Page 25 of Flippin' Cowboy
Snowberry Springs Ranch
The next evening
It’s unfair how Evans can make a plain knitted sweater and old jeans look like a designer outfit,Winnie thought as she smiled for the camera and handed him a casserole dish with her mom’s cheesy cauliflower and broccoli mix.
She decided it was his carefully groomed stubble that made him look so damn sexy. Or was it his broad shoulders? And then, his sweet smile as he watched Kegan chattering happily away with her nephew, Jayden.
Both boys had hit it off immediately over a mutual love of superhero movies, and they were currently debating whether Superman was cooler than Spider-Man.
Under the glare of key lights and microphones suspended over the big dining room table, the Snowberry family and their guests cheerfully bumped elbows as they passed dishes of food around.
Besides Nick, his little boy and Jayden, Summer and Brock were here tonight, as well as Grandma Abigail and Autumn
The table was crowded, but in the best way possible. During her years of working in Seattle, Winnie had missed Sunday night family dinners at the ranch.
“Priscilla, this looks amazing,” Nick told Mom as he spooned a generous portion of the vegetable casserole onto his plate. “It’s been ages since someone cooked me a homemade meal.”
Mr. Grumpypants sure is laying it on thick for the cameras, Winnie thought, fighting hard not to roll her eyes.
But Mom beamed at him. “Why, thank you, Nick. Those are from my vegetable garden. And we raised the beef, as well.”
“Did you grow the hot dogs, too?” Kegan asked, lifting one of the pigs-in-a-blanket Mom had baked for the kids. Winnie had always loved them, because Mom used flaky, buttery homemade biscuit dough.
On the other end of the table, Dad was busily carving an herb-crusted prime rib roast for the grownups. He chuckled at Kegan’s question. “No, son, those are a special treat. They come from the grocery store.”
“They’re yummy!” Kegan declared, then took a huge bite. His cheeks bulged as he chewed.
Mom’s dimples emerged. “Thank you,” she said. “I’m so glad you like them. All of my grandkids always ask me for them.”
“Gramma’s thebest!” declared April.
“The best! The best!” chanted her sister, Abby.
“Don’t forget your veggies,” Nick reminded Kegan, and plopped a spoonful of tender broccoli coated in rich cheese sauce on his son’s plate.
“Cut!” Karla called. “Okay, I think we have enough footage for our Sunday dinner segment. Bob and Priscilla, thank you for letting us invade your beautiful home.”
“Anything to help my baby girl,” Dad replied as Mom rose from her seat.
The bright lights overhead abruptly winked off and Jake lowered the big camera from his shoulder.
“Folks, I hope you’ll all stay for dinner,” Mom announced. “We have plenty of prime rib and I made extra vegetarian dishes for those of you who don’t eat meat.”
“Priscilla, that’s so sweet of you. We’dloveto stay for dinner,” Karla said, amid a chorus of thank yous from the crew members.
In response, Mom opened the pocket doors built into the wide cased opening leading to the living room, revealing a second dining table—the one Mom and Dad usually only brought out at Thanksgiving—covered with a tablecloth and a dozen extra place settings.
As the crew worked to disassemble the microphone and lighting booms, and hauled their equipment out to the vans parked in the ranch’s gravel driveway, Spring, Brock, Winnie, and, surprisingly, Nick, carefully lifted and moved the second dining table over to join it with the regular table.
Winnie caught herself staring at the bulge and flex of Nick’s muscles under his sweater.Oops. She hastily looked away. But not before he caught her looking and smirked at her in that annoyingly superior way of his.
Dammit. Someone that arrogant shouldn’t look—or smell—so good. The faint whiffs of his cologne kindled unwelcome heat in the pit of her stomach.
Ugh. Stop lusting after him!Winnie chided herself.He’s a jerk with zero respect for my work.
When the production staff members had seated themselves and the serving dishes had made the rounds, Mom asked in a hopeful tone, “Autumn, how long are you and Jayden planning to stay this time?”
Autumn stiffened and her perfectly manicured hands clenched her fork and knife until her knuckles showed white. “Um,” she began.
