Two For Love: (sweet clean contemporary western romance) (Buffalo Ridge Ranch Series Book 2) Read online

  Two For Love

  Kim Smart

  This is entirely a work of fiction. All people, places, and events contained herein have been completely fabricated by the author. Any similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2020 by Kim Smart

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  For Kayse and Katie, who are my faithful cheerleaders, to my parents for their ongoing encouragement, Ryann, Lucy, Brody, Abel, Stryder and Aniston for their inspiration and the many friends and family who have inspired me to tell stories from a young age. Without all of you, this story would not be written.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Also by Kim Smart

  1

  Tattered pages fell from the binder as Steve leafed through. Remnants of his late wife’s work littered the greenhouse floor. “Oh Vikki, I’m letting you down.”

  He drew his hand through his messy dark hair and slapped a Buffalo Ridge Greenhouse baseball cap on. Hot pink lettering on camouflage, just the way she designed it. “I don’t really like camo; it reminds me too much of hunting,” the vegan powerhouse said in his memories. “But I asked around at the coffee shop and this is what the people want.” Vikki grinned at him from that distant place, just as she had four years ago when first unveiling the swag.

  A chime brought him back from that special place he shared with Vikki. A new email hit his inbox. He glanced momentarily at the computer screen as the message appeared; another reservation for the dude ranch. That made thirty-three for next month, his grand opening. Thirty-three reservations and at least sixty-five guests scattered throughout the month. That’s it! He logged into the website and closed bookings for June.

  He looked up from the computer out onto the rows and rows of new plants. Seedlings he sprouted to bring new life to someone’s garden. Many someones, he hoped. The greenhouse plant sale was set to begin at 8:00. That gave the town folks time to put a load of laundry in, feed the kids, have coffee with the cronies and make the ten-minute drive to the ranch.

  Buffalo Ridge Greenhouse was the only all-organic greenhouse in the area. The only greenhouse, in fact. Steve looked down to the pages on the floor. Vikki’s tidy print stared up at him. Oh, how he missed her and wished she were here! Everyone loved Vikki. He reached out to touch her photo on the cluttered old desk, hoping to feel life again.

  A nearby big-city newspaper journalist interviewed her. Steve remembered the day of the interview as if it was yesterday. The photographer, a talented young fellow with an eye for beauty, followed her around the greenhouse and the ranch for four hours. He snapped photos to capture the perfect image for the story. His efforts paid off in spades. He had dozens of photos that were magazine cover worthy. Ultimately, he chose this one.

  Vikki embodied the picture of health and beauty. Leaning against an old rail fence with her long hair lifted slightly by the breeze, she smiled at her bountiful garden with the striated hills of the Badlands in the background. She loved it here and Buffalo Ridge responded in kind. Vikki had a way of coaxing the clay soil to bear bounty. She grew things never tried here before.

  Townspeople fondly referred to her as the ‘plant wizard’, and this greenhouse, produce boxes in the late summer and fall, donations to those less fortunate, and the holiday farm-to-table parties were all her idea. In the blink of an eye her dreams vanished and with them, his one and only true love passed away. Cancer sucks! Leukemia crept in through the cracks in the floorboards, the failing window seals, the dryer vent. It invaded her body in her sleep and she was none the wiser. Until the day he insisted she go to the emergency room.

  Her nagging allergy symptoms were getting worse and her breathing was no longer smooth. He sensed that something was wrong but he never believed that she would not return from that hospital visit. The irony of a beautiful, all-organic, fun loving, robust, generous woman being snuffed out by cancer didn’t escape him. Cancer should be reserved for cells bathed in toxins, not for his beautiful lover.

  He patted the picture, blew her a kiss in his mind and bent to pick up the pages on the ground. He caught a whiff of something burning.

  “Oh, no!” He shouted to the open air as he pushed his way through the greenhouse door. It wasn’t unusual for him to talk to himself these days. Sometimes he would look at the dog when he spoke, just to feel less alone and less crazy.

  He lifted the lid of an electric roasting pan sitting atop the makeshift kitchen counter in the yard. Steve intended to invite guests of the greenhouse sale to sample some Buffalo Ridge Dude Ranch recipes, and then vote on their favorites. He was an okay grill chef but not a culinary artist. His mother had been loads of help, giving him recipes of family favorites to try. Even she, though, was not used to cooking for a big crowd all the time.

  If ever the dude ranch got to full capacity, there would be about fifty people a day at the table. Fifty people for three meals, every day! What had he gotten himself into? He took a deep breath, (the way Vikki had taught him to ground him and manage stress), exhaled and opened his mind to solutions. The solution had been rolling around his head for weeks. He needed a dedicated cook – someone who could manage the ordering and stocking, prepping and serving the food.

  Jennifer’s old Chevy truck came tearing up the driveway, throwing gravel and dust in its wake.

  “What’s cookin’ there, chef?” she called over as she climbed out of the truck. Jennifer was his summer help. She would graduate from high school later this month and needed the money to go to cosmetology school. Jennifer was good help, and he appreciated her work in the greenhouse.

  “Ah…well, it was pulled pork, but it looks like I set the roaster too high. I’m going to take this to the house and see what I can salvage. Can you finish getting set up in the greenhouse?”

  “Sure thing. The sale is the talk of the town. Here, I stopped at the Coffee Bar for some go juice this morning.” Jennifer set the cup on the table. It would wait for him to come back from the kitchen, after he cleaned up his mess.

  Before he reached the kitchen door, Jennifer hollered to him and held out the office phone. “It’s someone about the dude ranch. They want to make a reservation.”

  “Take a message and let them know I’ll get back to them on Monday,” Steve yelled back as he wrangled the screen door open while holding the hot roaster. He sighed, knowing this day would be a long one. He was glad he had gotten up with the sun to get organized. In his head he ticked off the things he had yet to do after the sale and sampling. By nightfall, after chores and prepping the equipment for fieldwork tomorrow, he would be exhausted. Exhausted was good. Exhausted helped him sleep…without Vikki.

  With the roaster scrubbed and the salvaged
pork back in its place, he started toward the greenhouse.

  “Steve, honey, how you doing?” Thank goodness, his mother had arrived. The woman was the calm in every storm. Yvette Davies wore a Buffalo Ridge Greenhouse camo shirt, and a hot pink apron with gardening gloves to match. She was one of Vikki’s greatest fans. These days she loved helping Steve keep her memory alive, planting and nurturing the starter vegetables and flowers and assisting with the large organic garden that would later fill the produce boxes.

  “Great, now that you’re here.” Steve leaned in and gave his mom a quick kiss on her smooth, rouged cheek. “Thank you for helping today Mom.”

  Yvette looked out toward town and the gravel road that separated them. Clouds of dust were rising. “It looks like I’m just in time. The early birds are on their way!”

  It was true. In their small town this was an event. The community supported local residents heartily, and today was no exception. Before long, a half-dozen cars had rounded the last corner and lined the driveway. It was 7:40.

  Women bounced from their cars, greeting one another and Yvette. Jennifer waited inside the greenhouse, sporting the greenhouse logo and colors from head to toe. Her cute personality and witty humor created a fun environment for the customers. Having helped with the planting, she knew the inventory well. She had even taken it upon herself to translate Vikki’s handwritten notes into care instructions, now printed with the hot pink logo and camo background. She was a real asset.

  Steve greeted guests and invited them to taste his creations and vote on them. Several of the women offered him their recipes to try. He graciously accepted their offers, but knew that he wouldn’t have the time to attempt many before the first round of dude ranch guests arrived. When all was said and done, the reviews on nearly all the samples he put out were good; with the comments provided, he could make adjustments to these recipes and they would work.

  They cleared the greenhouse in less than three hours. Record time for the spring sale! It will be fun for him, later in the season, to bump into customers in town and hear about their gardens and flowerbeds. It was sweet, really, the number of people who gave him updates, as if they had adopted a puppy or something.

  The sale was over but plenty of work remained. The greenhouse would be replanted with herbs and vegetables to stock the Buffalo Ranch Baskets of produce for sale, or donation, during the fall and winter. The winter farm-to-table celebration ingredients also grew in the greenhouse.

  “Ladies, I can’t thank you enough for all your hard work today. What a great sale!” Steve sincerely appreciated Jennifer and Yvette’s help. Without them, his customer service would have been abysmal in the rush to serve everyone. The two had already started to prep the planting stations for the next phase. “I have leftovers out front if you want some.”

  The trio took a break to eat before returning to work for the afternoon, Steve in the fields and the women in the greenhouse.

  By the time Steve returned, night had fallen and the house was dark and quiet. The dishes were washed and put away, by his mother, no doubt. He sat to re-read the comments from the food tasting, made notes on the recipes in his notebook, and started a shopping list. Time for a run to the city to buy bulk ingredients and storage containers was required. He had yet to figure out any of the other meals. Boxed cereal would not be an acceptable breakfast. He needed to fill the freezers with pre-cooked entrees to get a jump-start on the meals.

  Excited by the launch of his dream project, his shoulders slumped and his head reeled as the weight of the many things he had to carry out over the next few weeks stacked up in his mind. He hadn’t budgeted for more help, but with the response he had already received to the grand opening, he anticipated the need for another staff member. With summer tourist season rapidly approaching, there would be no locals to hire.

  Steve opened his computer and searched for ads like the one he needed to create. What would the duties be and how much would he have to pay someone? He wished he had someone to manage this too. It was all becoming overwhelming. Vikki would know how to handle all these details. He ran three or four searches on dude ranch jobs and came across a couple of free sites that posted jobs for similar operations across the country, alongside postings for ranch hands. He studied a couple of the ads and came up with his own. By the time he was done, it was already early morning and the light was just starting to erase the darkness of the night. He would make any corrections to the post later if needed. For now, he needed sleep. He closed his eyes and hit publish. He hoped this would work.

  IMMEDIATE HELP WANTED: Cook/Baker/Guest Services

  Looking for adventure? Join the Buffalo Ridge Dude Ranch team on the edge of the beautiful Badlands of South Dakota. Buffalo Ridge Dude Ranch is an authentic, premier all-inclusive working Dude Ranch and hunter’s camp located just 80 miles east of Mount Rushmore in Wall, South Dakota. The Dude Ranch is a branch of the Buffalo Ridge Ranch, a fifth generation livestock and grain ranch owned and operated by the Davies family. We are a fun and friendly crew and welcome you with open arms.

  At Buffalo Ridge Dude Ranch, the kitchen is the heart of the ranch. In this unique role you will have primary responsibility for preparing meals for all guests and crew, managing food inventory and ordering, maintaining the kitchen and dining room in a clean, organized and safe manner. We have perfected some Buffalo Ridge country western recipes and we invite you to bring your new ideas and creativity. We may eat on the plains but value the presentation of our foods. We expect the successful applicant to be passionate about their work and enthusiastic in providing excellent service to our guests.

  Enjoy a variety of activities on your days off. During the spring and summer months you can hike and explore the Badlands National Park; explore Buffalo Ridge Ranch on horseback; fish, swim or canoe in local lakes; photograph gorgeous sunsets and sunrises; explore the Black Hills; ride the Black Hills Central Railroad; or visit other famous sites including Wall Drug Store and Mount Rushmore. Fall and Winter activities include local sporting events, skiing, and community events.

  Buffalo Ridge Dude Ranch is rich in beauty and our work family is the best. We are looking for a special team member who fits with our team to give our guests the best experience.

  Bring your experience and creativity to our team. Pay will be influenced by your experience and overall presentation. Room and Board included. Wages are competitive for the area and tips can be very generous.

  Email your current resume to the address provided.

  2

  “Bella, move it! Get those scallops plated. Where’s the lemon and caper sauce? Seriously, get it in gear or your boyfriend boss is gonna hear about this.” Executive chef, Sal, never forgave Bella for her indiscretions with Antonio. Bella never forgave herself, for that matter.

  “Not my boyfriend. Get off my back.” Bella carefully placed the seared jumbo scallops on the plate and slowly drowned them in caper sauce. She loved creating with food. She hated working with Sal and for Antonio.

  Their son, Marco, was four now. He had seen his father only a handful of times. It was painful for Bella to know he wasn’t interested in being a father. He had set his sights on owning the most famous restaurants in Manhattan and was well on his way, but an ex-girlfriend and their son could not tag along. He kept her employed just so she wouldn’t press him for child support and make their affair public. Sal knew. It happened under his nose, but he needed to keep his job so he shut his mug unless he was razzing her.

  She had gotten over the parade of beautiful women Antonio brought in, or so she thought.

  “Bella, check out the princess at table five. Tony’s moving up in the world.” Patrizia, a seasoned waitress, had been at Il Giardino Dei Piaceri since its inception and witnessed all Antonio’s antics. She never admitted it, but Bella suspected she knew about her fling with Antonio. She was Marco’s godmother and would do anything to insulate the sweet child from harm.

  Bella peeked out the swinging door of the kitchen. Bell
a drew a breath and whispered, “Leah Denisova!” Wife of a Russian mob boss and at least fifteen years Antonio’s senior! What was he thinking?

  Bella returned to her sous-chef station and indelicately chopped onions and red peppers. She roughly slid the ingredients across the table and carelessly dropped the knife with a clunk on the stainless counter.

  When Patrizia returned to the kitchen, Bella gave her a message to deliver to Antonio.

  “Tell Tony there’s a health inspector here with an issue over the back walk-in who wants to speak with him. Say it loudly if you have to, to get his attention.”

  Bella peered through the door again as Patrizia bent down and whispered the message in his ear. Antonio leaned into his date, picked her hand from the table, gently kissed it and presumably made a sweet promise to be right back. He had a way with the women, for sure.

  Bella was waiting for him just outside the cooler.

  “You’ve gone too far this time, Tony!” Bella leaned into him, her eyes wide, lips tensed and finger pointing into his designer suit. “You know the mob knows everything. Your mistress’s husband will find out about your little fling and try to get back at you. They’ll know about Marco. How dare you put him at risk!”

  “Oh Bella, honey, you watch too many movies. Leah and Vladlen are friends of mine and financial backers of my business. Leah is a lonely woman. Her husband knows we are here.”

  “Oh, but does he know about the penthouse you will visit for dessert? Tony, you forget how well I know you.”