At Bluebonnet Lake (Texas Crossroads Book #1): A Novel Read Online Free Page A

was a totally different story. She needed, she absolutely needed, to be able to connect. When she’d persuaded Heather that taking a month off wouldn’t cause irreparable damage to Maddox and Associates, Kate had assumed she’d have cell service. It appeared that was a bad assumption.
    She had seen a phone in the office. Surely she could use that, if only for today. While she wouldn’t be able to check email or texts, at least she’d be able to call the office. Tomorrow she’d figure out a way to do all that she’d promised her employers. After sliding her phone into her bag alongside the laptop that she’d brought in case she needed to do heavy-duty computing, Kate scribbled a note for Sally and quietly closed the cabin door behind her.
    As she stood on the porch, taking a deep breath, she glanced at the swimming pool on the opposite side of the road. An iron fence with the same design as the resort’s entrance gates kept small children out. Not that there was much danger today. The pool was covered, and the diving board had been removed. Even in Texas, it was too cold to swim outside in early April. Kate didn’t mind that, but she did wish there were chairs for the porch. She’d ask for them as soon as she resolved the phone problem.
    Moving briskly, Kate made her way to the office and wasn’t surprised when she found it empty. Though most hotels hadsomeone at the front desk at all times, it was clear that Rainbow’s End was not most hotels. Kate rang the bell to summon Angela Sinclair, then tried not to tap her fingers on the counter as she waited. Where was the woman? As tempted as she was to simply pick up the phone and place her call, Kate wouldn’t do that without permission. She rang the bell again, this time pounding it a bit harder.
    Still no response. The only sound was a woman singing. Though the melody was haunting, Kate could not understand the lyrics. With a sigh, she headed toward the sound. A short hall with three interior doors on the left and an exterior entrance on the right appeared to connect the office to the two-story building that housed the dining room. Though the first and third doors were closed, the singing came from the middle one.
    Kate peeked in and found herself at the kitchen, where a woman a couple inches shorter and a few pounds heavier than her grandmother was crooning in Spanish as she sprinkled what smelled like oregano into a large bowl.
    “Hello.” Kate hoped the woman spoke English, because her knowledge of Spanish was limited to por favor and gracias with an occasional hola thrown in for good measure.
    “Can I help you?” the dark-haired woman asked, her light accent as melodious as her singing had been. Kate guessed the woman, who was only an inch or two over five feet and a good ten pounds more than the recommended weight for her height, to be in her midfifties. If Sally were here, she would have described her as jolly, for her smile was more welcoming than the one Angela Sinclair had given them.
    Kate nodded. “I’m Kate Sherwood, a new guest. I’m looking for a couple things.” She might as well start with something that would benefit Sally. “Are there any outdoor chairs? Rocking chairs or maybe Adirondack? My grandmother and I would like to sit on our porch.”
    The woman nodded. “There are a few in the shed. I’ll ask KOB to clean them up and bring them to you.”
    “Mr. Cobb?” Greg hadn’t volunteered his last name, but he was the only other staff member Kate had seen.
    A peal of laughter greeted her question, reinforcing the woman’s pleasant disposition. “Sorry! We have three teenagers who help out here—Kevin, Olivia, and Brandi. I call them KOB for short.”
    “That makes sense. We use acronyms for almost everything, don’t we?”
    “TLAs according to my daughter.” When Kate nodded, signifying that she recognized the acronym for three-letter acronyms, the woman raised a brow. “You said you were looking for a couple things. What else