Chapter 4
The first light of day, streaming through the windows that surrounded her, woke Annette early the next morning. Why hadn’t she shut the curtains last night? She rolled over with a groan and pulled the blankets over her head. Not even the splendour of the Rockies, bathed in golden sunshine, could induce her to get out of bed.
Before they had retired for the night, Jeff insisted they use two of his most trusted horses to go for a ride today. She believed this concession was an effort to play the part of a magnanimous host. But she wasn’t buying it.
It wasn’t like she even wanted to ride. She’d felt irritation, despite the glares she had sent her sister, when Gabrielle happily told everyone that Annette had never ridden before and would like to try. Now she was trapped, and facing a lesson from the master of the house himself.
Fabulous.
Sure, she liked horses well enough. She’d petted them through a fence on several occasions. It was the getting-on-their-back part that was worrying her and their teeth.
She flipped the comforter off her face and looked at the clock on the bedside table. Six o’clock was too early to get up. “Ugh! That’s jetlag for you,” she grumbled. Her toes curled into the soft rug beside the bed, and she stretched before padding across the hardwood floor to the bathroom.
In the spacious room, Annette found a fluffy white robe hanging behind the door and a deep, Roman-style tub stocked with delicately scented soaps and shampoos. It looked like a great place to pass some time until everyone was up for the day. She ran it full and added several generous capfuls of a thick, pink bubble bath to the hot water. Sighing with pleasure, she sank into the frothy depths. The room took on the aromatic scent of roses. She lay her head back on a small pink pillow affixed to the tub for just such a purpose, and allowed her body to relax.
Some time later, she was startled to hear an incessant banging on her door and shook herself awake. She’d fallen asleep. Shivering from the cold water, she called, “Come in.” She heard the door open and knew it had to be Gabrielle. Who else would enter her room? She lunged to her feet, reaching for a towel from the stack arranged in a tower cabinet next to the tub. Quickly, she fashioned it into a turban on her head, grabbed another, and began to rub. She’d been hoping for a private word with her sister before the riding lesson. So, this was perfect.
She paused, hearing footsteps approach.
“I’ll be right there, Gabby,” she called, resuming her attempts to bring warmth back to her chilled flesh. But a light tap came at the closed bathroom door and a man cleared his throat.
“Ahh!” she screeched. “Arrêt!N”entrez pas!”
“I don’t know what that means,” came Jeff’s derisive reply. “But I assume you think I’m going to barge through the door in some schoolboy attempt to see you naked. I can assure you nothing could interest me less. I only wanted to tell you everyone is downstairs eating breakfast and I have the horses waiting in the barn. Your sister asked me to tell you to wear something appropriate. Apparently she doesn’t think you would listen to her, so she sent me.”
He didn’t wait for a response. His footsteps receded and the bedroom door closed. Annette breathed a sigh of relief mixed with chagrin. What made him such an unpleasant man? Why was he invading her privacy? She wrapped the warm robe around herself and belted it tightly, upset with herself for also wondering why he’d made such a production of his lack of interest in her possible nudity.
Clearing the condensation down the center of a full-length bathroom mirror, she peered at her reflection. Squinting hazel eyes stared back at her. Stepping closer, she examined herself critically. Yes, she wished she was taller, and more slender, as being only 5’2” made her rather petite and dumpy. She wasn’t overweight, not exactly, but always fought with the same ten pounds.
She turned her head to one side, eyeing her hourglass figure, yet knowing she was nothing special to look at. Makeup at least helped to make an upturned, freckled nose, even teeth, and a heart-shaped, plain face, presentable. She turned away and bent over to remove the towel from her head, then looked back at the woman in the steamy mirror with a little smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
Oh, but her hair was special. It tumbled in long, glossy waves to her waist. They were wet waves and rather straggly, but when her hair dried it would be glorious. She scrunched a handful to accentuate the curl and opened the door, exiting the room in a cloud of steam.
And she had style, she thought with a lifting of her chin. What’s more, she knew she was a talented artist. She had prospects waiting for her back home. A prestigious gallery had expressed interest in her art and had spoken of holding an exhibition of her work.
Who cared what this cowboy thought of her anyway? She liked who she was. Maybe she would never command the male attention her sister always had. So what? She had other things going for her.
However, time wasn’t one of them. Pulling herself together, she hurried to her suitcase. What could she wear that would be considered ‘appropriate?’ After some contemplation she decided on loose-fitting, high-waisted jeans in a darker denim than she’d worn yesterday, a soft mossy-green turtleneck in a light cotton blend, her belt, brown boots that she’d somehow crammed into her case, and the yellow, lined, wind-breaker jacket Gabrielle had insisted she bring.
Tossing the outfit onto the bed, she carefully combed out her hair and flipped it over her shoulders to dry naturally. It cascaded over her shoulders in ringlets that looked more auburn than brown these days. She dressed and took a few moments to apply a shimmer of eyeshadow, some mascara, and a swipe of fresh peach lip gloss. Done.
Even though the day before had been difficult, she had a song in her heart today. She would make her best attempt to ride a horse, even if Jeff was part of the teaching. Also, she’d do what she could along with Gabby to help Sophie recover from the latest setback to her ranch. After all, she cared about Andrew and his family, which now included her beloved sister and…maybe down the road, a niece or nephew. One never knew.
Folding the jacket over her arm, she gave her curls another fluff-up and tied them back with an elastic. If she didn’t, she knew her hair would get in the way. She took one last look in the mirror before hurrying downstairs to the kitchen. Something smelled delicious. It had gotten late when Sandra was persuaded to head home last night, but clearly she was back again to prepare some other delicacies.
The group was already gathered around the table when she rounded the corner, and a chorus of greetings met her ears.
“Sit down, dear, and help yourself,” Sandra instructed as she bustled to the table with a heaping plate of round cakes. Just like yesterday the housekeeper had her hair scraped into a ponytail, and she wore a similar track suit. Although this time it was in a shade of lime green.
“Good morning,” Annette called, sitting beside Gabrielle. She avoided Jeff’s gaze. Unfortunately, he was seated across from her looking every centimetre the typical cowboy in a black button-up that was a little frayed around the collar. Like Gabrielle had tried to warn her, Annette guessed it didn’t make sense to wear good clothes when working on a ranch.
A glass of orange juice sat in front of her, and she grasped it, taking a sip while she contemplated what to eat first. The steaming plate of cakes resembled crepes, but they were thick and fluffy. The others appeared to be piling them on their plates and pouring something from a jug overtop.
“Maple syrup,” Gabrielle whispered in her ear. “Try some, it’s delicious.”
Annette stabbed two cakes with her fork, then added a few slices of crispy bacon and a heaping spoonful of scrambled eggs before settling back and eyeing the jug of brown syrup. Finally, she grabbed it by the handle and tipped it over her plate, drenching the entire contents in the sweet goo.
“Oh!” she wailed, as her bacon floated to the other side of the enormous plate in a sea of stickiness. “Je suis désolée.”
“Well,” Jeff remarked with raised eyebrows and a smirk as his eyes fastened on her swimming food, “if that means, ‘I like having a little breakfast with my syrup’ then I get it. No interpretation necessary.”
Annette glowered at him, but at the same time, a giggle rose to her lips. The man was teasing her. Did he actually have a sense of humour?
Everyone else laughed, even Sophie, whose spirits appeared to have revived since the day before.
“I was, in fact, apologizing,” Annette admitted loftily, stifling the giggle with a cough. “I certainly did not mean to pour so much.”
“Pas de problème,” Sophie said, wiping her mouth on a napkin. “It’s refreshing to hear a little French. Thank you.” She looked around the table. “In France, we grow up with crêpes, never pancakes, as they are called here. It’s a different concept, but very good.” She nodded at Annette, “Try it.”
Annette sliced into the cake and took a dripping mouthful. It was tasty and she quickly took another bite.
“Today,” Sophie said, directing her remarks to Rosa and Jeff, “I’ll return to the ranch. There’s work to be done that I cannot ignore, regardless of these attacks. The RCMP are coming at eleven for my statement and to look around. I must determine the best way to restore the well. I’ll hire someone with a vacuum truck to suck the contaminated water out as much as possible. That way nothing else will be polluted.” Her eyes were an even more startling shade of light blue today, thanks to the plaid shirt in shades of sapphire that she wore. However, dark circles around them gave away her worry and sleepless nights.
“I’ll drive you two over,” Jeff said. “Then you can bring your vehicle back here tonight.”
She raised a hand of protest, but he overrode her argument. “I simply won’t allow you to stay there without water, and alone in the house at night. I’ve paid the security company to keep someone on duty at the Triple T. When it’s safe to return to the ranch, I won’t try to stop you.” His brow furrowed with concern. “I’m only following through on what I know Malcom would want.”
Sophie ran both hands through her silver hair. “I know you are, and I thank you. Okay, I guess we’ll both come back here for the night.” She glanced at her watch. “We’d better go. If you don’t mind?” she asked, looking at Rosa who hadn’t said a word. “The two new employees I hired are coming at nine.”
In response, Jeff pushed back his chair and got to his feet. Then he placed a big hand in the middle of the table and leaned over it to stare into Annette’s startled eyes. “Save some for me,” he whispered loudly, jerking a thumb at the syrup jug. “And maybe have a glass of milk to wash it down. We don’t want you all hyperactive as you ride Black Beauty into the sunset.”
He chuckled as he straightened and ushered Sophie and Rosa out the swinging doors. Annette’s face burned with colour. She looked at Gabrielle in exasperation.
“What an awful man!” she fumed, so only her sister could hear.
“I think he likes you,” Gabby whispered with a wink.