Chapter 17
Annette was trapped. The Danburys had cornered her at the center of Pearl’s stall and were marching around her, their faces twisted in sneers, and her ears filled with unearthly laughter. In their hands they held enormous, black cell phones on which they endlessly tapped out the telephone number for Air Canada, the airline that had brought her and Gabrielle here.
“Go home where you belong, Frenchie. Go home where you belong,” they chanted over and over. She twisted and turned, trying in vain to evade them; to block out the incessant tapping, to run and hide, but it was to no avail.
The tapping grew louder and louder. Finally, summoning all her nerve, she yelled, “No!”
Then she snapped awake and sat up in bed.
“Annette?” Gabrielle’s insistent voice drifted through the closed door. “Can I come in?” She hammered on it as though she were using her fist. “The door is locked, and I need to talk to you,” she hissed.
Annette flew out of bed and rushed to let her sister in.
“Old man Danbury is here,” Gabrielle said through clenched teeth. “I saw him pull up to the big shop where Jeff keeps his farming equipment.”
“What!”
“Yes. I escaped up here.” Gabrielle hurried to the windows, flicked back the curtains, and peered apprehensively outside. Sunlight blazed into the room. Turning away, she sank down on the bed.
“Do you suppose he suspects it was us and came to question Jeff?” Annette felt familiar fingers of fear creep up her spine. How could she possibly explain her actions to Jeff?
“Maybe,” Gabrielle shrugged. “But honestly, why would Jeff’s French guests go for a secret midnight ride and spy on the neighbours from the bushes?”
“Why indeed?” Annette said dryly.
“I think it’s more likely he was informing Jeff that there are dodgy people in the area, trespassing on both properties.”
Annette sighed for the lost opportunity that was last night. “I suppose you’re right,” she admitted.
“Anyway, do you realize it’s ten o’clock in the morning? Everyone’s been asking where you are.”
Annette looked at her suspiciously. “Who is everyone?”
Gabrielle shrugged and picked invisible lint off the comforter. “Me mostly,” she grinned, peeping up at her sister through thick eyelashes. “I think Sandra did mention it once, though. The others were gone shortly after seven.”
“Why didn’t you sleep in? The sun was already coming up by the time we got to our rooms.”
“I slept for a while. Did the art gallery call you back?”
“No,” Annette had checked for a message before going to sleep last night, but there had been nothing. It was one of the places she’d left her resume. Though she just couldn’t imagine they’d actually want her to work for them. They must have called for some other reason.
“I have news,” Gabrielle said, her eyes sparkling. “I wanted to see Sophie before she left, so I set an alarm. And guess what?” Without waiting for a response, Gabrielle answered her own question. “We’re moving to the Triple T this afternoon. Isn’t that great?”
“Yes. Uh, great,” Annette plastered a smile on her face for her sister’s sake, but had mixed feelings about leaving. She’d miss this bedroom, this ranch, Pearl, and…Sandra’s cooking. She wouldn’t allow herself to consider anything else she might miss about this place.
Gabrielle hopped off the bed and gave Annette a quick hug before holding her at arm’s length and looking seriously at her. “You tried your best last night,” she said. “And on behalf of Sophie and Andrew, I thank you. But I really believe, once we get to the ranch, it will all be okay.”
Annette merely smiled and kissed her sister three times before shooing her out the door, so she could get dressed. She didn’t share Gabrielle’s optimism, and didn’t think that the misfortunes of the Triple T would cease. However, nothing could be done at the moment.
She looked at the pile of discarded clothes by her bed. There was a hole in the sleeve of her coat and if she wasn’t mistaken a twig was poking up from the knee of yesterday’s jeans. She quickly dressed in the wide-leg jeans that Sandra had washed, and dug through her suitcase until she found her most casual top—a pale pink, cropped hoodie.
She made the bed and packed her things, then leaned over the sink to study her reflection before brushing her teeth. Her beautiful hair had really been mangled yesterday. She turned sideways to inspect it at all angles. Oh well, nothing could be done now. She combed the snarls out and tied it back with a matching pink satin scrunchy.
Carefully she performed her morning rituals, being gentle with the angry red scratch across her cheek. She added a little shimmery silver eyeshadow and some mascara, then gathered her case and her coat, and went downstairs without looking back. She’d miss the Douglas Ranch.
After promising to come back soon to visit Sandra, the women went outside with their luggage to look for Jeff. Jim Danbury was gone, which Annette was grateful for. They found Jeff sprawled underneath a tractor with various tools strewn around him. He crawled out and grabbed his hat from off the ground where he’d thrown it, hitting it on his hip to clean off the dust and debris. Annette stared shamelessly at his wavy black hair, and the way it fell around his face as he leaned forward. She had a sudden urge to push it back in place for him. She admired the way his dark maroon t-shirt clung to his muscled chest and how his smile made her heart sing.
He shoved his black hat down on his head. “Ready to go, are you?” he asked, picking up a rag from off the tractor tire and wiping his hands. He tossed it to one side and fixed them both with a searching look. “I have some good news and some bad news. Which do you want first?”
“The good,” Gabrielle said.
“Okay,” he smiled. “I talked to Sophie about it and Annette, I’d like to lend you Pearl while you’re there. We can take her over in the trailer right now and you can keep her in Sophie’s barn to use every day. Would you like that?”
Annette clapped her hands with joy. “Vraiment? C”est merveilleux!” she said, forgetting English in her enthusiasm. “Merci beaucoup.”
“I’ll take that response as a resounding yes,” he said and laughed. “Now for the bad news.”
Both Annette and Gabrielle sobered. Had something more happened at the Triple T?
Jeff took his hat back off and scratched his head. “Jim Danbury was just here with a remarkable tale,” he said, looking at them closely. “He said at least two people were spying on him in the middle of the night from the hillside beside his house. He said he wouldn’t have even known they were there except that one of them received a phone call at approximately three o’clock in the morning. And when this phone rang, it played an old cowboy song from the late 1940s, which, I’m sure you’ll both agree, is quite unusual. Anyway, after that the spies took off running. Both Danburys gave chase, but the intruders were on horseback and got away.”
Jeff turned his attention to his fingernails, as though their cleanliness was a matter of great importance. “Funny thing is,’ he continued nonchalantly, “these intruders, as he called them, opened the gate to my property and disappeared inside. He thought I should be aware of it, so I could keep a watch on my own yard. People like that can’t be up to any good—can they?”
Both women ardently shook their heads.
“Maybe they were innocent people out for a moonlit ride who lost their way,” suggested Gabrielle, a little too quickly. Her face flushed.
“I wondered that myself, although there isn’t another ranch for several kilometres.” Jeff smiled benevolently at them, and Annette felt like an errant child being reprimanded by an all-knowing teacher. “So, no. That doesn’t make a lot of sense, now does it?” He chuckled as though finding this a great joke. “The other peculiar thing I noticed, long before Danbury’s visit, was that Pearl was in a completely different stall this morning than when we’d left her yesterday afternoon. And I know you both went to bed early, so it couldn’t have been you. Quite an unusual phenomenon, wouldn’t you say? I wonder how she managed it.”
“The ‘orse is an intelligent animal,” Annette said evenly. “I will be sure to take very good care that Pearl stays in one place while she is at Sophie’s ranch.”
With old-world charm, Jeff tipped his hat to her. “I’d appreciate that,” he said. “Now let’s get her loaded and take you over there.”
Long after Jeffhad left them at Sophie’s place, Annette stayed with Pearl. She brushed her dappled coat while sitting on a small stool in the large box stall as the horse munched on a sheaf of fragrant green hay.
Annette wasn’t against being here. After all, this was where they’d been coming in the first place, and she liked Sophie. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but she felt uneasy. Jeff’s beautiful log house had become home over the last few days and now she felt displaced. She was happy for her sister, however. Gabrielle had gone inside immediately to spend time with her mother-in-law.
Annette yawned. Thankfully, nothing had been found amiss on the ranch so far today. Whatever Dillon had done the night before still remained a mystery.
She took a few photos of Pearl and then flipped through the other pictures she’d taken so far. When she was back home in Paris, a few of them would make great drawings, maybe even paintings. She lingered over one she had taken of Jeff on the first rainy day when she’d seen him leading Pearl into the barn. The lush green of the grass, the mountains in the distance, and the misty rain all lent a magical charm to the man in the cowboy hat who cared for his sister’s old horse.
Her throat constricted. Who was this woman she’d become in just a few short days? From avidly following Paris Fashion Week and trying to emulate each new look of the season. Always dressing elegantly for dinner at the finest restaurants and perusing the pages of glossy magazines for the latest chic trends, to crouching in a dilapidated barn, wearing a filthy jacket with holes in the sleeve as she spent the best part of her day talking to a horse. What an extreme contrast.
Come to think of it, she felt happier in this environment—lighter somehow. Annette crossed her arms over her stomach and leaned against the wall, shutting her eyes, and enjoying the tranquility of the moment. It was late in the afternoon and soon she would go inside. Until then, life was peaceful.
The bang of a screen door jerked her upright. She knew it would be Gabrielle, looking for her, so she roused herself, gave Pearl a final pat, and left the barn.
As she suspected, her sister stood on the porch. “I want to show you your room, so you can get settled in,” she said, waving impatiently. “And Sophie would like to spend a little time with you too.”
The house was old and the steps uneven, yet it retained a charm that newer buildings would never have. It was painted a pale yellow with white trim and boasted a quaint veranda that wrapped around one corner affording the comfy, deep cushioned chairs and love seat a prime position to take in both the morning sun and the pink and gold of the sunset. Rose bushes were profuse, and their scent saturated the air with sweetness.
It was a two story, full of angles and nooks with tall windows in unusual places. Annette was curious as to which one might be hers. Dutifully, she followed her sister inside. They entered a boot or mud room first and Annette pulled off her jacket, and kicked her scuffed boots to one side. Trailing after Gabrielle, they walked into a lovely living space decorated in a mixture of Victorian and old country elegance. At least, that’s how she would describe it if asked.
It wasn’t a large room, but it felt homey and lived in. Filmy white curtains were tied back to either side of the double windows. Two of the walls were a deep teal, but the high ceilings and crown moldings were painted a warm creamy white. Bookcases filled one whole wall and an ornate, and rather antique looking fireplace lay waiting with a pile of wood in a wicker basket, while a corresponding mirror hung over top. Two cozy armchairs and a deep sofa in a paler version of the teal, along with light oak end tables and a huge square coffee table, were arranged before the fireplace. A huge bouquet of roses sat on a cream-coloured sideboard, while an assortment of plants squatted on the bookcases and sprang from hanging baskets. The air was sweetly scented. Pictures of country scenes and the inevitable mountains graced the walls.
They didn’t linger here, but walked straight through to where a staircase was tucked on the other side of one of the teal walls. Annette plodded behind, realizing her sister must have already carried both of their bags upstairs. After they reached the landing three closed doors waited.
“Thank you,” she said with feeling as Gabrielle threw open the door to her left and ushered her inside.
“For what? Looking all flustered and guilty when Jeff questioned us about the horse?” Gabrielle said. She gestured toward Annette’s bag and purse which were already waiting for her on a blue velvet chair.
“No. For bringing my bag up, but now that you mention it, yes. I do appreciate your effort to cover up my misdeeds.” Annette smiled at her sister. “Can you forgive me? I know attending the cinema and art galleries are more our thing. Still, you have to admit it was rather thrilling.”
“Thrilling?” Gabrielle squeaked. “I am not a detective. I get enough thrills riding the metro, thank you very much.” She sounded outraged, yet gave her sister a quick hug on her way out. “When you’re settled, Sophie and I plan to be downstairs in the kitchen. She’s making supper and Rosa is out with the horses. So, if you want a little quality visiting time before the barrel racer arrives, I’d come now. Oh, and the bathroom is on the main floor, bottom of the stairs and to your left.”
The door closed behind her sister with a soft click. Annette swivelled around to examine the room. It was small yet packed with charm. The ceiling was sharply slanted on two sides meaning she could only stand up in the very center. Every wall was covered with a delicate rose wallpaper with a pale blue background, which might have looked overdone in a newer home. It was lovely.
A desk with an antique chair and lamp were situated under an old-style casement window, its frame painted white with diaphanous white curtains pulled back on either side. She stepped to it and bent over the table to peer outside. She looked toward the barn, the arena, and the jutting purple mountaintops above the roofs. Wonderful. Wrapping her arms around her middle she moved to sit on the bed, testing it for softness. She bounced up and down a few times and declared it just as cozy as the last one. Pushed under the eaves on one side, it was piled high with pillows and a thick blue comforter.
Annette was pleased. Taking a few more minutes, she unpacked and hung her clothes in a small, empty wardrobe that stood beside the door. Lastly, she unfolded her lavender dress and caressed it lovingly before hanging it. It was badly creased, but that could be rectified. She placed the matching shoes on the floor beneath the dress and shut the door.
The remainder of the evening went by in a blur. Sophie was a faultless host, and prepared a delicious meal of steaks, stuffed baked potatoes, and a green salad. She appeared to be in high spirits, considering all that had happened. Annette wondered how the woman did it and asked her as much.
“If I worried about the future I would drive myself crazy,” Sophie said soberly. “There are never any guarantees in this life.” She lifted her shoulders in an expressive shrug. “I cannot prevent what may happen next. Still, I have faith in the goodness of people. So many of my neighbours have called me or dropped in to offer their help. They are watching the property for me and so are the RCMP. At this point, it’s all I can do.”
Annette was impressed with the kindness of the community.
The three of them talked and laughed at the kitchen table for over an hour. Eventually, however, Sophie said she had work to finish outside, and needed to feed and water the poisoned cattle. Happily, they had improved and were now outside in a corral.
“I need to tell Marcus what time to start work in the morning,” Sophie said, shrugging into a light blue jacket that had seen better days. “The new fellow should be here too—finally. I must remember to text him.”
Long after the meal had been cleared away they sat in the living room talking. Even Rosa had been congenial Perhaps now that Annette was no longer a guest under Jeff’s roof, she could afford to be pleasant.
Talk turned to the wine shop in Paris, Annette’s plans for her future, and stories of the Dordogne where Sophie had grown up. Apparently, Sophie hadn’t been back to the area for over fifteen years. Her eyes glowed when she spoke of its beauty.
However, the previous night’s activities were beginning to take their toll. Around ten o’clock that evening, Annette’s eyes started to droop. “If you will excuse me,” she said, “I must go to bed. It ‘as been a long day.”
“Bien s?r.” Sophie glanced at a large clock on the wall. “I would like an early night myself. Rosa,” she said, turning to the younger woman. “Will you go out with me to check on the animals one last time?”
Rosa yawned. “Sure,” she said. Pulling on her customary denim jacket from where it had been draped over her chair, she shot Annette a tight little smirk. “It was so sweet of Jeff to lend you his sister’s old horse, hey? He’s always taking pity on people.”
“You think he pities me?” As soon as she asked it, Annette knew she shouldn’t have given Rosa an opening to say more.
“Yeah, he’s always helping people he doesn’t really know, like you…sometimes too much and they take advantage of him. We’ve talked about it, but he’ll never change. I love him for it, though.”
Sophie smiled benevolently at the horrid woman, as though she hadn’t heard the backhanded insult, and waited to follow her out the door. “We’ll see you girls in the morning,” she called. “Sweet dreams.”
Annette wished her sister a good night at the doors of their respective rooms. Apparently, Gabrielle had the room next to hers and Rosa occupied the third room on this level. She glared at Rosa’s door. It was innocent but she felt like giving it a swift kick. Before she acted on such foolishness, she escaped into her own lovely space.
She felt the scratch on her cheek and thought of how Jeff had kissed her. Rosa was probably right. Jeff was taking pity on her. He’d felt sorry she’d been hurt and comforted her, that was all.
She undressed and kicked her clothes viciously into a heap in a corner of her room. Then, after donning her nightgown, she slid beneath the sweet-smelling sheets, forcing her mind away from such pointless thoughts. But the air in the room was stuffy and warm. She needed fresh air to sleep. Padding to the window, she studied how to open it, and with a bit of difficulty, lifted the bottom window up several centimetres. After a quick search, she used a book on horsemanship she found in the desk, to keep it propped it open. A cool night breeze wafted through, billowing the curtains. She looked for a shade or blinds, anything to prevent the early morning sun from waking her up. Only there was nothing. Oh well. She crawled back into bed. Sleep was instantaneous.
It was much later that something woke her. She opened one eye. The ceiling was awash with a strange light. It flickered almost like a candle. Was this the Northern Lights she’d heard so much about? That would be exciting to see. Should she investigate? It was so comfy under the blankets, and she was so tired, but maybe she should just look outside to check.
Flipping the covers back, her feet hit the cold floor. She shivered and tiptoed to the window, feeling her way by grasping for the bedposts. The light outside, whatever it was, was getting stronger. She bent over the table and leaned her elbows on the table to peer outside.
Sophie’s barn was on fire.