Page 128 of Her Boss, Her Rancher: Sunrise On The Ranch

Jared gobbled the first one up. “Oh, wow. It’s pretty damn good.”

“You really think so?”

“Don’t you?” he asked.

She took another bite and chewed, aware of his eyes on her. “I, um, yeah. I think it needs a bit more salt, but it’s pretty good. What do you think of the crust?”

“Delicious,” he said, grabbing another slice. “You should add it to that cookbook you’re going to write.”

“I’m writing a cookbook?”

“Youshouldwrite one.”

She smiled. “Thank you.”

“You made the pizza. I should be thanking you.”

“I mean, because...well, it’s nice to have someone to experiment on.” Someone to encourage her.

“Hey, I’m adventurous, remember. Experiment away.”

“As long as you’re honest with me, I plan to.”

“Yeah, Bella. I promise to always be honest with you. Honesty is something I value above all else.”

Bella kept a smile in place but Jared’s words seared into her.

And once again guilt replaced her sense of accomplishment over the meal. This time she was demanding something of Jared that she wasn’t willing to give herself.

She couldn’t be honest with him.

Keeping her secret safe had to be her first priority.

Sienna’s future was at stake.

Five

On Friday evening, while Bella put the finishing touches on the meal she was creating for Cooper and his wife, Marie pushed Sienna around the kitchen on her tricycle. “Here we go again, Sienna,” Marie said. “You’re a good driver.”

“I good, Mommy,” her daughter parroted.

“Yes, you are, my baby.”

“She’s getting the hang of this thing.” Marie had a note of pride in her voice.

“Goodness, thank you so much, Marie. I just need a few more minutes and I’ll be through. Thanks for playing with Sienna for me.”

“Nonsense. Anytime,” she said, waving her hand in the air. “This little one is the bright spot in my day. I can stay a few more minutes.”

Sienna climbed down from her trike and whipped her helmet off, marching over to the big bag of blocks sitting on the floor by the table. “Play bocks?”

Bella rolled her eyes. Sienna had a short attention span. Not that it was unusual for a child her age, but she didn’t want to tax Marie overly much. She’d already spent the day doing light housework.

“I sure will, but how about we play them up here on the table?”

Marie hoisted the blocks up and then lifted Sienna onto her lap. The older woman seemed comfortable around children and Bella appreciated her kind nature.

“Thanks,” she said again, but Marie was too engrossed in playing with the baby to comment.