“That’s terrible.” He said, shocked at her anger.
“Then, I had men hitting on me both on the plane and on the train. I finally had to find a compartment that was empty and lock the door. What is wrong with people? All I wanted to do was enjoy the scenery, but no.” Annabelle said, her anger finally fading as she talked.
“I’m sorry to hear that, but you’re here now and it’s not that far to the ranch. How about if I put some music on and we can just listen to that.” Michael said, reaching for the radio dial.
Annabelle sat brooding, feeling sorry that she was behaving so badly, but fed up with the day. It had been a lot more difficult to find her way to Pleasant Valley, Colorado, and it hadn’t helped that Leslie and Sebastian hadn’t been there to pick her up. But she shouldn’t be taking out her frustration on Michael, he was just an innocent bystander.
With a sigh, she said, “I’m sorry to lay all that on you, it was a difficult trip and I haven’t eaten since lunch.” She said, sinking lower in her seat.
Michael didn’t mind, it was nice to find a woman who didn’t hold back when she was angry and even angry Annabelle was cute as a button. He wanted to pull her into his arms and tell her everything was going to be okay. But instead he made a turn onto Main Street and pulled up in front of the café.
“Then let’s get you something to eat. This place has the best food in town, of course I might be prejudice because Nate’s wife owns it. Come on, you’ll feel better once you’ve had something to eat.” Michael said, coming around to help her out of the car.
“And some caffeine would be nice as well.” She said, taking his hand when he offered it to help her get out of the car.
Annabelle could already smell something wonderful in the air and her stomach began to growl. When they walked through the doors of the café, Annabelle was instantly charmed by the decor, feeling like she’d stepped back in time. But it was the smell inside the café that really got to her, the sharp aroma of coffee was tinged with the smell of yeast and sugar.
Michael found them a little table in one corner of the café, and held Annabelle’s chair while she sat down. She was a little surprised by his old fashioned manners, but liked feeling taken care of. Now that she’d gotten over the shock of him picking her up instead of Leslie, she had to admit that he was a handsome man. He had the same rugged good looks of the other Terrells, as well as the blue eyes, but instead of dark hair and skin, he was blonde and fair.
When the waitress came over, it was not only clear that she knew Michael, but would have liked to know him better. “Michael, how nice to see you again.” She said, batting her eyes at him.
“Hi, Becky. I’d like to introduce you to Annabelle, she’s moving to Pleasant Valley to work for the Terrell’s.” He said, unaffected by Becky’s flirty manner.
“Oh, hi.” Becky said, barley glancing at Annabelle. “What can I get for you this afternoon? I think we still have some of those cream pastries you like so much.”
“No thanks.” Michael said, still oblivious to Becky’s attempt to charm him. “I think we need something a little more substantial. Annabelle has been traveling all day, she needs a real meal.” Then turning to Annabelle, he asked, “Do you like quiche? They make a great one here.”
“I love quiche, but I haven’t met many men who do.” Annabelle said, laughing.
“They would if they’d ever had Allison’s quiche.” Michael said, happy to see Annabelle laughing. “But don’t tell anyone I eat it.” He added with a wink.
She laughed again, “Quiche sounds wonderful and I’d love a cup of coffee.”
“You heard her Becky. Two orders of the quiche and two cups of the coffee of the day.”
Becky looked from Michael to Annabelle, clearly unhappy that all her flirting had been ignored. Neither of them even noticed when she flounced away, back only moments later with their order. She tried one more time to engage Michael, but he wasn’t the least bit interested in Becky and had long ago made it quite clear to her. If the food at the café hadn’t been so good, he would have quit coming in a long time ago.
The food and caffeine did the trick and before long, Annabelle began to feel more like her old self. She ate every bite of the quiche and the salad that came with it, then finished her coffee and sat back with a sigh.
“I think I’m human again. Shall we start over?” Annabelle said, laughing.
“It wasn’t that bad, but if it makes you feel better, I forgive you.” Michael said, waving Becky over. “Can we get a couple of coffee’s to go and the check?”
“You must have been reading my mind.” Annabelle said. “I have a terrible addiction and that is excellent coffee.”
“You’re going to fit in just fine at the ranch, no one will even notice.” Michael said, handing Becky his credit card.
Back on the road, Annabelle was able to enjoy the drive through town, again charmed by its quaint streets and buildings. Michael also drove her through the more modern part of town, and although it wasn’t as interesting to her, she had to admit there were some beautiful homes up on the hills around town.
“Who lives in these houses?” Annabelle wanted to know.
“Some of them are vacation homes that get rented out most of the year, the rest are owned by the executives and scientists that work for Terrell industries. Donovan officially moved their headquarters here at the beginning of the year, although it’s taken time to relocate everyone and he still doesn’t have an office yet.”
Annabelle watched the big houses and sculpted yards pass, thinking how much they reminded her of her home. Eventually she’d have to do something about the house and the lab, but for now the house had been rented and the lab was securely locked up, so she could put off the decision for now. No matter what she did with her life from here, someday she’d have to face the demons that waited for her in that house. She just hadn’t been ready before she left for Colorado.
Shrugging off her negative thoughts, she said, “I still like the old houses better, they have so much more character. Have you ever been in an old house and felt like you could feel the memories in the walls?”
Michael took his eyes off the road for just a second. “You like old houses?” He asked, surprised, he didn’t meet many people his own age who appreciated old things.
“I’ve had a fascination for them since I was a kid. I think it’s the stories behind the houses that intrigues me. It’s like stepping back in time.”
“I couldn’t have said it better myself, except my job is to bring them, not only back to their former glory, but into the future.” Michael said, thinking about how much he already liked Annabelle.
“That sounds like a pretty good job.” Annabelle said, imagining what it must be like to work on an old house like the ones in town. But then they turned off onto the road to the ranch and Annabelle was lost to the scenery.
Michael was happy to let her enjoy the drive in silence, he’d been having this ridiculous urge to pull the car over and kiss her, which would be the worst thing he could do. His instincts told him that not only was Annabelle a little bit fragile, but she was also innocent. If he wanted to get to know her better, he’d have to be careful about how fast he moved, but that was okay because he’d be around for a while.
Chapter 4
When they pulled into the yard of the ranch, Annabelle was breathless with excitement, even with all the construction equipment littered around the yard, she couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful setting. The main house was a beautiful log cabin with screened porches wrapping all the way around. Behind the house was a barn and behind that a huge pasture complete with horses.
Fall was just coming to a close this high in the mountains, but Annabelle could see how beautiful it would be in the summer. Stepping out of the car, she looked around her, she could see the other cabins though the trees and other barns spread around the property. The ranch was everything she’d thought it would be.
“This looks just like I i
magined it would be, there’s even a little stream running through the property. I bet there’s an old spring house down there somewhere, or there would have been.” She said, turning in a circle to look around.
“It’ll look better when that mess is gone. Hopefully we can get the exteriors of the cabins done before the snow starts piling up. Are you ready for that?” Michael said, getting her bag out of the trunk, then with a hand on her back, guided her up the steps to the front door.
“Ready?” He asked, opening the door.
“Yes, I think so.” Annabelle said, stepping through the door into the entry way. Then sucked in a breath, the house was just as perfect as the rest of the property.
Michael set her bag down and led her through the kitchen to the back of the house where the sunroom was located. They found Leslie and Sebastian sitting on the couch facing the fire. When they saw Michael and Annabelle, Sebastian jumped to his feet and came over to greet them. Leslie, heavy with her pregnancy, heaved herself to her feet and followed her husband.
“Welcome, I’m so glad you made it. How was the trip?” Leslie said, hugging Annabelle who was shocked at first, then let herself be hugged.
Annabelle looked at Michael who was trying not to laugh. “Let’s just say that I’m probably not going to be flying anywhere soon again. It’s a long story, but I’m here and that’s all that counts. The house and property are wonderful, you’re so lucky to live here.”
“Well you live here now too, I hope you’ll think of it as your home as well.” Leslie said, then asked, “Have you eaten? Dinner won’t be ready for another hour, but I could get you a snack.”
“Thank you, but Michael introduced me to the café on the way here. We had quiche, but I’m sure I’ll be hungry by then.”
Annabelle was already feeling comfortable in the Terrell house, she’d been worried that there would be a huge group of people there to greet her, but it appeared that it was only Leslie and Sebastian. Michael must have noticed as well because he asked, “Where is everyone else?”
“They’re all out and about, we thought it might be easier to meet us first. Everyone will be here for dinner, so enjoy the peace while it lasts.” Sebastian said, shaking his head.
They sat and talked for a while, then finally convinced Annabelle to tell them about her trip out to Colorado. By the time she was finished not only was she blushing about the men that had hit on her, but she was laughing about the experience.
“I can’t believe you actually had to track down the surgeon and have him convince them that you weren’t a human bomb.” Sebastian said, after he’d stopped laughing.
“Now you know why I said that I was never going to fly again.” Annabelle said, throwing her hands up in the air. Realizing that it felt good to be laughing, she’d had little to laugh about over the last two years.
“Annabelle thank you for the story, but if you don’t mind I’d like to steal Michael for a while.” Sebastian said, getting to his feet.
Michael followed suit, “We’ll be back for dinner.” He said to Annabelle, not sure why he felt he needed to reassure her.
Once the men had left the room, Leslie struggled to her feet again. “Want to see the nursery? It’s in the west wing where we’ll all be living, that is until the cabins are finished, which can’t come soon enough for me. I love my family, but sometimes this house doesn’t feel big enough. But I’ve put you in the east wing, you’ll have plenty of privacy there. After we see the nursery, I’ll show you your room, I gave you one with its own bathroom.” Leslie said, leading the way.
The nursery, like the rest of the house, was decorated simply but with the same flair she’d seen in the other rooms of the house. “We did this together, if you can believe that, four women all agreed on something.” Leslie laughed.
The room must have been one of the largest bedrooms in the wing, there was enough room for four cribs and two toddler beds. Annabelle went over to one of the cribs and picked up the blanket inside, it was obviously handmade and very soft. She rubbed it against her cheek, thinking about how nice it would be to wrap a baby in the blanket.
“This is lovely, it looks like you thought of everything.” Annabelle said, exploring the cabinets and drawers in the built in changing tables.
Leslie had lowered herself into one of the rocking chairs in front of the large window. “As soon as you meet Sabrina you’ll see why. She’d the most organized person I’ve ever met.” Leslie said fondly. “She’s the one who keeps this whole family together.”
“I can’t wait to meet her. When is her baby due?” Annabelle asked, sitting down in the other rocking chair, thinking how nice it would be to sit here whether day or night.
“Not soon enough.” A voice said from the door.
Annabelle turned to see another beautiful woman standing in the doorway, Annabelle was sure that this was Sabrina. She looked older than Leslie who was the youngest of the sister in laws.
“Annabelle, this is Sabrina, our mother hen.”
“Nice to meet you,” Annabelle said, getting to her feet.
“I’m glad you made it. We’re going to need your help soon.” She said, rubbing her belly. “But I’ve still got a few months to go, we’re hoping this little one will wait until after Christmas, but he’s pretty active.”
“Oh, it’s a boy?”
“Actually, we decided not to find out. It’s a bit old fashioned, but since this will be the only one we have, we’re going old school.” Sabrina said, then added with a mischievous grin. “It’s driving everyone crazy.”
“Sabrina just likes to be in control.” Leslie said, with an affectionate smile, “but we wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Everyone else is downstairs and Marcie has dinner ready if you two want to come down.”
“Sounds good to me, I’m starving.” Leslie said, trying to get out of the rocker, then collapsing back in frustration. “I never should have sat down here.”
Annabelle jumped up to help her out of the rocking chair, happy to be on the other side for once. “Here let me help you. I know quite a bit about needing help.”
“I guess you do.” Leslie said, as Annabelle expertly helped her get out of the chair. “I knew I made the right decision asking you to come help.”
Dinner that night was a blur of names and faces, but by the time the meal was over she’d figured out who everyone was and who they belonged to. She ate her meal quietly, happy to observe rather than join in. As an only child it was a new experience to be part of such a large family, but she thought she could get used to it.
After dinner, they all went their separate ways, much to Annabelle’s relief. She was exhausted, ready to find her room, take a long shower and climb into bed with a good book. The exhaustion must have been more obvious than she’d thought, because Leslie took one look at her after dinner and pulled her aside.
“You look exhausted, let me have Michael get your bag and I’ll show you your room.”
“Thanks, I am kind of tired.” Annabelle said, with relief. “But why don’t you have Michael show me, you look tired too.”
“That sounds like a good idea to me.” Leslie said, then added, “I’m more tired every day, but it won’t be long now, I’d say a week.”
“Then you better get some sleep while you can.” Annabelle said, “I’ll be fine.”
Annabelle found Michael and asked for his help, which he was happy to give. He already knew what bedroom she was in so it wasn’t long before she’d told him goodnight and shut the door. She could tell that he wanted to talk, but she was exhausted and her hip was hurting, it had been a long day.
The room they’d given her was as large as the nursery, the connecting bathroom nicer than any bathroom she’d ever seen. She quickly abandoned the idea of a shower and instead ran a bath in the huge tub, sprinkling the water liberally with the bath oil she found in the cabinet. She soaked until the water began to grow cold, slid into bed and was asleep immediately.
She awoke
the next morning, feeling rested and refreshed, which surprised her since it was a new place and a new bed. Her hip was a little stiff, but a nice hot shower would loosen it up. After her shower, she threw on some jeans and a sweatshirt, put her long hair up and found her way to the kitchen. It wasn’t hard to do, she just followed the sound of voices.
Marcie, their cook, saw her first and came over to introduce herself. Then she showed her around the kitchen explaining that for the most part she was on her own for breakfast. Lunch and dinner would be served as sit down meals, but every one helped themselves in the morning. Annabelle was fine with that since she wasn’t a big eater in the morning.
“There’s always a pot of coffee on, but I have to warn you, you never know what might be in there. Allison buys all our coffee and sometimes we’re guinea pigs for a new roast. It wouldn’t be so bad, but she doesn’t tell us, just makes the coffee and waits for a reaction.” Marcie said, making a face.
“I love just about any kind of coffee, so that might be fun.” Annabelle said, helping herself to a cup, then raising her eyebrows at Marcie before taking a sip.
“That’s just our usual breakfast blend. It’s my favorite, but I’ll make something darker later this afternoon. If you want to help with the coffee, I’m always willing to hand over responsibility to someone else.” She said, laughing. “Then everyone can yell at you when Allison pulls one of the substitutions.”
“I’d love to help. I’ll probably be drinking my fair share. Thanks Marcie.” Annabelle said, making herself a piece of toast.
“No problem, you’re going to be a big help around here. I can’t believe we’re going to have three newborns in a matter of months.” She said, going back to the vegetables she was chopping.
“Did you know that when you took the job? I mean I came here to help with the kids, but they’re going to make your job more difficult.”
“Yes, in fact that’s the reason they hired me, but I love this job. The Terrells are more like family, and they have no problem letting my son come here after school, even let him ride sometimes, so I’m not complaining about the extra work.” Marcie said, scraping the vegetables into the pot.
I'll Be There: BWWM Romance (Brothers From Money Book 5) Page 4
