Decker's Daughter - Caroline Lee Page 0,10
our feed, and has even started his own company, a few years back now, selling his blends nationally.”
Her lips curled slightly. “You sound really proud of him.”
He shrugged. “We lived together up until recently, so I always got an earful about his work.” And Cade had always been willing to listen to his advice, which Deck had appreciated. “We shared the house our Dad built years ago, but when Cade got married earlier this summer, I moved out.”
“Really? Where do you live now?”
Reaching for his water, he shrugged again. “The ranch has been in our family for a hundred and sixty-five years, as Pops is always keen on reminding us. There’s a few houses, not counting the bunk house for the bachelor hands. I moved in with Pops for a while, but I don’t mind staying in the bunkhouse either.”
“Sounds…lonely,” she said with a small frown.
“Well, maybe.” He grinned. “Cade and I used to switch off cooking duties, and now that I don’t have to do that, I’m getting to explore a lot more of Cauldron Valley’s restaurant offerings!”
A little chuckle burst from her lips as she shook her head ruefully. “I like that you always look on the bright side of things, Decker. That’s a rare talent.”
Modesty demanded he make light of her compliment, but secretly, he was pleased she liked something about him. And admitted to it.
Just then, the server returned with their appetizers, soups, and salads, and the next several minutes were spent shuffling things around and settling down. As it turned out, Bobbi didn’t handle chopsticks any better than he did, and they both had some fun laughing at their attempts.
Using her fork, she poked at the Takoyaki. “Are these…fried dough?”
He grinned. “Octopus balls.”
Rearing back, she snatched her hand against her chest, as if to save it from octopus contamination. “They have those?”
Blinking innocently, as if he didn’t get the joke, he asked, “Have what?”
“You know…” She frowned suspiciously at the appetizer. “Balls.”
He burst into laughter, then used his knife to cut one of the golf ball-sized treats in half. “They’re balls of fried dough, see? With little pieces of octopus meat inside. These flakes on top are seaweed and fish.”
“Fish flakes,” she repeated dubiously.
He nudged one half toward her with the knife, then reached for the other with his fork. “They’re not for everyone, but you should at least try them.”
“Well, I am always telling CJ she needs to try new things…” She was still eying the balls suspiciously. “But usually I’m talking about collards and brussel sprouts and things like that.”
With one brow raised in challenge, he popped his half of the Takoyaki into his mouth, enjoying the intense burst of flavor which always accompanied the treat.
She hummed, then straightened her shoulders as if going into battle. He managed to hide his smile as she reached for the Takoyaki with her fork.
And then, as she chewed, she hummed again, thoughtfully. He watched her chew and swallow, then reach for her water to wash it down.
“Well?”
“Not bad.” Her smile grew wry. “You were right. The sauce on top—is that mayonnaise?—really pulls it all together.”
“See? Trying new things is fun! Want some edamame?”
“Oh yeah.” She reached for the pods. “These are more my style.”
They joked about preferences—she really did eat a lot of vegetables, didn’t she?—as they snacked their way through the appetizers. Then the meals arrived, and he asked for extra plates so they could divvy things up.
They were both chuckling by the time she slurped down her first udon noodle, and outright laughing when they tried to figure out the secret ingredient in the shrimp sauce.
“Is it shrimp?”
“Eew! Mushed up shrimp? I hope not!” She was still giggling when she snagged a piece of the steak. “I prefer the veggies, but I have to admit, this steak marinade is delicious.”
“I started cooking with teriyaki after I discovered how much I like hibachi style. But I still prefer my steaks a little pinker.”
She paused, meat halfway to her mouth, and narrowed her eyes. “How much pinker?”
Sheepishly, he grinned. “Much pinker. I like mine rare to medium rare, if possible.”
“Hm. We might have to agree to disagree on that then.”
It was a simple comment, but it caused Deck’s heart to beat faster. She was admitting they could have a future together. Agreeing to disagree meant there might be future conversations on the topic. Maybe even steaks—and veggies—eaten together!
As she bent over her almost-empty plate, his gaze flowed over her curves. She was a fine-looking woman, and