Page 14 of Jonathan

Changing directions, he went into the multi-vehicle garage and headed straight into the mud room to take off his boots and wet socks. Sitting on the bench, he dragged weary hands over his face, his mind in a turmoil.

He had done the unthinkable. He knew better than to allow his emotions to get the better of him. He had gotten involved with someone from out of town before and it had ended disastrously.

Leaning his head back, he closed his eyes and allowed his mind to drift back to earlier. He was attracted to her. That had been the case since the first time he clapped eyes on her.

If he was the type of man to get physically involved, he would happily take what she was offering. But he wasn’t. And he could not afford to be distracted by yet another beautiful woman.

He would stay away from her. Avoid her at all costs and that was not difficult to do. He had his work cut out for him and considering the storm that just passed, he was going to be very busy for the time she was here. Staying clear of her was not going to be difficult.

*****

Kamilah was not one to dwell on a man, but even though she told herself that she would find a way to lure him to the cabin, she was not going to sit and ponder about it. She had spent the night sleeping in the soft bed and waking up to an exceptionally beautiful morning.

The cabin was built on a slight incline which meant that the water did not trouble the foundation. The sun had risen with all its golden glory as if making up for its lack over the past almost two days.

Steam rose from the earth and very quickly started to dry out the earth. But instead of sweltering heat, there was a coolness to the day that beckoned one to go outdoors. Sitting up in bed, she gazed out at the trees swaying the breeze and the blaze of colorsfrom the few brave and strong trees and brush still standing after the lash of rain.

Jumping out of bed, she quickly took a shower and put on jeans and a thick powder blue sweater. Rubbing the curling cream into her short hair, she glanced at her image in the mirror and went to make a pot of coffee. She would venture out for breakfast today, she decided. And perhaps visit some of the sites in town.

The museum in particular and the gallery. McCarthy Field was quite the modern little town as she had discovered and offered a lot of enchanting entertainment. She had started working on her book and had gotten a few pages already done.

But today, she would put away everything and concentrate on just enjoying the day.

She was settling around the table with her cup of coffee when her phone rang.

Turning it over, she answered it with a delighted smile. “Gramps, you read my mind, I was just about to call.”

*****

The clear blue of the sky with a few puffy white clouds skimming along, gave no indication of what had been unleashed just yesterday. The sun, a golden orb in the middle of it was bright and hot enough to start drying out the earth.

Shaking his head at the wonder and unpredictability of the weather, Jon jumped out of the jeep and headed towards the cottages where the repairs on the roofs had already begun.

The sounds of heavy machinery, coupled with the raucous laughter and ribaldry from his men echoed, mingling with the scent of meat stewing on an open fire pit manned by a grizzly old timer who had been with the ranch for more years than Jon could remember.

Lifting his hat in greeting, he went towards the table that was straining with food and headed towards the coffee pot to pour some into his thermos. On further examination this morning, it was discovered that they had lost several of the cattle and several fences had been uprooted.

Trees had been leveled as well. Some of the men had been assigned to cut them into bits and stow in one of the sheds for kindling. His mother’s greenhouse had survived the weather, and she was just now, along with a team of women, doing the cleaning up.

Fortunately, they had not lost power during the storm. Finishing the coffee, he grabbed a croissant and headed back to the jeep. Brushing aside the incident from last night, he concentrated on the work to be done.

*****

She was wandering the aisles and taking notes of the artifacts displayed when she was stopped by a hand on her arm.

“Pardon me for my boldness, but you’re not from around here, are you?”

Lifting her head towards the voice, she smiled at the candid expression and the friendly smile.

“No, I am not.”

“Neither am I.” The man’s smile widened as he gave her an appreciative look from light blue eyes. “Nigel Bennett at your service.”

“Is that a New York accent, I am detecting?” She asked as she placed her hand in his outstretched one.

“That’s right.” His grin was unabashedly friendly and if he seemed to hold onto her hand a bit longer than was polite, she did not say anything.

“Kamilah Wilton.”

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