“Nonsense,” Virginia said. “Of course we have room. We always have room for you. And right now, I can offer you pie.”
Jackson entered the house and Lori introduced him to Virginia and Maria. He greeted each of them. “Thank you for letting us come on such short notice.”
“Lori is always welcome here. We loved her from the first summer she spent here at the ranch. She was great with the horses and the kids.”
“Really,” he said, surprised by the woman’s assessment of Lori. It was tough for him to visualize Lori doing such hard physical labor. “I’m hoping we won’t need to stay long.”
“Don’t worry about a thing. Now, as I was saying,” Virginia said. “The pie is ready. Would you like a piece?”
Jackson inhaled the mouth-watering scent. “I never turn down just-baked pie,” Jackson said as the four of them returned to the kitchen.
Virginia urged Lori and Jackson into kitchen chairs around a small breakfast table. “Do you have any campers?” Lori asked. “Are they out on the horses or resting?”
“We’ll have campers in a couple days,” Virginia said as she served the pie. “I’m low on staff this summer, so you can be sure we’ll be busy. Thank goodness some family members and counselors will come with the campers and serve as helpers.”
“I can help,” Lori offered.
Jackson nearly choked on his pie in surprise.
Virginia ’s eyes rounded with excitement. “That would be fantastic. The campers will love you, and we have some new horses that you will love.”
Jackson watched Lori bite her lip. “I’m a little rusty with the horses. Maybe I could help in the kitchen or with the housekeeping duties.” That made sense, he thought. No heavy lifting for the princess.
Virginia paused, then gave a slow nod. “That will work, too. I just thought you would enjoy working with the horses more.”
“Oh, I’m sure your routine is different now. It will be easier for me to jump right in with helping in the kitchen.”
“Okeydoke,” Virginia said. “Two more hands. Maria, the jackpot arrived at our front door, didn’t it?”
Maria gave a neutral smile. “We’re always grateful for volunteers.”
Maria was no fool, Jackson decided. He suspected the striking Latino woman had already rendered judgment on Lori as useless. Which wasn’t completely true. Even though Lori had been a major pain in his ass, he knew she had a good heart.
“If you have any repairs you need done on the house, I can help with those,” he said to Virginia.
The older woman lifted her hand to her throat. “Oh, stars, you have no idea what you’re offering. I hate to take advantage of you, but I’m desperate enough to do just that. There’s a loose board in the front porch.”
“I noticed that,” he said. “I could probably take care of it this afternoon.”
Virginia beamed. “Well, isn’t this too good to be true? Jackson, you can work on the house, and Lori, Maria can get you started on some casseroles and cutting and chopping of vegetables. We like to do as much ahead of time as we can, since things get so hectic when the kids are here.” She smiled at Jackson. “You want another piece of pie?”
That afternoon, Maria gave Lori the recipe for a chicken-and-stuffing casserole. Lori hit a little snafu when she overlooked the instruction to precook the chicken and chop it into pieces. Not understanding the use of soups, she prepared them according to the instructions on the can. When she pulled the huge casserole out of the oven, it was a mess.
Maria stared at her in chagrin. “You could not read the recipe?” she asked. “You did not see that you are supposed to cook the chicken first? And the soup?” She shook her head and went off in a spate of Spanish that Lori couldn’t interpret word for word. She got the gist, however, that Maria was pissed.
“I’m really sorry,” Lori said. “I’ll pay for the ingredients. I’ll-”
Virginia entered the kitchen, and Maria immediately began talking to the woman in excited Spanish. Virginia looked at the casserole and grimaced, then looked at Lori.
“Carrots,” the older woman said. “We need chopped carrots, potatoes, and onions. And after that, you can snap beans. Maria, why don’t you take some of the horses for a ride?”
Lori meticulously chopped carrots until dinnertime, when Virginia appeared again. “Oh, my, you didn’t get to the potatoes yet, did you?”
Lori felt a sinking sensation at the surprise in the woman’s tone. “Was I supposed to chop them first?”
“No,” Virginia said. “I just thought we might use some of the vegetables for dinner tonight.” Virginia paused. “But you know, it’s so hot, I think sandwiches and chips would be a great idea for dinner.” She squeezed Lori’s shoulder. “Sweetheart, are you sure you wouldn’t rather work with the horses tomorrow?”
“Oh, no. I’ll get faster,” Lori said. “I just haven’t done much cooking lately.” Or ever, she silently added.
Maria swept into the kitchen and glanced at the bowl of carrots. “Carrots? She has only sliced the carrots?”
Virginia gave a determined smile. “I’ve decided on sandwiches for dinner. Everything okay with the horses?”
“All good,” Maria said. “Holt and I took them for rides.”
“Holt?” Lori asked.
“He’s a neighbor who helps part-time when he can. Used to ride the rodeo. He’s great with the horses,” Virginia said. “Maria, let’s put some sandwiches together.”
“I’ll help,” Lori offered.
“That’s sweet. Would you mind setting the table?”
The following morning, Lori was put on housekeeping detail. She dusted and mopped the floors of the two cabins, and cleaned bathrooms and windows. She even vacuumed the curtains the same way she’d seen her housekeeper do. Exhausted by the end of the day, she returned to the main house.
She smelled something delicious baking in the kitchen and walked inside. Jackson sat in a kitchen chair, chatting easily with Maria and Virginia. She felt a twinge of jealousy at how quickly the women had accepted him. Maria shot him a teasing smile, and Lori felt the twinge turn to a stab that went deeper. Frowning at the feeling, she brushed it aside.
Virginia looked up at her and smiled. “There’s our little cleaner. Come on in, sweetheart. The cabins all spick-and-span?”
“Both of them sparkle,” she said, proud of herself for doing a good job.
“Both?” Virginia echoed.
“Both?” Maria repeated. “You only did two of them?”
Lori blinked. “There are more? There were only two when I was here before.”
Maria sighed. “Ay caramba…”
“No, hold on just a minute, Maria,” Virginia said. “Lori is right. We built the other two cabins the spring after she worked here.”
Maria tossed her dish towel aside and met Lori’s gaze. “All right. I will finish the other two cabins and eat my dinner later.”
Lori felt her pride roar to the surface. It was as if that dish towel was actually a gauntlet. “Oh, no,” she said. “I’ll do it.”
“It will take you all night,” Maria said, shaking her head as she moved away from the counter. “The cabins have to be ready for the campers tomorrow.”
Lori stepped directly in Maria’s path. “I said I would do it, and I will,” she said firmly, then glanced at Virginia. “ Virginia, would you toss me one of those apples? That should get me through.”
“Of course, dear, but you don’t have to-”
“Excuse me, but yes, I do,” Lori said and surprised herself when she caught the apple. Maria made her feel small and inept. That was bad enough, but the fact that she did it in front of Jackson made Lori understand the concept of catfight. Which was crazy. She shouldn’t and didn’t care that Jackson viewed her as vapid and useless. If she kept telling herself that, she would believe it.
Chapter Ten