by Clay, Verna
"No, my fault—I surprised you."
"It'll only take a minute to pick them up."
Jackson walked over and squatted beside her. He placed his big hand over the top of hers. "Leave them, Annie."
Ann's throat closed up and she dropped a book on the table, jumping backwards. "Okay, if you say so."
Jackson stood. "Can I get you something to drink? I've got tea in the fridge. Hey, why don't we go to the kitchen anyway? You can check it out."
She followed him down a hallway that opened into a kitchen that could have been featured on the cover of Country Homes and Gardens. Set into the breakfast nook, another huge window had the same view as the living room. The thought of enjoying morning coffee and watching the unfolding of a new day in such a beautiful home took her breath away.
Jackson motioned her to a stool at the center island and then opened a cupboard next to the refrigerator to retrieve glasses. He set them on the counter before opening the massive stainless steel door for the pitcher of tea. "It's sweetened. I hope that's okay with you."
"That's just fine. I can drink tea with or without sugar." Lame thing to say.
Jackson poured their tea and handed Ann hers. Rather than sit on the stool beside her, he returned to the other side of the island and leaned his hip against it. "So, what do you think of the kitchen?"
Ann glanced around at the natural finish birch cabinets, rich brown granite countertops with swirling beiges, pots and pans hanging above the island, stainless steel appliances, beige floor tiles, and a sink full of dirty dishes. She grinned, "It's the kitchen of every woman's fantasy."
Jackson laughed. "Minus the dirty dishes, of course."
She smiled, "Okay, minus the dirty dishes."
Jackson sipped his tea and watched her over the rim. When he set his glass down, he said, "I guess you can see I'm in desperate need of help. I can't run cattle and a household at the same time. Since my heart is in ranching, but I don't want to live in a mess or confusion, I'm looking for someone to run the house. Do you think it's something you might be interested in?"
Ann looked down at her tea. Oh, she was interested all right. Her heart was interested in Jackson and her pocketbook was interested in the job. Since anything between them was ludicrous, could she divorce her attraction and simply become an employee.
Jackson waited while she considered working for him. Finally, he said, "The place is that bad, huh?"
"Oh, no, it's beautiful. It's just that I…I…"
"What?"
"I don't want the job because you feel sorry for me. There are so many qualified people who–"
"Annie, I'm offering you the job because I know you'll be great at it. Why should I look further when there's a qualified person standing in front of me? What do you say? Do you want to give it a trial period?"
Before she could rationalize further, she said, "Okay, I accept the job. You can try me out for a month and if I'm not right for you, then you can let me go with no hard feelings."
* * *
Jackson kept his eyes on Annie's hoping she couldn't see the reaction his body was having to her words: You can try me out for a month and if I'm not right for you… He wanted to try her out alright, in more ways than just as his housekeeper. Shit. Jackson, wrap your mind around something else.
Chapter 5: Cozy Cottage
Sarah sat on the edge of her bed and pulled her boots off. After spending a rare "date night" at Boot Bustin' Barn with her husband while Julie and Jacob watched the twins, all she wanted to do was soak in a bubble bath in the beautiful bathroom Sage had remodeled for her. She massaged her foot. "Do you think we're doing the right thing encouraging Ann to work for Jackson?"
Sage unbuttoned his double-breasted western shirt and pulled it from his Levis revealing washboard abs.
Sarah looked from his abs to his face and grinned. "Now what was I saying? Oh, yeah, do you think we should encourage Ann to work for Jackson?"
Sage sat on the opposite side of the bed and pulled his boots off, too. "Honey, you know they both have a thing for each other. Hell, they can hardly be in the same room without having a coronary. But if we don't give them a push, I think they'll see too many obstacles standing between them. Ann is what, in her early forties, and Jackson is in his early thirties. She'll definitely see a negative in that, although I can assure them from experience that marrying an older woman has made me the happiest man in the world." He winked. "Anyway, she has a grown son and Jackson doesn't have children. She was married, and, as far as I know, Jackson never has been. She may be so disillusioned with men she never gives another one a chance."
"I know. I know. I just don't want either of them to get hurt."
"They're both carrying emotional baggage. Maybe they can help each other."
"You're right. They'd be perfect together. So, tomorrow, we help Ann move to the cottage and play matchmaker whenever we can. Right?"
"Right."
Sarah walked to the bathroom door. "Hey Sage?"
He tossed first one boot and then the other toward the closet. "Yeah, honey?"
"I need help washing my back in that big ol' bathtub."
"Do you need help washing anything else?"
"Hmm. Why don't you follow me, cowboy, and we'll talk about it?"
* * *
Sage and Jackson unloaded the last of Ann's belongings into the cottage. She'd only stayed at the Lazy M for a week and left most of her things packed. Ann found Sarah checking out the kitchen. Sarah said, "This is lovely. You're the first person to live here after the remodel."
Ann looked around the cheery, light-filled room and felt her heart expand. It was perfect. The window over the sink faced the river, which was about a hundred feet away down an embankment, and the small adjoining dining room had a large window with the same view.
She returned to the living room with its windows facing the pasture separating the cottage from the main ranch house. When she'd met Jackson a week earlier to talk about the housekeeping position, she'd been right about this house being the cottage. How she hoped she could perform her job to his expectation and stay.
"What do you think, Annie?"
She hadn't heard Jackson enter the room and twirled, catching her foot in the carpet. A strong hand shot out to keep her upright.
"Goodness, clumsy me." She walked a few paces from him. He smelled like hay and sunshine. "It's even prettier than I remembered when you showed me last week."
"Well, you just do whatever you want to gussy it up."
Ann felt so tongue-tied she didn't know how to respond. Sarah saved the day when she entered the room. "Do you want me to help you unpack your clothes?"
"Yes, yes. Let's do it now. Excuse us, Jackson."
In the larger of the two bedrooms, Ann opened her suitcases. Sarah asked a few questions to find out where she wanted clothing stored, and then went to work. After a few minutes, her friend said, "Do you start work tomorrow?"
"Yes. Jackson said I should come to the house at nine and he'll give me a tour."
"I think it's wonderful he was able to buy the Triple T. Sage told me he worked for Tommy for a couple of years as his foreman." She looked at Ann conspiratorially, "You know he's rich, don't you?"
"Who?"
"Jackson."
"Oh, no, I didn't."
"Sage said he made his money playing the stock market. I guess he has a business or marketing degree or something like that. From what I gather, he lived in New York for about three years and worked for a brokerage firm. He told Sage it didn't take him long to figure out New York living wasn't for him. When he moved back here, he took an entry level job working for Tommy Travis Tritt and worked his way up to foreman."
"Goodness, I didn't know all that."
Sarah winked. "Jackson is going to be a great catch for some lucky woman. I think Pritzy Purvis has her eye on him."
"Oh, I met her at the wedding. She's really pretty. They looked striking together."
"Striking or not, I d
on't think she's right for him."
"Really, why not?"
"She doesn't come off as being, well, authentic. I think she wants him for his money. Everyone in the County knows he's rich as Croesus. Now what Jackson needs to find is…" Sarah tilted her head. "He needs to find a woman like Dixie St. John. She's sweet like you."
Ann folded some underwear and stacked it in the beautiful antique redwood chest. She had her back to Sarah. "I don't think I've met Dixie. Does she live on one of the ranches?"
"No, she owns the coffee shop and bakery, Dixie's Cuppa Joe, in town. The few times we've been there, I haven’t seen her to introduce you. I've seen Jackson in there several times. Maybe he's already got his eye on her. Do you want these sweaters hung up or folded?"
Ann turned. "Just fold them. I'll store them in the trunk at the foot of the bed."
"Next time we go to town, we'll make a point to stop by the coffee shop. After you meet Dixie, you can give me your impression. I've been thinking about inviting her and Jackson to supper at the house."
"Uh, sure."
Chapter 6: Tour Guide
Ann wiped her hands on her jeans and straightened her white cotton, button-down-the-front blouse. She had almost reached the gate to the main house and her insides felt as twisted as taffy. Lifting her eyes to a cloudless sky, she prayed for peace-of-mind. She was the housekeeper for this marvelous ranch and she had one month to prove herself worthy of the position.
She thought about what Sarah had said the day before about Pritzy and Dixie. Jackson was a young, eligible bachelor and she didn't want to have ill feelings toward the women. If Dixie seemed right for him, she would let Sarah know she should invite them to dinner and play matchmaker. As far as Pritzy was concerned, she believed Sarah's assessment of her character was smack on.
Ann reached the gate and flipped the latch. She opened the French doors of the terrace and stepped into the living room. The books she had knocked on the floor a week earlier were again stacked haphazardly on the table. She entered the kitchen and noticed coffee already brewing. A cup had obviously been set out for her. She walked to the fridge to find creamer and while she had her head stuck inside the big door, she heard, "Good morning, Annie."
Grabbing a carton of real cream, she backed out of the door feeling embarrassed for no obvious reason. She noticed Jackson was carrying an almost empty coffee cup. "Good morning. Can I pour you a refill?"
"Sure thing." He looked at the carton in her hand. "I drink mine black."
She reached for the coffee pot and while she refilled his cup, she asked, "What time do you usually get up?"
"I'm up by five everyday except Sunday. I sleep in on that day…at least until six." He grinned and lifted his refill to his lips.
"What time would you like me to start work in the mornings?"
"Annie, that's entirely up to you. I'll just take you on a tour and then you can make all the executive decisions. Come on. Bring your coffee with you."
"Okay." Ann followed him through the hall and back to the living room. She was curious about the beautiful furniture in the house, and after he led her through the oval opening into the formal dining room, she asked, "Did the furniture come with the house? Oh, if that's being nosy, please forgive me, I didn't think before I spoke."
Jackson laughed, "Annie, you're adorable—always so polite. Most of it was purchased with the house. Tommy and Gertie decided when they sold the place they wanted to start over like newlyweds. They bought a little cabin in the woods and the last time I visited were as happy as ticks on a dog. Of course, they own thousands of acres in West Texas and could build another ranch any time they want. But, so far, according to Tommy, fishin' and makin' love to his wife is all he has a hankerin' to do."
Ann felt her face turn pink at Jackson's frankness. She followed him back to the living room and down a long hallway. He opened the first door, "There are four bedrooms in the house and three open off this hallway."
Ann entered the lovely room with floral wallpaper and a view of pastures.
Jackson said, "This is the only guest room with its own bathroom. It's a bit over-the-top for my taste, so maybe you can come up with some ideas to tone down the frou-frou. Sometimes a macho buddy of mine visits from New York and…well, he looks ridiculous in this frilly room." Ann smiled. Ideas were already popping into her head.
She followed Jackson to the next two bedrooms, both across the hall with views of the mountains. The main bathroom was next to the frou-frou bedroom. The hallway ended at an intersecting one that only turned to the left. He entered that hallway and walked to ornate double doors. Swinging the doors open, he said, "This is my haven."
Ann caught her breath. The room was built to take advantage of two views. On one side, huge windows looked across the pasture to pine trees and her small cottage. On the opposite side, the windows opened to mountain views. She walked to the windows facing the pasture and touched the expensive window covering.
"Those coverings allow me to see out, but no one can see in. If I want, I can darken them."
She turned to see Jackson pick up a remote and touch a button. The back windows magically darkened. He touched another button and the front windows darkened. All she could see was his outline. Being in a darkened bedroom with Jackson made Ann's heart race and forbidden images flittered across her imagination—images of her and Jackson enjoying each other. She blushed.
Suddenly, both windows lightened and she could see outside again. Jackson was speaking, "The bathroom is this way."
She walked past his huge bed, refusing to let her eyes focus on it, and followed him into a beautiful spa bathroom. "It's lovely," she gasped.
"I thought you'd appreciate it. Most women do…er..." He didn't finish his sentence. She noticed his tan deepen. Standing in the entrance, she didn't know where to look first—huge Jacuzzi tub or smoky-glass shower or built in vanity or enclosed garden or stained glass skylight.
"The closet is through here." Jackson opened another intricately carved door at the back of the bathroom. When he flipped the switch for the recessed lighting and stepped aside to allow her access, she gasped again. The closet was as big as a bedroom with massive storage, floor to ceiling mirrors, built in benches, and plush carpeting. The room was empty except for a small stash of clothing barely making a dent in the available space. Jackson chuckled, "As you can see, I'm not much into clothes. I've been thinking about turning the closet into a weight room."
"I have to tell you, this is the most magnificent bedroom and bathroom I have ever seen."
"Thanks, Annie."
Jackson led her back through the hallways and toward the front of the house. Two rooms entered off the foyer, one being a library with hundreds of tomes, another being an office with a computer, printer, and file cabinets of rich mahogany matching the desk and chairs. He waited at the door to the office while she looked around. "This is where I try to stay on top of business."
In the library, he said, "The books didn't come with the house. I love to read and I've had them in storage for years."
After leaving the library they returned to the kitchen and Jackson led her through a short hallway past the breakfast nook that opened into a mud room. There was another door off the mud room that opened into the laundry. A high-tech stacked washer and dryer only took up a small portion of the large room, which was complete with folding table, double wash basin, cupboards, and rods for hanging clothes.
"This is perfect," she breathed.
Jackson smiled, "Tommy said Gertie designed the house."
"She did a wonderful job. It's laid out so well."
They walked back to the kitchen island and Jackson picked up the coffee pot and motioned it toward her. "Refill?"
"No, I'm good."
He poured some java into his own cup. "Like I said, I don't want you doing anything heavy. If you think floors need scrubbing, hire it out. If the house needs spring cleaning, hire it out. I want someone to run the household. Also, I'd like to h
ave a home cooked meal a couple of times a week. I usually eat with the hands, and Jim Bob is a pretty good cook, but sometimes I just want to come home and enjoy my home."
"I understand. Are there certain days you want me to cook? I could write out a schedule and menu."
Jackson thought a second, "Mondays are bad. How about you cook on Tuesdays and Thursdays? Of course, you have the weekends off."
"Alright. What are some of your favorite foods?"
He laughed, "Anything except broccoli. I abhor the stuff. Of course, I want you to share the meals with me. While the weather's nice, it would be enjoyable eating on the terrace."
"Oh, okay. Tomorrow I'll cook ah…lasagna, and we'll eat outside. Is that okay?"
"Sounds like a great idea."
After Jackson left, Ann warmed her coffee and went to stand in front of the picture window in the living room. Appraising the terrace, she knew exactly where she would begin her new duties. She enjoyed a few minutes solitude and mentally programmed her day.
After a short search, she finally found gardening tools in the mud room. By mid-morning, the potted plants had been pruned and watered, the terrace swept, and the patio furniture rearranged and wiped down. Her next project was dusting the living room and organizing the bookshelves. By noon, the room was looking homey and tidy. She wondered if Jackson would show for lunch, and inventoried the food supplies. He didn't show and she made a small sandwich for herself. By three, the kitchen was spotless and she decided to make a potato salad. At six, she looked up from the notebook she was writing in. Jackson, looking dirty and tired, paused in the kitchen doorway.
"Hey, I hope you're not working. It's after hours." He looked concerned.
"I'm just scheduling the week. You look like you've had a busy day."
"Yeah, that's an understatement. We've been moving cattle between pastures." He walked to the fridge and pulled out a can of coke. "Would you like one?" He held the can out to her.
"Thanks, but I've got some tea." She motioned to her glass.