Chapter Three
Annie was as lovely as June had promised, hugging Abby like a long-lost friend.
“I’m so happy you’ve decided to stay with us. Craig, my husband, is on a Zoom call with a client in Portland at the moment, but you’ll see him later. Let me show you your room. Up the stairs.” She looked at Abby’s one bag. “Do you have anything else in your car?”
Abby shook her head. “No, this is it. I do need to borrow a hairbrush from you until I can get to the shops. I think I’ve left mine in the hotel room.” Exactly whose room, she wasn’t saying.
“There is one in your room, please keep it. You’re not the first guest who has misplaced a brush. At Annie’s, we try to anticipate every scenario. Not that we always succeed.” Laughing, she moved up the stairs.
“Thanks, Annie. But please let me pay you for it.”
“Don’t worry about it.” At the top of the stairs, she glanced at Abby’s small bag again.
“I seriously don’t know how you fit everything into such a small bag.
You should see me when we travel. I always overpack.
June mentioned you specialize in decluttering and organizing people’s homes.
You have to show me how you manage to travel with just one small bag. ”
Abby followed her. “I love talking about making life easier by decluttering. Any time.”
“Great. I’ll invite my sister, Vivian, and my sister-in-law, Riley. Oh, and our aunt and godmother, Janice, never misses anything either. She’s a teacher at the local high school but I have to warn you, she’s also a notorious matchmaker.”
Abby chuckled. “I won’t be here long enough to be matched with anyone. Besides, my calendar is fully booked for the rest of the year. I need to get back to Seattle as soon as I’ve helped June.”
Annie’s eyes twinkled as she opened a door. “That’s what everyone says. Your friend June was adamant she was only staying for a while …”
“Well, I have no intention of falling for anyone, least of all for the first cowboy I see.” Of course, in that moment, last night’s cowboy without his shirt flashed through her mind. Turing away quickly so as not to betray her thoughts, she looked at the room. “Oh, Annie, this is a beautiful room.”
Quickly she walked to the window, where she had a gorgeous view of a magnificent blue and purple mountain rising high above the town. “That is Copper Mountain I presume?”
Annie joined her. “Yes, it is. Lovely, isn’t it?”
Inhaling deeply, Abby stared up at the highest peak. “Breathtaking.”
“Everything you need to make coffee or tea is over there,” Annie said as she pointed toward a small kitchenette, “but I’m always in the kitchen, ready for a chat and coffee or tea if you feel like it. Is there anything else you need?” Annie turned and moved toward the door.
Abby followed her. “No, thanks. June will be here soon. I’m spending the afternoon with her on the ranch, but I should be back around six.”
“We’re all going to Grey’s Saloon tonight. I’m sure when you see June, she’ll tell you about it. You’re more than welcome to come with us and meet up with them there.”
“Please don’t worry about me. June and I will probably have lunch. Besides, I think I’ll have an early night.”
Annie cocked her head. “You look kind of flushed, are you feeling okay?”
Of course, all Annie’s kind remark did was to make her blush all over again. Trying her best to ignore it, Abby smiled. “I’m totally fine, thanks.”
“Okay, I’ll send June up when she comes.”
As Annie closed the door, Abby headed for the bathroom. Maybe she’d be calmer after a shower.
Shower. Vivid images of what exactly had happened the last time she was in a shower, flashed before her eyes.
The cowboy had been insatiable, finding new ways to torture her throughout the night.
And for one night, she’d turned into someone she’d hardly recognized—a sensuous being with needs she hadn’t even known she’d had.
Seriously. Stop it. Right now. This was ridiculous. She was never going to see him again. He’d probably already forgotten all about her.
Quickly she stripped, stepped into the shower, and opened the cold tap. It didn’t really help. As she dried herself with the soft, white towel, it was all too easy to remember what a thorough job the cowboy had done last night as he’d proceeded to lap up every, single drop of water on her body.
Out of breath, she groaned. Surely this craziness would be over soon?
*
As usual, everyone except June, his brother’s wife, and Luke, his oldest cousin’s nine-year-old son, was around the table when Carson joined them for lunch on Saturday. This time on a Saturday, Luke was usually playing outside with all the other kids on the ranch.
“Welcome back,” his cousin Willow said as he sat down. “So how did it go?”
Carson sighed. “I’m sure you know already. I told Dylan and June last night everything went well. The exhibition will be held at the end of October. I still can’t believe it. Thanks again for contacting Noah.”
“Of course, you’re so talented. And yes, we know already it went well at the gallery,” Willow said, smiling. “I’m talking about your glow? Doesn’t he have a glow, Coop?”
Keeping his eyes on his plate, Carson ignored them.
He’d come to understand why the good folks of Marietta referred to the Westons as weird.
Willow, Cooper, his youngest cousin, and Luke all had the uncanny ability to know things about other people.
Cooper’s gift or whatever you wanted to call it, to talk to animals was also legendary in these parts of the state.
Whether it was a difficult horse, an ornery bull, or a stray dog or cat, Cooper usually had the answer.
The fact that they could all read other people had never really bothered him before because all he usually had on his mind was ranching or his photography. Today, however, his mind was filled with images of last night—something he’d prefer not to share with anyone else around the table.
Cooper just chuckled.
Dylan touched Carson’s arm. “Look at me, bro,” he teased, “I want to see you glow.”
Irritated, Carson glared at his brother. “I’m not glowing. Where’s June?”
“Abby, her friend from Seattle, has arrived. Abby is going to declutter and organize our house. I’m not sure what exactly that means, but June is so excited to see her friend I don’t mind what she does. The study we’ve added to the house for June, is finished. She’ll probably start there.”
“Decluttering and organizing is a whole movement,” Ellie, married to Becket, said. “Marie Kondo started the idea. According to her, we all have way too much stuff, and we should only keep what sparks joy, as she calls it. I hope Abby will have time to give me a few pointers.”
Becket grabbed her and kissed her. “As long as you don’t get rid of me, we’ll be fine.”
Ellie grinned. “You, dear husband, give me endless joy.”
“Carson,” Willow said and he quickly looked up.
“Yes?”
She smiled. “You’ve met someone.”
Exasperated, he threw up his hands. “Okay yes, I have, but I don’t know her name or where she’s from. I’ll probably never see her again.”
Ellie, as well as Hayden’s wife, Laura, and Rose, Cooper’s wife, all inhaled sharply and turned their gazes on him.
“Where did you meet her?” Laura demanded.
“What does she look like?” Rose wanted to know.
“Why didn’t you ask for her number?” Ellie added.
Carson had had enough and quickly got up. “I have to go.”
With long strides he headed toward the door.
“Remember we’re all going to Grey’s Saloon tonight,” Willow called out. “Who knows, your mysterious woman may just be there.”
“Leave the poor guy be,” Hunter, Willow’s husband was saying as Carson fled.
Hopefully by tonight something else would occupy Willow’s mind.
“Hey coz,” Cooper called out behind him.
Sighing, Carson turned around. “I don’t want to talk about it, okay?”
Cooper ignored his rudeness. “I have something to show you. Follow me, will you?” Next minute, Cooper was striding to his truck, not even waiting for Carson to agree.
Fed up, Carson got into his vehicle and followed his cousin. He liked all his cousins, but Cooper’s easy manner usually made him particularly likable. Today, however, Carson was out of sorts and irritable and couldn’t think what was so urgent that he had to follow Cooper right at that minute.
Cooper was already opening the front door of the house where he and Rose lived when Carson parked behind him.
Happy barking reached his ears as he climbed out.
So Cooper’s dogs had been left at home today.
Why? Usually everyone brought their pets to the family meals.
Cooper’s three-legged German Shephard and a terrier mutt were always nearby.
The black cat only sometimes graced everyone with her presence.
As he got out of his truck, Cooper appeared, holding a puppy in his arms. “I was thinking you and George may like each other. Prince and Charlie have stayed home with him over the last few days so that he wouldn’t be lonely.
He’s a standard schnauzer, I’d say, and probably around eight weeks old.
They don’t shed, he’d be perfect for you. ”
As Carson looked into the puppy’s brown eyes, his throat clogged up. Ever since he could remember, both he and Dylan had wanted a dog, but their mother had refused to listen to their pleas. Somewhere along the way, they’d stopped asking.
When Cooper had given Dylan a boxer puppy earlier this year, he’d enjoyed playing with it in the short time he’d lived with his brother while his house was being built.
Maybe someday he’d get one, he’d thought.
Turned out today was that day. Worried, he looked at Cooper.
“I’m not sure I would know how to care for one. ”
“You’ll be fine,” Cooper said as he put the puppy in his arms. The little dog looked at Carson and barked.
Carson smiled. The sound had clearly surprised the puppy.
Cooper laughed. “That’s his first bark. Someone had left him at the side of the road.”
Instinctively, Carson hugged the puppy closer. “That’s horrible. Poor baby,” he crooned, stroking the puppy.
“Come on in,” Cooper said as he walked back into his house. “I have a bed, food, and a couple of bowls for food and water you can take with you.”
Carson was struggling to find the right words to thank Cooper. Fortunately, he knew his cousin would know what he was feeling even if he couldn’t find the words to express it.
When he and George left a little later, George settled happily in the seat beside him, next to his camera.
“Well, George, now it’s just you and me,” he said, stroking the puppy’s head. With a sigh, George’s eyes closed.
“You’ll have to come with me today. But don’t worry, you can have a nice snooze while we work.”
It was fall and time for weaning the calves. The calves had already been run through a chute, one at a time, and given pre-weaning shots which helped them handle the stress of being separated from their mothers.
They were in the process of separating the pairs of mothers and calves and running them into different holding pens. On The Weston Ranch, they did this on foot, wading into the herd with cow show sticks, which they used to direct the cows.
As he drove past Dylan’s house, he noticed the small truck his brother had bought his new wife in front of the house. June would’ve fetched her friend who was visiting, and they were probably back. Decluttering and organizing.
He shuddered. It wasn’t any secret that he wasn’t very tidy, but his house was his domain, the place where he could be as messy as he wanted to be. His mother had forever been tidying up, always in planning and organizing mode. Definitely not attributes he looked for in a woman.
Images of the woman he’d been with the previous night flooded back.
She’d folded his clothes. Did that say something about her?
Sighing, he rubbed his face. He would probably never know what kind of person she actually was.
He couldn’t care a damn that she’d tidied the room.
The details of last night he’d never forget, though.
Restlessly, he moved on his seat. “Maybe we should join the others at Grey’s Saloon tonight, George. Dylan took his Daisy along while she was still a puppy. I don’t think anyone would mind if you tagged along. What I can’t do is stare at the walls and think of the blonde.”
George wasn’t really interested in the blonde, though. He was fast asleep.
Slowly picking up his camera, trying not to disturb George, he captured the peaceful moment of a puppy sleeping.