walked forward, hand extended. “You must be Michael Hartford, Bethany’s friend.”
“And you must be Sarah Chance.” He clasped her hand and felt the firm grip of a woman who was as sure of her place in the world as Jack was of his. Bethany had told him that Sarah was the reigning queen of the neighborhood, and Michael began to see why.
“That’s right.” She smiled at him. “Looks like Keri’s been showing you around. Thanks for doing that, Keri. I’ve been a little distracted today. Pete wants to fly in floral arrangements from Hawaii, and I want wildflowers. I do believe it’s our first fight.”
Michael spoke without thinking. “Wildflowers.” Then he realized he didn’t have a vote. “Forget that. It’s not my place to—”
“Hey, I’ll take all the support I can get.” Sarah glanced at Keri. “What do you think?”
“I agree with Michael. This is Wyoming. You need wildflowers, not some exotic tropical arrangement. But I’ll bet Pete wants to do something extravagant because he’s so happy. It’s sweet, really.”
“It is sweet.” Sarah’s blue eyes grew soft. “So maybe I’ll let him order a tropical bouquet for me to carry, and the altar can be decked with wildflowers. How’s that?”
“Perfect,” Keri said. “Great compromise. And now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll go in and see if Mary Lou needs any help in the kitchen.” Just like that, she was gone.
Sarah turned to him. “How about a drink before dinner?”
“Sounds good.” Not as good as following Keri into the kitchen, but he had no excuse to do that. Guests probably weren’t allowed to help out, and he’d be worthless at it, anyway.
“Let’s go back into the living room.” She led him down the hall past a rogue’s gallery of family pictures. “Pete should be here soon. He had some errands in town. Jack and Josie are coming, too. They’ve left little Archie over at Gabe and Morgan’s house.” She paused. “Here I am rattling off names, and I have no idea if you know who I’m talking about. Did Bethany fill you in at all?”
“I know the names of your sons, and Jack mentioned Josie and little Archie on the drive in.”
“Morgan is Gabe’s wife, and they have two kids, a girl and a boy. Nick is married to Dominique, and they have one adopted boy. All three of my sons have built their own homes on ranch land, and I love having them so close.”
“You have quite a legacy here, Sarah.”
“Thanks to Archie and Nelsie.” She gestured around the living room as they walked in. “I married into this, so I can’t take any credit for it.”
“That’s not what Keri said. She told me that you’re the lynchpin holding everything together.”
“Did she? What a nice thing for her to say.” Sarah moved over to the liquor cabinet. “I do like that woman. I wish she’d stay on, but I can’t expect someone with her background to be a housekeeper much longer.”
“She’s leaving?” Michael felt a moment of panic. If she took off tomorrow or the next day, he’d never have a chance to learn more about her.
“Oh, not right away, but she will. I think she’s waiting until after the wedding, which is considerate.” She opened the hand-carved liquor cabinet. “What would you like?”
“Two fingers of Scotch, if you have it.”
“We do.” In moments she’d poured herself a glass of red wine and given Michael a squat tumbler containing ice and his requested Scotch. “Here’s to friendship.”
“To friendship, and to your generosity in letting me stay here the week before your wedding.”
She touched her glass to his and took a sip. “I’m thrilled you’re here. Jack needed something to do this week, so your arrival is perfect. If he didn’t have you to distract him, he’d be underfoot. He pretends not to like the preparation stage, but he can’t keep his nose out of things, either.”
Good thing Michael hadn’t been drinking when she’d said that or he might have choked on his Scotch. No wonder Sarah was considered the lynchpin of the family. She understood people better than some CEOs he’d met.
She gestured toward the leather chairs positioned in front of the fireplace. “Let’s sit. It’s too warm for a fire, but we tend to gather here and stare at the cold grate, anyway. Habit, I guess.” She settled into one of the leather armchairs.
Michael took the one next to her. “Great chair.”
“Thanks.”
“And even without a fire, the stonework is worth looking at.”
“My father-in-law was a talented man.” She turned to Michael. “I’m curious. What prompted you to ask for riding and roping lessons?”
Michael decided to give her the same answer he’d given Keri. It was the truth, so far as it went. “Like a lot of guys, I’ve always wanted to be a cowboy.”
She studied him for a moment. “It’s not as glamorous as it looks from the outside.”
“I’m sure it’s not, which is why I don’t plan to actually be one. But learning some of the skills will be…interesting.”
She smiled. “I notice you didn’t say it would be fun.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t know if it will be or not, but I have to try.”
“I think it will be fun for you. I hope so, because you’re obviously interested in giving it a shot. But Jack’s a taskmaster.”
“I’m not surprised to hear that.” Michael took another taste of his Scotch, which was excellent.
“I think we have some liniment upstairs, and probably Epsom salts, too. Have Keri find those for you.”
“Okay.” He decided that was as good an opening as any. “If I’m being too nosy, just say so, but why are you so sure Keri will leave? What is her background?”
“She didn’t tell you?”
“No, just that she’s from Baltimore.”
Sarah hesitated. “I shouldn’t have mentioned that I think she’ll leave. I’ll blame being distracted by the wedding for letting that comment slip out. But since I did mention it, I can understand why you’d be curious. So I’ll just say that she comes from a very privileged background.” She glanced at him. “Probably much like yours, in fact.”
“Yet she’s working as a housekeeper.”
“Yes, and her reasons are hers to tell.”
“I don’t think she will tell me.”
Sarah met his gaze. “That’s up to her, then.”
Michael had no choice but to drop the subject. He asked about her grandchildren, a topic she clearly loved, and Keri wasn’t mentioned again. Later on, Sarah’s fiancé arrived, followed by Jack and his wife, Josie.
During their meal in the smaller dining room adjacent to the larger one used for lunch, Michael thought he did a pretty decent job of focusing on his four dinner partners. Pete Beckett, Sarah’s fiancé, was tall, lean and had a great sense of humor. Josie, an attractive blonde, dressed like a cowgirl and wore her long hair in a braid down her back. Jack obviously needed a strong woman to balance his tendency to take charge, and Josie seemed to fit the bill. Michael liked them all, but his thoughts stayed with Keri.
The ranch cook, a middle-aged woman named Mary Lou, served the meal. But Michael knew that Keri had helped prepare it, and he kept hoping she’d show up at some point. She didn’t, but he could hear the faint sounds of feminine laughter coming from the kitchen, along with a man’s voice.
Michael wondered who was in that kitchen with Mary