An Acquired Taste
An Everheart Brothers of Texas Romance
Kelly Cain
An Acquired Taste
Copyright© 2021 Kelly Cain
EPUB Edition
The Tule Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
First Publication by Tule Publishing 2021
Cover design by ebooklaunch
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
ISBN: 978-1-953647-61-0
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Dedication
To my mother, Mary Lee Cain.
Like the Everheart brothers, I too, learned to cook at my mother’s knee.
And like the Everheart brothers, my mother is no longer with me, but never forgotten.
Also, to the loves of my life, Diamond and Kamryn, because they said I must dedicate all my books to them.
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Acknowledgements
1. Recipe for disaster.
2. This is why I don’t talk about Knox Everheart.
3. It can never just be good.
4. Gauntlet thrown.
5. Someone has a secret.
6. Knives out.
7. A beautiful distraction.
8. When I win…
9. Croque monsieur.
10. Teamwork makes the dream work.
11. Does Knox have a plan?
12. Rowan is a chef.
13. Can’t catch a break.
14. Unexpected caregiver.
15. It really isn’t any of your business anyway.
16. Gains.
17. Rowan is worthy.
18. That’s a wrap.
19. Hot child in the city.
20. And the prize goes to…
21. Lillie said what?
22. Damn right.
The Everheart Brothers of Texas series
About the Author
Acknowledgements
Normally, I thank my Book Besties together because they’ve been such a force in my writing journey. But I’d like to especially recognize Amanda who gave me the idea in the first place, then when I presented her with a messy draft, she helped me with some serious heavy lifting. Jamie did as well and cleaned up all those messy plot points I’d clobbered. They’ve both read my stuff plenty but were the first to say this book was special. Bianca and Cathie were beta readers this time around, but their input was valuable, not to mention the unending support I’ve received from both over the years.
Getting that reader point of view is so important. Thank you so much to my beta readers Elizabeth, Rebecca, and Anna, for your incredibly valuable feedback. The IRP group, Skye, Viv, Kharma, Melissa, and Samantha really helped my first chapter shine. Thank you for that extra polish. I wrote this before I joined the Wordmakers group, but I did a couple revisions with them, and they really helped me to focus.
Without my incredible agent, Amy, I wouldn’t even have thought about a series. Now I’m so in love with the Everheart brothers, I can’t imagine not giving each their own story. She works tirelessly for her authors, and I’m so happy to be included among them.
My amazing editor, Sinclair, believed in this story from the first read, and really championed it. Thank you to everyone at Tule – Jane, Meghan, Cyndi, and Nikki. It’s been an incredible experience working with you on this series. I couldn’t ask for a smoother adventure.
Thank you to my family. I tried my daughters’ patience many days with my tunnel vision, but they are always supportive. My son-in-law provided the idea for the Ortiz family which added a scene I really enjoyed writing. That’s his Tostones recipe too. I’m sorry my parents aren’t here to see how much they influenced this book. Those are my dad’s greens Rowan specialized in and my mom’s sweet potato pie. Quite a few of the recipes were my mom’s. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.
Recipe for an Asshat Boy
2 cups arrogance
1 cup intensity
3 tbsp impulsiveness
1-1/2 tsp aloofness
Dash of petty
Cream together arrogance and intensity. Slowly add impulsiveness. Mix in aloofness and beat until thoroughly combined. Pour into a square pan and sprinkle with petty. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes and remove from oven. Allow an hour to cool.
Yield: one giant asshat named Knox Everheart.
CHAPTER ONE
Recipe for disaster.
We haven’t even opened yet, and the line is around the corner. Smothered in Love Restaurant? Pbssht, more like smothered in too many people and not enough kitchen space. Maybe Mama will let me rebrand with the more appropriate name. I shouldn’t complain—this is a good problem to have. Mostly.
I back away from the front window. When I stride back into the kitchen, the four people cooking today are bustling around, careful not to bump into each other in the assembly-line designed kitchen. Counters run the length of two of the walls, with appliances lining the others. Adjacent to the kitchen is a walk-in freezer and a storage room. To accommodate our increase in customers and service, we need twice the space.
The cooks are busy chopping onions, bell pepper, and celery, stirring pots of gumbo and étouffée, and measuring flour, butter, peaches, and various other ingredients for desserts such as sweet potato pie and peach cobbler. The air is thick with Southern comfort food.
Everyone’s busy except Wyatt, who’s leaning against a low counter, shaking his head and chomping on an apple. If my brother is eating instead of chopping, he’s stressed, but I need him to focus. We open in fifteen minutes.
I take my earbuds out, the sound of “You Can’t Cook Through A Buffalo Herd” still vibrating around my neck. “What’s your deal?”
He walks right up to me, a frown creasing his thick eyebrows, and now I’m breathing his fruity breath. “I don’t think you made enough greens. Did you see how many people are already here? Sundays are the worst. Especially right after church.”
After stepping back a smidge, I stretch to the five-foot nine height
