Free Destiny's Embrace by Beverly Jenkins Page B

voice.
“I’m Alanza Yates. Are you Mrs. Cooper?”
    “Yes, I am.”
    “Welcome to California. When did you arrive? Why
hasn’t Logan brought you to the house so we could meet properly?”
    Mariah wondered how to explain the volatile
afternoon. This was his stepmother after all.
    Eli Braden walked out with his arms filled with
shovels and dropped them on the pile. “Afternoon, Senora.”
    “Eli. Where’s Logan?”
    He glanced at Mariah and started to chuckle. “Kind
of a long story. I’ll let Mrs. Cooper tell it to you.”
    Mariah wanted to call out, “Coward!” but kept
silent.
    Mrs. Yates assessed her silently, until Mariah
finally confessed, “In all honesty, your stepson is very hard to get along with,
Mrs. Yates.”
    A small smile played across her lips. “I find that
to be true at times, as well. So, what happened? Where is he? You haven’t killed
him, have you?”
    Mariah wasn’t sure whether to show how amusing the
last question was or not. “No. He went to purchase lumber for the new
bunkhouse.”
    Surprise filled her face and voice. “The one he’s
been putting off building for nearly a year?”
    “Yes, ma’am.”
    “What brought that on?”
    “Me, I suppose. I kicked him in the knee.”
    Her eyebrows rose above her widened eyes.
    Two of the ranch hands walked out and added more
items to the pile. After nodding a greeting to Mrs. Yates and giving Mariah a
smile, they returned to the house.
    “You kicked Logan in his knee?”
    “Yes, ma’am. He kissed me and I took exception to
it.”
    “I see.”
    “I’m fairly sure he’ll fire me when he returns, so
if you don’t mind, I’d like to get back inside and empty the parlor of as much
of the clutter as possible before he does. Thank you so much for my train fare.
I’ll wire my aunt in the morning for a ticket back to Philadelphia. It’s been a
pleasure meeting you.”
    She hurried back inside.
    The stunned Alanza watched her go. She kicked Logan in his knee—for kissing her? And
yet, he hadn’t beheaded her or fired her on the spot. Alanza knew nothing about
the woman except for the information included in Mrs. Brown’s recommendation,
but deciding she needed more insight into the beautiful golden-eyed housekeeper,
Alanza went into the house to offer her assistance.
    When Logan rode up, there were people crawling over
his house and property like ants. Men were carrying things outside and loading
wagons, and women were washing his windows. He spotted Alanza’s buggy and
assumed she’d somehow gotten herself involved with the effort. If she’d joined
forces with the widow, he’d be cooked goose for sure. Gingerly dismounting, he
took a moment to free Diablo of the saddle before slapping the stallion on the
rump to send it galloping off toward the stable. He placed the saddle on the
ground near the house. Mentally pledging to strangle anyone who tried to move
it, he went inside.
    Ants outside, beehive inside. Walls were being
washed along with the inside panes of the windows. A small stream of people were
moving in and out the hall that led to his bedroom carrying myriad items that
had once been stacked against the walls. Eli and a man who usually worked in the
vineyards were hauling the old stove toward the door.
    “Welcome back,” Eli tossed out as they passed by.
“How’s the knee?”
    Logan growled.
    “She’s in the kitchen.”
    Logan took off in that direction. The parlor was
nearly cleared out, and he could actually cross the floor without having to
watch his step. Entering the dining room, he was surprised to see the top of his
dining table free of the rain slicks and tarps that had covered it for the past
year. Also gone were the coils of rope that had once stood in the corners.
    In the kitchen, the widow and his stepmother were
looking up at his cabinets. What they were planning was beyond him, but he
figured he’d find out soon enough.
    Alanza noticed him in the doorway and smiled. “Ah,
there you are, Logan. Mrs.