Chapter 14
Annette snuggled beneath the puffy white comforter on her bed, relishing in its softness and warmth. She covered her eyes with an arm against the blinding light that streamed into her room, momentarily disoriented. It was never this bright in her Parisian apartment. What was happening?
She sat bolt upright, remembering where she was, the plans for today, and moreover, the proposed scheme for tonight. Flipping the covers back, she leaped from the bed and moved quickly to the windows.
Morning sunlight streamed through a gap where she’d neglected to pull the drapes fully shut. As was always the way, that shaft of light had fallen right across her pillow. But it was actually a good thing, she realized as she pulled the heavy fabric aside and saw how high the sun had climbed into the clear blue sky. It was late—again.
Gone were the heavy clouds of yesterday’s thunderstorm. She moved to the door of her balcony and flung it wide, inhaling the crisp morning air. It was so clean and fresh, compared to the city. Stepping outside, she walked to the railing and rested her arms on it, uncaring of how her diaphanous pink nightgown swirled around her legs in the gentle breeze. No one was around to see her here.
Her only companions were the majestic Rockies, their peaks glistening with snow under the bright sun. The rolling hills were a vibrant green, the tall grass freshly washed after the rain. Straight ahead was the massive red barn, sheds, and corrals—empty now. Though she was sure they would be full of animals when the cold winter winds blew. Off to her right were the horses, grazing and swishing their tails. Even dear Pearl, her coat looking the purest white. It was a breathtaking scene that would remain etched in Annette’s memory forever.
A banging sound emanated from one of the sheds and Annette scampered back inside. She didn’t wish to be caught in her gown. Closing the door, she readied herself for what lay ahead. Sandra had kindly laundered all of her clothes the day before, which meant she had a supply of jeans again. She scrabbled through her bag for a different top to wear. Surely there was one fashionable shirt that wasn’t all about functionality. Considering she was a girl that prided herself on her wardrobe, she’d set her fashion sense aside when packing. Still, it hadn’t been all that bad to forget about her appearance these last four days, she reflected.
Choosing a rather rumpled, moss-green, long sleeve, crop top from the jumble of clothes, she threw it on the bed and pulled on some jeans. Once dressed, she dragged a wide-toothed comb through her curls and left them flowing free. She could always tie up her hair for the ride later. Right now, it was important to get downstairs. Makeup didn’t matter, after all she had no one to impress.
Bursting into the kitchen, she looked around with surprise at finding herself alone.
“Jeff told Sandra to take the day off,” Gabrielle called from behind the swinging doors leading into the living room. “He said she’s been working too late and needs to spend some time relaxing with her husband. Anyway, I found a cupboard full of cold cereal. I ate a sugary, yet tasty bowl of something called Captain Crunch. Help yourself.”
She walked in and took a seat opposite to Annette at the table and leaned her chin on her hands, looking quite beautiful in a cherry red, peasant style blouse tucked into her slim jeans. Annette admired her sister’s simple, yet elegant outfit as she shoveled a spoonful of the crunchy cereal into her mouth.
“Are you still determined to follow through with your plan to spy on the neighbours?” Gabrielle asked.
“Yes. You weren’t accosted by that horrible man yesterday. All he wants is to get his greedy hands on Sophie’s farm. I’m sure he’s guilty of the attacks. I’ll practise riding on Pearl today and tonight…we become French spies.”
Gabrielle grinned and shrugged expressively. “Then I must tell you that Jeff is busy all morning and can’t give you another lesson until later in the afternoon, if then. So, your idea of galloping across the midnight range may not go as well as you had hoped. And Sophie has asked us to come to the Triple T for a visit this morning. She’d like to show you around and have us watch Rosa train the horses for barrel racing. Jeff left us a vehicle to use.”
“Wonderful. I’d love nothing better than to stand around watching Rosa perform her magic. Must we applaud and throw flowers as well?”
Gabrielle arched her eyebrows. “You and Rosa seem to have a growing dislike for one another. Why?”
Annette countered with a question of her own. “Do you think she and Jeff are romantically involved?”
“I haven’t considered it. I suppose they could be. It’s obvious she really likes Jeff, but I can’t tell if he feels the same about her.”
“Well, she warned me away from him.”
“Oh,” Gabrielle drew out the sound with added meaning. “That’s strange, I agree. What happened?”
“We were sitting in Pearl’s stall talking and she came in.” Purposely, Annette left out the night where she’d seen them in what looked like an embrace and the confrontation afterward. It was just too messy and unpleasant to bring up, and Gabby would want all the details. It upset her to think of it.
“That hardly seems grounds for issuing a warning. Anyway, you don’t care, because you don’t like him, right?” Gabrielle watched her sister’s reaction closely.
“Right,” Annette stated without conviction. Before more questions were asked, she rose and carried her bowl to the sink.
After doing the few dishes, the two women went outside to find that Jeff had left the keys in his old truck for them. They climbed in, rolled down the windows, hit the gravel road, and revelled in the pine-scented breeze that rushed through the cab.
“I have two things to thank you for,” Annette said suddenly. “Bringing me here and making me repack.”
Gabrielle laughed. “You’re welcome. Sometimes your older sister knows best.”
“But not in matters of espionage,” Annette said with a chuckle.
Gabrielle just shook her head and grunted. Minutes later they pulled up to the house at the Triple T Ranch. Sophie, in deep discussion with Marcus and another man they assumed was Tristan, waved them over.
By the time they parked and reached her, the men had moved on to a huge steel shed near the barn.
“I keep everything locked now,” Sophie explained, nodding at the men as they paused to open a padlock that secured big double doors. Then, as they slid open, Annette saw a tractor and other machinery. “I’m doing everything possible to try preventing whatever might happen next. But enough of my worries,” Sophie said with forced brightness. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
To the left of the house, Sophie had a similar hip-roof barn to Jeff’s red one. It wasn’t as big as his and the paint was chipped and faded, but wide doors were open to an interesting looking loft. Across from it and down a path sat another huge structure almost twice its length. It was where Sophie was taking them.
“Rosa’s working outside today,” she explained as they followed her in through a side door, “but when it’s winter, very windy, or raining, she brings the horses in here for training.” It was gloomy and dark until Sophie flipped a large metal switch, and the building was flooded with light.
It was an arena of gigantic proportions. The floor was covered in sand with a pole fence and a couple of wooden gates blocking off either end of the building. Furthest away from them were three barrels. Two were placed opposite to one another on either side of the arena close to the open gate, and one barrel was in the center and closer to where they stood. The barrels formed a triangle shape.
Gabrielle turned to her sister, eyes gleaming with pride. “This is where Andrew and Jayke used to practise team roping and steer wrestling,” she said. “They won prizes all over Alberta in rodeos when they were young.”
Annette tried to look suitably impressed. She had zero idea what those activities were, although they sounded impressive. She did know that Andrew had caught a criminal on the streets of Paris using some of the tactics he’d learned while roping and wrestling cattle. Yet, while that was cool, she didn’t understand what he had done. She promised herself she’d ask for a proper explanation once she and her sister were alone.
“Yes,” Sophie agreed, “I am very proud of my boys.” Her eyes took on a faraway look. “Not just for that, you understand,” she hastened to add. “I will always be proud of my sons for who they are. I miss them.” Turning swiftly, Sophie flipped off the lights and led the way back out into the sunshine.
“This way,” she said. Next, they entered the barn. It smelled of cows and Annette wrinkled her nose before she could stop herself. Following Sophie, they trooped along a narrow alleyway, passing several box stalls on their way toward a large pen in the back of the gloomy building. Only a row of small windows down each side allowed a small amount of light to filter through. It took a few minutes for her eyes to adjust to the shadowy interior, then she leaned her arms on the wooden rails like Sophie had done, and looked through to what was inside.
Three bedraggled cows stood in a bed of straw, their heads hanging low. Even Annette could see that they were very sick. “Dr. Roberts says we might lose them yet,” Sophie said quietly. “We’re doing all we can for them, but the next couple of days will determine whether they make it or not.”
“I’m so sorry,” Gabrielle laid a hand on Sophie’s shoulder. “I wish there was something we could do to help.”
Sophie continued as though she hadn’t heard, “It’s strange that the rancher, Weaver, from up north still wants to buy them.” She turned to Gabrielle and lifted her hands in mute appeal. “Why?’ she asked finally. “I don’t understand it.”
They turned from the dismal sight and walked back toward the doors. “He called to repeat his offer to take the ranch off my hands this morning. That’s two men in the space of a month that have offered to buy me out.” She stopped with her hand on the doorjamb and her head bent. She peered up at the sisters with a bleak look in her eyes. “I think Weaver is interested in the location. When he was here, you know, to look at the animals I had for sale, he seemed to fall in love with the place. He offered me far more than it was worth then, and still more now.” She shook her head in bewilderment. The lines on her face appeared to grow deeper by the day. No matter how she tried to hide it, Sophie and the Triple T Ranch were in trouble.
She shrugged. “I might have to accept it,” she said, staring at the ground as though she’d forgotten she wasn’t alone. “If anything more happens…” Her voice trailed away.
Gabrielle put an arm around Sophie’s shoulders. “We aren’t going to think that way, not now at least. Whoever is at the bottom of this will be brought to justice, I just know it. And then everything will go back to normal.”
Annette noticed that Gabby didn’t mention Sophie’s two sons. The letter would not have reached Jayke yet, and presumably Andrew still didn’t know. She studied the firm set to her sister’s jaw and wondered if she would simply take matters into her own hands. Both men should be informed.
Sophie took a deep breath and straightened. “Anyway, I didn’t ask you here to whine about my troubles,” she said, passing a hand across her eyes. “I wanted you to see Rosa in action.” She glanced at her watch and hurried around the corner of the barn and down a narrow lane between corrals. “I believe she’ll be working with Trixie right now.”
They passed a series of pens built with metal poles and sheds for housing animals, and skirted a few puddles of scummy black water, remnants of yesterday’s storm. Annette began to hear the thumping sound of a horse’s hoof beats and despite her feelings for Rosa, felt a thrill of anticipation.
Finally, they came to another sandy arena surrounded by a high wooden fence painted a striking white. Inside were the expected barrels and at the far end were trees shivering in a slight breeze. At both ends of the huge oval pen were metal gates, but the one closest to them was open and Rosa was poised on a tall, glossy brown horse with black mane and tail.
As usual, she wore denim from head to toe, but today she had a broad felt cowboy hat pulled low over her eyes against the late morning sun. Sophie put out an arm to halt them in their tracks and raised a finger to her lips as Rosa whistled and kicked the horse into action. She crouched low over the horse’s withers, urging it to greater and greater speeds with her hands and voice. Trixie flattened her ears against her skull and snaked her head out in front as she galloped toward the first barrel. They rounded it at breakneck speed, the horse’s legs nearly sliding out from under her. Rosa’s one foot almost touched the ground on the inside as they took the barrel so close that it swayed for a moment.
As they sped to the second barrel, Rosa slapped her reins on the horse’s rump. Sophie, in a low voice, explained, “Trixie is a Quarter Horse and she just turned three. When she was two, before I hired Rosa, I sent her to a local trainer to learn the basics. Now, that Rosa is here, she’s been working with Trixie and three more horses every other day, schooling them on the barrels. It’s quite thrilling isn’t it?” She turned to look at them, her face glowing.
Both women were mesmerized and only nodded in response. It really was electrifying to watch. Annette lifted her phone and took several pictures. This was a scene she’d like to draw and perhaps paint later, when she was home in Paris.
“After another month, Rosa wants to start taking them to competitions to fine tune their skills. Then, when their training is complete, I hope to sell each one for around $10,000.” Sophie folded her arms across her chest as Rosa rounded the third barrel and came racing back, driving Trixie to go faster and faster.
“You see,” Sophie went on, clearly loving this sport, “the quickest time wins. Rosa keeps a stopwatch with her, and she feels Trixie has the most potential of all the horses she’s training.”
The horse thundered toward them, her mouth open, grunting with effort as she hurtled herself and her rider to the alleyway that marked the finish line.
Then, in a cloud of dust, Rosa pulled the horse to a sliding stop and consulted the watch in her hand.
“She did it in fourteen point nine seconds,” Rosa called. “That’s better than last week. She’s improving every time I take her out.” Leaning forward she patted Trixie’s neck and murmured words of encouragement. It was the first time Annette thought perhaps the woman wasn’t as bad as she previously believed. At least she had one redeeming quality.
“Wonderful!” Sophie yelled. Turning to Annette and Gabrielle, she motioned for them to go back the way they’d come. “I don’t want to interrupt her,” she explained. “Rosa is very strict about her training regime, and I wouldn’t want us to throw it off.”
Ending up back at the truck, Sophie said sorrowfully, “I’m sorry that I can’t ask you to come inside for a drink. I only bring a few bottles of water and a thermos of coffee with me when I come here.” She sighed. “The water test wasn’t completed today, so we’ll have to spend one more night with Jeff. But then I feel sure we can all come back here tomorrow. It will feel so good to be at home again. Although I appreciate Jeff’s kindness, I’m looking forward to having you here, where just us girls can have a proper visit and I can show you around the property. There are some lovely rides up into the mountains. Oh…” Sophie paused and regarded Annette with concern, “I forgot, you can’t ride, can you?”
“I’m learning and doing very well,” Annette said with more confidence than she felt. “And I’d love to go with you and Gabby. Just…maybe not on a barrel horse,” she laughed.
Sophie chuckled, her expression lightening. “I have many horses here that you could ride. They would be quite suitable. Perhaps Lassie?” She looked questioningly at Gabrielle.
“I agree. Speaking of riding, I believe Annette has a lesson soon,” Gabrielle offered, glancing at her phone. “And Andrew just tried calling me, so I’d like to ring him back if that’s okay?”
Sophie nodded emphatically. “Yes, my dear. We’ll have plenty of time for visiting when you’re both here. I’ll see you back at Jeff’s for dinner, yes?”
“Yes,” both women parroted.
As they waved and drove out of the yard, Annette considered what Sophie had said. All four women would be living here tomorrow. That meant there was no choice. Tonight, they would have to make their move, because the Danburys place was close to Jeff’s not the Triple T Ranch. They could never make the trek from here in the dark.
Unbidden, it crossed her mind that when they moved over to live with Sophie, she would not see their handsome host each day either. But why should that matter to her? It was ridiculous and she pushed it from her mind.
What was important to consider was what the night might bring. She felt a shiver of fear and excitement trickle up her spine. Would she fall off Pearl and break her neck, as her sister predicted? Or would they catch the Danbury men in the act of sabotage? Only time would tell.
She must focus on tonight and prepare herself for what might happen next.