Shadow Mountain. Leona Karr

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СКАЧАТЬ Caroline’s surprise Felicia laughed deeply, her earrings jingling as she nodded. Apparently, Danny’s rejection of Cassie’s bossiness amused her. “He’s a nice boy. You bring him to my rooms. We’ll all play and learn together.”

      “Good. That’s settled then,” Stella said, just as Wes and Dexter came into the room.

      “Mmm. Smells good,” Dexter said. “I’m hungry as a bear. Grrrr,” he said patting his stomach as he made a play move for Danny. He laughed when Danny backed up and gave him a wide-eyed stare.

      “That’s enough, Dex,” Wes said and motioned Caroline and Danny toward a built-in buffet along one wall. “We don’t stand on formality here. We serve ourselves except for drinks.”

      “Wait for me at a table, Danny,” Caroline told him. “I’ll bring you a plate.”

      The choices were unbelievable and Caroline decided there were enough steaming dishes set out to feed a harvest crew. She had a choice of chicken, roast beef or barbecue pork ribs. There were several vegetable casseroles and potatoes oozing with butter. A platter of fruit was about the only thing that didn’t shriek calories.

      Caroline selected a piece of chicken, modest servings of two kinds of vegetables and sliced oranges for both her and Danny. Wes, Dexter and Shane were in line behind her, filling their plates to the fullest.

      Stella and Cassie took their plates to the table where Danny was sitting and as Caroline followed, she noticed that Felicia had left. She wondered if it was the nanny’s habit not to eat with the family.

      As the two men and Shane sat together at another table, a murmur of conversation and laughter filled the small room. Almost immediately, as if there’d been some kind of signal to the kitchen, a rather plump, redheaded woman in slacks and T-shirt came into the room to serve the drinks.

      “Trudie Benson, our housekeeper,” Stella told Caroline. “Her husband, Hank, is our wonderful cook and the two of them keep the place going. They’re recruits from the Texas ranch. Been with the Wainwright family for years. Wes brought them to Colorado when he was first married.”

      “How long ago was that?”

      “Before I was born,” Cassie piped up. “Daddy told me. Him and Mommy were lonesome until I came along. When she went to heaven, he was glad he still had me.”

      “My daddy went to heaven, too,” Danny said as if he wasn’t going to be outdone. “And my mom’s glad she has me.”

      Both Caroline and Stella choked back smiles. Competitive natures, both of them.

      Caroline begged off staying downstairs after dinner. It had been a long day and both she and Danny were tired. To her surprise, Wes invited her to have an after-dinner drink before retiring, but she politely refused. She knew better than to fraternize with the boss.

      After they were settled in their beds and Danny had said his prayers, she wearily closed her eyes and courted sleep. None came. After an hour of turning and tossing, she was still awake. The dynamics of her new situation and the people she’d met kept her mind whirling.

      Wes Wainwright certainly had perfected an image of devoted father and unpretentious millionaire. But was it just a facade? What was he like, really? She doubted that he’d stay around long enough for her to find out. Even if he did, she was pretty sure he’d make his presence scarce while the redecorating was going on.

      And what about Stella and her son, Shane? Stella must have been much older than the younger brother, Delvin, to marry and have a son of seventeen. She wondered what Wes’s wife had been like and what had happened to her. Caroline tossed all of this around in her mind until she finally fell into a restless sleep.

      The room was filled with morning light when she came awake with a jerk. Danny was bending over her, his breath warm on her face. “Are you awake?”

      “Almost,” she said and smiled as she cupped his face with her hands and kissed his forehead. “Are you?”

      “Can we go home, now?”

      “Not today.”

      “When can we?”

      “I’m not sure,” she answered honestly. Taking one day at a time was the only way she could cope at the moment. She wasn’t at all sure how this decorating job was going to play out. Stella’s temperament was certainly a question mark. Conceivably, the woman could throw her hands up at any time and fire Caroline without much cause.

      Obviously, her brother-in-law, Wes, had no emotional investment in the project. Caroline suspected he’d be glad enough to have the whole idea scrapped.

      And then there was Cassie. If Danny got crosswise with her in any serious way, her father would promptly show them the door to keep her happy. And Felicia wasn’t exactly the kind of nanny Caroline would have chosen. She didn’t seem the type who easily related to children.

      WES WAS the only one in the room when they came down to breakfast. He watched as Caroline and Danny moved along the buffet. When she gave him a hesitant smile, he was glad he’d made the effort to come down early. He stood up and motioned for them to join him at his table.

      He thought she looked trim and neat in light-blue slacks, matching jacket and simple white blouse. The first thing he’d noticed about her was her eyes. They were as blue and clear as a summer’s sky. Her brunette, wavy hair was short, casual and carefree. He liked that. He couldn’t stand women who were always fussing with their hair. His late wife, Pamela, had been the worst. She’d been a Texas beauty queen when he’d met and married her. Her appearance had always been uppermost in her mind. It got a little wearying at times.

      As they sat down, Wes poured her coffee from a table carafe and offered Danny a carton of chocolate milk.

      “I like chocolate best,” Danny said with a happy grin.

      “I thought you might,” he said smiling as he poured it into a glass for him. He was a damn cute kid. Not as outgoing as Cassie, but he’d bet Danny was just as sure of himself in his own way. “Did you sleep well?” he asked Caroline as if the dark circles under her eyes weren’t answer enough.

      “So-so. I guess I had a few things on my mind.”

      As she sipped her coffee and looked at him over the rim of her cup, a feeling he hadn’t experienced for a long time stirred within him. Her features were totally feminine and her full breasts and rounded hips invited the caressing touch of a man’s hands. Her lips were moist and pink from the warmth of the hot coffee and he couldn’t help but imagine what they would feel like pressed against his. As he felt desire begin to stir, he looked away quickly and gave his attention to his cinnamon toast.

      “Lovely view,” she said, looking out the window.

      “This early in the morning the sun just brushes the tops of the trees,” he told her. “The mountains look as if they’ve been painted against the sky. As far as I’m concerned, the Colorado Rockies have the kind of beauty that makes life worthwhile. I hope you can relax, Caroline, and enjoy yourself a little while you’re here.”

      “Stella said you wouldn’t be staying.”

      Wes couldn’t tell from her tone whether it made the slightest difference to her one way or the other. He was used to women who welcomed his company СКАЧАТЬ