Read Online Sooner or Later by Elizabeth Adler - Free Book Online Page A

but he’d disappeared and, it seemed to Dan, no one had set foot on the ranch in years. That morning he’d taken out ads for a winemaker, and spoken to a building contractor about fixing up the house. Tomorrow, he would start work on getting the stables into shape.
    He poured a glass of wine and stared moodily at the opalescent sky. The color reminded him of Ellie Parrish Duveen’s eyes. “Ah, the hell with work,” he said, fishing her card out of his shirt pocket and dialing her number.
    “Ellie’s,” she said. Just the single word in that soft voice made him smile with pleasure.
    “Can I help you?” She sounded more than a little distracted, as though she had the receiver pressed to her ear and was doing three other things besides talk on the telephone.
    “I just thought I’d let you know the Explorer isn’t as bad as it first looked. Nothing the body shop can’t hammer out tomorrow.”
    “I’m glad to hear it, Danny Boy.” There was laughter in her voice. “And so, I’m sure, will my insurance company.”
    “I was just wondering …”
    Ellie stopped inserting figures into the cash register and fiddling with change. She pressed the receiver closer to her ear, shutting out the background music, the chatterand clatter of dishes. She was smiling as she said, “What
exactly
were you wondering?”
    Maya stopped to listen, expertly balancing plates of salad with hazelnut vinaigrette. Was Ellie actually giving a man the time of day instead of her usual brush-off?
    Dan said, “For instance, can you tell me why, though Montecito is on the edge of the Pacific, the sun sets over the mountains and not the ocean?”
    “That’s because the coastline faces south at that point and the Santa Ynez mountains run east to west. Confusing, I know, for newcomers, but a fact of nature, Mr. Cassidy. Anyhow, you can’t fool me, you already knew that. In any case, what are you doing watching the sunset over the ocean? I thought you were inland, at Running Horse Ranch?”
    He heaved a regretful sigh, remembering the way it looked. “Unfortunately the ranch house needs a bit of work before it can be termed habitable, except by rats and gophers and a few swallows up in the chimney. Humans demand a little more in cleanliness and comfort. That’s why I’m in a rented cottage on Padaro Lane, watching sunsets, all alone….”
    “And lonely,” she finished for him, glaring at Maya who was still eavesdropping.
    Maya rolled her brown eyes, intrigued, then hurried off to serve the salads. Ellie was definitely flirting.
    Dan said, “You’ve got it, Ms. Parrish Duveen. And that brings me to my other question. I know you’re a busy working woman …”
    “And you’re about to become a busy working man …” She was still smiling, hugging the phone.
    “True. In the meantime, I guess even you must get a night off? I thought it might be a good opportunity to check out the competition. Say dinner at Chinois?”
    Ellie laughed at the idea. “Danny Boy, I’m no competitionfor them. I’m just a speck in L.A.’s ocean of little cafes.
They
are in the big leagues.”
    Then she gave her stock reply that she gave any guy who asked her out these days. “Look, I’m sorry, I just don’t have any free time right now. Maybe later …”
    Her voice trailed off, and he said quickly, “Right. I understand. Work comes first.”
    “Thanks anyway,” she added, a touch regretfully, but she could already see customers looking restless, wondering why their food had not arrived. “I’ve got to go.”
    “Sure. Anyway, it was nice to meet you. Again.”
    “Goodbye,” she said, sounding edgy as she put down the phone.
    Maya stood, arms folded, chin belligerently sticking out. She always kept a worried eye on her friend, but even she hadn’t been able to penetrate the work ethic of the past year and persuade her to take time out for a social life. That’s why she was excited when she caught on to the fact that Ellie was talking nicely,
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