Page 18 of Moonlight Over Montana

Jed snorted. “Not likely. He always cooks way too much, and leftovers end up in this soup he makes every Wednesday.”

“What kind?” Maggie asked as they climbed the steps.

“Wednesday soup.” He pulled open the door and Susie sashayed in.

“Right, the soup he makes on Wednesday.”

A slow and easy grin filled his face. “Quinn calls it Wednesday soup. This way no one ever knows what to expect. What that guy can do with leftovers is amazing. You’d never know how good they can be, and he makes them taste like nothing you’ve ever had before.”

“Huh. Guess I’d better plan on having a meal next Wednesday if we’re still here.”

He gave her a side-glance. “Not to be blunt, Mags, but why wouldn’t you be?”

“I just…” The words faded away. He was spot-on. For the foreseeable future, they’d be living on the ranch.

Maggie leaned back in the wooden chair at the long table they were sitting at. Her plate was empty and there was no doubt in her mind, Quinn was a five-star chef and could easily take his pick of any fine dining establishment, so why was he cooking on a ranch? Susie had finished her meal and wandered over to the pool table that dominated one end and was watching some of the hands play. Maggie didn’t need to worry about her hanging out with the guys as Jed had quickly reassured her the men knew the situation and more importantly her age.

“Thanks for suggesting we have dinner here.” She patted her stuffed midsection. “The beef stroganoff was amazing.”

He finished off the roll he’d been eating before he looked up. “Not what you were expecting?”

“No.” She dropped her voice to make sure no one overheard what she was going to say next. “He’s amazing. Not that the ranch hands don’t deserve great food, but why is he here?”

“Quinn is a private man and doesn’t invite idle conversation about the past, his or anyone’s, so I wouldn’t encourage you to ask.” And then he gave her a long look and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “If you do, make sure I’m around. I’d like to know what makes the guy tick.”

“Does he have a girlfriend?”

His brow cocked. “Interested?”

She could feel her cheeks grow warm under his assessing look. “No. Curious. He’s good-looking and if he wasn’t a decent guy, Annie wouldn’t have him working for her.”

“True. And no, as far as I can tell, there’s no lady vying for his attention.”

She glanced in the direction of the kitchen door. Not that she was interested for herself since the only guy she’d like to ask her out never showed that kind of interest in her. “I’m going to thank him for dinner and offer to help clean up.”

Jed stood and stacked hers, Susie’s, and his plates. “You can offer but he won’t take you up on it. He’s got someone to help with cleanup, but the cooking is all him.”

She marched over to the door and pushed it open and paused looking over her shoulder. With an exaggerated wink, she said, “We’ll see about that.”

He shook his head and stacked the dirty dishes in a bus pan. “It’s your funeral.”

Maggie eased the door almost closed behind her. “Quinn?”

He didn’t look up as he scooped some noodles into a container. “Are you still hungry? I could fix you a plate to take back to your cabin if you’d like.”

“No, thank you. We had plenty, I wanted to tell you how delicious everything was.”

He gave her a guarded smile. “Thank you.”

Dang, a man of very few words. Jed was right about conversation. “My daughter, Susie, and I are going to be staying here a while since, well, I’m sure you heard about the fire.”

“I was real sorry to hear about it. I’ve eaten at the diner on several occasions and the food is great.”

“I guess we’re both fans of the other’s skills.” She looked around the immaculate kitchen and it reminded her of the Filler Up. “Since I’ll be around without a lot to do, I wanted to offer my services in your kitchen.”

A small frown came and went quickly. “Much appreciated but I have everything covered.”

“Oh, I’m sure you do, but I’m used to working and until I can get the diner rebuilt, which will take heaven only knows how long, I’m kind of at loose ends.”

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