Then I realized that I was in the middle of some bizarro Romeo and Juliet balcony scene where Romeo was standing on the balcony instead of Juliet.
“O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?”
And all he said in reply was: “Begone, wench!”
Chapter Seven
“You must be Brooklyn! You’re such a looker!”
I smiled at the plump woman who’d answered the cabin’s front door for us. She was wearing a crisp white shirt that matched her curly white hair. She had bright blue eyes, painted red lips, and a warm complexion. Mostly, she reminded me of a Montana version of Paula Dean. And from the smell permeating from the kitchen, I figured she probably wasn’t far off.
“Yes, hi. Are you LuAnne?” I asked, holding out a tentative hand for her to shake. She promptly ignored it and pulled me forward into a long hug. And when I say long, I meant long enough for Jason to make his way down the stairs and take us in as he stood with his arms crossed wearing a permanent scowl.
When she finally released me from the hug, she held onto my shoulders and kept inspecting me.
“Really, you are the prettiest thing we’ve had here in a while,” LuAnne said, scanning me from head to toe. I winced at the reminder of my stained and wrinkled clothes. I’d even added a coffee stain on top of the ketchup. Apparently you shouldn’t take a sip of coffee while the plane is taking off.
“Jasper would take offense to that,” Jason said from behind her. I hadn’t heard his voice in a few days, but it was just as deep and melodic as I remembered it being on the phone.
LuAnne turned toward Jason and waved him off. “Oh, please.”
I smiled, glancing back and forth between them. “Who’s Jasper?”
“Our newest Arabian gelding,” LuAnne replied.
I didn’t know anything about horses, but that sounded like a pretty breed.
“Jason, would you stop being such a brute and welcome our guest? Look at Derek, helping with her bags and picking her up from the airport. What a gentleman.”
We turned to watch Derek drop my bags near the doorway and tip his hat down in appreciation of LuAnn’s praise.
“It was nothin' much. I’ve got a few things to wrap up in the barn. Do you need anything else before I go, Ms. Heart?”
He looked so eager to please, but he’d done enough and I had faith that I’d be able to help myself if something came up. “No. Thanks again, Derek.”
We watched him leave through the front door and then LuAnne clapped her hands.
“Well, I’m just finishing dinner. Why don’t you freshen up and then the food will be ready,” she suggested as she started backing up out of the main corridor, heading toward what I assumed to be the kitchen.
I didn’t think to protest before she was gone, and soon it was just me and Jason, who was still standing with his arms crossed by the stairs. I did my best to ignore him by taking in the house around me. The foyer and the living room just off of the front door were both decorated in rich, modern interiors. Bright walls contrasted with dark, stained wood furniture. It was a beautiful house, but I couldn’t just stand there craning my neck around all day, so I bit the bullet and slid my gaze to him.
His brown eyes, rimmed with even darker lashes, were locked on me. “You have the room upstairs on the left.”
“You know most people usually greet their guests with a hello,” I said with a little smile so that he’d know I was teasing.
He shrugged. “Most guests are invited, not thrust upon the host for forced collaboration.”
Alrighty then. I was at a loss for words, but then I remembered the gifts I’d brought him from LA.
“Oh, I have something for you!” I said, confident that I’d done the right thing in bringing him a few of his favorite things. Derek had set my carry-on bag next to the door, on top of my giant suitcase. The box of cookies and the shaving cream were sitting at the very top, so I grabbed them and turned to him with a giant smile plastered on my face.
His gaze slid down to the boxes in my hands as I stepped toward him.
“Cookies?” he asked, taking the box reluctantly.
I smiled wider. “Your favorite. I wanted to bring a peace offering.”
He flipped open the lid to the cookie box and frowned. What? Why the frown? Did I get the wrong flavor or something?
I leaned forward to inspect the contents and my smile froze. The box was completely empty save for a few crumbs and one half-eaten cookie.
“You ate my cookies on the way here?” he asked, less than impressed with my gift.
I slapped my hand over my eyes. “That asshole kid!”
“What?”
My hand stayed planted over my eyes as I explained to him what happened. “There was a kid sitting next to me on the plane and he must have eaten the cookies while I went to the bathroom.”