“It’s even better in the fall,” Pat said as he walked toward another door. “This is your bathroom. If you need extra towels, they’re in the closet in the hallway.”
Hannah stared at the huge bath and shower. “You’re spoiling me. Claire and I own a little three-bedroom cottage with one tiny bathroom.”
“I’m glad you’re happy. Would you like to see the rest of the house?”
“That would be wonderful. I’m looking forward to cataloging your paintings.”
Pat waved her through the bedroom door. “We never thought our collection would fill our home. We started with one small painting and only stopped when Ida moved into the retirement village.”
He looked so sad that Hannah reached out and touched his arm. “I borrowed a digital camera from a friend. It takes the most amazing photos. I’m sure Mrs. McConachie will enjoy seeing her paintings again.”
“I hope so, too,” Pat said as he patted her hand. “Let me show you the study. It’s one of my favorite places in the house. Are you still planning on painting in the afternoons?”
Hannah nodded. “I brought one of my unfinished canvases with me.”
“While we’re looking around the house, if you think any of the rooms will make a good studio, let me know. I want you to be comfortable while you’re here.”
As they passed another painting, Hannah smiled. Being on Mr. McConachie’s ranch was like opening an early Christmas present. She didn’t know what was inside, but she knew it would be special.
***
Brett sat on the bench seat in Pat’s mudroom. He rested his head against the wall and closed his eyes. Today had been one of those long, hard days that seemed to drag into forever.
A cold nor’wester was kicking up a storm, sending most of their cattle straight into the windbreaks they’d built through the summer.
During winter, they were down to a skeleton staff. That meant a lot of early mornings and, if this storm built into what was predicted, long days of fixing fences and rounding up stray cattle.
He pulled off his boots and sighed. For the first time in a long while, the restlessness that had driven him around the world had resurfaced. Figuring out what was causing the bone-deep unease had kept him awake for most of the night. He’d woken tired and grumpy. The last thing he needed was a roving herd of cattle heading into the mountains.
Taking a deep breath, he smelled the casserole Mrs. Bennett had cooked. He’d speak to Pat, then take his dinner home. A hot shower and an early night would put his life into perspective and give him one less thing to worry about.
“Is that you, Brett?”
He walked into the kitchen and smiled at Mrs. Bennett. “It is. I thought you were finishing early today.”
“So did I until I heard about our guest. I wanted to make sure Pat didn’t burn dinner, so I thought I’d supervise his cooking skills.”
“I’m not that bad,” Pat grumbled as he took four glasses out of a cupboard. “I haven’t set fire to anything.”
Brett didn’t think it was a good time to point out that they’d come close a couple of times. “Who’s staying here?”
Pat cleared his throat. “I was going to say something sooner, but I thought I’d wait until the time was right.”
Brett smiled. “Is Ida’s sister staying with you again?”
Pat ran his hand around the back of his neck. “Not exactly.”
The front door burst open and a woman rushed into the kitchen. “You’re not going to believe what I just saw.” She glanced at Brett and smiled. “Hi, Brett. There’s a bald eagle circling above the barn.”
“That will be Oscar,” Mrs. Bennett said. “He visits us a couple of times a week.”
Hannah’s eyes widened. “You’ve given him a name?”
“He’s here so often that he’s almost part of the family.”
Brett stared at Hannah. He couldn’t have been more shocked if he’d been blown over by a tornado. She was standing in Pat’s kitchen, looking for all the world like she belonged there.
Hannah rubbed her hands together. “It’s lovely and warm in here. It’s really cold outside.”
