Blame It on the Cowboy by Delores Fossen

was a call he had to take.
    Bert Starkley, the owner of the Fork and Spoon Café.
    Logan had called him the night before, but Bert hadn’t answered so Logan had left him a voice mail. Nothing specific and Logan had to make sure he didn’t say anything to Reese’s employer that would make the man suspicious. Or make Bert think Logan was interested in her. The last thing Logan needed was more gossip about him and a woman. Especially a woman who was almost certainly bad news.
    Later, he’d curse himself again for that one-night stand, but now he needed to find out anything he could about her.
    â€œLogan?” Bert said when he answered. “Is everything okay?”
    It was a valid question, considering that Logan had never before called the man. “Everything’s fine.” And he chose his next words carefully. “I was at the café yesterday for lunch—”
    â€œYep, I heard. Sissy Lee,” Bert added as if that explained everything. Which it did. The waitress had no doubt blabbed to everyone that Logan had left the café in a hurry.
    â€œI had to leave for a meeting,” Logan lied. He hated liars, but this little white one was necessary. Even if Bert didn’t totally believe that lie, maybe he’d still repeat it to diffuse some of Sissy Lee’s gossip. And he didn’t have to think hard to imagine what that gossip might entail. It almost certainly hinged on Helene.
    â€œSissy Lee mentioned the meeting, too,” Bert verified. “How can I help you? Is this about the catering job?”
    Logan frowned. “What catering job?”
    â€œSomething Della wanted us to do for her.”
    This was the first Logan was hearing about it, but then he was too busy to get involved with the daily workings of the house. “No. I was calling about your new cook.” Logan left it at that, to see what Bert would volunteer about her.
    But nothing.
    Clearly, Bert was waiting to see what Logan would volunteer.
    â€œRenee?” Logan finally said. “Is that her name?”
    â€œReese.” Again, that was it. Hell, Bert wasn’t cooperating with this at all.
    â€œShe looked familiar,” Logan continued. “I just wondered how you’d found her?”
    â€œShe came into the café, asked about the help-wanted sign that I had in the window. I gave her a trial run to see if she could cook. She can, by the way. I hope you enjoyed that burger she fixed.”
    He hadn’t. Logan hadn’t eaten a bite of it, so rather than lie again, he just made a sound of approval. “Reese dropped it off at my office after I had to leave. I wasn’t there, but she left it with Greg.”
    Considering Logan had told Reese that Greg would be picking it up in the first place, he was even more suspicious that the woman had personally delivered it.
    â€œYou probably heard that Maggie’s got to have some surgery,” Bert added a moment later.
    Maggie, Bert’s wife, and yes, Logan had heard. Female problems , which was the only thing Logan had listened to after hearing those two words. “I hope Maggie will be okay,” Logan said.
    â€œOh, she will be. Female problems,” Bert repeated. “But it means I’ll be out of the kitchen for a while. Reese said she’d have no trouble pulling double shifts for me.”
    Logan was even more leery. Why was she being so accommodating? Of course, the obvious reason might be that with double shifts she would be earning double pay, but Logan wasn’t ready to cut her that kind of slack just yet.
    â€œSo, Reese had references when you hired her?” Logan pressed.
    â€œOh, I get it now. You’re wanting to make sure she’s experienced enough to do the catering job for Della?”
    No, that wasn’t it at all. “Is she qualified? What did her previous employers have to say about her?”
    â€œDidn’t check them out after I tasted a couple of things she