LITMIR.BIZ

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      So he hadn’t appeared on her doorstep on his own.

      Good. If he wasn’t interested in her, that would make interacting with him way easier than with Simon, who’d kept up a constant barrage of flirting the night before. Of course, neither brother was her chief concern at the moment. She raced down the dirt road, leaving a whirl of dust in her car’s wake.

      “You might want to—” Ryan didn’t get the rest of his sentence out before she hit a pothole so hard her teeth slammed together.

      “Sorry,” she said as she spared a glance for Ryan.

      “That’s okay. I like whiplash.”

      Horrified, she slowed to a near stop. “Did I hurt you?”

      “Here’s a tip. We tend to joke a good amount, so you’ll want to learn to tell when we’re teasing.”

      “So, you’re okay?”

      He leaned against the door. “Yes.”

      Brooke returned her attention to the road then drove the rest of the way to the main house and parked. She didn’t even look at Ryan as she bolted from the car, simply tossing a “‘Bye” over her shoulder. If he responded, she didn’t stick around to hear.

      When she hurried into the kitchen, she found Merline putting away dishes.

      “Good morning,” Merline said in a cheery voice. “Did you sleep well?”

      “Yes, thank you. I’m so sorry I overslept. It’ll never happen again.” She stepped forward to take over putting the dishes in the cabinets.

      Merline placed her hand atop Brooke’s. “It’s okay. Didn’t you get the note I sent?”

      “Ryan told me about it, but you and I made arrangements last night, ones I’ve already failed to fulfill.” Her mother had taught her at a young age the importance of fulfilling one’s responsibilities, so by being late she felt as if she were failing not only Merline but her mother as well.

      Merline squeezed Brooke’s hand. “Listen to me. Everything is fine. Your job is secure unless you suddenly poison all the guests. That would certainly be bad for business. I saw how exhausted you were last night and should have told you then to take today off.”

      “Really, I’m ready to work.”

      Merline smiled. “Of that I have no doubt.” With a final squeeze, Merline returned to her task. “If it’ll make you feel better, you can make lunch for the guests. They’ll be back from a wildflower tour then.”

      “Thank you.”

      They worked side by side the rest of the morning, preparing lunch for the twenty guests. Brooke’s heart twinged because the situation reminded her so much of days spent in the kitchen with her mother. The two women looked nothing alike. Merline had a silver bob and remarkably smooth skin for a woman her age. Brooke’s mom had looked more like an older version of Susan Sarandon, but with a tougher life. Despite the differences, Merline’s kindness started to fill the hole left by Brooke’s mom’s death.

      “You seem to lose yourself when you’re cooking,” Merline said as Brooke slid two cherry pies from the oven.

      “I’m sorry. Did I miss something?” She could hear her mother’s voice, commenting on Brooke’s constant daydreaming. Back then, she couldn’t wait to leave home, see something new, be someone important. Now, she’d give anything to be able to step into her mother’s West Virginia kitchen and feel her comforting arms around her.

      “No. I was just watching the look you get when you’re cooking, like you’re in another world.”

      Brooke sat the pies on the island to cool. “There is something about it that takes me away.”

      “That’s how I feel when I’m painting.”

      “You’re an artist?”

      “Evidently.” Merline laughed. “It’s a recent realization. We’re beginning to be overrun with creative types around here. I’m painting. Grace does interior design. Ryan’s furniture.”

      Brooke nearly looked up at Ryan’s name but caught herself in time. She’d picked up on just how much Merline had talked about her sons throughout the morning, particularly the two unmarried ones. She wondered if Nathan’s recent wedding had Merline on the hunt for wives for Simon and Ryan. Brooke swallowed, wondering if she’d ever be able to trust a man enough again to be willing to get married. After all, she’d thought Chris was going to be that man.

      How wrong she’d been.

      If there was anything in her life to be grateful for, it was the fact that Chris had shown his true colors, the man he was behind the mask of his public persona, before she’d had the misfortune of marrying him.

      Thankfully, the guests returned, and talk of available Teague sons was replaced with feeding hungry tourists. As she served food and made small talk, she relaxed even more. It felt a little like her old job, making convention guests happy. Only now she accomplished the task by preparing chicken salad and cherry pie rather than consulting with chefs on the fare for special events and hotel guests on the perfect meeting space.

      She insisted on doing all the cleanup while Merline retreated to her home office to work. Once Brooke was finished and had planned for dinner, she spread out the local classifieds on the dining room table.

      She skipped over the sections that held no interest before locating the For Rent listings. With red pen ready to circle possibilities, she started reading. As it turned out, she didn’t need the pen. What few availabilities she found came with pricey rental rates attached, no doubt a result of Blue Falls being a popular tourist destination.

      Brooke closed the paper, already planning to seek information about neighboring communities. How far would she have to go to find something more within her budget? She feared she’d encounter the same problem throughout the Hill Country.

      “Find anything?” Merline pointed at the newspaper as she walked into the dining room.

      “Not yet. But I’ll get a room in town until I do.” And try not to cringe at the price of the temporary space to lay her head at night.

      “Don’t be silly. I was thinking, why don’t you live permanently in the bunkhouse? It’s just sitting out there. You could fix it up however you like.”

      The convenience beckoned Brooke. Plus, she liked the idea of not having to venture forth from the ranch more than necessary. She had to believe that the longer she was gone, the less Chris would look for her. Eventually, he’d stop. At least that’s what she told herself.

      “Only if I pay rent.”

      “I think we can work something out. Now, I’m running into town for a while. Do we need anything?”

      Brooke shook her head. “I’m going to do some meal planning this afternoon and may shop after that.”

      “Sounds good. See you at dinner.”

      Brooke decided to use the sliver of free time she had to go check out of the Rochester. But when she walked outside, she noticed the right rear tire on her car was flat.

      She sighed, imagining a day when everything would go perfectly—none of this one step forward, two steps back stuff. She straightened and took a deep breath. No focusing on the negative. She had a job and a place to stay. Compared to only a few short weeks ago, today was absolutely peachy.

      Telling herself that things could be so much worse, she opened the trunk and started pulling out boxes and bags filled with pieces of her life. Winter clothes, books, childhood mementoes. By the time she reached the spare tire, sweat was rolling down her back and stinging her eyes.

      “Come on, damn you,” she said as she tugged the tire out of the trunk. When it finally came free, she stumbled and nearly fell on her butt. The tire slipped from her slick fingers and landed with a thunk. She

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