Page 12 of Call It Love (Sterling Mill #5)

Chase

Bodie, Marcus, and I all joked with each other as we tromped toward the bunkhouse the next day. I hadn’t mentioned anything about Anna to my employees yet. I figured it would be a great surprise.

I was lucky. These were solid guys. It might not be what they wanted to do forever, but while they were here, they worked hard and never complained. And they definitely deserved whatever magic was drifting out from the kitchen through the screen door.

Their noses went up, almost in unison.

“Did you finally hire a cook and forget to tell us, Boss?” Bodie asked, picking up his pace toward the door. “Damn, that smells good. I hope that’s for us.”

“Wipe your damn feet,” I hollered after him. I shook my head. “That man’s stomach leads his life.”

Marcus chuckled. “You’re in trouble if he ever marries someone who can cook. He’ll be too fat and happy to get up from the table to work.”

I laughed along with him, but he wasn’t wrong.

He glanced sideways at me. “Smells like more than just warmed-up leftovers. Was he right? You finally hired someone?”

“Mmm,” I hummed noncommittally.

I knew these guys. They meant well, but one look at her, and they’d fall head over heels and then trip over themselves trying to impress her.

Anna had never thrived in the spotlight.

And after what she’d been through, the last thing she needed was a bunch of attention, even if it was well-intentioned.

She needed space. Peace. A sense of safety.

And I wanted to be the one who gave that to her.

And maybe, if I was being honest, I didn’t want to see her light up for anyone but me.

But that was a thought to consider another time.

Especially since Anna was holding a sharp knife pointed squarely at Bodie’s chest as we entered the bunkhouse.

He didn’t even seem to notice. He was too busy staring at the perfectly browned pie on the table in front of her as if it were a long-lost love.

“Is…is that a peach pie?” Bodie asked, practically drooling.

“Yes,” she answered cautiously, taking a step closer to her creation as if it were a child she would do anything to protect. It seemed food was one place where she wasn’t afraid to hold her ground.

“I haven’t had one that smelled that good since my Granny made one. And she’s been dead for the past eight years.”

He reached a hand toward the pie, but Anna flourished the knife.

“Unless you want to join her, I suggest you back off.”

Bodie finally looked up. He froze and stared at her. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the six-plus-foot hulk of a guy stopped in his tracks by a woman at least a foot shorter than he was.

“You mean it’s not for us?” Bodie’s voice cracked as if he might actually cry. His pleading eyes swiveled to me.

Marta’s cooking had spoiled these guys, and I knew they missed it. Offering lunch meats, casseroles, and cookies just wasn’t the same after a hard morning’s work. And as much as we all loved Marta, the guys were in for a real treat. Anna’s cooking was next level.

“These knuckleheads work here,” I told her, then shot a look at my friend. “But maybe you should mind your manners and introduce yourself instead of storming in here like a crazy man.”

Bodie instantly swiped his hat off his head. “My apologies, ma’am. Just the smell of your cooking knocked the sense clean outta me. I’m Bodie. Now can I have a piece of your pie?”

Anna put down the knife and laughed at his childish plea. “Go ahead. But next time, no dessert until after the meal.”

Bodie didn’t wait even a second before he dived in, stabbing a fork right into the center, and pulling out a large bite. “This is divine,” he moaned, his eyes closed as he savored the bite. “You must be an angel sent by my Granny.”

Anna’s face flushed as she carefully cut a proper slice around the crater Bodie had made and plated it for him. He wolfed it down in three more bites.

“Wow. Dinner and a show,” Marcus said, laughing. “Good job, Boss.” He waggled his eyebrows. “If that pie’s half as sweet as the one who made it, I’m in love.”

“Stick to the food,” I warned, sharper than I meant to. “She’s off-limits. ”

Marcus gave me a strange look, but wisely said nothing more.

“Looks like pie needs to stay on the menu,” I joked to Anna. “Let me introduce you more properly. These two are part of the backbone around here, so you’ll see a lot of them. You’ve already met Bodie.”

Anna chuckled as she watched Bodie, who grinned in response. After being held back for so long by her fucking ex, she must be quietly pleased to see someone enjoy her cooking.

“And this is Marcus,” I continued, motioning to him.

He stepped forward. “Ma’am. Sure is good to have you here.” He reached for her hand, but instead of a handshake, he brought it to his lips for a kiss.

Anna flinched, and her smile didn’t reach her eyes. I hit Marcus with my hat. “Simmer down and eat before I make you hand carry the water tank up to the ridge.”

Marcus backed off with a wink even as Anna took another step back from him. Irritation flooded through me. I’d be having words with Marcus just as soon as we were out of earshot of everyone.

Other guys started filing in. They followed Bodie’s lead, filling their plates with pork roast, potatoes, carrots, and warm biscuits with honeyed butter. Moans of appreciation echoed around the table, along with multiple compliments.

Anna’s genuine smile was back as she refilled the bowls and brought them back to the table.

Colt, one of the younger hands, showed up a few minutes later. He paused in the doorway, his eyes bouncing from the table to Anna, then back again. “Whoa. Didn’t know we were eating like kings today. You better have left me some.”

Bodie pointed at him with his fork. “Shut up and take your damn hat off before she changes her mind about feeding us.”

Anna, now looking more relaxed, promised Colt, “Don’t worry. I made plenty.” She winced as more footsteps followed—Dean, Rick, and Jonah filed in, dirty and worn out, lured by the same scent that had dragged us in. “I think.”

Within minutes, the table was full, laughter bouncing around the room, and in no time, the plates were scraped clean.

I watched Anna as she moved gracefully among them. A little half-smile played about her lips, and a look of bemused disbelief filled her eyes as she continuously refilled bowls and platters. Eventually, she held up both hands and gave a soft laugh.

“That’s it,” she said. “There’s nothing left.”

Groans and playful protests rose immediately, but one by one, the guys stood, still smiling, and actually carried their plates to the sink, despite Anna’s insistence that it was her job to clean up.

“We’re not animals,” Bodie said, giving her a wink. “Unless there’s peach pie involved.”

“I’ll be sure to add it to the menu again,” she promised.

Each of them stopped to welcome and thank her.

But it was my eyes she sought when the last of them left. Her eyes were uncertain. Searching. Seeking approval.

I winked and smiled. “You’ve caused me a problem,” I said.

“What?” Her brow furrowed.

The stress in her voice instantly made me want to kick myself for teasing her.

“Relax. It’s only that you can’t leave now. I’ll have a mutiny on my hands. They loved Marta, but they never responded to her cooking like that.”

“Really?”

“Promise.”

And this time, I got a full, genuine smile that lit up her beautiful face.

I knew I’d do anything to see that smile stay.

“I’ll take care of everything,” I announced to the guys as they climbed out of the truck. “You guys can head on home.”

“You sure about that, Boss?” Bodie asked.

I made it a point to take care of my crew, especially my managers, by paying them well and making sure we had reliable equipment. Good employees were hard to find. But I rarely sent them home before the job was finished.

Today was different. I needed time alone with my thoughts.

I grabbed a shovel from the bed of the truck. “Yeah, I got it today. But don’t get used to it,” I warned jokingly, knowing they wouldn’t anyway.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Bodie said with a grin. He slapped the other guys on their backs as they all took off, smart enough to take off before I changed my mind.

All but Marcus.

He lingered, watching the other guys take off, then slowly made his way over to me. I noticed he didn’t bother to pick up a tool to help.

“Somethin’ up?” I asked.

“What’s the deal with Anna?” he asked casually.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “What do you mean? ”

Marcus shrugged. “Just wondering. She’s pretty. The kind of pretty a guy could get lost in, if you know what I mean.”

His smile was just a little too slick, a side of him I’d never seen before. I’d seen him flirt with women at Ferg’s, the local bar, and never thought twice about it. But this time it landed wrong with me.

“She’s here to work,” I said evenly. “Just let her be and keep it respectful.”

Marcus turned to look at me then, studying my face for a beat longer than I liked, as if he was measuring my words. Then he gave a quick nod. “Whatever you say. Doesn’t change how she looks.”

He pulled his truck keys from his jeans pocket and headed toward the side of the barn. “My guys got the last of the trees trimmed today, so we’re helping Bodie’s crew transplant those boxwood and azalea seedlings tomorrow.”

“Good. That’ll be a big job,” I called out, glad for the conversation shift.

He raised his hand in a lazy wave, and seconds later, I heard his truck fire up and rumble down the drive.

I looked toward the cabin where Anna was.

It wasn’t what Marcus said exactly. It was that anyone might see her that way. Someone to flirt with. To chase. To catch.

She’d been through enough. She was here to get back on her feet. To start over. I knew she needed time to rest. To heal. That was all.

No matter how much I wanted her to be here for different reasons.