Chapter 7

Sunlight invaded the room much too early for his liking. He usually was up before the sun, but the late night, coupled with the wine he'd had to drink when they'd returned home, left him feeling groggy. He reached over to the side of the bed and found it empty, but still warm.

"You need to get moving. This is a working ranch you know," he heard a voice say. Nick smiled and opened one eye to look at his wife. Abby was standing next to him in her dressing gown. Nick quickly reached out to grab her and pulled her down onto the bed. He covered her body with his own and began tickling her. Abby laughed and tried to fight him off, but was powerless. Nick loved listening to her laugh and eventually decided tickling wasn't what he wanted to do. He kissed her tenderly, loving the feel of her beneath him.

Abby sighed and smiled up at her husband. She was still amazed that she had been blessed enough to be married to him. She didn't use the word luck, because she didn't believe anything was left up to chance. She was certain God had brought them together.

"We're going to be late for breakfast. And for church if we don't get a move on," she said, stroking his bare back with her hand.

"Mmm," he murmured, his face buried in her neck.

"Nick," Abby said with a bit more force, causing him to look at her. "We really need to get going."

"Alright," he said reluctantly. "But I want a promise."

"What promise?"

"That when we get home, we'll pick up where we left off."

Abby smiled. "That's one promise I'll gladly make."

Heath reluctantly dismounted from Charger. He had seen Jonathon at church the day before, and he'd been asked to come over to discuss the cabinets. Heath wished he could think of a reason not to finish the job, but knew any excuse he came up with would seem flimsy. He took a deep breath before knocking on the door. He didn't know if he was hoping for Ella or Wilma to answer. He thought he would prefer Wilma's coolness to Ella's smile. She had greeted him at church with a warm smile and it had brightened his day for the briefest of moments. Then he was reminded of how she was off limits to him.

Heath, lost in his thoughts, was startled when the door opened. He sighed with relief when he saw it was Jonathon instead of one of the ladies.

"Heath! Come in. Thanks for stopping by. I know you are busy this time of year, and I don't want to keep you," Jonathon said, leading Heath toward the spacious office just off of the entry way.

"Wilma! Will you bring us some coffee, please?" Jonathon called to his housekeeper.

"Of course, Mr. Sommers," came the cheerful reply. Heath did a double take, thinking perhaps he had misjudged Wilma. She'd been almost rude to him when he'd been there before.

The office was decorated much differently than Heath remembered it. There was a sofa along the far wall instead of near the window where the Paulson's had placed theirs, but the furniture placement wasn't the only thing different. This room had not had any feminine touches at all when Jeb Paulson had lived there. He considered the office his domain and wouldn't allow Emily to do any decorating. Jeb had kept the room plain but there was femininity all around now. A vase of fresh flowers; a painting of a meadow; an afghan lying over the chair in front of the fire place. All homey touches Heath would expect. What caught his eye, was a painting of Ella mounted just above the fireplace. She wore a dress that was white and covered in lace and she held a bouquet of roses in her hand. She had small flowers in her hair, which was swept up and piled atop her head. Large brown eyes smiled back at him, and she looked as though she had a secret.

"So," Jonathon said, drawing Heath's attention away from the painting. He motioned to a chair opposite the large cherry desk, and Heath sat down. "I'd really like to get the kitchen finished before summer if possible."

"I can do that," Heath replied.

"Good! Ella asked me about the wood and yes, it is still in the shed out back. It looks to be in good shape, but if you find it isn't, let me know and I'll order some more."

"I'll take a look before I leave."

"Another thing, Heath. I wanted to talk about...about Ella."

Heath's heart quickened, and his mouth went dry. Had Ella told Jonathon Heath had asked her to the dance? Surely he would see Heath hadn't meant any disrespect. He never would have asked if he'd known she was married.

"Ella?" he choked out.

"Well, not about Ella so much as about her love for horses. You've seen Carrington and what a magnificent animal she is?"

Heath nodded.

"Ella would like to breed her, but feels she should have just the right mate. I know enough about horses not to get cheated into buying an old nag, but when it comes to getting prime stock, I need some help. Back in Oregon I knew which auctions yielded the best stock and which sellers could be trusted. Not having lived here long, I'm not sure where I can get the best horses. I've heard you go to auctions from time to time?"

"Nick and I usually do a few times a year. We have wild horses out on the range we capture and break for the army, but for breeding, we usually go to auctions."

"I'd like to accompany you to the next one, if I may? Perhaps you could give me pointers as to which one to buy."

Heath shifted in his seat. "Sure. I can do that."

"Grand! I've heard there's going to be one in Modesto next month."

Heath knew the one Jonathon was referring to. He and Nick had made tentative plans to go.

"That should work. Nick and I had already talked about going to it."

"You'll let me know when?"

"Of course."

Wilma chose that moment to enter the study with a tray of coffee. She barely looked in Heath's direction, but smiled at her boss. She poured them each a cup, handing one to Heath first. He met her eyes, giving her a small smile, which quickly died. Her eyes seemed cold and lifeless to him until she turned toward Jonathon. Then they warmed considerably. He accepted the offered coffee cup dismissing her with his thanks. Wilma smiled at him, but Jonathon had already turned his attention toward Heath again.

"When can you start on the cabinets?" Jonathon asked, bringing them back to the original topic of conversation as Wilma walked quietly from the room.

"The end of this week? Will that work?"

"That'll be fine."

"Excuse me, Mr. Sommers?"

Jonathon looked up to see Wilma standing in the doorway.

"Yes, Wilma?"

"I was wondering if Mr. Barkley is staying for lunch? I almost have it ready," Wilma asked, not looking at Heath.

"Heath? What do you say?"

He almost said no, but decided it might be good for him to get to know Jonathon a bit better. Although it would be painful to see Ella, it would help him with getting over the infatuation he had with her.

"Sounds good. I'd like that," Heath replied, looking at Wilma. He could see that wasn't the answer she was hoping for. Jonathon wasn't looking her way, or he would have seen the barely concealed anger in his housekeeper. She quickly schooled her features before Jonathon looked at her.

"Wonderful. I'll set another place," she said exiting the room.

Jonathon and Heath spoke for a few more minutes before Wilma announced lunch was ready. They were just about to sit down when Ella joined them. Heath felt a bit uncomfortable at first, but both Jonathon and Ella went to great lengths to see that his needs were met. The meal was delicious and just before they were finished, Wilma brought in a tray of coffee for the men and a cup of tea for Ella.

"Here's your tea, Mrs. Sommers. Make sure you drink it all," Wilma instructed. Ella smiled at the older woman and accepted the cup. Heath could tell she didn't like the taste of the tea by the way she grimaced when she took a sip.

"The herbs make it so bitter. I wish she'd let me stir in some honey," Ella said softly. Jonathon smiled and reached over to pat her arm.

"I should get going. Thank you for lunch," Heath said. Jonathon walked him to the door. Heath walked to the back of the house to the shed. He found it unlocked and went inside. He gave his eyes a moment to adjust before he found the wood that had been used for the kitchen cabinets. From what he could tell, it was all in good condition. Heath walked out into the bright sunlight, closing the shed door behind him. He turned toward the house and saw Wilma watching him from the kitchen window. Her face looked as though it had been carved of stone. Heath nodded her way and tipped his hat, walking back around the front of the house to get Charger.