At The Rancher's Bidding. Charlotte Maclay

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СКАЧАТЬ to apply for one at the Bridle post office, and we can wait till your number arrives to send in the paperwork.”

      “That would be the same place I can get a green card?”

      Wincing, Brianna shook her head and picked up the form Allie had just completed by forging Leila’s signature. “Why don’t I talk with Cord? I’m sure he has something in mind.”

      Allie hoped so. “Tell me, Brianna, what kind of food does Cord like to eat?” Something simple, she prayed. Although given Allie’s culinary expertise, a bunch of grapes would be the only meal within her capabilities.

      “He’s not real fussy. Like most bachelors, I suppose. Anything you’d like to fix I’m sure would be fine with him. He does like his coffee black and strong, though, particularly in the morning.”

      Given the proper ingredients, that was one thing Allie felt she could handle. “And this pantry you speak of?”

      Brianna’s gaze slid to a door next to the entrance to Allie’s bedroom. “That’s it. What you don’t find there will probably be in the fridge or in one of these cupboards. There’s also a freezer in the barn with a side of beef in it, but you probably won’t need that.”

      Not likely. “You have been most helpful. Thank you.”

      “Don’t plan anything fancy. We usually eat here in the kitchen when it’s just the two of us.”

      “Eating with the servants. How democratic.”

      Brianna gave her an odd look, nodded, then left the kitchen, shaking her head.

      Allie exhaled the breath she’d been holding. Dinner was likely to be an interesting experience for all concerned.

      In the pantry, Allie found shelves of canned goods—fruits, vegetables, soups and something called chili con carne—plus tins of flour and sugar. Surely somewhere within this bounty Allie could find something to warm for supper, if she could figure out how to operate the stove. To her relief, she also found a bin of fresh peaches and apricots, a few oranges and some apples.

      A hurried visit to the double-door refrigerator produced several varieties of cheese. Crackers appeared as if by magic in one of the over-the-counter cupboards. The makings of a true feast.

      Feeling more confident by the minute, she scurried around, locating silverware and plates, which she set on the table. No evening meal was complete without candles, which she found in a drawer. The simple white color and their stubby shape did not please her, but it was the best she could find.

      Her search for wine failed to produce any, but perhaps Cord preferred coffee with his evening meal, as well as in the morning. The brand of coffee she found was unfamiliar to her, but remembering the local brew had seemed weak at the Desert Rose, she doubled the grounds. Fortunately, the women’s quarters at the palace had adopted the use of an electric coffeemaker, so she was familiar with that appliance.

      Finally, drawing a deep breath, she was ready to announce dinner.

      CORD HAD SHOWERED and his hair was still wet as he walked into the kitchen. He glanced at the table with its three place settings and the emergency candles sticking up from a grouping of coffee cups as though from a newfangled candelabra. Bowls of fruit and plates of cheese and crackers provided an interesting centerpiece. Sniffing the air, all he could detect was the rich aroma of coffee, and he wondered what the main course could be.

      With a flourish, Leila gestured toward his place at the head of the table. She looked flushed, the hair at her temple dark with perspiration. “I hope you enjoy your meal.”

      “I’m looking forward to it.” He pulled out his chair and sat down. “Besides the fruit and appetizers, what’s the main course?”

      Brianna, looking fresh and well scrubbed, took her place at the opposite end of the table. She was wearing one of her inscrutable smiles, suggesting she knew something he didn’t.

      “My master,” Leila said solemnly, seating herself between them. “Your sister assured me whatever I might prepare would please you. And in such hot weather, I know my appetite wanes. I’m sure yours does as well.”

      He surveyed the table one more time. “This is it?”

      “A meal fit for a sheikh, I assure you.”

      Cord sputtered, not wanting to criticize too harshly. But he was a meat-and-potatoes man in all of the related variations. Fruit and cheese just didn’t cut it.

      “You haven’t even peeled the oranges,” he muttered as his stomach growled. “How do you expect—”

      “As you wish, master.” With a flick of her wrist, Allie picked up an orange and used her table knife to slice through the skin. She sectioned it, then separated the halves.

      Juice squirted in a fountain as she divided the sections one by one. The air filled with the scent of citrus, conjuring images of a desert kingdom where thirst was quenched with fruit. She licked her thumb and forefinger, savoring the taste with deliberation, her tongue circling each finger in turn. All the while her dark, exotic eyes focused on Cord.

      She pulled the next segment apart and Cord began to sweat.

      There was something incredibly sexy about the juice running down her fingers, circling her wrist, and the way she tongued it off. Leisurely. As though she was anxious to enjoy every last drop.

      Any man with a modicum of good sense would know he shouldn’t be so fascinated. Know the press against the fly of his jeans was pure, unadulterated lust. Know he had to get the hell out of here.

      He shoved back his chair from the table. “Seems to me there was some leftover roast beef in the refrigerator. I think I’ll make myself a sandwich, if nobody minds.”

      Brianna ducked her head and turned away, but not, Cord suspected, because she was feeling shy. Her tittering laughter made him glad he hadn’t had a sister while he’d been fighting the changes in his body and lack of control during adolescence. Which seemed to be the syndrome he was experiencing now, despite being nearly thirty-five years old.

      “Brianna tells me I must have a social security number,” Leila says, “and that I should apply at the postal authority in Bridle.”

      He glanced over his shoulder to see her placing the sectioned fruit on his plate. “Yeah?”

      “You will take me there tomorrow, and I will also purchase new clothes. What I have brought with me is totally inadequate for my new housekeeper responsibilities.”

      Cord had trouble disagreeing with that. If he’d had his way, she’d be wearing her voluminous cloak. He could only hope in Bridle she’d buy an equally concealing outfit. A burlap sack sounded about right to him.

      Even so, it grated that she was ordering him around. Just who did she think she was? A princess?

      Chapter Three

      After dinner—such as it was—Cord went into the ranch office with Brianna to check on the quarterly reports she’d finished. He sat down behind the big oak desk that used to be his father’s and tipped back in the swivel chair, making the springs creak. He picked up the forms.

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