raise, but he worked on the ranch, as they all did, so it was almost like he’d never left.

The place sure had changed since the day they’d arrived. They’d mended fences for miles, repaired outbuildings, cleaned out barns, burned ditches and worked on the main house itself when they had the time and energy. A month later, it was looking good but they had a ways to go.

He came through the front door into the big house with its wide front hall and grand staircase leading up to a gallery-style landing on the second floor. He saw his dad and three of his brothers up there, going over blueprints, which meant his dad had proposed a change—again—and his sons were trying to talk him out of it. There was many a midnight argument taking place at the Ambling A. When they heard the door close behind him, they all came downstairs.

“Well, well, if isn’t the knight in shining armor,” Wilder, the youngest of the brothers, said with a grin.

Xander made a face at Wilder and shook his head, hoping they’d go back to talking blueprints. “Lily is hardly a damsel in distress. She’s very focused on what she wants. She can definitely take care of herself.” The more he thought about her, about what they’d talked about, her plans, her dreams, the more impressed he was.

Logan smiled. “Sounds like the date switch was a date match. Knox’s loss.”

Knox wasn’t around. He probably had left to get away from their matchmaking father.

“So? Was it a love match?” Finn asked. “When’s your next date?”

Twenty-nine-year-old Finn was the dreamer of the group. He could keep dreaming on this one, because another date wasn’t going to happen.

Lily was too young. And Xander was too jaded. She’d barely lived, and he was already cynical about love and guarded.

Xander rolled his eyes. “Get real. She’s twenty-three. C’mon. And very nice.”

“Ah, he used the kiss-of-death word. Nice,” Wilder said. “Nothing gonna happen there.”

That settled for the Crawford men, they turned their attention back to the blueprints. Xander scowled as they ducked their heads over the plans, gabbing away as if they didn’t just dismiss a lovely, smart, determined young woman as “nice.”

Oh, wait. He was the one who’d called her that.

But his brothers had stamped her forehead with the word, which meant she wasn’t hot or sexy or desirable. All without even laying eyes on her.

They’d written her off.

And so did you. You’re the one who put her in the friend zone in the first place.

His dad came in from the kitchen with a beer. “Ah, Xander, you’re back from the date! Have you already set up a second one?”

“You don’t even know if we had anything in common, Dad,” Xander said. “Maybe we weren’t attracted to each other.”

“I just have a feeling,” Max Crawford said with a smile and a tip of his beer at his son. That feeling should tell his father otherwise.

“I think we’re just meant to be friends, Dad,” Xander said.

“Meaning she’s not his type,” Wilder threw in. “Xander likes his women with big hair, big breasts, big hips and big giggles. All play, no talk.”

His brothers cracked up.

Xander supposed he deserved that. He did like curvy blondes who didn’t delve too deeply and liked to watch rodeos and have sex without expecting much in return other than a nice night out and a call once in a while. But one of those curvy blondes had managed to get inside him and surprise him, and he’d fallen hard, only to find her in bed with his best friend. The betrayal still stung. All these miles away from Texas.

Max shook his head. “You boys should give ‘not your types’ a chance. You’d be surprised what your supposed type turns out to be.”

Logan raised an eyebrow. “If I remember correctly, Dad—and I do—it was you who told me that a single mother of a baby was not the woman for me. And she is.”

“Told you you’d be surprised what your type is,” Max said with a grin.

Logan threw a rolled-up napkin at his dad and shook his head with a laugh. But last month, Xander had caught wind of some of his father’s arguments with Logan about dating a single mother. Max had hinted that if the relationship didn’t work out, there would be three sad hearts—including a child who didn’t ask to get dragged into the muck. Xander had known his father had to be thinking of his ex-wife and how she’d abandoned them all. Times like that, he forgave his dad for being such a busybody.

Still, Xander was sticking to his type, but this time, there was no way any woman was getting inside. These days, he was only interested in a good time and he always made that clear.

Except that hadn’t been clear to Lily Hunt. Oh hell. She’d thought she was going on a date in good faith, that had gotten all messed up, and then he’d stepped in to save the night—and had ended up making it worse. He shook his head at himself. Now he really did want to call her and doubly apologize, but how would that sound?

Uh, hi, Lily, sorry for making your night go from bad to worse when you actually thought I was leaning in a for kiss.

Getting stood up by Knox might have been more fun.

He sighed.

But maybe Lily was just out for a good time herself? Could it be? She seemed a little too focused and serious-minded for that, though. Still, with her life so set on track, perhaps she just wanted a nice night out and some laughs. It was possible.

He tried to imagine Lily Hunt, with her freckles and big dreams and flashing green eyes, so full of life, out for a good time, giggling and whispering about what she was going to do to him while raking her nails up his thigh. Frankly, he couldn’t. First of all, her nails had been bitten to the quick. And honestly, he didn’t want to think of her in any way but as a new friend.

“Well, I need to do some research on the cattle we want to add to the Ambling A,” Xander said. “See y’all in the morning.” He took the steps two at the time, wanting to get away from this conversation.

Lily wasn’t his type. Plain and simple. And even if she were, he wouldn’t be interested in a relationship. Not anymore. Besides, he had the ranch to concentrate on and a new state to discover, not to mention a new hometown to get to know. That was enough.

Just let the night go, he told himself.

Upstairs in his bedroom, he sat at his desk and opened his laptop, fully intending to research local cattle sales. But he found himself going to the website for the Maverick Manor and looking at their lunch menu—just in case he wanted to drop in tomorrow after a hard morning’s work.

“French dip au jus on crusty French bread and a side of hand-cut steak fries” was one of tomorrow’s lunch specials. He’d just eaten and his mouth was already watering for that meal. Yeah, maybe he’d go to the Manor for lunch and even pop into the kitchen to say hi to Lily.

That was what friends did, right? Popped in? Visited? Said a quick hello? He’d do that and leave. That would make things good between them, get rid of all that awkwardness from tonight. They could truly be friends. Everyone could always use another friend.

But damn if he wasn’t sitting there, staring at the list of the Maverick Manor’s decadent desserts and thinking about feeding Lily succulent strawberries, watching her mouth take the juicy red fruit.

What the hell? The woman wasn’t his type! They were just going to be buddies.

He clicked over to the cattle sale site, forcing his mind onto steers and heifers and far from strawberries and twenty-three-year-old Lily Hunt.

* * *

“Ooh, Lily, that hot Crawford cowboy was just seated at table three,” whispered AnnaBeth Bellows, a waitress at the Maverick Manor and Lily’s good friend. Lily had told AnnaBeth about her date with Xander so Lily knew the hot cowboy had to be him.

She almost gasped yet kept her focus on her broiled shrimp, caramelizing just so in garlic, olive oil and sea salt. She added a hint of cayenne in the last few seconds, and plated it the moment she knew it was done. Sixth sense.

According to Mark, table eight’s waiter, the group was from New Orleans originally even though they lived in Kalispell now. Lily always had the waiters find out where her diners were from so she could add a tiny taste of home to their dishes. It was just a little thing Lily did that her diners seemed to appreciate, even if they didn’t know why they reacted so strongly, so emotionally to their food. The other cooks thought it was a lot to deal with, but Lily enjoyed the whole process. Food was special. Food was your family. Food was home in a good way, the best way, and could remind people of wonderful memories. Sometimes sad memories, too. But evoking those feelings seemed to have a good impact on her diners and on her. So she continued the tradition.

She placed the gorgeous shrimp, a deep, rich bronze, with its side of seasoned vegetables on the waiter’s station and raced to the Out door to the dining room. She peered through the little round window on the door, looking for the sexy cowboy.

Yes, there he was. Sitting by himself, thank God, and not with a date set up by Viv Dalton, which was her immediate fear when AnnaBeth had whispered that he was here.

Of course, he could be waiting on a date.

“Dining alone,” AnnaBeth said with a smile.

Lily couldn’t help grinning back, her heart flip-flopping. “Could a man be more gorgeous?”

“Yes—my boyfriend,” AnnaBeth said, “even if Petey-pie has a receding hairline and a bit of a belly. He’s hot to me.”

Lily laughed. “And Pete’s the greatest guy ever, too.” Yes, indeed, Lily should aspire to a wonderful guy like AnnaBeth’s “Petey-pie.” Kind. Loyal. Full of integrity. Brought her little gifts for no reason. Called her AnnaBeauty all the time. Making Lily wistful.

Lily bit her lip. “Okay, why is Xander here after that awkward moment from hell last night on our not-a-date?”

“The almost kiss,” AnnaBeth suggested, watching for the other two cooks plating, which meant she’d have to rush off to pick up. “I’m telling you, Xander was just caught off guard. He wasn’t even expecting to have a date last night, right? But then he did, a wings picnic, and he fell madly in love with you but didn’t expect to and now he’s here to ask you out again.”

Lily laughed. “I love you, AnnaBeth. Seriously. Everyone needs one of you. But life is not a Christmas movie. Even though I wish it were.”

“Listen, my friend. You have to make your own magic. Just like you do with your food.”

Lily watched Xander close the menu. She wondered what he’d decided on.

“Ah, time to take the cowboy’s order,” AnnaBeth said. “Back in a flash.”

Lily watched them until she noticed her boss, Gwendolyn, eyeing her and then staring at her empty cooking station. She darted to her stove, working on another batch of au jus for today’s French dip special.

In a minute, AnnaBeth was back with Xander’s order. The special.

She smiled and began working on it and four more for other tables. But to table three’s sauce she added just a hint of sweet, smoky barbecue sauce, a flavor that would take Xander Crawford back to Texas where he’d lived his whole life until a month ago.

Could he be here to see her? If he wasn’t interested in her—and he sure hadn’t seemed to be last night with that not-kiss thing—wouldn’t he avoid where she worked?

But then she thought of him and the reaction he must get from women, and she was flooded with doubts. There was no way Lily of the hoodie and sneakers would be Xander Crawford’s type. When she was young and girls at school would make fun of her for being a tomboy, her mother would always say, You’re exactly as you should be—yourself. That had always made Lily feel better. And maybe Xander liked a down-to-earth woman with flour on her cheek and smelling of onions and caramelized shrimp and peppercorns.

Anything was possible. That was the name of the game.

She smiled at the thought, adding a pinch of garam masala to table twelve’s sauce since they were honeymooners who’d just returned from India. For table fourteen, visitors from Maine, she added a dash of Bell’s Seasoning, a famed New England blend of rosemary, sage, oregano and other spices.

Lily worked on five more entrées, her apron splattered, her mind moving so fast she could barely think about Xander in the dining room, eating her food right now. Was he enjoying it? Did it hit the spot? Did it bring a little bit of Texas to Montana today?

“Five-minute break if you need it,” Gwendolyn called out to her. “Your tables are all freshly served so you’re clear.”

“Ah, great,” she said, grabbing her water bottle and taking a big swig, staring out the long, narrow window at the Montana wilderness at the back of the Manor.

“I just had the best French dip sandwich of my life,” a deep voice said from behind her, and she almost jumped.

Xander! Standing right there.

“Craziest thing,” he said. “I took two bites and started thinking about the ranch I grew up on in Dallas, my dad teaching me and Hunter how to ride a two-wheeler. I was a little mad at my dad earlier, and now I’m full of good memories, so he’s back out of the doghouse.”

“You can’t be in here,” she whispered, trying to hide her grin. She shooed him out the back door, the breezy August air so refreshing on her face. “So you loved the French dip?”

“Beyond loved it. It tasted like...home. I know this is home now, but that sandwich reminded me of Texas in a good way. And I left behind some things I’d like to forget.”

Huh. Like what? she wondered. A bad relationship? His heart?

“It’s a little trick my mother taught me when I was young,” she said, making herself keep her mind on the conversation. “My maternal grandparents moved to Montana from Louisiana, and my grandmother would add just a dash of creole seasoning to everything she cooked here because it reminded her of the bayou. My mama was a little girl when they left the South, and she never forgot that taste, so she taught me about it. Now I try to add a little taste of home in all my orders. It’s easy for the waiters to get a personal tidbit about where they’re from or have just been.”

He stared at her for a moment, his dark eyes unreadable. What was he thinking? “You’re not an everyday person, Lily Hunt.”

She wasn’t sure how to take that. “Uh, thank you?”

He smiled. “I mean that in the best way possible. I’m not sure I’ve ever met someone like you. You have a bit of the leprechaun in you.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Aren’t leprechauns supposed to be the worst kind of mischievous?”

“Magical. That’s what I meant. You’ve got a bit of magic in you.” His voice held a note of reverence, and she was so startled by it, so overwhelmed, that she couldn’t speak.

“I have to have another French dip,” he said. “For the road. It was so good I feel like I should get seven to go for my brothers and dad. In fact, can you take that order?”

She grinned. “Absolutely.”

“Good. Maybe they’ll get off my case about last night’s date and stop asking me all kinds of questions. I tried to tell them we’re just friends, that it wasn’t really a date date, since you were fixed up with Knox. But you know how brothers are.”

Her heart sank to her stomach, so she wasn’t capable of speech at the moment. All she could manage was a deep everlasting sigh of doom.

Why had she let herself believe a nutty fantasy that this man, six foot two, body of Adonis, face of a movie star, a man who could have any woman in this town, would go for the tomboy with red hair who smelled like onions? Why? Was she that delusional?

I love how passionate you are, he’d said more than once in the very short time they’d known each other.

She wasn’t delusional. She was passionate about life—and love, even if she’d never experienced it. She sure knew what incredible heart-pounding lust felt like, though. Because she felt it right now. With Xander Crawford.

This is what it feels like to fall in love. And it was impossible to stop, like a speeding train, even if the object of her affection just told her “it wasn’t a date date” and they were “just friends.”

Just friends.

Get back to earth, she told herself. Go make his seven French dips to go.

“Well, back to work!” she said too brightly, and dashed inside, then realized she’d left him high and dry in the back and he’d have to find his way around to the front of the hotel to return to the dining room.

He’ll manage, she thought as she got back to her station to prepare his order. She saw him sneak and dart through the kitchen, her heart leaping at the quick sight of him. Sigh, sigh, sigh.

“Lily, you’re amazing,” her boss said. “Seven French dips to go for table three?” Gwendolyn was beaming at her, so at least she had big love at work if not in her personal life.

Forget Xander Crawford and focus on where you want to be next year: owning your own catering shop or little café, whisking your customers away to home.

Sure. As if she could forget Xander for a second.

Chapter Three

“Am I right?” Xander asked his brothers and father as they sat on the backyard patio of the Ambling A, gobbling up their French dips. “Is this incredibly delicious or what?”

The Crawfords were so busy eating they barely stopped long enough to agree. Knox held up his beer at Xander. Hunter said he wanted two more.

“I’ll tell you what I’m right about,” his father said, taking a huge bite of his sandwich. “That you went to Maverick Manor for lunch just so you could see the pretty chef again. Admit it.”

“Yeah, admit it,” Finn said with a grin.

What was that old line? No good deed went unpunished? No way would he ever bring these gossips a good lunch again! “I went because I was hungry. So how’s the roof on the barn coming, Logan?” he asked his eldest brother, hoping the others would shut the hell up.

“Logan, tell Xander instead how wonderful married life is,” his dad said. “Someone special to come home to at the end of a long, hard day.”

Oh, brother. Literally.

Logan laughed, finishing the rest of his French dip and taking a sip of his beer. “First, that was damned good. Compliments to your chef, Xan.”

“She is not my chef!” Xander shouted.

Six Crawfords laughed. One stewed in his chair.

“Second, Dad is right,” Logan said. “Finding Sarah changed my life. Nothing beats coming home to her every night, waking up to her every morning. And raising that cherub Sophia with her? I feel like the luckiest guy in the world.”

Huh. Xander eyed his brother. He was dead serious, heart-on-his-sleeve earnest.

“All of you are going to be that lucky, too,” the Crawford patriarch said. “You know, I had to be both mother and father to you boys. I didn’t always get it right. I guess I want just to see you all settled down and happy. I want you to have everything you deserve. All the happiness.”

Logan put a hand on his dad’s shoulder.

“To happiness,” Finn said, raising his beer. “I’m into it.”

“Even Knox can’t not toast to that,” Hunter said.

Xander eyed the always-intense Crawford brother. Knox raised his beer again with a bit of a scowl. Knox had thanked him for going out with Lily in his place, then had grimaced when Max Crawford said, “Now that you’re over being stubborn about it, there are a hundred more single beauties out there, Knox, ole boy.”

“First of all, I’m still not going out with anyone,” Knox had said. “Secondly, there probably aren’t a hundred people in this town, Dad,” he’d added, and had made himself scarce until he smelled the French dips.

Rust Creek Falls was tiny, less than a thousand residents, but nine hundred fifty of those had to be single women. Or at least that was how it had felt ever since Max Crawford had announced—erroneously!—that his six sons were looking for wives.

“Xander, you should probably make a reservation at the Manor for dinner now, just in case,” Max said with a grin. “Find out if your chef is working first, though.”

Xander got up, tossing his wrappers in the trash can. “I think I hear one of the calves calling for me.” He headed for the barn, the too-familiar sound of his brothers’ laughter trailing him.

His chef. Hardly!

“Mmm, mmm,” he heard his dad say as he rounded the barn. “This roast beef takes me right back to Texas. Coulda ordered it from Joey’s Roadhouse, am I right?”

Xander smiled. Told you. He’d been taken by surprise as bits and pieces of memories had popped into his mind while eating at the restaurant. Just flickers that he thought he’d forgotten: Logan threatening a bully on his behalf. Knox telling their dad off when he thought their dad was being unfair with Xander about something. The constant runs to the grocery store for milk since six growing boys could finish a gallon after one cold-cereal breakfast. Christmas after Christmas, each boy picking a brother’s name from the Santa hat to buy for, the three years in a row that he got Hunter.

His mother in a yellow apron.

Now it was his turn to scowl. He didn’t often think about his mom. He didn’t remember much about her, just maybe the thought of her. There were few pictures of Sheila Crawford in the family photo albums; he had no idea what his dad had done with the rest of them. Max had probably stored them up in the attic, leaving just a few for the boys to have some idea what their mother had looked like. Logan, Xander and Hunter remembered her the most but even they had been too young to hold a picture of her in their minds. Somehow, Xander did remember the yellow apron. And long brown hair.

A calf gave out a mini moo and he shook his head to clear his mind. All this thinking of home and his family’s ribbing him about “his chef” nicely contradicted each other. Thinking about his mother reminded him that marriage didn’t work out. That even the people you could count on to love you, by birthright, could leave. Just walk away without looking back. Between that and finding his girlfriend and best friend in bed, he gave a big “yeah right” to happily-ever-after.

“Yoo hoo! Anyone home?” a very female, high-pitched voice called out.

Xander came out of the barn to find an attractive, curvy blonde, just his type, he had to admit, smiling at him as she walked over from her car. “Hi, can I help you?”

“I’m so sure you can, honey,” she said, her voice lowering an octave. “I’m Vanessa and I was hoping to hire one of you tall, strong, strapping cowboys to teach me how to ride a horse. I’m a town gal, so no horse or land of my own.”

Xander knew there were plenty of horse farms and ranches in the area that offered riding lessons. The Ambling A wasn’t one of them.

He had a feeling this woman was here for a cowboy and had zero interest in horses, if her very high heels and short dress were any indication. But any woman in the market for a Crawford was looking for a wedding ring. So despite the fact that Vanessa was his type to a T, he’d have to sit this one out.

“Ah. We don’t offer riding lessons, but perhaps one of my brothers can give you the rundown on who does.”

“I’d be happy to hear it from you,” she said, puckering her glossy red lips a bit.

“I’m not really one of the eligible Crawfords,” he said.

She frowned. “I don’t see a ring. Unless you’re spoken for.”

Lily’s face flashed into his mind. His chef. That was weird. “Well, I do seem to be seeing someone, unexpectedly,” he added, for no godly reason. Then realized that was why Lily had popped into his brain. She was his way out!

“For goodness’ sake, why didn’t you say so and save me the trouble of flirting?” She fluffed her hair. “Any of your eligible brothers around?”

He smiled and mentally shook his head. A woman who knew she wanted. Had to give her credit for the chutzpah. “Let me see if Finn knows about riding lessons. Be right back.”

“Finn? I do like that name,” she said, peering around.

“Hang on a sec.”

He went around the back of the sprawling ranch house to find the Crawfords just finishing up. “Finn, there’s a woman here to see you.”

Finn perked right up. That was a line he liked. “Say no more,” he said before dashing around the house.

Xander smiled. That was easy. He went back into the barn and got down to work, ignoring the giggles coming from Vanessa as Finn flirted.

A flash of freckles and determined green eyes came to mind again. He should let Lily know his family loved the French dip, too, right? She’d probably appreciate hearing that. He could stop by the Manor and say it loud enough for her boss to hear; who couldn’t use a gold star at work from a happy customer?

Yeah. He’d stop by and let her know. A good friend would do that, and he had a feeling that was exactly what he and Lily were going to be: good friends. That was it. Sorry, Matchmaking Dad.

* * *

The Hunt house was a big white colonial not far from the center of town. Xander glanced up at the second-floor windows, wondering which room was Lily’s. He had a vision of himself standing out here at night, tossing pebbles at her window to get her to come out as if they were in high school or something.

Something about this very young woman had him all discombobulated.

He shook his head to clear it and rang the buzzer on the side of the blue door. He liked the color; it was a deep-sea blue that might be interesting for the barns at the Ambling A.

An auburn-haired guy in his midtwenties opened the door. One of Lily’s three brothers, he presumed. He had on a pristine Kalispell Police Academy uniform, including a cap.

“Hey, you’re one of those Crawfords,” the guy said, his hazel eyes intense on Xander.

“I am. Xander Crawford, specifically. I haven’t broken any laws, have I? I haven’t been to Kalispell yet.”

The guy scrunched up in his face in confusion, then glanced down at his uniform. “Oh, this. I’m on my way to school. Not a cop yet, but I will be in a few months.” He eyed Xander, then looked behind him into the house, then turned back. “Got a minute?” he asked. “I was hoping to run into one of you, but I’m rarely in town during the day.” He extended his hand. “Andrew Hunt.”

Okay, now Xander was confused. “Pleasure to meet you,” he said. “So what can I—we—do for you?”

“I’m wondering about your overflow,” Andrew said, stepping out onto the porch and shutting the door.

“Overflow?” Xander repeated.

“I heard your father’s trying to get his sons married off and offered a wedding planner five million bucks to get the job done. A buddy told me that since then, all the places he goes in town to meet women have dried up. Even at Ace in the Hole, our place to play darts and always meet a few ladies, even if we already know them, there was no one there last Saturday night. Just a bunch of guys. Man, it was depressing.”

“One million,” Xander corrected—quite unnecessarily, but still. “And I see the problem.”

“So, I was thinking, if you’re on one of your dates and it doesn’t work out, maybe you could mention that you know a great guy in the police academy and set something up for after six, any night.”

Wait, now Xander was a matchmaker? Good Lord. “Look, Andrew, I—”

“I know, I know. But listen. I’m about to have my act totally together. I’m ready to settle down. And the playing field has been decimated. Your faults, dude.”

Xander had to give him that. “I see your point.”

“I’m just saying, if you want to mention my name and availability to any lovely lady you’re not interested in, I’d appreciate it.”

“I’m not interested in anyone,” Xander said—quickly. “This is my dad’s thing. Not mine.”

“Well, just think of me, leaping over walls at the academy and studying for my procedure quiz, a forty-five minute commute each way, all with the intended goal of serving and protecting our communities one day.”

Xander sighed. “I’ll see what I can do. What’s your type?”

“Nice,” Andrew said. “I like nice. My last girlfriend? Not so nice. Pretty, but ooh boy.”

Xander laughed. “Got it. Nice.” He shook his head at that one. “I’ll keep this between us.”

“Oh, no need,” Andrew said. “I’ve got the family on it, too, but they’re no help. You’d think having a sister a couple years younger would mean lots of introductions and dates, but nope. Lily’s either in the kitchen here or in the kitchen at the Maverick Manor or hunched over her laptop taking her online class. Thanks, Lily.” He smiled.

“Speaking of Lily, I’m actually here to see her.”

Andrew tilted his head. “Really? Why?”

Xander stared at him. “We’re friends.”

“Oh. Yeah, I figured you two couldn’t be dating. I mean, she’s super single, but I can’t even imagine her throwing her name into the hat to land some rich cowboy. No offense.”

“None taken,” Xander said with a smile. He could imagine how Lily had her hands full with this crew if the other three Hunts were anything like Andrew.

“So you’re on board?” Andrew asked. “With the overflow?”

“Sure,” Xander assured him.

“Awesome.” Andrew tipped his Kalispell Police Academy cap at Xander, then threw open the door. “Lily!” he bellowed. “Someone’s here to see you!” He headed past Xander to the driveway. “Later, dude,” he added amiably, jogging down to his car.

Wondering what he’d just gotten himself into, Xander watched Andrew drive off.

“Be right there!” he heard Lily call from somewhere in the house.

It was crazy, but the sound of that voice? His heart skipped a beat.

* * *

How many times had she told Andrew not to scream from one room to another? Lily was in the kitchen, working on a vegan entrée she hoped to introduce as an option at the Manor so that all their guests were covered, and she’d heard Andrew’s loud voice as though he were standing right beside her.

She took off her apron and washed her hands, figuring her visitor was Sarah, whom she’d texted to mention that Xander had come in for lunch earlier and had barged right into the kitchen to see her. She’d asked if that could possibly mean he did like her that way, even when all signs pointed to a friendship only.

Sarah had said men often didn’t know how they felt and figured it out as they went along or sometimes in one fell swoop. If she liked Xander that way, Sarah had texted, then she should go for it.

But it wasn’t Sarah in the hallway. It was Xander.

What on earth was he doing here?

And looking so incredibly gorgeous. She’d never seen him in his cowboy clothes. Dark jeans. Brown boots. A navy T-shirt. And a brown Stetson held against his stomach. Be still, my idiot heart, she thought. His slightly long hair curled a bit at the nape of his neck, and his dark brown eyes were on her. The man was too good-looking.

Dobby and Harry were sitting on either side of him, staring up at him. Dobby was sniffing his cowboy boot. Harry was giving him the once-over.

Xander knelt down and gave each dog a pat, earning wagging cinnamon-colored tails. “Well, you must be the famous Dobby and Harry I’ve heard so much about. And even though you look identical, I bet you’re Dobby and you’re Harry.”

“Name tags give it away every time,” Lily said with a grin. “They can never get away with switching places like most twins.”

He gave them both another pat and stood up. “I stopped by Maverick Manor to pay compliments to the chef from six other appreciative ranchers, and your friend AnnaBeth said you’d finished your shift, so I thought I’d stop by here and tell you.”

Okay, granted, Lily’s house was pretty close to Maverick Manor. She could walk there if her very old car broke down. But still, he went out of his way to go see her at the restaurant. Then out of his way again to “stop by” her house?

He liked her. Whether he knew it or not. Her stomach flipped—in a good way—and she had to stop herself from smiling like a lunatic.

Thank God for friends like Sarah who understood men! Crawford men, in particular.

“Something smells amazing,” he said, sniffing the air.

Okay, she loved when he complimented her cooking skills. “I’m working on a tofu dish for a vegan option at the Manor.”

“In cattle country? Well, if you can make tofu smell that good, I imagine it’ll be a hit. I’d pay a million bucks for a Lily Hunt hamburger.”

She laughed. “You’re going to give me a big head.”

“Hey, maybe you could give me a cooking lesson sometime. I’d pay you well for your time.” He named a crazy figure.

“Seriously? That much for one lesson?”

“Seriously. But I want to learn to make all my favorites. Teach me how to make that French dip. Teach me how to make fettuccini carbonara, which I crave every other day. Teach me how to make a pizza from scratch without burning the crust.”

Teach me how not to fall in love with you, she thought. She was practically a goner.

“Lily, any more of that par-something thingie left?” a male voice shouted from upstairs. Ryan, the brother closest in age to her.

Lily smiled and shook her head. “Parfait!” she called back, even though she’d never stop her brothers from yelling from room to room if she did it, too. “And no, you four attacked it and there was none left for me.”

“Sorry!” Ryan shouted back. “If you make more, make like five extra!”

“I see I’m not the only one who can’t resist your cooking,” Xander said. “Maybe I could observe as you make the tofu dish. Get a handle on the inner workings of a kitchen before we set up a formal lesson.”

Xander Crawford wanted to watch her make tofu? “Who cooks for you guys now?” she asked.

“We take turns burning food. Logan’s all right on the grill, but he moved out. We order in, pick up and go out a lot.”

She laughed. “Well, follow me, then.” She turned to the dogs. “Dobby and Harry, feel free to go back to snoozing in your sun patch.” The dogs waited a beat to see if the newcomer had a treat or rawhide chew for them, and since he didn’t pull anything out of his pocket, they lost interest and walked back to their big cushy bed by the window and curled up.

“That’s the life,” Xander said, smiling as he followed Lily through the living room, past the dining room and into the kitchen.

She’d never been so aware of someone following her into another room before. He was so tall, so built, so male that she almost melted into a puddle on the floor. She was very used to being surrounded by testosterone. But this was something entirely different.

Especially so close up. Because the kitchen wasn’t all that big and Xander was right beside her at the stove, his thigh almost touching hers.

Could she handle the heat? That was the question.

* * *

Xander was standing so close to Lily he could smell her shampoo—the scent a combination of flowers and suntan lotion. She wore green cargo pants, a white T-shirt covered by a red apron that read Try It, You’ll Like It, and weird orange rubber shoes. Her long red hair was in a messy bun on top of her head with what looked like a chopstick securing it.

His awareness of her clobbered him over the head. He used to argue with his brothers over whether a man could be friends with a woman he found sexually attractive, and some said yes and some said no way because the sexual element would always be there and that meant there was more than friendship at work. Xander believed a man could absolutely be friends with a woman.

Since when was he sexually attracted to Lily, anyway? Just because he was noticing every little thing about her? The orange rubber shoes were hard to miss. Right? He was here to learn about tofu, something he knew absolutely nothing about.

And something he had absolutely no interest in, too.

You didn’t even know she was making tofu until you were inside the house. You came here on pretense.

This was getting confusing. But an undeniable fact was that he was in this kitchen because he wanted to be around Lily. Listening to her. Talking to her. Looking at her.

He suddenly pictured her naked, coming out of the shower, all that lush red hair wet around her shoulders, water still beaded on her breasts and trailing down her stomach and into her navel. Every nerve ending went haywire and he shivered.

“Caught a chill?” she asked, glancing at him as she browned the little pieces of tofu in a fry pan. “I hate that. This morning I was making pancakes, fifty of them for the bottomless pits I call my brothers and father, and I suddenly got a chill even though I was standing right in front of a gas flame in August. Crazy.”

He was hardly chilled. Nope, not at all.

Now she was talking about sesame oil and how to make the tofu crispy for the stir-fry. She was saying something about cornstarch and pepper, but he’d stopped hearing her words and focused instead on her face and body.

Granted, she wasn’t curvy. Or big-breasted. Or remotely his usual type. But there was just something about her. He must be losing his mind because he thought it was the freckles. Or the green eyes. Or the wide smile. Or the way she talked so animatedly about the difference between a wok and a sauté pan.

“Going to make tofu stir-fry for your family tonight?” she asked him, holding out a piece of the brown crispy not-meat on a wooden spoon. She brought it up to his mouth, and he looked at her, then slid his lips around it.

She flushed.

He flushed.

He leaned closer.

She...backed away. As if she’d been there, done that, and had lived to tell the tale.

“I, uh, you...have sesame oil on your cheek,” he rushed to say, leaning a bit closer to dab it away. He forced himself not to lick it off his finger.

Saved. He hadn’t been about to kiss her. No sir.

He had to get out of this kitchen, this enclosed space, with this woman. She was his buddy, that was all. Even if he were attracted to her, she was too young and had big dreams that she should focus on. He was a grumbly, stomped-on, love-sucks guy who wasn’t getting over it anytime soon. She needed the male version of herself. A guy as great as she was.

Not that he wanted to think of her with any guy.

Oh hell. He needed to go find a Vanessa type and forget about this green-eyed, freckled, curveless chef who had him all discombobulated. Yes. That was what he needed. An airhead who wouldn’t make him think, wouldn’t challenge him, wouldn’t stab a dagger through his chest.

“Appreciate the lesson,” he said. “The Crawfords might not be ready for tofu, but I might surprise them one day.”

“So how do you want to schedule the cooking lesson?” she asked, stirring the pan.

“Let me check my calendar,” he said. “I’m pretty busy right now. In fact, I’d better get going. Later, buddy.”

He didn’t miss her face falling.

Buddy.

Cripes, Xander. You always go that step too far. Why had he added that unnecessary zinger?

Because now they both knew—for sure. They were friends. That was it.

He smiled awkwardly and then headed out the kitchen door as if the place were on fire.

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