Free Pendelton Manor by B. J. Wane

easy acceptance of her.
    After fixing some toast, she was about to sit down with her coffee when Sammy came purring up to her, winding her small, furry body around her legs. “Well, good morning to you too.” Bending, Sophie scooped the cat up and smiled when she tucked her head under her chin. “I bet you’re hungry. Let’s see what I can find, okay?” Feeling silly for talking to the cat, Sophie nonetheless kept a hold of her as she rummaged through cupboards looking for something suitable for her to eat.
    “If you’re looking for cat food, Nicole used to keep some canned stuff in the pantry.” Ash grinned wickedly when she whirled around on a startled gasp then blushed crimson upon seeing him. “You blushed just like that when you came last night.”
    Sophie’s hopes that no one had paid much attention to her last night were quickly dashed but she refused to give him the upper hand. Narrowing her eyes, she said, “Keep it up and you won’t see me climaxing again anytime soon.”
    “Now, that would be a shame and enough of a threat to make me quit teasing you.” Sammy hissed at him as he went to the pantry and grabbed a can of cat food. Coming back out, he handed it to Sophie while glaring at the cat. “Keep it up you mangy cur and I’ll help you get lost again.”
    Not sure if he was teasing or not, Sophie held Sammy while she opened the can and dumped it into a small bowl which she set as far away from where Ash sat with a cup of coffee as she could. “Will she bother your allergies, Ash? If so, I’ll give her to Nora and Rachel.”
    “No, I’ll be fine. I only break out if I touch them. You seem to have taken to her and I know she misses Nicole. We all do.” A look of sadness crossed his face briefly.
    “It takes a while to get over losing someone you loved. Some people never get over the loss.” Sophie wondered if she was going to be one of those people. Even now, almost two years later, she felt the pain of losing Emily as acutely as she had right after she buried her.
    “What’re your plans today?” Ash asked in an attempt to draw her mind off whatever had her looking so sad and alone.
    “I thought I’d hike along the coast, maybe visit that lighthouse up a ways. It looks like it has a lot of historic charm like this house does.”
    “Yeah, this house holds a lot of memories and stories passed down from our ancestors. But you shouldn’t enter the lighthouse without one of us along. It belongs to us, well; actually, it belongs to Adrian, and hasn’t been kept up. It isn’t safe to go traipsing around inside.”
    Sophie heard the bitter tone in Ash’s voice when he mentioned Adrian owning the property now, and wondered if Adrian being the eldest and the heir was a bone of contention with his cousins. From what she had read about the three of them they had been raised together in this house, their fathers were brothers, and the twins were born just two months after Adrian. It had to have been difficult to be raised here knowing you’d never inherit.
    “I’ll just walk around outside then. It looks like it’s going to be warmer today. Will anyone be here for dinner? I don’t mind fixing something.”
    “Don’t worry about us, enjoy your time off.” Rising, Ash refilled his cup before saying, “The four of us play golf every Sunday then get something to eat. Adrian won’t be back until late tonight or tomorrow, so it’ll just be us three. Adam spent the night in town, so you’ll have the place to yourself as soon as I get changed and out of here.” Tugging her hair lightly, he added, “Enjoy your day,” on his way out.
    “You too.”
    Sophie put on shorts and a tee shirt thinking the sun would feel good on her arms. She had always loved being outdoors in the sun and since Arizona was sunny practically year round she had plenty of time to indulge herself. But here, she knew, the warm weather days were going to be a lot fewer so she planned to take advantage of every one of