Page 57 of The Way to a Cowboy's Heart

He chuckled. “Either way, you rescued Mom’s reception. You go. Let me know if you need any help.”

“I think we’ve got it under control.”

He tapped her discreetly on the butt as she turned toward the kitchen and she tossed back a sassy grin at him, then disappeared into the kitchen.

*

The food wasdelicious, and no one was the wiser about the near disaster in the kitchen. Emily had finished the dishes she had begun with Tara and Chef’s help, and by the time they were ready to plate everything, Chef Gary had gotten his nerves under control and cranked out the assembly line. Both Tara and Emily served it up to a grateful reception full of friends and Sarah and Ray were thrilled.

Sitting beside Liam, finally, after the food service, she had to admit the dishes had come out particularly well and Chef Gary’s hand in that was undeniable. His talent was every bit as good as his Michelin star advertised. He was very grateful for her help and for her calmness in the face of his own personal calamity. His fate here wouldn’t be up to her, thankfully, and to be honest, she had learned a lot from him in the space of those couple of hours they’d worked together. Yes, he was a bit of a mess, but he was also brilliant and weirdly funny, and his chickenMilanesewas a revelation. She had managed the creamy mashed potatoes and roasted baby veggies that went alongside it. And the cookies. But no one complained. Everyone was happy.

It made Emily happy, too. Not just helping Chef Nevers pull this meal off but feeling part of it making this family celebration work. There was a rush that came with cooking a meal that people enjoyed, something inexplicable really. Maybe it came from being raised in a boarding school where meals were churned out cafeteria-style. The rush of feeding the people she cared about nurturing. Delicious food was the antithesis of what happened at her day job, and that dichotomy was something with which she was only just beginning to come to terms.

Liam had asked her if she missed it. Wall Street.Did she?The chaos. The egos. The fragility of it all. Really, she didn’t miss it. Not here, being with him. Was she falling in love with him? Yes. Could she make sense of that? No. Was she deluding herself? Maybe.

It couldn’t happen this fast. Not in real life. Oh, she’d heard of it happening, but those were just stories. In real life, love took time. It was hard. There was negotiation, arguments, tears.

Maybe that all would come, and it was too soon to know if she’d foundthe one. But what if he was the one? What if they’d just accidentally stumbled across one another on that subway that day, and on any other of a thousand and one days, they would have walked right by the other one and never noticed? Was life that random? Or that intentional?

Now, Liam took her hand under the table and gave her a squeeze, as if he’d heard her thoughts. She just smiled at him, wishing she wouldn’t have to leave him in a few days. Wishing she could believe the universe would sort things out for them.

But the job in London wouldn’t wait, nor would her expiring visa. So, she would be here with him now. And let tomorrow be what it would be.

Sarah and Ray approached their table as the cookies were served, and Sarah leaned down to kiss her cheek. “Emily, we heard what happened. We cannot thank you enough for what you did pulling the dinner together. You are a rock star!”

“No, no. It really was all Mr. Nevers’s recipes except for the cookies, and we did it together. He just had a little setback is all. And he probably needs extra hands in the kitchen.”

“You’re too modest. Tara told us it was ninety percent you this afternoon. And here you are, our guest. If I didn’t know you were a high-powered Wall Street guru, I’d say you should be the one cooking for our events.”

Beside her, Liam gave his mom a subtle head shake which Emily didn’t miss.

Shay didn’t either. “Mom, the wedding was fabulous, and I think we were all lucky Emily was here to save the day for the reception. But let’s just let her be our guest! And Emily, these cookies!”

Emily was happy to not be in the middle of this conversation. “Thanks. They were an old receipt of my gran’s that I found last time I was home.”

Ray was still munching on his second helping of those. “Would it be presumptuous of us to get the recipe for those as well?”

“I’m not a recipe secret keeper. I’m happy to share with you, Sarah.”

“I knew I liked her,” she whispered to Liam with a kiss on his cheek.

After they moved on, Liam leaned close. “Sorry about that. They’re just buzzed.”

“As they should be.”

“Though, if I thought there was a chance in hell that I could persuade you to actually do that—step into Nevers’s shoes—I’d hire you in a heartbeat.”

Emily stuffed the last of her cookie in her mouth. “Shall we secretly abscond? Go back to my place?”

“What a good idea.” He took her hand again and, together, they snuck out the back door.

*

They retreated backto her cabin and spent the rest of the night in each other’s arms. They made love, then they stayed up late watching a classic old black-and-white western movie—Shane. Emily had a good cry out of it, releasing something she didn’t even know she’d been holding while Liam held her, feeling for the protagonists in the film and bracing himself for the time that would come only too soon when Emily would leave him behind as Shane did that boy.

That night they slept hard and woke to the sound of rain on the roof. It was pouring actually, and a cold front had moved in from the north.

Liam made her a breakfast of scones and coffee and they ate together, watching the storm clouds roll over the mountains.

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