THE NEXT DAY Rian found CoCo in the kitchen, trying her hand at an apple pie, and he grinned at how perplexed she seemed rolling out the pie dough. She looked up, exasperated. “This is impossible. The dough keeps breaking off and crumbling. I can’t get it to roll into a nice sheet like the YouTube video!”
He couldn’t help himself and kissed her because she was damn adorable and completely out of her depth but she was giving it a whirl, anyway. That spoke to character and spunk—two things he appreciated in a woman. Well, that and the fact that she was incredibly hot in her booty shorts and pink-and-white tank. What red-blooded American male wouldn’t appreciate the sight of CoCo in the kitchen? “Just ask Adeline, she’d be happy to help you out.”
“No way. I wanted to do this on my own. I didn’t think this would be so hard, honestly.”
“A good pie crust is part of a baker’s secret weapon. Laci was the only one Cora shared her secret ingredient with. That’s how guarded her recipe was.”
CoCo’s expression crumpled into despair. “What was I thinking? This was stupid.” She rolled up the dough and started to toss it into the garbage but he rescued it in time with a “Hey, hey! Let’s not be too hasty!” and she glared, a smudge of flour on her nose. “This is dumb. I’m not cut out for domestic stuff. I don’t even know why I thought I would be.”
“It just takes practice. Lucky for you, I picked up a few skills while abroad,” he said, winking. “Okay, so the problem here is you need more moisture. A little bit of cold water, just a bit, will fix that right up.” To demonstrate, he added a teaspoon of cold water to the dough and then began to lightly work it in, careful not to overwork it. Suddenly, the dough was much more pliable and actually started to cooperate.
“I love pie,” he admitted sheepishly when CoCo just stared at him with a slightly befuddled expression. “What? A badass like myself isn’t allowed to express himself with pie? Baking relaxes me.”
“Any other hidden talents I might like to know about?” she asked with a teasing smile that made him want to kiss it right off her lips.
“That’s on a need-to-know basis,” he said with a mock stern expression. “The United States government is counting on me to keep certain skills under wraps.”
She rolled her eyes. “Okay, Benny Crocker. You can keep your secrets. Just help me with this pie.”
He jumped in, showing her the best way to roll out the dough and lay it into the pie dish, and then helped her finish up the filling. He was just setting the timer when he heard Dundee attempt to bay, but the sound that came out was more like the honks out of a strangled tuba than a barking dog.
CoCo cringed along with Rian. “That’s not natural,” he said and CoCo agreed. “Must mean someone pulled up in the driveway. Hold on, I’ll check it out.”
Rian pushed open the screen door and saw Kane emerge from the truck. “What are you doing back from Montana already?” he asked, perplexed and concerned that they’d cut short their trip on his account. “Everything okay?”
“Actually, we got there and after the first night, the plumbing exploded during a hard freeze and then the cabin was inhabitable. There weren’t any other cabins available to rent and since we didn’t want to spend our time holed up in a hotel, we just decided to come home.”
Internally, Rian sighed with relief because he hated the idea that they’d come home because of his case, but he was a little apprehensive about Kane knowing there was something going on between him and CoCo. “That sucks,” he said, commiserating. “Well, did you get your deposit back at least?”
“Of course,” Kane said, grabbing their luggage from the back and swinging it clear of the bed to drop it to the ground as Laci got out of the truck and stretched with a groan. “But they were so nice about the situation that they offered a free stay once the situation has been fixed. We didn’t have the heart to say no even though we were a little leery about staying in a place where pipes explode in the middle of the night.”
“Well, it is Montana. God’s country and all that.”
Kane laughed and Laci rounded the truck to tuck Rian into a hug. “Hey there, brother-in-law, how are you? I heard you’re working quite a case.”
He lowered his voice so CoCo didn’t chance to overhear. “Well, not exactly a case, as the FBI is doing the heavy lifting. I’m just looking out for a client while they finish up the investigation. We had a scary incident and I thought it best to hide out here for a few days. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Of course not. What a dumb question. Where is she?” Laci asked, peering around Rian. “Is she in the house? I want to meet her. I’ve never met an Italian heiress before.”
“And she’s never met a country music star. The two of you should get along famously,” Rian said, grinning as he gestured toward the house. “Yeah, she’s in there finishing up a pie. And don’t go teasing her about her kitchen skills. She wanted to try her hand at baking a pie this morning and I jumped in to help when it was all about to end up in the trash.”
“Let me guess...dough wouldn’t cooperate?”
“Yeah, not enough water.”
“Classic mistake. It’s happened to the best of us.”
Kane rolled his eyes. “Are you two hens finished?”
Laci shot him a saucy look and said as she sashayed up the steps, “This hen will remember that comment when you’re bellyaching for my famous peach pie.”
Instantly contrite, Kane followed with their luggage. “Aw, baby, you know I was kidding. Don’t go making threats like that.” She stopped and presented her cheek, which Kane happily kissed, and she giggled. “Does this mean I’m forgiven?”
“I’ll think about it.”
Kane followed Laci into the house and Rian shook his head wondering when Laci had lopped off his brother’s nuts and tucked them into her fancy purse, because that wasn’t the brother who used to be the alpha dog. He chuckled and followed, eager to see CoCo’s reaction to a real-life country music star walking into the kitchen.
* * *
COCO WAS JUST finishing up wiping down the counters when Laci McCall, a bona fide country music star, A-lister and overall mega-talented stunner, walked into the kitchen with an inquiring smile along with her husband, Kane. “You must be CoCo Abelli,” she said, extending a hand as if they were just two normal people.
Kane waved with a quick introduction and then disappeared into the bedroom with the luggage, leaving Laci and CoCo alone.
“Oh, my God... I’m sorry... I’m just a bit...” CoCo took quick stock of her attire and blushed to her roots. She looked like a country bumpkin harlot in her booty shorts and tight tank. “I don’t usually dress like this,” she said with a slight stretch of the truth, dusting off the flour that seemed everywhere. “I didn’t expect anyone to be around. Warren said he was going to some town a few miles over and...”
Laci laughed and waved away CoCo’s embarrassment. “Honey, stand down. We don’t put much attention on what you’re wearing around the ranch. You look fine to me. And frankly, if I had that ass, I’d be wearing booty shorts like that, too. Although, I doubt any work would get done because Kane would be carrying me into the bedroom every five minutes.”
The easy way Laci shared personal stuff eased CoCo’s nerves enough to relax. “It’s an honor to meet you. I love your music. Can I fangirl gush for a minute?” she asked, a little apologetic. “I mean, I’m sure that gets old, right?”
“Never gets old,” Laci said, winking. “That’s what I signed up for, you know? Please, fangirl all you want.”
“Okay, just this once, I promise. Your single ‘Kentucky Rain’ always makes me cry, but in a good way. It’s one of those songs that just reaches into my soul and does something that I can’t explain. I love that whole CD.”
“‘Kentucky Rain,’ I love that song, too,” Laci said, smiling. “I wrote that song in a day and I’ve found that songs that come together like that, just like pieces of a puzzle clicking together, are the ones that come from a special place. I’m glad that you were touched by my music. Makes me happy inside.”
CoCo smiled, already loving Laci even though they’d just met. “You’re nicer than I imagined you would be,” she blurted just in time for Rian to hear.
“Yeah, well, if you want to see her temper, you ought to be her Pictionary partner. She’s brutal.”
“What can I say? I play to win,” she said with a playful grin. “And don’t let Rian fool you. He’s as competitive as me, which is why we’re not allowed to be partners anymore.” Then she whispered conspiratorially, “We always decimate the competition.”
Kane returned, sniffing the air. “Pie?”
“Oh! Um, yeah. Apple. I was bored and thought I’d give it a try. It wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. That’ll teach me to use a YouTube video as my example.”
“All it takes is practice, honey. I burned my first pie,” Laci admitted.
Rian cracked a laugh at the memory. “Oh, yeah, that thing was toast but Kane acted like it was the best thing he’d ever eaten.”
“That’s love right there,” CoCo said, laughing. “Did you know right then that he was the one?”
Laci shared a sparkling look of love with Kane and said, “I always knew that. Didn’t need a pie to tell me that. But it sure helped my ego some.”
A person would have to be blind to miss the obvious electrical current flowing between Kane and Laci. It was almost mesmerizing to see two people so connected, and the fact that their story was so romantic... CoCo couldn’t help but feel misty and gooey inside. She wanted that kind of love someday.
She risked a glance at Rian and quickly dragged her focus back to the über-lovey-dovey couple and came crashing back to earth. There was no denying that she and Rian had some kind of intense physical attraction, but what would happen when they returned to Los Angeles? Their lives weren’t conducive to including one another and that made her wish things were different.
Laci yawned and said, “Oh, man, I think the drive just caught up with me. Do you mind if we catch some shut-eye for a little bit and then we can talk more at dinner?”
“No, of course not,” she murmured, feeling a little awkward suddenly. “I’ll just get out of your hair.”
“You’re no trouble,” Laci assured her, waving as she disappeared into the bedroom and closed the door.
Kane rubbed at his eyes. “I know I should check on the cattle but I need a few winks myself. See you in a few?” he said to Rian.
“Sure. I’ll get the cattle taken care of. You rest.”
And then Kane followed his wife. Rian turned to CoCo, smiling. “So? What’d you think of Laci?”
“She’s amazing,” she whispered, gesturing wildly for him to come outside with her. Once they were out of possible earshot she sagged into the rocking chair. “I can’t believe I just met Laci McCall looking like a country hooker. I’m so embarrassed.”
“Country hooker? I think you look great.”
While Rian’s openly appreciative glance warmed her insides, she still wished she’d been wearing her sundress instead. “You don’t think she thinks less of me because of it, do you?” she fretted.
“Laci? Naw, she’s the least judgmental person I know. Don’t worry about it.” He settled in the chair beside her. “Why are you so worked up? Frankly, I’m a little surprised. Don’t you hang out with famous people all the time?”
“Not A-listers. I mean, the people I hang out with...they’re the party crowd. It’s not as if I’m rubbing elbows with Meryl Streep. Besides, she’s a different caliber altogether.”
“Laci is a great person. Just treat her like you would a friend and you’ll be fine, because she’s the sweetest, most openhearted woman on this planet. Unless you’re playing opposite of her on game night. Then she’s going to rip you a new one and gloat about it.” He fake grimaced. “The woman is a terrible winner and an even worse loser. But other than that...she’s golden.”
CoCo laughed, feeling much better. “Must be pretty cool to call Laci McCall your sister-in-law.”
“It doesn’t suck,” he agreed with a grin.
CoCo shared a chuckle with Rian and then heard the kitchen timer go off. She popped up from the chair and rushed to get the pie out of the oven. She was even more excited now that dessert would be the pie she made from scratch. She’d never been so excited about pie.
Rian went to feed the cattle and CoCo enjoyed a lingering stare at Rian’s retreating backside. She’d never tire of that view...
Oh, girl, you’re just digging yourself in deeper with each passing day.
She ignored the tiny voice and focused instead on the tantalizing scent of baked apples filling the kitchen. Rian was right; baking was relaxing when you finally got it right!