Free The Chef's Mail Order Bride: A Sweet Western Historical Romance (Wild West Frontier Brides Book 1) by Cindy Caldwell Page B

her.
    “Waitress,” said a man with slicked-back hair and a black, matching mustache.
    Suzanne was nowhere to be seen as she took a quick look around. She smiled as she walked over to the customer.
    “Was that our meal that you just served?”
    “I beg your pardon?” she said, looking over to her table.
    “I just wanted to make sure you hadn’t mistaken their order for ours.”
    Suzanne walked up with a tray and set it down. “No, sir, here is your meal.”
    The man’s chin dropped and he and his wife looked from Suzanne to Sadie and back again.
    “Oh,” his wife said as her hand rose to her mouth. “I’m so sorry. We thought you were our waitress, but you’re…”
    “Twins,” Suzanne said, as she set their meals in front of them.
    A hush fell over the room and Suzanne and Sadie looked around at the wide eyes staring at them. “We’re twins,” Sadie said as she and Suzanne broke out into laughter, which was followed by titters around the room.
    Suzanne bent over the table, taking a flower from the vase in the center. She broke off the stem and placed it behind Sadie’s ear.
    “This is Sadie, with the flower, and I’m Suzanne, without the flower. We’ll try to keep the orders straight if you try to keep your waitresses straight,” she said to smiles around the room.
    “Tomorrow, we’d better make sure to wear different colored dresses,” Sadie whispered as they went into the kitchen, bursting into laughter as the door swung shut behind them.
    “What’s so funny?” Tripp asked as he smiled at their laughter.
    “Oh, just what you’d said might happen. They thought we were one person,” she said, collapsing for a moment on the stool by the counter.
    “Sounds like trouble.”
    Suzanne grabbed Sadie’s hand and pulled her toward the dining room. “Different plan for tomorrow, Tripp.”
    He shrugged his shoulders as they headed back out.
    The next night, they’d planned what they were going to wear and made sure their dresses looked very different, and things went more smoothly. For them, anyway.
    Halfway through the evening, Tripp had a chance to come out of the kitchen and walk around the dining room a bit, shaking hands and thanking people for coming.
    When he got to Hank’s table, he broke out in laughter as the gentlemen stood, both wrapping him in big bear hugs.
    She turned as she heard Tripp say, “Sadie, Sadie, come over here.”
    She hurried to the table and tried to hide her surprise as an older gentleman standing next to Hank grabbed her in a hug.
    “Hey, hey, this is my wife, Beau,” he said, laughing and grabbing Sadie’s hand. “Hank, I believe you’ve met my lovely wife, but Beau, please meet Sadie Morgan.”
    “A little late for that, Tripp. I’ve already given her a hug,” the man said, his big smile turned toward her. He was very tall, she noticed, with a full head of black hair, graying at the temples. She looked from him to Hank and thought they looked enough alike to be related.
    “I had the good fortune to meet Mrs. Morgan this morning, Pa. I knew you’d like her,” Hank said as Sadie felt her eyebrows rise in surprise.
    “Sadie, this is the kind man I worked for who sent me to chef school,” Tripp said, introducing Hank and Beau Archer.
    “Aw, it was nothing, Tripp. You earned it. Best trail cook I’ve ever known. Deserved it. It’s what Katie wanted, you know that. And she’d be so proud to see you now.”
    He gestured to the grand dining room. “We’re so pleased to be here.”
    “I would have sent an invitation if I’d known you were off the trail, Hank,” Tripp said, shaking Hank’s hand.
    “You know as well as I do that you never know when that’s gonna happen,” Hank said. “Take it when you can get it. Remember?”
    Tripp chuckled. “Yes. I remember clearly.”
    “I have to say, Tripp, it’s never been the same since you left,” Hank said as he smiled at Tripp. “No one we’ve hired has been able to duplicate your chili. We all