Straight From the Hip(74)
Which all sounded great, as long as Izzy didn’t think too much about the fact that her own mother hadn’t bothered to mention her in the will.
“I appreciate that,” she said at last. “Thanks.”
“College,” Lexi said. “You going out for cheerleading?”
“Very funny. I’m not the one who tried out for the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders.”
Lexi winced. “We agreed not to talk about that again.”
“You agreed,” Izzy teased. “Me? Not so much.”
Izzy spent an hour with her sisters, before heading back to the ranch. She put the top down on her convertible, cranked up the CD player and loved every second of the long drive.
There was so much to see. The sky, the other cars, the strip malls. Life was good and she planned to enjoy every minute of it.
She managed to keep her nerves at bay right until she turned off the highway and headed down the long road leading to the main house of the ranch. She slowed as she approached, taking in the large, white clapboard structure with the wide porch and flowerpots. Beyond the house was the barn and the corrals. In the distance she could just make out the shapes of the guest cottages.
Scared and jittery, she parked her car and climbed out. The front door opened. A thin man stepped out. He was only a few inches taller than her, with sandy brown hair and brown eyes. His shirt was lavender, his jeans tighter than hers and he wore bright red cowboy boots. She grinned.
“You’re beyond fabulous,” she yelled.
Aaron clapped his hands, then rushed toward her. “Seriously? You can see me? Don’t you love my boots?”
“They’re perfection!”
They hugged, then Aaron put his arm around her shoulders. “So, what do you think about Chez Nick?”
“Fancy.”
“I’ve had to make a lot of changes. You should have seen it when I got here. It gave the word institutional a bad name. You’re healed? All is well?”
“I’m healed and have nothing but eye drops to worry about. Oh, and no eye makeup for the next month.”
“You don’t need it.” Aaron squeezed. “I’m so happy for you. Come on in. You’ll want to see the house. And Nick.”
Izzy hung back. “I thought I’d go see Rita first.”
“Chicken.”
“Maybe. I need a few minutes.”
“All right. When you’re ready, he’s in his office. I won’t say a word.”
“Thanks.”
Aaron went back in the house and Izzy started toward the barn. Partway there, she paused and glanced back at the house. She really wanted to see Nick, to finally know what he looked like. But not just yet.
The barn was big and red, with crisp, white trim. As she walked in the large open door, she saw that everything was clean, the supplies neatly stacked. She followed the sound of soft words into the storeroom.
Rita stood patting a barn cat on a shelf. Izzy took in the petite woman’s curly brown hair, her work-roughened hands and eyes that didn’t track with her actions.
“Hi,” Izzy said.
Rita turned toward her. “What happened?”
“I can see.”
Rita smiled and moved toward her. “Good. I knew that’s what would happen, but I’m happy all the same.”
Izzy bit her lower lip. “Are you sure it’s okay?” Because nothing changed for Rita.
The older woman cupped Izzy’s face. “Never be sorry for what you have. Be grateful. But don’t think this means you’re going to stop working for me.”
“I’d like to stay.” For as long as Nick would let her. But she was only here to heal. Wouldn’t everything be different now? Wasn’t she supposed to leave?
“Then tell him that.”
“Okay.”
Rita dropped her hands to Izzy’s shoulders, turned her and gave her a little shove. “Tell him now.”
Izzy made her way back to the house. She went inside.
The huge living room was decorated in shades of green. The hardwood floors were covered with big rugs. There were comfortable sofas and chairs. She crossed to a couch and touched the fabric she’d never been able to see before. The fireplace was brick. She hadn’t known there was one. Brass lamps sat on end tables. Everything was different than she’d imagined. Different, yet familiar.
She took a step, then stopped, not sure where to find Nick’s office. Then she closed her eyes. The darkness was familiar. She got her bearings, opened her eyes and started down the hall.
A door stood open on her left. She heard him working on his computer. Izzy swallowed a couple of times, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. She jumped out of planes without a second thought. Of course she could walk into a room and say hi to a guy. She stepped into the doorway.