Authors: Kate Vale
He took a cold shower when he got ho
me. Even after that, he couldn’
t
relax enough
to
fall a
sleep. This summer was turning into something he
’d
never expected. Suzanna’s
kids
were arriving soon. Had she said an
ything to them about him? H
ow long woul
d she stay after they went home,
or would she leave with them?
He wanted another opportunity to repeat all that petting they’d enjoyed.
He rolled over and groaned. Good thing he’d left when he did
, before his arousal got the better of him
.
When I make love to her
, it has to be here
, in
my
bed
. Not where Chelsea was, not there
,
he
vowed
. He final
ly fell asleep, dreaming disjoin
ted images the rest of the too-short night.
Chapter 12
Suzanna waved
as
Kevin and
Penelope
descended
the steps of the plane
. Kevin waved back, a broad grin on his face. Penny was holding her hand to her hair, trying to control it in the breeze that lifted her skirt above her knees as she walked along the tarmac
.
When Kevin poked his sister, Penny gave Suzanna a small flick of her hand.
Kevin helped Suzanna load
the large bags and two smaller carry-ons
into the Jeep
.
“Penny
, how much stuff did you bring
?” Sam settled
on top of the pile
in the back of the Wrangler.
“One is just make-up, Mother. You know I need to protect my skin in the summer, and it’s really hot here.” She fanned herself and stared back at Suzanna, adding, “You look different.”
Kevin hugged Suzanna for the second time before climbing into the Wrangler. “She looks fabulous! You’re so tan, and—and, skinny, too.
”
Suzanna laughed. “Hardly skinny, just a bit less of me than
before
.
W
ith no TV to sit in front of all evening, I take
lots of long
walks
, and hikes, too.
”
“What do you mean, no TV?”
Penelope
looked out the window
as they turned onto the state road
.
“I don’t see
very
many houses
, just empty fields
.
”
“You’re in ranch coun
try, honey. See the cattle and horses?
Most of the houses
sit
way off the road.” She smiled at her daughter, who
was
smoothing the wrinkles out of her
skirt
.
“
We’ll go
to town tomorrow to meet some of my friends.”
When they
arrived at
the cabin, Sam jumped out and raced into the woods
, chasing a squirrel that flicked its tail at him as it headed for the trees
.
Penny and Kevin stared at the unpainted exterior of the tiny cottage. Kevin finally asked, “Is this where you live?”
“Yes, isn’t it cute?” Suzanna bubbled.
“I put up those curtains in the kitchen and another bunch in the bedroom, which reminds me. I’ve rearranged the furniture. Penny, you take the bedroom. I borrowed an extra sleeping bag and cot from Jonathan. Kevin, you get the couch in the living room, and I’ll take the cot in the
far
corner
near the fireplace
.”
“Mother, you can’t be serious about staying here,” Penny
said. “This place is so…i
t’s not fit to live in!”
Suzanna stopped in her tracks. “
Penelope May
, how can you say that? I’ve been happier here in the past three months than I was for so
long
in that big old house with your cold-hearted father.”
“But, Mother! It’s so small and
old-fashioned. Where can I plug in my computer? Or the phone? Does it even have a phone?”
“Yes, it has a phone. Don’t you remember when I called you? Jonathan went out of his way to get one installed.” Suzanna
dragged the heaviest of Penny’s suitcases into the bedroom and
held up the black phone, remembering her thank-you dinner with
Jonathan. She still felt shimmers of heat from that night
.
Kevin interrupted. “I think what Penny means is
this place is kind
of quaint. I’m happy to sleep on the couch.” He put his arm around her.
“
Sis, l
ook at the lights. All you need is a place to plug in your laptop.” Kevin looked around the living room.
“
Except I
—”
Penny interrupted. “We can’t stay here. Kevin and I will get a motel room.
So
I can plug in my
laptop
.
Or do you have wireless?
”
Suzanna
returned to
the kitchen and sat
down
at the table
, her head in her hands
. “No,
I don’t have
wireless. Jonathan has a satellite dish at the ranch house, but he uses that for his business.
And you’re not here to be plugged in all day, all night, too.”
She stood up. “You’re not getting
a motel room. It’s too far away, and they don’t know
how to clean. I used it
before I rented this place, and you wouldn’t like it
at all
. Besides, why spend your time watching TV? I want you to come on hikes with
me to see this country, and—” S
he raised her arms to
draw them into a quick group
hug.
“Come outside. You haven’t seen my garden,” her eyes
burned
with unspent tears. “Where did Sam go?”
Maybe if the kids played with Sam, they would stop focusing on the cabin. Why couldn’t they see how cute it was?
Kevin followed
Suzanna
into the yard
.
Sam barked, picked up a stick and pranced over to Kevin, inviting him to play. “Not now, Sam.”
The dog dropped the stick, then tried again, this time with Suzanna.
She shooed him away.
“Look. I’ve got tomatoes and beans. The radishes and peas are all done, but the green peppers are going like crazy, and the squash are growing nicely.”
Suzanna looked at Kevin’s
solemn
face. Her daughter said nothing
, her glum expression speaking volumes.
Penny thinks I’ve gone off the deep end
.
Why
could
n’t
they
see how much she liked this place? What was she going to do
the entire week
if this was how they felt, how they were going to act
?
Kevin’s forced cheerfulness interrupted her thoughts. “Mom, your garden is great. And
whatever you’re cooking smells fabulo
us. Do you think we could eat
pretty soon?
On the plane, we didn’t get much.
”
She kissed Kevin on the cheek, relief
cascading through her
.
“Of course. Come in and sit down. It’ll be a little crowded. Usually, I only have two chairs i
n the kitchen, but we’ll manage.
”
While they were here, that would be her goal…to manage
.
Penelope followed her into the little house
and, at Suzanna’s suggestion, changed her clothes to something cooler and less formal than her linen skirt and silk blouse
.
That night, after a supper cons
isting of the family’s favorite
s, Kevin crashed on the couch. Not long after, Penny went into the bedroom and shut the door. The light from
under the door
told Suzanna her daughter was probably read
ing
.
Suzanna
walked outside and
sat on the porch, petting Sam. She sighed, not sure whether she should call off the hiking trip she had planned. When the
sliver of a new
moon disappeared behind a cloud, and darkness settled over the little cabin,
she wandered around the garden then
walked to the road
where it forked in the direction of the ranch house and back again. What was
Jonathan
doing?
“Please come by and see
us. See me
,” she whispered as she looked one last time at the trees, dark against the
star-studded sky.
Jonathan’s Appaloosa was cropping the grass near the corner of the cabin when
Suzanna
returned from town
with Kevin and Penny
.
Her heart leapt and she
tried to hide her grin. The tall rancher
rose from his position on the porch
as they
emerged from
the Wrangler
.
“You must be Kevin. Your mother has spoken about you often.” He shook Kevin’s hand.
“And you’re
Penelope,” when Penny
follow
ed, her arms carrying the groceries they had purchased. “C
an
I
help you with
those bags?”
“No
t necessary
.”
She stared at him coldly before stalking
past him into the kitchen.
Suzanna tried to make light of her daughter’s rudeness. “
Penny
, c
ome introduce yourself to Jonathan.
” She
smiled at
him. He’d worn the shirt that matched his eyes, a shirt that seemed to emphasize his broad shoulders and slim waist
. “I wasn’t expecting you
.”
“I won’t keep you from
whatever you’re getting ready to do
.
” Jonathan gazed back at her
.
“I just wanted to make sure, you know,
that
the
phone line is fixed.
It works better now?”
“Actually, I haven’t used it
much
, but I think
Penny made a call last night. R
ight,
dear
?”
Her daughter
lounged in the doorway, her eyes seeming to settle on the big horse as it cropped the grass near where Sam lay in the shade, panting
.
“
I guess it works just fine.
Thanks for checking.
”
Suzanna patted Jonathan’s arm.
“G
ood.” He prepared to mount the horse.
“I almost forgot! Penny—the mail
for the ranch
is
in one of those bags. Could you please get it?” Suzanna turned back to Jonathan. “When we stopped by the post office, Abby gave us your mail.”
“Thank you, Penelope,” he said quietly, taking the packet
of mail
from her.
“It’s nice to meet you.” He leaned down
from atop
the horse to shake her hand.
“You, too.
” After a moment, she said, “Nice horse.”
“Do you ride?”
Jonathan asked.
“Not really. But I might want to around here,” she replied.
“Then c
ome up to the house and you
can
borrow a horse.
I’m sure one of
the men would be happy to show you around.” He turned the Appaloosa away from the little
cabin
and Suzanna watched as the horse leapt from a fast walk into a hard gallop before he disappeared from view
.
“Does he always ride off like that—so fast?” Penny turned abruptly. “No wonder you like it here, Mother
. He’s good enough to eat.
Do
all the cowboys
look
like him?”
“Maybe Squire needed to run.”
Suzanna
felt her cheeks color
.
“Come and help me put these things away.” She scooted into the kitchen in advance of her daughter, who pulled the Scrunchie out of her blond hair
and shook it free
.
In spite of her misgivings, Suzanna convinced Kevin and Penelope to go camping
with her
. Recalling her past experiences and Jonathan’s warnings, she
carried
the
rifle
, reassuring Kevin they probably wouldn’t need it.
They hiked through most of the day and a
fter reaching a small meadow, made camp.
After dinner, they
celebrated with s
’mores for dessert.
“I think you must have been all of
twelve
, Kev,” Suzanna recalled, wiping a smear of chocolate off her cheek.
“The s
’mores were as good then as they are now,” he mumbled, still chewing.
“It’s nice here.” He looked around.
“How big is this ranch, anyway?”
“You’ll have to ask Jonathan. I think his folks started with a few hundred acres, but he’s added
at least
another
thousand acres to its original size,
maybe more.” She looked over at her daughter, stretched out on her sleeping bag
, her eyes closed
. “Are you comfortable,
honey
?”