Page 34 of The Cowboy Takes A Bride

“Once you wash off the bloom––that's the protective coating–– you need to store them in the fridge. They're okay to sit out with the bloom on.”

“Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know.” Talk about feeling inept. Not that Meredith thought she should know these things, but she really wanted to make a good impression.

"Of course you didn't. Life on a ranch is different than life in the city. Ranch cooking with fresh product can differ as well. Go into the freezer and pull out the beef to let it defrost. It'll make cooking this meal easier.” She tapped the cookbook.

Meredith hurried off to the deep freezer wondering if there might be a blog or something about learning how to function on a ranch. All the shows she watched on the cooking channels never mentioned fresh eggs versus store bought. Or even defrosting for that matter. She grabbed a package wrapped in white paper with beef scrawled across the top, then took it to the kitchen and handed it to Marjory.

She was given another kind smile from Jace's mom. “This is stew beef. That's what this word is.” She pointed to the illegible scrawl. “Not that you can make it out. You'll need ground beef. See if you can find me what looks like it might have a G in the word.” She handed back the package, and Meredith felt heat creep up her neck. She searched the freezer and settled on one she thought started with a G.

“I have a confession to make,” Meredith said as she handed Marjory the other pack of meat. She was breaking Jace's trust but felt she needed to. She wasn't going to master the kitchen on her wits alone and loved the idea of help so she shared the story about her lack of kitchen skills and the conversation she and Jace had earlier in the morning. He was right. His mother did find great pleasure in their situation.

“Not that I want you to go hungry, dear, but it serves him right. That explains the empty coffee pot. Come on, I’ll show you how to get that going, and then we can go over some basics if you’d like.”

“I would love that, and coffee sounds amazing. Let me find some paper first so I can take notes.” She hurried to Jace’s office and took a notepad from the drawer, a pencil from the desk. A crinkled slip of paper under a geode caught her eye.

It was a list.

1. Fix west fence near stream

2. Weed out unhealthy herd

3. Parse out stock for the exchange

4. Prep for spring breeding

5. Ranch vehicles need service

6.Find a wife and be happy

Obviously the last one wasn’t in Jace’s handwriting as it was too girly and loopy, probably his mother or maybe Sabrina. Meredith wasn't going to read into it. Life on the ranch as Jace's wife was a fantasy she could get lost in. The safety of the ranch, a loving and doting husband, and a family that embraced her. Most everyone would want that. The picture of it was crystal clear in her mind, as if it were a memory. But it was nothing more than an overactive imagination.

He was not loving and doting to her. This number 6 on hislist was not his wish, but someone else’s and she was no sooner keen on building a second life of pretense than she was to return to her father.

Nodding in determination, Meredith tucked the list under a pile of loose papers and picked up the notepad. She hurried to the kitchen, but stopped short when she saw a new picture hanging on the wall of family pictures she’d admired yesterday. It was of her and Jace after they’d been pronounced man and wife. They’d turned to face the crowd, and if Meredith hadn’t known the circumstances of their union, she’d say the couple in the image looked happy.

“All right, Meredith,” Marjory said when Meredith joined her in the kitchen, feeling warm and fuzzy from the picture in the hall. “You ready to get down to business?”

“Thanks for hanging the photo up. I didn’t know anyone was taking pictures.” She stared at the older woman, wondering what she thought of her son’s unexpected marriage.

“Thank God Sabrina had the wherewithal to ask the newspaper’s photographer to attend. I didn’t even have the presence of mind to use my phone’s camera. I’m so glad we have a few pictures.”

“There’s more?” Meredith was anxious to see them.

“Yes, I’ll email them to you. Give me your address before I leave.”

Meredith didn’t have an address. How ridiculous was that? She was so poorly prepared for the world.

“Did you mention coffee?” The last thing she wanted was for his mom to know that.

“I did. You want to start there?”

Meredith nodded.

“Coffee is easy enough. Finding the preferred taste will take some finagling. Since our men work long hours, theyneed strong coffee.” She pushed the maker toward Meredith. “The water and grind should be proportionate.”

“So equal amounts.”

Marjory laughed. “Hell no, child. Though I’d like to see that pot of coffee go down some rancher’s gullets. Some of these folks around here are lazy, and they might actually do some work.” She pointed to the north. “Old man Beasley is a prime example. Does the bare minimum. Lets his cattle come onto our land and pushes ours out. Neighbors here call each other when they see bears or coyotes on the land, but not Beasley.”

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