Big Sky Country

by Janet Dailey

  "When I was born my mother moved into town. I only spent the summers with my father on the ranch," he explained. "So I have no idea what it's like to be in the country during the last days of Indian summer or see the first winter storm clouds building on the mountain peaks. I've often wondered, too, what it would be like, but never enough to find out."

  "I didn't know. I mean, Kerry did mention that your parents didn't live together, but I guess I assumed they didn't separate until you were older." Jill leaned back, staring thoughtfully ahead. It was difficult to imagine Riordan growing up in a town. The image of him being raised in the mountains under the domination of the elements was much easier to accept. "Of course, Riordan was older than you. The adjustment must have been harder for him."

  "He wouldn't try to adjust," Todd replied. "My mother told me that the minute he found out that she wasn't ever going back to the ranch, he ran away. He was nine years old and hitchhiked all the way back to the ranch. That happened three or four times before my grandfather suggested that it might be better to let Riordan stay on the ranch with his father. She finally agreed. When I was older I remembered asking him one time how he'd had the courage to come all the way from Helena, where mom and I lived with her father, to the ranch by himself." The corners of his mouth were turned up in a wry smile. "He said there wasn't any other way he could get home. The ranch has always been home to him. For me, it's just a place to spend the summer vacation."

  There was a twinge of envy that Riordan could rightfully call the mountains home. Then Jill considered the singleminded determination of the nine-year-old boy who had traveled the hundred and fifty-odd miles southwest of Helena.

  That part of him hadn't changed. Now he was determined to prevent a marriage between Todd and Kerry. He wasn't going to let anything stand in his way. He had even invited Jill along to watch.

  Drawing in a deep breath, Jill moved her head slightly in angry despair. There were three fools in this car. She wasn't sure which of them was the biggest. Probably herself, since the other two were blinded by their love for each other. The month promised to be a long and trying one—if she and Kerry survived.

  "What was Riordan like as a boy?" It was better to find out as much as she could about the enemy.

  "I don't know," Todd answered thoughtfully. "When you're a kid yourself, you don't pay much attention to those things. He was always 'big brother,' teaching me to ride, taking me hunting, letting me tag along. He was just Riordan."

  Kerry shuddered involuntarily. Todd reached out and covered the small hand on her knee with his own. Out of the corner of her eye, Jill saw the reassuring squeeze.

  "Don't start worrying," he murmured softly. "Once he gets to know you, he'll see what a great sister you'll make."

  Jill fell silent. Todd seemed unable to tell her much about Riordan and the mention of his name was only making Kerry more uneasy. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. She was concerned about making Kerry uneasy, when she had been sitting on pins and needles for the last half hour herself. The points had grown sharper as they came closer to their destination. It couldn't be far now. They had turned off the main highway several miles back.

  As if on cue Todd slowed the car and turned on to a dirt road leading farther into the mountain wilderness. The fence opening had no gate as the tires thumped over a cattle guard.

  "This is it," he announced, nodding his head at the window to indicate the land around them. "The house is a few miles back."

  Glancing back, Jill couldn't see any sign identifying the ranch as Riordan's property. The only sign she had noticed was one saying: No Trespassing. A prophetic warning, perhaps?

  A midafternoon sun glittered in her eyes as they topped a meadow rise and Jill caught her first glimpse of the ranch house. Large evergreens stood in a horseshoe guard on three sides of the house, protecting it from sweeping winter winds. The two-storied house itself was a tasteful example of turn-of-the century architecture, with its entrance porch a columned portico. Yet its wood and stone exterior was in keeping with its rustic setting.

  "It's beautiful!" Kerry breathed, breaking the spell of immobility after the car had stopped in front.

  "Just a little cabin in the mountains," Todd jested, opening his door and stepping out.

  It wasn't a mansion, but its graceful, old-world lines were impressive just the same, Jill decided. Curiosity burned to see the inside.

  As she stepped out of the car, her gaze swept to the ranch buildings. There was no sign of any activity either there or in the house. She had expected Riordan to be on hand to greet them, subconsciously she was braced to meet his cynical, mocking gray eyes.

  "I didn't expect it to be so nice," Kerry whispered.

  Jill glanced at the petite brunette now standing beside her. "I for one can hardly wait to see if the inside lives up to the promise of the outside," she replied quietly, turning to walk to the rear of the car where Todd was unloading their luggage.

  With Todd carrying the heavier cases and the two girls the lightweight ones, they mounted the steps to the heavy oak door.

  The formal entry hall gleamed with hardwood wainscoting below bright upper walls of cream yellow. A carved oak staircase led to the upper floor at the end of the hall. On their left was a fireplace of native granite, the trophy head of a big sheep hanging above the mantel. The hardwood floor beneath their feet was inlaid geometric designs, known as parquetry.

  Todd set the cases onto the floor. "I wonder where Mary is," he frowned.

  Footsteps approached, unhurried and light. Jill's head turned in their direction, wondering what kind of a woman this Mary was. Anyone who kept house for Riordan would have to be a paragon of talents to satisfy him. From the polished entrance hall, Jill guessed that the housekeeper was.

  If there had been a subconscious image of the housekeeper, Jill wasn't aware of it. Yet astonishment crackled through her at the sight of the young, almond-eyed woman who came into view.

  Long chestnut hair flowed around her shoulders as the sensuously curved woman glided toward them. Her eyes were a tawny hazel shade like a cat's and there was a purring quality about her smile.

  "Welcome home, Todd." She ignored both girls to walk directly to Todd and press a less-than-motherly kiss on his cheek.

  Jill doubted if the woman was Riordan's age, although her bone structure was deceiving and it was possible she was in her very early thirties. It wasn't difficult for Jill to believe that her talents went beyond housekeeping.

  Todd laughed self-consciously and glanced at Kerry before returning his attention to the woman whose hand was still resting lightly on his arm. "I didn't expect to see you here, Sheena."

  Sheena? This wasn't Mary, the housekeeper? Jill's eyebrows lifted fractionally in further surprise. The woman was certainly acting the hostess and not a guest.

  The purring smile deepened although it didn't reach the woman's cat-gold eyes. "I've been deputized as your official welcoming committee. Riordan had to be away from the ranchyard this afternoon. I'm sorry I didn't hear you drive in, but I was in the kitchen helping Mary with dinner tonight."

  "I…I hope you're joining us," Todd offered politely but with little enthusiasm.

  "I am." Then the woman's gaze swung to Jill, indifferent in its appraisal of her blond hair and blue eyes. "I'm Sheena Benton, Riordan's closest neighbor. You must be Todd's girlfriend. Kerry, isn't it?"

  Closest neighbor? Is that all? Jill thought cynically as she smoothly shook the artistically long and slender hand offered to her.

  "No, I'm Jillian Randall, Kerry's friend," she corrected lightly.

  The tawny eyes narrowed fleetingly before they darted to the plain, dark-haired girl at Jill's side. An uncomfortable flush in Kerry's cheeks indicated her painful awareness of Jill's obvious beauty, her golden looks intensified by Kerry's mouse-soft coloring.

  Jill wanted to cry out at the faint condemnation in the woman's eyes. Kerry's beauty was on the inside, but Jill doubted if this feline creature w
ould understand.

  Sheena Benton laughed throatily at her own mistake. There wasn't any amusement, however, when the tawny gaze refocused on Jill. There was a glitter of malevolence in the almond-shaped eyes. Instinctively Jill glanced at the woman's hands, half expecting to see them transformed into cat's claws to scratch her face.

  "It's a pleasure to meet you, Jillian," Sheena declared in a husky voice. Liar, Jill thought to herself. "I must admit you hardly look like a chaperone."

  "I'm really here as Kerry's friend."

  Her hand was released as the woman turned to Kerry and inclined her head in a falsely apologetic fashion. "I'm sorry about the mistake," Sheena Benton said in a regal tone.

  "It's quite all right," Jill murmured self-consciously.

  Kerry glanced through the corner of her lashes at Todd as though fearful he might suddenly be seeing how plain and unobtrusive she was. Warm, hazel eyes affectionately returned her surreptitious look.

  "You'll probably be very grateful for your friend's company after you've been here awhile," Sheena continued. "At the end of a week, the magnificent scenery around here begins to pale when you have nothing else to do. That's when boredom sets in."

  "You don't look bored, Miss Benton," Jill couldn't resist inserting.

  "But then I live here. I've had a few town friends stay with me. Invariably they begin climbing the walls after a week." A cold smile was directed at Jill. "And it's Mrs. Benton."

  "You're married?" she returned with some surprise.

  "Widowed," was the complacent reply. "My husband was killed in a hunting accident four years ago."

  "It must have been a shock," Jill suggested dryly.

  "In the beginning I was kept much too busy trying to keep the ranch going, and by the time Riordan helped me find a competent manager, the worst of the shock had passed." Feline shoulders shrugged as if to say the marriage was long ago and forgotten. "As the owner, I still have enough responsibilities to keep me occupied. I don't have time to be bored."

  "Neither will Kerry," Todd grinned, indifferent to the invisible sparks flying between Sheena and Jill. "I intend to devote every spare moment to making sure she enjoys this month."

  "Spoken like a typical young lover," Sheena laughed throatily, mocking their youth. "You'll find life operates at a simpler level, Kerry. A night out will probably consist of a walk in the moonlight. Todd is a patient teacher, though. Maybe in a month you'll be a country girl like me."

  "Not too much of a country girl," Todd qualified Sheena's statement. "We're going to be living most of our life in cities. I want to keep Kerry mainly a town bird."

  The light shining in Kerry's eyes said she would be whatever Todd wanted her to be. In that silent second, Jill forgot the chestnut-haired woman with the tawny eyes and remembered the reason she was in this house. Her mission was to do everything in her power to make certain Kerry and Todd lived happily ever after, as the fairy tales put it.

  "Let me show you two girls to your rooms," Sheena inserted smoothly, turning towards the staircase at the end of the entrance hall. "I know you'll want to unpack and bathe and rest before dinner. Naturally you have your old room, Todd," she tossed over her shoulder.

  Jill and Kerry followed the woman gliding effortlessly over the flowered carpet that covered the stairs. Sheena Benton seemed intent on impressing them with the idea that she was the hostess in the house, and not just for the afternoon.

  "I hope you girls don't mind sharing a bathroom." Sheena paused at the top of the stairs for them to catch up. "You have adjoining rooms with a bathroom in between."

  "Sounds fine," Jill nodded.

  "Good." With a brief smile, the woman walked familiarly down the wainscoted hallway, opened a door and stepped to the side. "This is your room, Kerry."

  There was a fleeting impression of delicate shades of green before the petite brunette moved hesitantly into the doorway to block Jill's view. Sheena was already pivoting away, indicating that Jill follow her.

  "And your room, Jillian, is here," she said.

  The door swung open to a room dominated by white with a sprinkling of blue, contrasted by artistically carved woodwork of glistening walnut. A Persian rug in an intricate design of blue and white covered the floor. The skillfully styled furniture in the room was, if Jill didn't miss her guess, antique.

  Her eyes sparkled with appreciation and admiration as she stepped farther into the room. The large double bed had a white cover hand-crocheted in a popcorn stitch—the perfect touch.

  Setting her small suitcases on the floor, Jill turned to the woman standing in the doorway. "It's lovely," she murmured inadequately.

  Any further attempt to express her delight with the room was checked by the look in Sheena's face. It forcibly said not to become too enamored of a room she would only have for a month. Then Sheena's eyes seemed to change from an amber warning shade to an aloof tawny gold.

  "The bathroom and your friend's room are through there," she said, flicking a hand toward the door near the fireplace. "Dinner is at seven."

  "Thank you."

  But Jill's polite words were spoken to a closing door. She pursed her lips thoughtfully. Something told her she had to watch out not only for Riordan but for Sheena as well. The woman didn't like her or want her here.

  Shaking her head to rid her mind of its unwelcome thoughts, Jill walked to the connecting door. The bathroom was large and spacious, its fixtures old-fashioned but seemingly in working condition. The murmur of Todd's and Kerry's voices in the adjoining room made Jill tap discreetly on the door to her friend's bedroom.

  "Come in," Todd called.

  A flushed Kerry was trying to squirm out of his arms when Jill walked into the room, but he wouldn't let her go, taking delight in her shyness.

  "I did knock," Jill pointed out with a teasing smile.

  "Todd, please!"

  "Oh, all right," he laughed down at Kerry. Partially releasing her with one hand, he captured her chin and dropped a quick kiss on the button nose. Only then did he let Kerry go and turned to pick up the large blue suitcase belonging to Jill.

  "I'll carry this into your room. By the way—" Todd paused after taking two steps "—what did you think of Tiger-eyes, Jill?"

  Grimacing wryly, she shrugged. "I didn't realize it was possible to dislike someone on sight."

  "Sheena has staked a claim on Riordan. She doesn't like it when anyone gets too near, especially when they look like you."

  "Your warning is duly noted, but she hasn't got anything to worry about from me. I'm not interested in her claim," Jill declared. "She's welcome to Riordan. They would make a perfect pair."

  "Please, it's bad enough having her as a neighbor," Todd's brow arched expressively. "Don't wish her on me as a sister-in-law!"

  "Todd, you shouldn't say things like that," Kerry protested gently. Love filled his face with a tender smile when he glanced at her. "Why? Because I prefer my women feminine instead of feline?" he teased.

  "Go and take Jill's suitcase into her room." Despite the ordering tone, Jill could see the glow lighting Kerry's face at Todd's compliment. She very nearly looked beautiful.

  "Whatever you say," he winked, and this time made it out of the room.

  Kerry stared after him for a moment. Wrapping her arms around herself as if to ward off a sudden chill, she looked away from Jill's inquiring look.

  "Well, we're here," she sighed.

  "It's a fabulous place, isn't it?" Jill replied to avoid any discussion of the reason they were here.

  Brown eyes swung admiringly around the room. "Todd told me about it, but I didn't expect anything like this. His grandfather built the house for his wife. Can you imagine how difficult it was back then? All the furniture was shipped by rail to Bannack, then by wagon here."

  Jill wandered over to the four-poster bed with its canopy of spring green. Her hand trailed over the quilted cover on the bed. Varying shades of pale green material had been painstakingly stitched together in an intricate
geometric pattern joined against a background of almost white green.

  "This is beautiful. The one in my room is crocheted. Whoever did these had to have a lot of patience."

  "A lot of love," Kerry corrected softly. "It's these little touches that keep the place from seeming like a museum. It's a home because someone cared about the people in it. She took the time to make these because she cared and because she was proud of the home where she lived. Oh, Jill—" her voice trembled with emotion "—I can hardly wait until I can have a home of my own. Some women are made to have a careers, but I'm not. I want a husband and children and a place where I can do things like this for them."

  "You will," Jill promised lightly. "In the meantime, I suppose we should start getting unpacked, I want to take a bath and Change clothes before dinner. Sheena said it was at seven."

  Kerry glanced at the slender watch on her wrist. "It's later than I thought. We'll have just about enough time to make it."

  "That's probably just as well. I had the feeling Sheena didn't want us sticking our noses outside the door until then." The edges of her mouth turned up in wry amusement as she moved away from the bed toward the connecting door. "I'll leave you to unpack. Whoever gets done first takes the first bath."

  "It's a deal," the other girl agreed.

  Jill was the first to finish unpacking and lazed in the luxuriously deep tub until Kerry was done. In her bedroom, she slid a lace-trimmed slip over her undergarments and walked to the small vanity table. Her tawny gold hair was piled on top of her head, held in place by a tortoiseshell clasp. Releasing the clasp, she shook her hair free with her fingers and reached for the hairbrush on the table.

  Refreshed and stimulated by the relaxing bath, she wandered about the room. Her silken blond hair crackled with electricity from the rhythmic and vigorous strokes of the brush. Pausing near the panelled drapes of Prussian blue, she gazed through the lace insets. The window looked out of the rear of the house, giving her a breathtaking view of the mountains rising above the valley meadow of the ranch.

  The sun had begun its descent in the vividly blue sky. The jutting mountains caught the golden fire, transformed the rocky peaks into regal crowns. The strokes of the hairbrush slowed to a complete stop as Jill lifted aside the white lace curtains for an unobstructed view.