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Authors: Christine Bush
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desire to leave Montana and her raw feelings behind.
"I'm sorry. Miss North. But Mr. Robinson is out of town. I'll certainly leave him a message that you called."
"Thank you. But where has he gone? When do you expect him to return?"
"I really couldn't say, miss. But when he checks in with me..."
"Yes, yes, thank you," said Robin a little sharply to the young impersonal voice on the switchboard.
She hung up the phone with a bang. Herman out of town? And in the middle of the summer season? Apprehension began to creep slowly over her. It was so unlike him to leave his establishment, which was his pride and joy, at a time when it would be in full swing and in need of his expert administration.
She would talk to Alex Ridley tomorrow and make arrangements to be on a bus headed back to Chicago in the very near future. Robin couldn't help feeling something was not quite right.
But her plans to talk to Alex were waylaid the next day. She opened her eyes to blazing rays of sunshine; her room was alight with the beautiful glow of morning light. She emerged from her room dressed in a comfortable pair of jeans and a bright pink shirt, and arrived to find the usually bustling kitchen empty and quiet. She found a brief note from her boss, quickly scratched on a scrap of paper.
"Trouble with cattle down by the river. Will be gone all day. Cook phoned to say she's ill. Jacob took Greg to town."
Robin sighed and poured a hot cup of coffee. Even before eight in the morning, Ridley Ranch was in full swing for the day. And since Alex had gone out onto the prairie, she'd have to keep her thoughts to herself even longer.
When Sara arrived a few moments later, looking fresh and bright and happy, she found a frustrated Robin quietly stirring her now cold coffee.
"You look terrible today. Robin. Is something wrong?"
How could she explain the feelings that unsettled her so? Alex had told none of the children of his discovery of the sabotaged jeep, so the undefined fear Robin was feeling would not make sense. And she couldn't expose the guilt she was feeling about obtaining her job under false pretenses without confirming all the negative suspicions she'd first encountered here at the ranch. With her attraction to Alex, as unexplainable as it was, she could not even bring herself to think about him without developing an uncomfortable ache in her throat. No, Sara would not understand.
"I guess I just feel a little depressed today." Robin said.
"Then let's get out of here. Let's go for a ride."
Robin picked up her head and stared out at the expanse of land framed by the kitchen window, The early sun gave the prairie a warm, happy glow. She could almost feel the elation of riding a horse across the open range.
And why not? There was plenty of food in the larder; the rest of the family would be gone for the entire day. The house was running well. And she loved to ride. She might as well use the time she had left to soak in all that was Montana before she went back.
"Went back to what?" a small voice from somewhere deep within Robin nagged.
An empty house, an empty life, an empty heart ? She pushed the thought aside.
"Sure, Sara," she said aloud, "that sounds like a great idea. Let's go."
They found the stable as deserted as the kitchen had been. The only sounds they could hear were the occasional whinnies from the two horses left in the long line of stalls.
Devil was already saddled.
"Well, what do you know?" exclaimed Sara with a pleased note in her voice. "I mentioned to Mac that I might be riding and he must have saddled him up for me."
There was no doubt that the girl was excited that he had done her a favor. "And they were so busy this morning, too. Part of the fence down by the river gave way last night, and Dad took the whole crew down there to repair it and round up some of the herd that may have roamed. Mac's so nice to me, don't you think. Robin?"
"Seems like it," she answered noncommittally.
"I'll get the western saddle
"I'm sorry. Miss North. But Mr. Robinson is out of town. I'll certainly leave him a message that you called."
"Thank you. But where has he gone? When do you expect him to return?"
"I really couldn't say, miss. But when he checks in with me..."
"Yes, yes, thank you," said Robin a little sharply to the young impersonal voice on the switchboard.
She hung up the phone with a bang. Herman out of town? And in the middle of the summer season? Apprehension began to creep slowly over her. It was so unlike him to leave his establishment, which was his pride and joy, at a time when it would be in full swing and in need of his expert administration.
She would talk to Alex Ridley tomorrow and make arrangements to be on a bus headed back to Chicago in the very near future. Robin couldn't help feeling something was not quite right.
But her plans to talk to Alex were waylaid the next day. She opened her eyes to blazing rays of sunshine; her room was alight with the beautiful glow of morning light. She emerged from her room dressed in a comfortable pair of jeans and a bright pink shirt, and arrived to find the usually bustling kitchen empty and quiet. She found a brief note from her boss, quickly scratched on a scrap of paper.
"Trouble with cattle down by the river. Will be gone all day. Cook phoned to say she's ill. Jacob took Greg to town."
Robin sighed and poured a hot cup of coffee. Even before eight in the morning, Ridley Ranch was in full swing for the day. And since Alex had gone out onto the prairie, she'd have to keep her thoughts to herself even longer.
When Sara arrived a few moments later, looking fresh and bright and happy, she found a frustrated Robin quietly stirring her now cold coffee.
"You look terrible today. Robin. Is something wrong?"
How could she explain the feelings that unsettled her so? Alex had told none of the children of his discovery of the sabotaged jeep, so the undefined fear Robin was feeling would not make sense. And she couldn't expose the guilt she was feeling about obtaining her job under false pretenses without confirming all the negative suspicions she'd first encountered here at the ranch. With her attraction to Alex, as unexplainable as it was, she could not even bring herself to think about him without developing an uncomfortable ache in her throat. No, Sara would not understand.
"I guess I just feel a little depressed today." Robin said.
"Then let's get out of here. Let's go for a ride."
Robin picked up her head and stared out at the expanse of land framed by the kitchen window, The early sun gave the prairie a warm, happy glow. She could almost feel the elation of riding a horse across the open range.
And why not? There was plenty of food in the larder; the rest of the family would be gone for the entire day. The house was running well. And she loved to ride. She might as well use the time she had left to soak in all that was Montana before she went back.
"Went back to what?" a small voice from somewhere deep within Robin nagged.
An empty house, an empty life, an empty heart ? She pushed the thought aside.
"Sure, Sara," she said aloud, "that sounds like a great idea. Let's go."
They found the stable as deserted as the kitchen had been. The only sounds they could hear were the occasional whinnies from the two horses left in the long line of stalls.
Devil was already saddled.
"Well, what do you know?" exclaimed Sara with a pleased note in her voice. "I mentioned to Mac that I might be riding and he must have saddled him up for me."
There was no doubt that the girl was excited that he had done her a favor. "And they were so busy this morning, too. Part of the fence down by the river gave way last night, and Dad took the whole crew down there to repair it and round up some of the herd that may have roamed. Mac's so nice to me, don't you think. Robin?"
"Seems like it," she answered noncommittally.
"I'll get the western saddle
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