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menu-planning sessions were still on, then so was the possibility that they’d become lovers.
    But she didn’t want Sarah to suspect any of that. “How do you feel about Matthew helping me with my job?” she said as casually as possible.
    “Whatever he wants works for me.” Sarah sat down and spread her napkin in her lap. “It was a coup getting him here in the first place. He’s in demand all over the world, and we’re fortunate he took us up on our offer.”
    Aurelia had figured out that Matthew was a rock star among horse people. If she thought for even one second that Matthew was the sort of man who took advantage of his position to get women, her infatuation with him would end.
    But he wasn’t like that. When the heat between them had threatened to consume them both, he’d left, because it was too soon, too fast. Obviously from his actions, he’d proved that he had standards and scruples. That made him even more irresistible to her.
    Sarah buttered her toast. “The more relevant question is, what do you think of the idea? For the time you’re at the Last Chance, this is your kitchen, and you may not want some six-foot-five cowboy invading your space and making suggestions.”
    Oh, but she did. And the suggestions could range far beyond the subject of food preparation. She wasn’t an idiot, though. Whatever they shared would be brief, an interlude in both of their lives that would never be more than a memory to savor. But she wanted that memory.
    Until she’d accepted Mary Lou’s offer, she’d never left Nebraska. Her family didn’t travel, and Mary Lou was the only relative who lived more than a hundred miles away from Aurelia’s home town. Her aunt’s honeymoon cruise, which included a trip through the Panama Canal, was unimaginable and frightening to the rest of the family.
    Aurelia had inherited that same reluctance to travel, so the trip to Jackson Hole might be the biggest adventure she’d have in her entire life. Matthew Tredway might be as close to a rock star as she’d ever get. If he wanted to invade her kitchen—or her bedroom—then she would fling open the door and let him in.
    None of that, however, would be part of her answer to Sarah. “If getting involved with the menus interests him, then it’s fine with me,” she said. “With his background, I trust him to give good advice.”
    “Great. That’s settled, then. As he mentioned to me, he won’t be training Houdini at night, so that would be a good time to come up to the house and consult with you about the food for the next day.”
    “That’s fine.” More than fine. They’d have the kitchen to themselves.
    Sarah gazed at Aurelia over the rim of her coffee cup. “I want to make sure you don’t have a problem with Matthew doing this. I promised Mary Lou I’d watch out for you, so if this makes you uncomfortable, tell me and I’ll shut him down. I want to make him happy, but not at the expense of my staff’s morale.”
    And that, Aurelia thought, was why Aunt Mary Lou idolized Sarah Chance. She was loyal to those she’d committed to, and even a big-deal horse trainer celebrity didn’t take precedence over the welfare of her staff, including someone like Aurelia, who would be here such a short time.
    Sarah couldn’t know that Aurelia lusted after Matthew Tredway. If Aurelia had her way, Sarah would never know, but that was probably unrealistic. Even though Aurelia had been on the ranch a relatively short time, she’d figured out that Sarah was tuned in to almost every aspect of ranch life. Hardly anything got past her.
    Right now, Sarah was waiting for an answer to her question. Would Aurelia object to having Matthew, aka muscular hero, show up every evening to discuss the next day’s menu? Hardly. But she didn’t want to appear too eager, either.
    “Let’s try it for a night or two and see how it goes,” Aurelia said. “If it’s not working out, I’ll let you know.”
    “Perfect.” Sarah tackled her