Snickerdoodle Secrets (River's End Ranch Book 25) Read online

  “What?”

  “Oh, nothing,” Chad said as he smiled and turned back toward the boxes. “She’s really sweet, that Erica.”

  “Yeah, she seems like it,” Randy said.

  “And very pretty,” Emma added.

  Randy looked out the window again. Emma had read his mind. Sweet and beautiful, but it really didn’t matter.

  “Look, you guys, don’t get any ideas. Makes absolutely no sense to get involved with anyone, and even if I did, it wouldn’t be right. I have a two-week leave and then I’m heading back overseas.

  Simon’s laugh startled him, and Chad and Emma were smiling, too.

  “Say whatever you want, son. If Jaclyn’s snickerdoodles were involved at the hands of the fairies, you don’t stand a snowball’s chance in the desert.”

  Randy was confused again, but maybe it was just because he was so tired. He took the map that Chad had marked with directions to their cabin and the key he held out, whistled to Rocky and made his way to the golf cart Dani had loaned him.

  “Make yourself at home. We’ll be back around six o’clock.” Chad followed him out and grabbed him in a bear hug. “Thanks for coming, big brother.”

  Randy sighed and squeezed back. How had he gone so long without seeing the little bit of family he had? As he drove over the small lane toward the Main House, he vowed to make the most of every second he had here at River’s End Ranch.

  Chapter 7

  One of the drawbacks to working at the Main House at the ranch was that the offices were very near the kitchen. The food at the restaurant was so good that the aroma of tonight’s special reminded Erica that she hadn’t eaten much for lunch, and that dinnertime was quickly approaching.

  “I think we should knock off for the day,” Dani said as she stretched, her arms overhead.

  “Sounds good to me.” Erica had spent the day cataloging new purchases, matching purchase orders and trying to order new items for several events. Lily was in charge of Dani’s wedding, but she still had found a little time to sneak in the purchases Mrs. Weston had requested without Dani noticing.

  Most people thought her job would be boring, and she was used to the surprised looks of people when she told them what she did. Then, when she told them she had an MBA and was actually a business analyst, that was when their eyes glazed over.

  Looking around the cozy but organized office that she shared with Dani, though, she didn’t care what anyone thought. Dani had been thrown into this part of administrative work at the ranch, and they’d had long talks about Dani’s relative disinterest in favor of her search and rescue responsibilities, but she also regularly got words of gratitude from her boss for allowing her the freedom to do that.

  “Hiring you was the best thing I’ve ever done in this job,” Dani had told her, more than once.

  As Erica rolled her shoulders—sore from hunching over the computer and carrying boxes most of the day—she gave a quick thanks also. Dani hiring her was the best thing that had happened to her, too. Had gotten her out of the city, out of a cramped apartment, out of job hopping. She’d finally found her home here at River’s End Ranch, and she woke every morning with the view of the mountains to cement her decision.

  She straightened up her desk, and reached for the framed picture that was still face down. Picking it up, she reached for a tissue and dusted it slowly before setting it carefully on her desk, smiling at the image.

  “So, what does he have to say about the events of today?” Dani said as she cleaned off her own desk. They both liked to have things neat enough that the other could find something if need be—which happened frequently enough if Dani had to leave without much notice.

  Erica laughed as she recalled telling Dani that her father’s voice was a constant in her head, even still. He was a pretty big presence—well, either a very big presence or absent entirely. After living her entire life with an Army officer, though, she thought she pretty much knew what he’d be telling her to do if he was there.

  “He’s been quiet today.”

  “Did putting him face down help?” Dani asked.

  “I probably shouldn’t have done that. But he started in with the opinions when the Army guy came in, and it seemed like the best way to get him to leave it alone.”

  “You did mention that he always wanted you to go into the service, or marry into it,” Dani said. She piled the last ledger on the stack on her desk as she looked over at Erica.

  “Yes. Good memory,” Erica replied as she did the same with her stack of ledgers, carefully tucking Mrs. Weston’s list into the front of one. “Ready to go over tomorrow’s list?

  Erica moved over to sit beside Dani’s desk for a moment before they left, something they always did to prepare for the next day. Her hopes that Dani would accept her change of subject were dashed immediately.

  “I actually do have a very good memory, but it’s not exactly required to remember that handsome sergeant this morning. Gotta love a man in uniform.”

  Erica glanced back to her desk and the picture of her father in uniform, remembering full well that Randy was, in fact, quite handsome.

  “Was he? I didn’t notice,” Erica said as she turned her attention back to Dani.

  “Huh,” was all Dani said as she studied Erica’s face, her eyes narrowed.

  “Who’s handsome?” Dani’s sister-in-law Ellie said as she came into the office, her smile tight.

  Erica didn’t know Ellie too well, but over the last few weeks she’d noticed that her usually no-nonsense demeanor had taken on a new tone. She’d heard that Ellie was pregnant, had even congratulated her, but either it wasn’t agreeing with her or all the worry had caught up with her.

  Dani must have noticed, too, as she stood and asked, “You all right, Ellie?”

  Ellie’s eyebrows rose as she plopped into the chair on the opposite side of Dani’s desk, a small book in her hand.

  “I’m fine. Just a little busy. Lots to do getting the aquatics program ready for summer, and—well, you know...” Her voice trailed off as she rubbed her tummy.

  Dani frowned. “Make sure you take it easy, if you can.”

  “Of course,” Ellie said with a smile as she placed the book on the desk.

  Dani picked it up slowly and read the title.

  “Baby Shower Planner: From Games to Food to Prizes.”

  Erica stifled a grin as Dani paled while she flipped through the book. “What is all this?”

  “I told you I had a book to help with Belinda’s shower, and I said I’d bring it by. I’ve planned a ton of baby showers in my day, and I’m happy to help.”

  Dani shook her head and plopped the book back down on the desk. “No. Don’t even think about it. It’s small, anyway, and you’ve got enough to do. We’re on it.”

  “But...but you have your wedding to plan, too, and your search and rescue training. I really am happy to help, honest,” Ellie said as she stood.

  “We can handle it,” Dani said as she set down at the book on her desk with a clear look of distaste. Apparently, Dani wasn’t exactly a baby shower person. “I appreciate the offer, though.”

  “Well, let me know if you need any help. I wouldn’t mind spending some time in here. Ever since I got pregnant, Indy won’t leave me alone and she can’t come in here. Every time I sit down, she lays her head in my lap. Every time I stand up, she jumps to attention.” Ellie sighed as she turned toward the door. “It was a nice little break leaving her on the porch.”

  “You love that dog and you know it,” Dani said as she leaned back in her chair and smiled. “She’s just a little over-protective, maybe?”

  “Oh, of course I love her. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful. I just...there’s just lots to do before the baby comes,” Ellis said, rubbing her tummy again.

  “All the more reason to leave the baby shower planning to us,” Dani said, her voice a little less sure.

  Both Dani and Erica smiled and waved as Ellie left, heading for the front door of the Main
House.

  When Ellie was out of earshot, Dani turned to Erica with panic in her eyes.

  “Did you see this? Dirty diaper game? Draw a picture on your head game? Baby animal names game?” She shoved the book toward Erica and folded her arms over her chest. “I didn’t know I’d have to worry about that kind of stuff when I offered to host the shower. Kelsi’s so busy with the twins and Mom always turns everything into a circus.”

  Erica flipped through the book and smiled. Some of these games were familiar—and so old that her mom had even used some of them for showers at whatever base they were stationed at. She always tried to fit in no matter where they were assigned, and baby showers were one way to do that. Erica’s preferred choice of fitting in was—to do more homework. But now that she was on her own, she’d been trying to turn over a new leaf.

  “I’m happy to do it. You’ve got enough to do, what with the wedding and the training. Just leave it to me.” She tucked the book in her jacket pocket. “Besides, it’s not for two weeks.”

  “Well, the wedding isn’t for a month, and Lily’s handling most of that, but it would be great if I could focus on the training. That’s a priority. It’s really important that all the volunteers know how to be as safe as possible, and—”

  Erica held up her palms and cut in. “I know. It is way more important, and I don’t know anything about that. Let me take this. I promise, it’ll be wonderful.”

  Erica’s heart tugged at Dani’s look of relief—it was almost comical, but she didn’t want to laugh.

  Dani eventually acquiesced and they ran through their to-do list for the following day. It was actually a pretty light day for Erica, and she looked forward to working on the shower—and some of Mrs. Weston’s requests.

  They gathered their things and chatted a little more as they stepped out onto the porch. Erica stopped short at the sight of Randy and Ellie chatting, Rocky lying on the porch doing the only thing Erica had seen him do since she met him, even as Indy ran in circles around him. Her tail wagged wildly but was met with a very small thump of the tail by Rocky in response.

  “I hope your dog doesn’t take it personally,” Randy said as they approached. “He’s not himself.”

  Ellie laughed, trying to get Indy’s attention. “I’m sure she doesn’t. Indy’s just really friendly.”

  “Any other time, I’m sure Rocky would be happier to see her. The only thing he seems to wake up for are snickerdoodles.”

  Erica said, “Oh, I have a ton more in my refrigerator. I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of it before. Would you like them?”

  She noticed Dani’s eyebrows lift and thought she caught a smile, but she made a point of not looking at her directly. So what if she wanted to give the dog her snickerdoodles, the ones Jaclyn had insisted on. Didn’t mean a thing.

  Chapter 8

  Rocky rested his head on his paws in the back of the cart Erica drove toward Chad and Emma’s cabin. Randy had shaken off the groggy remnants of his nap earlier and realized he needed to take Dani’s cart back to the Main House before she needed it, and when he’d run into this pretty girl one more time—four times in one day, now—he’d gratefully accepted her offer to give them both a ride back to Chad’s.

  “Did you get some shut-eye?” she asked, and as the wind caught her hair and the sunlight reflected red streaks—again—he was surprised at his reaction. He didn’t even know her, yet she was intriguing, and certainly very sweet. And she made mean snickerdoodles.

  “I think Rocky’s pretty much been asleep for two weeks, but yeah, I was able to catch up a little. There’s also the jet-lag and time difference, but I’m just going to pretend it’s the same time and I’ll acclimate faster.”

  “That’s what my dad always said, every time we moved to a new time zone. I think it really does work,” she said as she turned to him and smiled, her green eyes catching the sun, too.

  He looked up at the hawk circling what looked like an Old West town, with people—some even in old-time costume—milling around things like the saloon and a book store, and something that looked like a sheriff’s office.

  “You moved a lot? Overseas?” he asked as the hawk turned toward the stand of pine trees beyond the town and disappeared from sight.

  She gripped the wheel of the cart more tightly, he noticed, before she spoke.

  “Yes, we did. A lot.”

  “Okay, that sounds pretty mysterious,” he said. He reached in the back of the cart and stroked Rocky’s fur while he watched her, hoping he wasn’t prying. But she’d seemed pretty open before now, so it was worth a try. He exhaled when she laughed.

  “Not mysterious at all. I was an Army brat, as they say, and my father’s assignment determined where we lived. Japan, Germany, even a stint in the Philippines.”

  “The Philippines? That sounds kind of fun,” he said as he inhaled deeply of the pine scent surrounding him. The sun was behind the mountains now, but its rays still spilled over and danced across the lake. It really was beautiful here.

  “I suppose it was, a little bit,” she said as she kept her eyes on the path.

  “Just a little?”

  She crinkled her nose, and he noticed the freckles that danced when she did.

  “It wasn’t bad until middle school, actually. Moving that much takes a bit out of you—well, socially, anyway. I didn’t have any brothers or sisters, and getting to know new people every few years and leaving the friends you had been able to make was a little—well, lonely, I guess.”

  Randy fell silent for a moment as he thought about that. He’d always intended to be career Army, and had gotten to know several colleagues who traveled with their families, but he hadn’t really thought about what that might be like for the kids. He loved his job—everything about it—and hadn’t really considered having a family. It wasn’t until Chad got married and the thought of him having nieces or nephews that it had even crossed his mind.

  “I suppose that would be.”

  “It was,” she replied quietly. “After I went to college, I vowed I’d never do that again, but I actually did for quite a few years. Two years here, two there—I guess maybe it kind of gets in your blood.”

  “How long have you been here, at River’s End Ranch?”

  She slowed the cart for a moment as a deer and two fawns came out of a stand of trees a bit ahead of them. They both watched for a moment as the trio crossed the path and disappeared into some brush surrounded by wildflowers—he hadn’t seen anything like those colors in years and years—and she turned to him, her eyes sparkling.

  “Almost a year. And I’ve found it. I’m home, and I don’t plan to leave.”

  He turned away as she started the cart again and drove around a small bend to a row of cabins that were further away than the guest cabins. It wasn’t far from Chad and Emma’s, if he had his bearings right, and he assumed this must be the employee housing.

  She pulled up to one at the end of the row and stopped. “You want those snickerdoodles? I can just run in and grab them.”

  “This is your place?” he asked, and he noticed that her cheeks turned a little pink.

  “Yes. It’s pretty spartan at the moment inside, but I have planted some flowers out here.” She pointed to a couple of window boxes on the porch with more flowers in them. Spring at River’s End Ranch was a riot of color—much different than the muted sand of where he was currently stationed. Sand everywhere.

  “That’d be great,” he said with a smile, and she jumped out of the cart.

  She returned a few minutes later with a big container of snickerdoodles—there must have been a couple dozen in there.

  “Wow, you must love to bake,” he said.

  She laughed and set the container on his lap. “Not exactly. Maybe I’ll tell you the story someday.”

  “Aw, that’s not fair.”

  She just smiled that enigmatic smile of hers—maybe she wasn’t as forthcoming as he’d thought she was, but being an Army kid might have taught h
er to hold her cards a little closer to the vest, so he decided not to pry.

  Chad and Emma pulled up to their cabin just as Erica and Randy did, and Emma smiled and waved after she exchanged a quick glance with Chad, who shrugged his shoulders.

  “Oh, it’s nice to see you two,” Chad said.

  “And together,” Emma said as she smiled and hopped out of the golf cart.

  This was a weird place, Randy thought, but as they all chatted a bit, he walked Rocky down to the end of the row of cabins, happy that Rocky took the opportunity for a potty break. When he returned to the cabin, the others were inside and Erica was filling up a big bowl of water for Rocky.

  He reached into his bag for the dog food he’d brought, wondering if today would be the day that Rocky would eat it. He hadn’t had any snickerdoodles and hadn’t wanted anything before now, so maybe he’d change his mind.

  “He must be starving,” Erica said as Randy set the bowl of food down in the kitchen.

  “You’d think, wouldn’t you? I know I am,” he said, and Erica’s eyes flew wide open as her stomach growled as if on cue.

  “Oops,” she said. “Guess I am, too. Better get home and rustle up something for supper.”

  “We weren’t expecting company, so our cupboards are bare,” Chad said as he landed a playful punch on his brother’s shoulder. “What do you say we all go to the restaurant and get something there?”

  “Oh, the special tonight is barbecued ribs, with cowboy beans and cole slaw,” Erica said as her eyes lit up.

  Randy hadn’t had barbecued ribs in—he didn’t know how long, and he smiled at her enthusiasm. He felt the same way, and he loved a girl who liked to eat. And bake.

  He shook his head at the crazy thought—he wasn’t here to be interested in any girl, and he had to leave soon, anyway. But it wouldn’t hurt to enjoy the company of someone so kind and pretty, and he hoped she’d say yes.

  “I really should get going, though,” she said. “You all haven’t seen each other in a long time. Emma and Randy just met! You don’t need a third wheel—or fourth wheel, I should say.”