An Unlikely Rancher. Roz Fox Denny

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СКАЧАТЬ make it plain she’s not to bother you. The dog is a different matter. Keeping her from loving on him will be hopelessly impossible.” She frowned. “Like I need this aggravation.”

      “I’d check into one of the motels, but neither allows pets.”

      “Well, maybe we’ll laugh about it once it’s over.”

      “I really doubt that.”

      Jenna stiffened. “Of course not. What was I thinking? I’ll check to be sure you have bedding and towels upstairs. Beyond that, I’ve no desire to run a motel. The rooms don’t come with maid service.” She turned and marched to her vehicle.

      Flynn pinched the bridge of his nose. He’d set her off again.

      The dog gave a woof as Jenna got in the SUV.

      “Beezer, come here, boy. Let Andee go. Come on, you traitor.”

      The dog finally came to him as Jenna drove off, and butted his thigh. “Hey, careful, buddy.” He stepped out of Beezer’s reach. “Keep your paws crossed that my stupid blood pressure will be normal tomorrow. I need the VA doc to approve my flight physical. I want to start advertising those flying lessons... Maybe get Travis Hines signed up for a refresher course.”

      * * *

      “DID THE MAN fix Mr. Flynn’s air conditioner?”

      Jenna tilted the rearview mirror just enough to see Andee. She had thought to wait until their evening meal to break the news concerning their houseguests. But this was the perfect opening. “The house needs a new one.”

      “Why?”

      “The old one broke and won’t cool the house now.”

      “Beezer was hot sitting with me in the shade. Will living in a hot house make him sick?”

      “Honey, Flynn rents that house from me, so getting a new air conditioner is up to me. Since it will take a while to arrange to get one, I invited him to stay upstairs at our house.”

      “And Beezer?”

      Jenna sighed. “Yes, Beezer, too.”

      Andee clapped. “I hope it takes a long, long time to get a new air conditioner. I want Beezer to stay with us forever.”

      “That’s not even a remote possibility. And Mr. Flynn needs his privacy while he’s at our house. Understood?”

      “What’s pri...va...cy?” Andee dragged out the word.

      Jenna slowed to turn off the highway onto their lane. She didn’t answer at once, because suddenly, talking about inviting a man she hardly knew to move into the house with them gave her pause. What did she really know about him?

      “Mommy? You didn’t answer.”

      She stopped outside the house and turned around. “Privacy means leaving someone alone.”

      Andee scowled at her from between stuffed-animal ears.

      Jenna recognized the stubborn streak she’d run up against before. “The upstairs is off-limits to us. Just like Auntie Melody and Uncle Rob’s bedroom suite was when we lived with them.”

      “They didn’t have a dog. I bet Beezer will want to come down and play with me.”

      So much hopefulness shone through that statement, Jenna sighed and gathered up her purse. Andee had weathered so many disruptions in her life of late, Jenna felt guilty for that.

      Maybe the bank would grant her a loan tomorrow and Flynn Sutton and his dog would be gone within the week.

      “Let’s go in. I’ll fix spaghetti and a salad for dinner. How’s that?”

      Andee tried to hold on to her frown, but spaghetti was her favorite and she shot inside. Jenna employed bribes judiciously, but this was one time she didn’t feel bad about in the least.

      As Jenna prepared the meal, she took a moment to phone Oscar Martin in Hawaii.

      “Mr. Martin, this is Jenna Wood. I bought your property in New Mexico.”

      “Right. How are you getting along? I hope my notes make sense.”

      “They’re very detailed. Thank you. I hadn’t realized you would already be gone when I arrived—that was a bit of a surprise.”

      “Yeah, about that. I should’ve let you know, sorry, but I had an opportunity come up that...wouldn’t wait. Couldn’t have really told you much more about the birds than are in those notes, though.”

      “It’s...fine. We’ll figure it out. I’m afraid I had to let your manager go, which hasn’t helped matters.”

      “What? What did he do this time?”

      “This time? So he’s... Never mind. He’s gone now. He demanded more money, which I didn’t have to pay him. Got a little heavy-handed about it, and I’m relieved to be rid of him.”

      “Well, he always did have a temper.”

      “I’m calling because my daughter would like to get a dog. Do you know if that poses a problem for the birds?”

      “Well, I never had one. But lots of times folks driving past on the highway stopped in to see the birds—ostriches aren’t your everyday sight in New Mexico—and often they had kids and dogs. Little yappers disturbed the birds. I think I put in the notes that noises give them a fright. I suppose there are dogs that don’t bark much.”

      “Yes,” Jenna murmured, her thoughts on a big, lumpy dog that barked whenever he saw Andee and airplanes that swooped overhead. “Well, thank you for sparing the time to chat with me. I hope you’re enjoying retirement.”

      “Living by the ocean is great. I do miss the ranch, though. You enjoy the place. And sorry Winkleman didn’t work out. Don’t hesitate to call if you have other questions.”

      Certainly some surged to the fore. But they were all impossible for the man to help with from so far away. “Thanks.”

      Jenna hung up after he said goodbye.

      She guessed she’d see how much Beezer barked.

      * * *

      JENNA SAT AT the kitchen table after dinner studying Oscar Martin’s notes. Andee sat across the table putting together her second puzzle.

      “I don’t know, Andee,” Jenna said for the umpteenth time. “Relax. Beezer and Flynn will get here when they get here.”

      “That doesn’t say when. Where will the hands on the clock be when they come?”

      Her uncle Rob had begun teaching Andee how to tell time. She did pretty well for six, Jenna thought, glancing up at the cat-shaped kitchen clock. “Can you tell me what time it is now?”

      “Um. The little hand is on seven. And the big hand is on six,” Andee said, pointing. СКАЧАТЬ