Page 68 of The Other Side

“I don’t have his phone number,” Thea said, pulling out her phone.

Hadley rattled off the number and waved as she backed out.

What did it say that she was happy to know Hadley would pick her up, but silently hoped she was busy? After Brett saw her get all snotty and blubbery over text messages yesterday, he was probably smart to run for the hills.

The check-in desk was unmanned, but Stella waved from the gift shop. The older woman had welcomed Thea to the ranch with open arms–literally. Stella had wrapped Thea in a big hug and gone on and on about quilting.

Despite her insistence that she didn’t know how to sew or quilt or do anything crafty, Stella didn’t want to take no for an answer about attending the Tuesday evening quilting circle. It looked like Thea’s social calendar was filling up, despite her unknown end date at the ranch.

Thea hobbled into Ava’s office. “Knock, knock.”

Ava sat at her desk rubbing circles on her temples. She didn’t open her eyes. “I’m so glad you’re here. Can you answer the phones today? I’m feeling like a trainwreck this morning, and I can’t shake the nausea.”

“Sure.”

“If someone has a question, and you don’t know the answer, you can ask Stella or just leave a message and I’ll return the call later.”

Ava stood slowly, holding onto the desk. Thea had heard morning sickness could be brutal sometimes, but Ava’s color was way off.

“Don’t worry about anything. I’ll handle things here. You just get to feeling better.”

“Thanks.” The soft word was barely audible.

“Do you need someone to drive you?” Thea couldn’t do it herself, but she could ask Stella.

“Jameson can take me home. He’s in his office. Thanks for the offer.”

Alone in Ava’s office, Thea sat in the padded chair behind the desk and looked around. Notes were posted around the desk. A cork board hung behind her next to the window looking out onto the ranch. It was filled with notes and memos. Even the filing cabinets had notes on them in various handwritings. Some had names below them.

Order sod.

Meet Joe at the south barn Wednesday at eleven.

Cabin furniture arriving Feb 24. Deliver to storage #3.

Survey of western border. Gerry Guthrie.

The notes went on and on. Ava had some kind of organized chaos going on, and Thea’s fingers itched to tidy the paper scraps.

She pulled out the card Ava had given her and typed up a text.

Thea: You have a lot of notes here. Is there anything I can do to help?

She put the phone on the desk, not expecting an answer anytime soon. Ava might be puking up breakfast right now.

Pushing back up onto the crutches, she made her way around the room studying the notes, remembering a few she felt confident to handle that she could ask Ava about later.

The quiet of the offices was amping up her boredom. After staring out the window for a few minutes, she hobbled over to Jameson’s office. The people still working during the winter stopped by Jameson and Ava’s offices regularly, and Thea had yet to see their doors closed. Though, she’d checked the filing cabinets–those were locked. Probably containing bank information.

Jameson’s office had two windows–one looking out the same way as Ava’s and another showcasing the path leading in and out of the ranch. The mural-sized map of the ranch that covered one entire wall captivated her attention. Miles and miles of land, mapped out in elevation and terrain. Valleys, mountains, campsites, cabins, creeks, and rivers spanned thousands of acres.

So many places to hide.

No wonder Brett thought she’d be safe here. Was that his plan? Did he think she could disappear into the wilderness if necessary?

She looked down at her injured leg. She wouldn’t be going anywhere fast. She’d tested out the ankle last night, and she couldn’t put weight on it. It kept her from doing simple tasks on her own, much less running for her life. She’d taken a shower on her own last night, and the half-hour ordeal had exhausted her.

Thea found the check-in office on the map and touched it with her finger. She knew how far the stables were and used that distance to judge how far away other things were. Storage houses, barns, cabins. Every structure was marked with a label and number. There was even a furnace somewhere east of the offices.

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