Millionaire Mavericks: The Oilman’s Baby Bargain. Michelle Celmer

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СКАЧАТЬ walked over to the sink and turned off the tap, looking down at the soggy remains of dinner. “We should probably open a few windows to let the smoke out.”

      “I’ll get the family room,” she said, eager to skulk away in shame. This could go one of two ways. He would be completely exasperated with her and make her feel like a total dope, or he would be understanding and sweet, all the while thinking that she was a lost cause.

      She honestly wasn’t sure which would be more humiliating.

      When every window on the main floor was open, she walked back to the kitchen where Mitch was closing the oven and shutting it off. She couldn’t tell if he was angry, or just resigned to the fact that he’d married a domestic disaster.

      She gestured to the sink, taking a feeble stab at humor. “Was the lamb thirsty, or is this your way of telling me it’s too dry for your taste?”

      “I couldn’t find the lid or fire extinguisher, so this was the only way to douse the flames.”

      Flames? It had actually been on fire?

      Just when she thought she couldn’t be more embarrassed, she discovered a whole new level of humiliation. “I don’t suppose you would believe me if I said the lamb was supposed to catch on fire.”

      He cracked a smile.

      “So, what did I do wrong this time?” she asked, even though she wasn’t sure she wanted to know. She couldn’t imagine he would ever let her near the kitchen again, much less cook something.

      “The oven was on broil instead of bake.”

      Which meant what, exactly? She thought meat was supposed to broil. Her confusion must have been obvious because he added, “Bake warms the entire oven uniformly and allows food to cook slower. Broil is a direct flame right over the pan and cooks things much faster. Obviously.”

      Something she would have known if she’d ever used an oven before.

      “I’m sorry I murdered dinner,” she said.

      He shrugged, again like it wasn’t a big deal. “Unless you’re a pyromaniac, which I seriously doubt, it was an honest mistake.”

      She wanted to believe he felt that way, but he had to be realizing how truly useless she was. What would her next honest mistake be? Accidental poisoning?

      Maybe there was a reason her father had kept her so sheltered. Maybe he could see that left to her own devices, she was a danger to herself and others.

      “I suppose it’s obvious that I’ve never cooked before. Or used a dishwasher.”

      “Seriously?” he asked, trying to look surprised, but he was a terrible liar.

      She shot him a look.

      “Okay,” he admitted. “I sort of had that feeling.”

      “I appreciate that you choked down breakfast despite how awful it was.”

      He shrugged. “It wasn’t that bad.”

      “Yes, it was. We would probably both be safer if you cooked from now on.”

      “What makes you think I can cook?”

      “You can’t be any worse than me. I should stay as far away as possible from the kitchen.”

      “How are you going to learn if you don’t try?”

      “I did try, and I almost burned the house down! I’m useless.”

      He huffed out an exasperated breath. “What is it with you and this low self-esteem? You are not useless. And if you really would like to learn, when we get back to Texas we’ll enroll you in a cooking class.”

      She shook her head. “No, my father would never allow it. He considers it beneath me.”

      “Your father isn’t the one calling the shots. You’re married to me now, and you have a say in your own life.”

      At first, she thought he was just making fun of her, but then she realized he was serious. Unfortunately, it wasn’t that simple. “If he finds out, he’ll be furious, and you still need his senatorial support.”

      “Let me worry about that.”

      He would risk his relationship with her father just so she could have a couple of cooking lessons? She narrowed her eyes, still not sure if she could trust him, wondering if this was some twisted game to him. “You’re serious?”

      “Yes. Very serious.” He folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the counter. “Out of curiosity, what else has your father kept you from doing?”

      She considered his question for a minute, then said, “It would probably be easier to tell you what he did let me do, since it’s a far shorter list.”

      Mitch shook his head. “My father could be a real bastard, but I’m beginning to wonder if I didn’t have it so rough, after all.”

      It was the first time he had ever said anything to her about his family. Of course, she had never really asked. “What did he do to you?”

      “Suffice it to say, the slug to the jaw I took from Lance was nothing in comparison.”

      “Your father hit you?”

      “On a regular basis. But it sounds worse than it was. I got over it.”

      Why did she get the feeling he really hadn’t?

      “So, what are we going to do about dinner?” he asked.

      She looked over at the sink, at the remains of the lamb shank. “Don’t look at me. I’m not going anywhere near the stove until I get those lessons.”

      “In that case, why don’t we get dressed and go into the village?”

      That sounded like the perfect solution to her. “Give me fifteen minutes.”

Chapter Seven

      What the hell was wrong with him?

      Mitch walked with Lexi down the dirt road to Tzia, the local village, wondering what the hell he’d been thinking today when he carried her into his bedroom. So much for treating this marriage like a business deal. But when she’d accused him of finding her repulsive, and he realized she actually meant it, that she wasn’t just manipulating him, the hurt look she wore had done something to his brain. What choice did he have but to show her how wrong she was?

      And what was all that crap about cooking lessons? Where the hell had that come from? He didn’t care if she could cook or not. But again she had looked so helpless and dejected. He couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. Which was probably exactly what she wanted. But there was a small part of him that kept wondering, what if it wasn’t an act?

      She’d reached for his hand as they СКАЧАТЬ