Trish jumped at the unexpected voice behind her, nearly spitting out her cookie. Luckily she had the sense to cover her mouth before she sprayed crumbs across the kitchen.
Behind her, a woman about her own age, sandy hair pulled back into a ponytail, smiled. “Grams loves to bake.” The woman fidgeted with the cookie display. “And now I can sample for two.” She patted her belly, and Trish smiled at the perfectly round bump.
“Oh!” A dozen questions whirled around in her mind, but one thing seemed obvious. The advertised cowboy had a wife and a child on the way. Trish felt her cheeks blaze at her misunderstanding. “Congratulations!” Trish added when she realized she’d not said anything to the wide blue eyes studying her.
“Thank you.” The woman beamed, light twinkling in her eyes as she reached for a cookie. “We’re only a couple of weeks away from meeting him.”
Had Wade been wearing a wedding band? If he had, she’d been too consumed with embarrassment to notice.
“I’m Kate, by the way.” She took a quick bite, wiping a crumb from the corner of her mouth. “So sorry I didn’t lead with that.” Kate reached a warm hand across the counter.
“Trish.” She shook the extended hand, surprised by the firmness of Kate’s grip.
“Oh! You’re our in-house guest for the week!”
“Yep.” It was all she could get out considering she’d taken another bite of cookie.
“I hope you like your room. I helped Grams set it up. She and Wade did most of the work, though. They don’t like me to do things that involve step stools and power tools at this point.” Kate chuckled. “But the lilac theme was my idea.”
“I haven’t had a chance to see it yet. I had a little incident upon arrival.” She raised the towel hiding her wadded clothes as evidence. “Lina was going to show me up there once I finished showering.”
“She’s probably doing some last-minute checks on the cabins. The rest of the writers are due to arrive soon. I can show you your room.” Kate pushed herself off the kitchen island. “Or at least point you that way. I’m not too keen on stairs these days. Why don’t you leave those muddy clothes?” Kate pointed toward a door behind Trish. “I’ll get them washed up for you.”
After dropping her clothes in the laundry room, Trish followed Kate, distracted by the gorgeous home. She’d suspected it was big when she first spotted it around the bend. But she’d been too preoccupied with getting cleaned up and avoiding as many cowboys as possible to pay closer attention.
“This house has belonged to Holbrooks since it was built, over a hundred and twenty years ago. They knew a thing or two about log construction and it’s lasted well. Those are chinked, reclaimed timber logs.” Kate tapped a wall as they turned the corner. “Aren’t they beautiful?”
“Very.”
“This is the living room,” Kate continued, explaining where different rooms and features were located, as she’d stopped walking ahead. Her hand rested on her round belly. But Trish’s attention was stolen by the vaulted ceiling and stone fireplace. The stories she could write while cozied up next to a fire in this room!
“That’s an authentic fireplace. Burns real logs. No gas imitation in this house.” Kate’s eyes sparkled as she talked. “You’ll have to forgive me. I stage and photograph houses, and occasionally I put on my realtor hat and sell one. I have a hard time turning it off.”
“That sounds so interesting!” An idea for a new character sparked to life, and Trish made a mental note to jot down her newest idea as soon as she had pen and paper. Yes, this writers’ retreat would be a good thing for her indeed.
“The ranch itself—” Kate waved a hand toward a sizable bay window. “Well, Wade can show you that. You’ll get to take a horseback riding tour with him around the property tomorrow or the day after, I think.” A twinkle in Kate’s eyes caught Trish’s attention. “Make sure you ask him all kinds of questions. The more, the better.”
There was something mischievous in that request, but Trish couldn’t pin it down. Probably some inside husband-and-wife joke.
“Have you ever ridden a horse?” Kate asked.
“Yes.” Trish was happy to reply that she had. Though she’d moved around a lot growing up, she spent a couple of years in a smaller town with its stable only a mile from the city limits. She’d secured a summer job mucking out stalls when she was thirteen and rode her bike to the stable early every morning. She’d preferred it to being cooped up with the other foster kids who didn’t seem to like her a whole lot. “I haven’t ridden in a few years, but I rode a lot as a kid.” When the owner of the stable tried to let her go because he couldn’t afford to pay Trish any longer, she bartered to work in exchange for riding lessons.
“Sounds like you’ll be just fine.” Kate turned Trish around by the shoulder and pointed. “Take those stairs. It’s a guest suite up there. Just a single bedroom and a private bath with a standup shower, but it’s all yours! Make yourself at home. While you’re here, you’re family.”
Trish climbed the log stairs to the top, a lump in her throat at those words. Surely Kate didn’t mean them quite so literally, but they warmed a spot in her heart. She leaned on the banister, looking down into the living room. “Wow. This is all mine?”
Kate reached for a crooked photo on the wall and straightened it. “Grams insisted our VIP guest receive the best accommodation. Perfect writing space up there,” Kate called up, her eyes sparkling with pride. “You can mingle when you want, and close the door when you don’t.”
“Yeah.” Trish’s feet seemed planted in place.
“Go on,” Kate insisted. “Get settled in. Appetizers are on at four-thirty.”
Though Trish didn’t know what she’d do about dressing for a meal with her suitcase still in her car, she stepped hesitantly in to investigate the room where she’d spend the next week. With luck, she’d have decent cell reception on this upper level.
She was surprised to find her two suitcases and laptop bag leaned against the wall opposite the tidy bed, her car keys set neatly on her nightstand. “The Dinosaur!” She rushed into the room and pulled the heavy laptop from its case and scanned it for damage. When she found nothing outside of the old scratches and chips, she hugged it to her chest.
Her pocket buzzed against her leg. Trish set her laptop down carefully on the bed and pulled her phone from her robe pocket.
