Stella proceeded cautiously. “Have you been able to ride at all lately, Corinne?”
Corinne pushed her food around her plate. “I haven’t had time. It’s taken all I’ve got just to keep up with the house.”
Peyton pointed his fork in her direction. “No more. You’ve got Stella here now, and I have Mrs. Carpenter coming once a week to clean.” Understanding dawned as Stella watched Corinne’s sheepish expression.
Corinne hated struggling to do her part. She’d always been hard working, tough. “Peyton’s right, sweetie.” Stella touched her arm gently. “I want you to spend your time doing what you love, with Misty– and with me. You take me riding. Write down all the things you’d normally do and if I have questions I’ll ask Peyton or Misty. Or you can show me. You need to reserve your strength though.”
“Oh but–”
“Write it down, Corinne.” Peyton interrupted her. Stella caught his eye. They were on the same page.
The rest of the meal passed less contentiously. They were all avid football fans and the Colorado team had defeated every opponent so far. Stella said they’d jinx the team though, to start talking about a Super Bowl run.
They also discussed how Misty loved her teacher. She was already ahead, having learned to read at home last year. Stella could hardly wait to see the little girl. She gave the best hugs in the world.
By the end of the meal, Stella saw that Corinne’s energy was already diminishing. Knowing her friend wouldn’t want to admit it, Stella placed her napkin on the table and began gathering dishes.
“You can’t do that, you’re a guest!” Corinne seemed to forget for a moment why Stella was here before both Peyton and Stella stared her into submission. “Oh, very well! But only until I’m better.” And then she tossed her own napkin onto the table and left the room.
Not sure what to say, Stella finished stacking the plates and carried them over to the large island. The kitchen was as practical and charming as the rest of the house. She’d never seen counter tops like this though. Not granite, or tile… Cement? And the cupboards seemed custom made as well. In fact, the wood matched the long table they’d just dined at.
Peyton followed her with the glasses and a few serving dishes. He opened the dishwasher for her and made another trip to the table. By the time he’d finished, Stella had loaded the dishwasher and was searching for containers to store the leftovers. Surprisingly they worked together in a comfortable silence.
After drying his hands, Peyton switched on the single cup coffee maker and pulled out an assortment of blends to choose from. “Coffee?”
Stella leaned against the counter and nodded. “Something sweet and fufu if you have it.”
He grinned unashamedly at that.
“It’s Saturday night, don’t you have a date with Miss Valerie?” Something curdled inside her at the thought of him with the blond from the photograph. Stella knew better than to judge a person by how they looked but that picture… But really! Who has their picture taken wearing nothing but a cowboy hat?
Peyton inserted the pod and pressed the button. The coffee was practically brewed before he answered. “Too much work these days.”
Hm. If he were her boyfriend, at such a time as this, she’d want to be with him, do what she could to help.
Not that she could think of him that way. He was Corinne’s brother. It would be utterly tasteless to scam on her friend’s brother at a time like this. A sad sigh escaped her.
“What?” He’d picked up on that pretty quick.
She shook her head. “Nothing.” He handed her the steaming cup and then inserted another plastic pod.
With his back to her she had a perfect view of his behind. She didn’t normally notice these sorts of things on men, it was just that his was so… perfect. A shiver ran down her spine.
She blew on the coffee and took a sip. “You don’t have to entertain me.” She said, wondering if he really did have work to do.
He turned and rested that perfect behind against the counter. “I don’t intend to. But–” he added– “we still have some daylight. Thought you’d be up for a quick tour. Familiarize yourself a bit.”
“Sure.” She’d changed into what she hoped was a Ranch approved outfit. She figured she could handle whatever he had in mind. He removed the second cup of coffee from the machine and took a lazy sip.
“Well,” he drawled. “This is the kitchen.” At first, she thought he was kidding but then he began showing her where dishes were kept and the frozen food and of course, a well-stocked pantry. Not saying where they were headed, he then led her through a laundry room to the back porch. “If you put the trash in these containers, I’ll drive it down to the road on Wednesdays. Gotta make sure the lids are shut tight though. We don’t need any more unwanted visitors.”
“Like me?”
He grunted. “Yeah, just like you.”
Except she wasn’t.Peyton should have told her. In fact, he’d appreciated Stella backing him when it came to telling Corinne to rest. His sister could be stupid and stubborn and they’d taken to arguing over how much she should be doing ever since the diagnosis.
Stepping onto the deck he’d built a few years ago, he paused to sip his coffee. He never got tired of staring out at these mountains. They changed every day and yet were as familiar as the back of his own hand.
