Page 23 of Quinn

Her phone buzzed. A text from Danny:Just hit the runway. Will let you know when I find my bag and the drive—though honestly Sis, some guy in a suit holding a sign with my name just feels weird.

Fingers moving rapidly, she replied.Wait till you see the rest of Texas.

That bad?

That different.

Aunt Eileen appeared in the doorway. “Any word?”

“Just landed.” Eloise wiped flour from her hands on a dish towel. With Aunt Eileen’s blessings, she’d taken over the kitchen to make Danny’s favorite foods for family dinner: seafood bisque, prime rib with her twice baked cheesy potatoes, and green bean casserole. Real casserole, not the stuff from cans. “He should be here in a few hours.”

“We all may die of anticipation before he gets here. Whatever you’re baking is killing me.”

“When did I die and go to heaven?” Wiping his heels on the boot cleaner, Quinn looked up.

Eloise couldn’t help but smile. Whenever anyone appreciated her cooking, it always made her happy. Coming from Quinn it made her very happy. “I was just about to tell your aunt that one oven has Danny’s favorite dessert, old-fashioned apple pie, the other has my own variation of cheddar baked biscuits.”

Another text:Driver says there’s a town called Muleshoe. Who names these places?

She did her best to muffle the burst of laughter that erupted at her brother’s text. After the time she’d spent in Tuckers Bluff and Sadieville, deep down she just knew, moving here was going to be as good for Danny as it had been for her.

Gray padded into the kitchen, his tail swishing against her leg. There were several things she was going to miss when her and Danny’s apartment in Sadieville was ready. Gray was only one of them. “You are the sweetest boy.” Scratching under his chin, the dog’s tail seemed to pick up speed.

“You better be careful, or Gray may never let you leave.” Quinn smiled down at the dog, but there was an unexpected sadness in the cowboy’s eyes that left her wondering what had happened. And just like that, the sadness slipped away as Quinn bent over to scratch the scruff of the dog’s neck. Maybe she’d imagined the momentary sadness.

“Is Danny going to be willing to share you with Gray?” Quinn teased.

“Of course, he loves dogs. Just hard to do in the city.” Danny had always acclimated best to foster homes that had pets; she was hopeful at some point, she and Danny would be able to get a pet of their own once they settled into their own place. For now, Gray and his mate would have to do. Her phone buzzed again.

“Another town update?” Aunt Eileen turned on the oven light, peeking inside.

“No, this time he’s asking if Texas has anything besides dust and cattle.”

That had the entire room laughing.

“Not likely,” Quinn added.

“Do sunsets to die for count?” Aunt Eileen turned off the oven light and surveyed the kitchen. “I will never understand how you can cook such deliciously elaborate meals, and yet the kitchen doesn’t look like a bomb exploded.”

“There’s a good reason for that.” She salted the beef. “The health department frowns on unkempt kitchens.”

“Good thing too.” Quinn’s uncle came through the back door. “I’ve seen some horrors on those live television shows about chefs and restaurants.”

“You’d be amazed at some of the kitchens I’ve had to work in. Needless to say, I rarely stayed long. A clean and well-organized kitchen is key to success.”

“And that’s what Sadieville is going to have when you open.” Quinn winked at her.

“I hope so.” She smiled, turning the roast to reach the other side.

Her phone dinged again with another message.Is everything here so far away?

Again, her brother’s comments made her laugh. Maybe she should have prepared him a little better for what a change this was going to be. They weren’t in the big city anymore. Far from it.

There were a few things Quinn Farraday was sure of. One, he could watch Eloise in her element all day long, any day of the week. The other, he was going to miss having her around. A lot.

Heading upstairs to shower and change from a long day working the ranch with his uncle and cousins, his aunt grabbed his sleeve in the hall. “I didn’t want Eloise to hear me.”

Quinn nodded.

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