by Imani King
The girl shook her hand, but the smile lighting up her face quickly vanished. “Oh, honey. What happened to your face?”
“Oh…” Ari automatically tried to brush her hair forward to cover the bruise but instantly remembered how filthy she was. She did her best not to come across as too shy. “Happened last night. I’m all right.”
“It looks awful,” the girl said, her eyebrows creased with concern.
“Faye!” Val barked. “Manners.”
“Sorry.” She gave her head a quick shake and smiled again. “It’s nice to meet you, Ari.”
The screen door opened at that moment and an older girl with Espresso brown hair stepped in. She was as tall as her mother was short, and very curvy.
Ari imagined she must turn quite a few heads. She looked to be Ari’s age or at most, a year or two older.
Faye turned to her. “This is my sister, Khloe.”
“Hello, I’m Ari.” She extended her hand again.
“Hi,” Khloe said, looking as curious and concerned as the first girl had.
Val spoke up, this time avoiding any more awkward comments, “Ari here’s going through a bit of a hard time. She found her way onto the property and she’s looking for some work to help get her on her feet. Now, I’ve offered her Amber’s old room and she can earn her keep by helping me around the house. I expect you girls to be hospitable and don’t go prying.”
Faye looked annoyed while Khloe just rolled her eyes. “Ma, we’re not little kids.”
“Then go and find some clean sheets for the bed upstairs,” Val instructed without batting an eyelash. “I’ve still got some work to do, so Ari, if you can’t find me and you have questions, you can ask one of the girls, alright?”
“Sure,” Ari said with a smile.
Khloe was scratching thoughtfully at her cheek. “Amber’s room is empty though, isn’t it?”
“The bed’s still there,” Val said. “There might be a couple of things still stored in the closet, but we can move those up to the attic. Once Logan gets back here, I’ll have him bring a few things down.”
“He’s outside,” Khloe announced. “He was just standing by the stables and I asked him what’s up. He said he’s waiting for you to let him back in.”
Val quirked her mouth in that way that told Ari she was fond of her ranch hand and went to the door, waving her arm in a ‘come on’ motion.
Logan came in, saw the ladies and removed his hat politely.
“Would you take that up to the bedroom on the right for her?” Val asked him.
“She’s staying?” Logan asked, not moving an inch.
Val nodded while looking past him outside. “For now. We’ll see how it works out.”
Logan’s eyes lit up and he was in front of Val in two quick steps. Before anyone knew what he was up to, he planted a big kiss on the woman’s cheeks and turned to Ari, “See? Didn’t I tell you our Val was a real sweetheart deep down beneath all the gruff?”
Val shooed him off by slapping his hands away. “Off with you.” Val waved him away. “Go on.”
Logan looked at Ari, who gave him a courteous smile. “Right this way, Miss,” Logan said right before he grabbed her bag and led the way up the stairway.
Faye followed them.
Upstairs, multiple doors led to three bedrooms and a washroom. An entryway in the ceiling went all the way up to where Ari guessed was the attic. Logan went to the first door on their right and stepped into a quaint little room with a single mattress on a bed frame. A large sheet was draped over the bed.
Faye presently brought in some new sheets, passing them to Logan, “Hold this,” before taking the big one away. “Good to know Ma didn’t have us dusting this room all the time for nothing.”
Ari tried to help but Faye would have none of it. She had no choice but to stand aside as Faye tossed the larger sheet to the floor and got the fresh ones on the bed. “Logan, you can take her upstairs to see what she’d like to bring down.”
“Sure thing.”
The attic was clean, albeit a bit musty. It was dark in the room, but Ari could still make out all sort of furniture stacked here and there. She blinked to adjust her eyes and then sneezed at the invasion of her nostrils with dust.
“Oh, here.” Logan hurried to the window. “I’ll let in some air and light so you can breathe easy.”
As soon as the light was let in, Ari was entranced by all the things she could see. “Look at all of this,” she said in an awe-filled voice.
There were all kinds of art hanging on the wall and sitting on the floor, there were also ornamental plates, mahogany furniture, books and books along with many artifacts. She heard Logan chuckle to himself and she turned to find him watching her. She didn’t fault the confusion in his eyes. Up until now, he’d only seen paranoid aggression in her, as she hadn’t tried to be nice the whole time he was with her. Spending time with Val had definitely improved her disposition and she could tell that Logan was happy for her.
“The room’s filled to the brim, isn’t it?” Logan said, looking around too. “Just look around real good and if you see anything you like, I’ll take it right down the stairs for you.”
Ari nodded. She still couldn’t believe she’d found such luck with Val Westbrooke but she wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. She walked up to a tall mirror and stopped in front of it. She looked herself over, dismayed at her appearance.
Logan stood behind her, watching her quietly. “Are you okay?” he asked. “You look like you’ve been crying.”
“I’m al; right,” she replied quietly. “I’ll look much better once I’ve had a chance to clean up.”
“I think you look fine right now,” Logan said. Her eyes met his in the mirror and he hurriedly added, “I mean, not that I like seeing you like this, but it isn’t hard to tell you look nice ordinarily.”
Ari did not reply to his comment. She should say thank you to him, for complimenting her, but she just let it go. “I still can’t believe this is really happening for me,” she said instead.
“I’m glad you agreed to come along with me.”
“Me too,” she said and then, she turned to him again, her fingers fidgeting together. “I never did thank you for that.”
“Aw, that’s alright.”
“No, it isn’t,” she said. “I was very rude to you before, and without you…I probably wouldn’t have even found food by now. I’d still be hungry, wandering around to who knows where. Or he might have caught up with me.”
The last option was her nightmare and she shuddered a little.
Logan’s mouth twitched with some emotion that Ari couldn’t name. “Well, it’s good that I found you then, isn’t it?”
“You’ve been a big help,” Ari said. “Thank you.”
He seemed lost in thought for a moment and then he said, “You’ll like it here. I’m sure you will.”
Ari nodded.
“So have you seen anything you like?” he asked suddenly. “What can I bring down for you?”
She chose an antique chair, the standing mirror, and a dresser and not even half of an hour later, he had them in positioned near the newly laid out bed.
Faye was nowhere to be found but it appeared she’d taken a duster to the room, as it looked all shiny and new.
“There’s still room,” Logan remarked. “You sure this is all you want?”
“Well, I don’t think I need an entire writing desk in here,” she said pleasantly.
“Well sure, but…” He looked around. “A table at least?”
Her gaze met his and something in his eyes made her quickly avert hers. “Yeah, alright. How about that round one in the corner of the attic?”
“No problem,” he said, heading back to the attic.
Ari followed him.
“You can stay here,” he said. “I’ve got this.”
When it was all done, Logan wiped the sweat off his forehead.
Ari looked him over. “Did you get anything t
o eat? I ate your breakfast after all.”
He winked at her. “I still had the potato.”
His playful comment made her feel a little better but not totally. She liked to repay people for their good deeds toward her. “Do you like muffins?”
“What man in his right mind wouldn’t like muffins?”
She smiled. “I think I owe you some muffins.”
“You don’t owe me anything.”
“Yeah I do,” she said in her best no-nonsense voice but toned it down with a little smile that she hoped reached her eyes. It was the first time she would come near joking with a man in a long time and she was enjoying herself. Head cocked to one side, she stared down at Logan, daring him to argue with her.
He threw a hand up in surrender. “Hey, if that’s what you want, I’m not gonna argue.”
The reciprocating playful look on his face was all the reward she needed for her meager attempt at a joke. They just stood there, staring into each other’s eyes and smiling until the sound of scuffling feet at the door informed them they had company. As one, they turned to see Faye in the doorway, holding a towel.
Her brow was raised in a manner that suggested she’d been standing there for a while. Faye’s smile was back as she presented the towel to Ari. “I bet you’d like a nice, warm bath.”
Ari smiled at the girl gratefully, now avoiding Logan’s eyes. She felt awkward, kind of, and for the life of her, she didn’t understand why that was so. It wasn’t like she and Logan had been doing anything bad, but she felt grateful to Faye for her timely intervention.
“Okay then,” Logan said. “See you ladies around.”
Faye rolled her eyes as Logan left the room very slowly.
*****
Once she cleaned herself up, Ari felt very much better, in fact, better than she had in ages. She moved her meager clothing from the duffel bag into the dresser and placed her I.D safely in the back of her underwear drawer. Her hairbrush and a couple of photographs were all she’d stuffed into the bag other than clothes, as well as a necklace that used to belong to her sister. She kept those on the dresser top and that was it for getting settled in.
When she went back downstairs, she saw that Khloe was whisking some eggs in a big bowl. Ari didn’t think it was time for lunch yet.
“Just in time,” she said over her shoulder. “I can get you a plate if you’re hungry. Otherwise, the men will eat them all.”
“Thanks, but no, I’m still full,” Ari said, patting her stomach lightly.
“Well, I guess for someone so light, you don’t eat much, do you?” Khloe eyed her stature appreciatively.
Ari laughed.
Khloe herself wasn’t near fat but she wasn’t thin either. Only Faye was slim, but nowhere as slender as Ari.
Ari figured the older sister must envy her younger sister quite a bit. “Actually, I eat like a horse.” Ari smiled. “Logan can testify to that. I ate all of his sandwich this morning.”
Khloe looked like she wanted to ask about her eating up Logan’s breakfast, but the girl changed her mind at the last minute and asked instead, “How come you’re so little, then?”
Ari shrugged as she took her place beside her at the stove.
“Genes,” Ari shrugged. “My mother was a little gypsy of a woman.”
“Was?” Khloe asked.
“She died when I was ten,” Ari explained softly. It was a long time ago but Ari still remembered her and missed her fiercely.
“I’m sorry,” Khloe replied in a soft voice too. “We lost dad about three years ago. We still miss him every day.”
“I’m sorry,” it was Ari’s turn to say. Somehow, she knew she’d just made a lifelong friend.
The two were silent for a long while, Ari watching Khloe fry the eggs in a big pan. The silence was a companionable one and neither of them made any effort to break it.
Only when Khloe began to serve the eggs in plates did Ari speak up. “Can I help with anything?” she asked.
“No thanks, I’ve got it,” Khloe said gratefully. “But you can take a look through the cupboards to get a feel for where we keep things. Mama’s going to want you acquainted with everything, I’m sure.”
Ari did and found that people in the house loved to keep things in their place. It showed organized minds with a daily routine they were used to. It was the kind of life Ari liked and kept herself. She knew she would enjoy staying at the Westbrooke Ranch.
*****
Outside the house under a huge shade of tree, Logan put his plate down and washed the eggs down with a cup of coffee. Distantly, he noticed Everett set down the ax by his side. The older man had gone back to chopping a log of wood as soon as he finished his own food. Logan had been slower to finish because he was deep in thought. He still was.
“Didn’t figure you to be a, recuse the lady-in-distress type.”
Logan snapped out of his reverie, staring at his friend warily.
Everett had cleared his throat and whenever he did, it meant he had something to say to Logan. Everett simply gave him a knowing look.
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” Logan said.
“My ass,” Everett replied, raising the ax again. “You haven’t quit staring at the house since she got here.”
Logan knew there was no use denying it. He had indeed been staring at the house for the past hour. “I’m just trying to make sure she’s doing alright.”
“By looking through the walls?” Everett teased.
Now Logan gave him a look.
Everett shook his head. “You’re too easy to read, Cartwright.”
“I’m concerned, that shouldn’t be a big deal,” he muttered.
Faye emerged from around the house and walked up to them to collect their plates.
The older man heaved out a laugh and shook his head again at Logan’s statement. “None of it is a big deal, nor is it a secret either.”
“None of what?” Logan asked.
Faye piped up without looking at him, “I’m not blind, Logan. I saw the looks you’ve been giving her all day.”
“What looks?” He was staring at Faye warily now.
“Mm hmm,” was Faye’s only response. She gathered Everett’s plate and cutlery then turned back toward the house. “If you continue staring at her like that, I give it two days before she tells you to take a hike. She’s got no time for men, you should know better.”
Everett laughed.
Logan didn’t think anything funny was being said at the moment.
Everett pointed the head of the ax after her. “Come on, give the lad some credit. Three days,” the older man said, still laughing.
Now, Faye laughed.
Logan frowned harder.
“You’re on,” she called over her shoulder.
Everett’s laughter trailed after her.
Logan just felt like banging Everett’s head against the nearest tree.
Chapter Four
“You’ll meet Amber and Graham at dinner time,” Khloe said. “Their house is on the next hill. You can see it from outside.”
“They live on the property?” Ari asked.
“Of course. No sense in moving far away when there’s plenty of room here. And Graham’s worked on the farm for about six years now. We’d hate to see either of them go. So he built a house for them both and they got married last May.”
“That’s sweet,” Ari said.
“Yeah well,” Khloe said, making a face. “Now my little sister’s got wedding fever and she keeps trying to rush me into it so she can be next.”
Ari laughed. She couldn’t believe that two days ago, she didn’t have a place to go. Now, she had a friend who it seemed couldn’t wait to just talk to her about anything. Ari enjoyed Khloe’s company. When Khloe found out that they were contemporaries and even shared the same birth month, their bond had grown stronger.
“And what do you think?” she asked Khloe now. “You want to get married? You’ve got a guy?”
A
little dreamy smile crossed the other’s lips. “Actually, everyone knows that Everett’s been my sweetheart for as long as he has been on here. He walked into our property one day looking for work and I was hooked.”
“How old were you then?” Ari asked, immediately curious.
“Fourteen,” Khloe piped up immediately. “Everett was twenty eight.”
“That’s a good double on you,” Ari observed worriedly. Her own husband had almost double on her, too.
“Yeah,” Khloe said now, looking up at Ari. “But does it matter?”
“Your feelings haven’t changed since then?” she said quickly to cover up.
Khloe shrugged. “Not one whit; on the contrary, while it must have been infatuation with an older man back then, it has grown into love over the years.”
A small sigh escaped Ari. “And how does he feel about you?”
“Everyone else says he’s in love with me but wouldn’t come close because he is older and works here and all. But he must know mom doesn’t mind—I certainly don’t!” Khloe chuckled. “Any way, he really began to pay me some compliments some seven months back. I want to believe he’s finally beginning to see me as a woman.”
Ari smiled. “Well then, I can’t help but wish you all the best with him.”
“Thank you,” Khloe said quietly. It was obvious her new friend really wanted to ask her about the evident worry in her voice, but she studiously kept her attention on the dishes they were both cleaning.
“I don’t mean to pry,” Ari started again. “But I’m curious. What if he never asks you out? What if he never proposes?”
Khloe’s hands stilled in the water and she looked into Ari’s eyes with a frank expression in hers. “I try not to think too much about it,” she replied in a blunt voice. “As much as I want to be the love of his life, get married to him and have kids, I wouldn’t want him to ask me out of obligation. If it happens, it happens. I just love having him here with us.”
Water sloshed over the dishes as both women retreated to their thoughts. Ari knew Khloe really meant what she said and she wondered if things could really be that easy. Beside Logan, Everett was the first person she met on the farm and they had crossed paths a few times since then. Ari could say he looked decent and solid enough but then, what did she know about men? For Khloe’s sake, she hoped Everett would really fall in love with her and do right by her.