Jack needed to fix one of the Jeeps, so Teren volunteered to help him, after making sure I’d be fine by myself for awhile. I assured him I would be, and gave him a lingering kiss before pushing him away to bond with his father. He seemed to really enjoy the guy time, and I wondered why he didn’t visit more often. In the four weeks we’d been together he hadn’t come out here once, and by the sound of Alanna’s greeting yesterday, his last visit had been quite some time before that.
Back inside the house and wondering what I should do, I ran into Alanna at the stairs. “Alann…Mom, is there anything I can help you with today? Teren’s fixing a Jeep…”
She smiled and for just the slightest second, her pale eyes were almost sad. The look was gone before I could be sure though. She wrapped her arm around mine and we started walking up the stairs. “No, dear. You’re a guest here, and we get everything done that needs to be.” She winked at me and grinned in a way that reminded me of her son. “Sometimes being really fast is very convenient.”
I grinned too, as I thought about how much fun it would be to zip around on overdrive. She probably got more things done around the ranch before noon, all by herself, than a team of handymen could get done in a day. Girl power indeed.
“Why don’t you spend some time relaxing by the pool? It’s quiet out there - you could read a book from the library?”
That actually sounded quite pleasant, but I still felt a little guilty. “Would you like to join me?”
She patted my arm again as we reached the top step. “I’m going to visit with Mom for awhile. I’ll join you later.” At the top of the stairs, she kissed my cheek lightly with her cool lips and walked towards the heavy door at the opposite end of the hall from ours. Her long, loose hair swished across her back and her thick jeans rustled slightly, but that was the only noise she made.
I changed into my bathing suit. Teren had packed my two skimpiest bikinis and for a second, I considered revoking his pack-master status…until I noticed that he’d also packed my favourite book, one I’d read so many times, the binding was falling apart, ‘Where the Red Fern Grows’. I shook my head and again marveled at his odd skill. Grabbing my dark-tinted, pink-framed sunglasses, I slabbed on a layer of SPF. Snatching a plush towel from the bathroom, I made my way down to the pool.
My skimpy little black string bikini barely kept in all my curves, but the other one he’d chosen to bring was red, and for some reason, wearing that colour made me feel a little like a walking all-you-can-eat buffet advertisement. I’m not sure what he was thinking packing those to meet his family. Well, actually, I was pretty sure I knew exactly what he was thinking (I looked damn good in a bikini), but it wasn’t the most appropriate thing to wear around potential in-laws.
The house was quiet, and I didn’t run into anyone else as I slipped through the massive living room and out the back door to the patio. I found a comfortable looking chair with full sun exposure and laid out on my stomach, stretching my legs out. If I only had a Mai Tai and a chiseled man, fanning me with a palm frond, I’d think I was in some exclusive resort on a tropical island. I cracked open my book and prepared myself for some classic childhood adventure, hunting wily racoons with lovable and unwaveringly loyal coonhound pups. I promised myself that this time, I wouldn’t cry, knowing all too well that, of course, I would. I did every time. It was an odd book for a girl to like, or so I’d been told, but I did…I loved it.
I was halfway through the novel when I flipped over to my back. I startled when I did.
“Thirsty?”
Alanna was standing at the foot of the chair, holding out a glass of lemonade. I hadn’t even heard her approach. I took a deep breath and tried to calm my suddenly racing heart, all too aware that she could probably hear every wet, thumping pulse. I grabbed the glass and muttered a thank you before I took a long draw.
“You’re welcome.” She looked over my body and I tried not to blush at the oddity of what felt like an examination. She smiled with just one corner of her mouth and then looked up to the sky, where the sun was well below the halfway point, between high noon and horizon. “The boys should be done soon.” She looked back to me and laughed - a tinkling sound like silver bells. “Those two do enjoy their free time. I think they may have given up on the Jeep and gone fishing.” She pointed back towards a valley between two large hills. “They’re over there.”