Free Yours for the Taking by Robin Kaye Page A

marble counter. “Right, that’s why your cheeks just turned magenta.”
    ***
    Ben landed in Boise and tossed his bags into the back of the Land Rover he’d left in the hanger the last time he’d flown out. Someone had given it a wash and even detailed the inside. Not bad. He should leave it here more often. Of course, they may have washed it out of necessity—he’d left the vehicle covered with a thick layer of dust and mud which probably didn’t smell so nice heated to room temperature. He’d spent the weekend winter camping and four-wheeling with his cousins in the desert and had come back so dirty, he had to take off his boots before climbing onto the jet and throw a towel over the seat before he sat down. He’d showered just as soon as they reached cruising altitude and spent the rest of the flight sleeping off a weekend of rock climbing and four-wheeling.
    He headed toward his grandfather’s house on the other side of the Boise Valley, stopping at a light on the rim overlooking the city. He never tired of the view. The white Capital Dome stood out against the brown foothills. The few tall buildings rose before the Boise Front.
    Ben loved Boise; it was an incredible small city with enough culture to keep him happy. Between Boise and New York, Ben had everything he wanted. Well, everything but the ranch. Now that he’d lived up to his part of the bargain, he’d have that too.
    Ben drove to his grandfather’s house in the foothills and parked in the attached garage. He entered the alarm code at the door to the house in case Kate was there by herself, and let himself in. “Kate, I’m home.”
    Ben heard her stomping through the kitchen as he put his bags on the bench in the mudroom. “It’s about time.” He heard something being slapped down on the counter, a towel, or an apron maybe. “What took you so long?” Her reddish-brown hair and tanned face poked through the doorway. “Where’s Gina?”
    Ben dropped his jacket on the hook by the door. “I’m sorry to disappoint, but it’s just me.”
    “You got married without even telling me and then you don’t even bring the girl home to meet me?”
    Ben winced. Kate may be the housekeeper, but she was way more than that—she and her kids were part of the family and Kate had been running his and his grandfather’s lives since Ben’s parents were killed and he’d moved in with his grandfather twenty-five years earlier. She ran the house, the estate, and single-handedly raised Ben and her four kids while living in the guesthouse a stone’s throw away from his grandfather’s.
    Ben pulled her into a hug so he didn’t have to look her in the eye. He didn’t exactly lie, but he didn’t tell the whole truth, either of which, in Kate’s book, was the same as lying. “Gina’s busy getting settled in our new house and she has work on Monday. She has her own career in New York and can’t just drop everything to run here and meet my family.”
    Kate hugged him back and then held his shoulders searching his face. Her short hair curled around her face and seemed to be lighter than usual; could it be it was mixed with gray? He’d never noticed the fine lines feathering around her eyes and mouth as she smiled up at him.
    “Karma told me you proposed to her first.”
    Ben winced feeling like he was sixteen again and getting caught making out on the couch. “I wasn’t going to touch her, Kate, I swear. I was just going to marry her. I needed to get married…”
    She placed her fingers on his lips to silence him. “I know all about it.” She released him and he followed her into the kitchen where she poured coffee and handed Ben his. Ben leaned back against the granite counter and took a sip.
    Kate added cream and sugar to hers. “Believe me, I don’t agree with your grandfather’s ultimatum.” She returned the creamer to the refrigerator and sat beside him on a stool. “I tried to talk him out of it, but you know how stubborn he is. Once Joe has