Fate (Steel Brothers Saga #13) - Helen Hardt Page 0,46

She had dirty-blond hair, wore an apron, and had a big smile on her face. “Hi, honey. I’m not Mrs. Steel. I’m Belinda, the cook and housekeeper. Mr. Brad said you’d be up eventually.”

“Hi. I’m Daphne.”

“Can I make you some breakfast, Daphne? Eggs? Bacon? Toast?”

“Yeah, I guess. Thank you. Eggs, please. And toast. No bacon.”

“Are you a vegetarian?” she asked.

“No. Just trying to cut down.” I didn’t want to explain my new humanely raised rules.

“Coming right up. Mr. Brad’s out with his father this morning. He’ll be in around noon for lunch.” She laughed. “But you probably won’t be hungry by then.”

I smiled. Sort of.

“Coffee? Juice? What would you like?”

“Could I have coffee and juice?”

“You may have anything you want. Strict orders to make you feel right at home and give you whatever your heart desires.”

“Brad said that?”

“Maybe not quite in those words, honey, but yes, he said that. Between you and me, I’ve never seen him so smitten with someone.”

I warmed all over and touched my cheeks. They were no doubt red as a beet.

Soon the kitchen was alive with the savory scent of frying eggs. When Belinda handed me a plate with two fried eggs and two pieces of thick toast, already buttered, I inhaled. This country breakfast sure smelled good. On the table were several mason jars holding different colored jams.

“All homemade,” Belinda said. “Apple jelly and spiced peach preserves, right from the Steel orchard. The blackberry jam is from my own bushes.”

“You made all of these?”

“Guilty,” she said. “Try them all. The peach is my favorite.”

“I’ll begin with that, then.” I spooned some of the bright-orange concoction onto my toast and took a bite.

Wow. Peach explosion! With a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg. “This is delicious,” I said, my mouth still full.

“Thank you, honey. Like I said, it’s my favorite. That wild blackberry is something too, though, and the apple is all Fuji with a touch of crabapple to give it a crisp tartness. You like apples, honey?”

“Love them. Love all fruit, actually.”

“You sure you’re not a vegetarian?”

I smiled after swallowing my second bite of toast with spiced peach. “No. I’m just trying to only eat meat that I know was raised humanely.”

“Then you’ve come to the right place. The Steels have such a large ranch for a reason. All their beef is grass fed and pastured.”

“I’m looking forward to trying it.”

“You won’t have to wait long. I’m fixing burgers for lunch at twelve thirty sharp. Mr. George likes his lunch early.”

“Mr. George?”

“Mr. Brad’s father. Mr. George and Miss Mazie, short for Mackenzie. Mr. Brad was named after his mother, Mackenzie Bradford Steel.”

“His real name is Bradford?”

“It is,” she said. “His middle name is Raymond for Miss Mazie’s dad.”

I nodded. “Do you get up at five to make breakfast?”

“No. I don’t live here, but I do make sure all the breakfast fixings are in place before I leave after dinner, which is at seven. That’s what I mean by an early lunch. It’s a long wait for dinner.”

“What are we having for dinner?”

“Thinking of your next meal already?” She laughed. “Mr. Brad says we’re having rib eye steaks. Steel beef, so you can try the best cut.”

“I’m not sure I’ve ever tasted grass-fed beef,” I said.

“Then you’re in for a treat. It’s a little leaner but still very flavorful. More so, in my opinion. The Steels get a good marbling despite the grass feeding.”

“A good marbling?”

“The way the fat is distributed through the muscle is called marbling, and marbling gives the beef its flavor.”

“Oh. I guess there’s a lot I don’t know about beef ranching.”

“I only know from listening to Mr. George talk. Stick around here, and you’ll learn quickly.”

I nodded, spooned some blackberry jam on my toast, and took a bite. Mmm. Deliciously wild and fruity. Tough call between that and the peach. Next, the apple. Oh my God. Crisp and amazing. The apple, hands down, was my favorite, though the other two were spectacular as well. This was true farm-to-table eating. Or rather, orchard-to-table. I couldn’t wait to try more.

“When you’re done, just leave your dishes in the sink. I’ll clean up before I start lunch later.”

“I’m happy to help in any way.”

“Don’t be silly. You’re a guest here. Make yourself at home. The Steels have a marvelous library down the other hallway.” She pointed.

“What about Mrs. Steel? Is she here? I don’t want to step on any toes or anything.”

“Miss Mazie is gone for the weekend. Went to Grand Junction to visit her