between Rick’s laughing face and Elissa’s red one. “Okay, give it up. What happened?”
“Nothing. I told you,” Elissa said, standing up to put the dishes into the dishwasher.
Rick threw back his head and laughed. “That’s not what I heard,” he said, laughing so hard he had to gasp for breath and hold his stomach.
Elissa put her hands on her hips and stared at the man in confusion. “How would you know? You were out in some field doing something with a steer.”
Rick laughed again and stood up to give her a little hug. “Lissy, that’s one thing about living out here. Everyone knows everything about everyone. There’s no way to hide.”
Elissa was amazed that the rumor mill worked out here as efficiently as it did in New York. It didn’t seem as vicious she thought as Rick told the story about how she couldn’t get on the horse, couldn’t move the horse, then couldn’t move the horse in the right direction, and on and on. By the end of the story, Veronica was laughing so hard she was holding onto her stomach just as Rick had a few minutes ago. “Oh, Lissy, is it true?” she asked, wiping the tears from her face.
Rick even had Elissa laughing the way he told the story. “Well, it wasn’t funny at the time, but I guess I did make a few mistakes.”
That got Veronica and Rick laughing again and Elissa enjoyed their humor, letting the relaxed atmosphere wash over her. As they moved on to the next subject, Elissa could feel the tension in her shoulders ease. They talked about the kids in Veronica’s class at school and their antics and Rick mentioned a few of the trials of his day.
It was only nine o’clock but she saw Veronica smothering a yawn and got up. “I’d better go. I need to check my e-mail. I’ll see you guys in the morning,” she said and quickly left the house before they could protest.
Elissa made her way to the main house, wondering if she would run into Jake and hoping she wouldn’t. But a tiny voice inside her told her that she was lying to herself. She did want to see him. She wanted to know if he had eaten her chicken and if he’d had a nice day. She wanted to…Elissa didn’t let that thought continue. She slipped into the house from a side entrance and snuck up the side stairs to her room, closing the door quietly in case he was somewhere in the house.
She wasn’t sure where his room was, probably on the opposite wing, but she was too nervous around him. She felt silly and awkward, like a school girl with a crush. She seemed to stare too much and couldn’t form a thought when he looked at her with those intense black eyes of his.
She considered checking her e-mail again, but just couldn’t face the stress. So she didn’t even unpack her computer. Yawning, she walked out onto the balcony and looked out to the black night. She stared up at the sky, getting dizzy with the stars.
Climbing into bed, her last thought before her head hit the soft pillow was if Jake had liked her chicken as much as Veronica and Rick had.
The following week went along the same agenda. Elissa woke up when she heard a door close downstairs. She imagined that it was Jake leaving but wasn’t sure since the sun was just coming up over the horizon. She sat down on her balcony and watched the sun rise, enjoying the peace of the morning as the ranch slowly started to energize.
Once she finished her coffee, she would make breakfast for Veronica and Rick before they left in the morning. Once they were gone, she would pour over recipes, planning out the dinner she wanted to cook. Then she got into the ranch truck Rick told her she could use and drove into town to get whatever ingredients she needed. Elissa didn’t question why she always got enough to feed four people, two of whom were very large, very muscular men. It just became automatic as she selected her groceries each day.
Once she got back to the ranch in the late morning, Jake was always waiting for her at the barn and he
“Nothing. I told you,” Elissa said, standing up to put the dishes into the dishwasher.
Rick threw back his head and laughed. “That’s not what I heard,” he said, laughing so hard he had to gasp for breath and hold his stomach.
Elissa put her hands on her hips and stared at the man in confusion. “How would you know? You were out in some field doing something with a steer.”
Rick laughed again and stood up to give her a little hug. “Lissy, that’s one thing about living out here. Everyone knows everything about everyone. There’s no way to hide.”
Elissa was amazed that the rumor mill worked out here as efficiently as it did in New York. It didn’t seem as vicious she thought as Rick told the story about how she couldn’t get on the horse, couldn’t move the horse, then couldn’t move the horse in the right direction, and on and on. By the end of the story, Veronica was laughing so hard she was holding onto her stomach just as Rick had a few minutes ago. “Oh, Lissy, is it true?” she asked, wiping the tears from her face.
Rick even had Elissa laughing the way he told the story. “Well, it wasn’t funny at the time, but I guess I did make a few mistakes.”
That got Veronica and Rick laughing again and Elissa enjoyed their humor, letting the relaxed atmosphere wash over her. As they moved on to the next subject, Elissa could feel the tension in her shoulders ease. They talked about the kids in Veronica’s class at school and their antics and Rick mentioned a few of the trials of his day.
It was only nine o’clock but she saw Veronica smothering a yawn and got up. “I’d better go. I need to check my e-mail. I’ll see you guys in the morning,” she said and quickly left the house before they could protest.
Elissa made her way to the main house, wondering if she would run into Jake and hoping she wouldn’t. But a tiny voice inside her told her that she was lying to herself. She did want to see him. She wanted to know if he had eaten her chicken and if he’d had a nice day. She wanted to…Elissa didn’t let that thought continue. She slipped into the house from a side entrance and snuck up the side stairs to her room, closing the door quietly in case he was somewhere in the house.
She wasn’t sure where his room was, probably on the opposite wing, but she was too nervous around him. She felt silly and awkward, like a school girl with a crush. She seemed to stare too much and couldn’t form a thought when he looked at her with those intense black eyes of his.
She considered checking her e-mail again, but just couldn’t face the stress. So she didn’t even unpack her computer. Yawning, she walked out onto the balcony and looked out to the black night. She stared up at the sky, getting dizzy with the stars.
Climbing into bed, her last thought before her head hit the soft pillow was if Jake had liked her chicken as much as Veronica and Rick had.
The following week went along the same agenda. Elissa woke up when she heard a door close downstairs. She imagined that it was Jake leaving but wasn’t sure since the sun was just coming up over the horizon. She sat down on her balcony and watched the sun rise, enjoying the peace of the morning as the ranch slowly started to energize.
Once she finished her coffee, she would make breakfast for Veronica and Rick before they left in the morning. Once they were gone, she would pour over recipes, planning out the dinner she wanted to cook. Then she got into the ranch truck Rick told her she could use and drove into town to get whatever ingredients she needed. Elissa didn’t question why she always got enough to feed four people, two of whom were very large, very muscular men. It just became automatic as she selected her groceries each day.
Once she got back to the ranch in the late morning, Jake was always waiting for her at the barn and he
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