Texas Heroes_ Volume 1(7)

“What do you mean?”

Vondell rose and reached out for her apron, tying it around her waist. “That’s not really for me to tell. If Boone wants to, that’s his business.”

Maddie shook her head. “I doubt Boone will want to give me the time of day, and I don’t think I blame him. The best thing I can do is to pass my thirty days and get out of his way.”

Vondell turned to face her. “You don’t think you’ll want this place?”

Maddie had to smile at that. “No offense, but I can’t imagine it. There’s not much demand for a chef in a place like Morning Star.”

The older woman’s eyebrows rose. “You mean you’re one of those fancy cooks like Paula Deen or that Italian girl who uses leeks and such?”

“I cook with all sorts of ingredients. I’m not a snob about food. I just want it fresh and wholesome.”

“Well, that about sums up my cooking. Most of what I cook comes from my garden and the stock raised here.”

“You have a garden?” Maddie’s pulse sped up. Her dream was her own restaurant with a greenhouse where she could control the quality of her food more closely. She actually was a supporter of the slow food movement, using ingredients grown in the surrounding area. “What do you grow?”

“The usual stuff. Onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, beans and such.”

“Do you grow your own herbs?”

Vondell smiled. “Hon, these men around here only care about meat and potatoes. Salt and pepper’s plenty for them. I got to work hard to make them eat a salad.”

Maddie’s vision of fresh arugula, of pots of oregano and rosemary and chives, vanished as quickly as it had come. “I’d love to see your garden. I’ve wished for my own, but space is at a premium in the city, even if you could get good sun with all the buildings.”

Vondell cocked her head, oddly hesitant. “You wouldn’t happen to know how to make those little radish roses, would you?”

Maddie smiled. “I can make carrot garnishes to die for, too.”

Vondell cackled. “I’d like to see Boone’s face if I put a radish rose on his plate. You gotta teach me.”

“I’m not so sure I need to antagonize Boone right now.”

“Aw, hon, once Boone gets some sleep and has a chance to think about it, he’ll be all right. Besides, this place could use a little shaking up.” She grinned like a conspirator, practically rubbing her hands with glee.

Maddie couldn’t help returning her smile. It was going to be a long thirty days, no matter what she did. No sense making it grim, as well. Robert had told her she wasn’t serious enough, that her sense of play was more appropriate to a child.

Well, she was here for a vacation, here to remember who Maddie was. She’d stay out of Boone’s way as much as possible, but she was through making herself into something she wasn’t.

She’d sworn, after Robert, never to get involved with a man who couldn’t accept her as she was. Not that getting involved with Boone Gallagher was even remotely possible or desirable, no matter how handsome he might be.

Maddie had a feeling that surviving Boone’s disapproval was all the practice she would need.



Boone walked into the horse barn, scrap of barbed wire in hand, looking for Sam’s foreman. “Jim?”

No answer, except the whinny from a stall down the way. Boone stuck the length of wire into a trash barrel and headed in the direction of the sound, wondering if it could really be Gulliver, Sam’s horse.

It was.

“Hey, buddy,” he soothed, holding out his hand for the big gelding to sniff. Gulliver’s head lifted, then he passed his muzzle over Boone’s hand, the soft whuffle of his breath warm on Boone’s palm.

While he stroked the old roan, Boone’s mind wandered to all the times he’d seen his father on the back of this horse. Sam had loved this horse with a fierceness that he gave no one else once Jenny died. If Boone could have claimed half that love for himself, they could have built on that. But when Mom died, his father had crawled inside his grief and slammed the door shut. There had been no room for anyone else.

Gallagher men love only once, Sam always said, and Boone had vowed to be different. If the price of such a love was to cast away everything else if you lost it, abandon everyone who needed you most, the price was too high.

Boone had succeeded too well at his vow. He had married a woman who had pursued him like a trophy, a Senator’s daughter who saw a chest full of medals and a sparkling future. The wounded soldier, weary of roaming the globe, had had no home to which he could return. He had seized the opportunity to make a new start and counted himself lucky.