Yes. It must have been. If she hadn’t thought that before, last night had convinced her of it.
“He come back here after he was in the hospital.”
“Well,” she said, opening the pantry door, taking out the flour and handing it to Ace, “he would, wouldn’t he? This is his home.”
Ace put the flour on the worktable. Lissa handed him the sugar.
“He hadn?
?t been back here for years.”
“But he visited, right?”
“Not unless you count his old man’s funeral.”
“But—”
“Ace!”
Lissa and the foreman swung toward the door that led into the dining room. Nick glared at them both, his face cold.
“Yessir.”
“The snow’s stopped and the wind’s dying down. Might be a good time to start clearing a path to the barns, and to ride out and check on the horses.”
It was a statement, but there was no mistaking it for anything but a command.
Ace nodded. “Sure thing.”
“Wait!” Lissa stepped forward. “The men haven’t had breakfast yet.”
“Right. Because you’ve yet to make it. They’ll come in once they’ve seen to their chores. Get the men moving, Ace.”
Ace tipped his Stetson to Lissa and hurried away. She glared at Nick.
“You’re a real charmer, Gentry.”
“This is a working ranch, Wilde. You want to stand around gossiping with the help, find one of those fancy places where people hang around doing nothing all day but getting massages.”
Lissa blew a strand of hair out of her eyes. “I intend to, as soon as I get away from here. When’s the plane due?”
“The weather’s cleared some, but not enough for getting off the ground or landing. Tomorrow, if Hank is lucky.”
“You mean, if I’m lucky!” Lissa snapped, and turned her back on him in dismissal.
* * *
She got breakfast on the table, or an approximation of breakfast. Eggs. Pancakes topped with something she dreamed up from the remaining few apples.
The men couldn’t stop praising the food.
Lissa couldn’t stop smiling.
There was nothing like cooking for people who appreciated what you served them, especially when their enjoyment wasn’t dependent on whether a bunch of fancy food critics or trendy magazines had first blessed you with glossy reviews.
It was almost like cooking for family. For Jake, Caleb, Travis, Emily and Jaimie. She did that whenever they were all gathered at El Sueño for a holiday or some kind of special occasion.
Or course, at El Sueño she had more to work with than, what, maybe three remaining tablespoons of lard, two cups of flour, a few eggs and, if her luck held, half a cup of sugar.