The Rancher Takes a Cook Read Online Free Page B

animals milled
about in the corrals near the barn. Anna inhaled a deep breath and
let it out, then squared her shoulders and squeezed the mare into a
jog. Might as well get this over with.
    As Anna neared the two-story log house, she
marveled at how impressive it looked with its wrap-around porch and
glass windows across the front. The structure wasn’t as large as
the plantation homes back in South Carolina, but it had a rich,
masculine look that was comfortable.
    Anna scanned the yard. Where was everyone?
She dismounted, looped the reins around a hitching rail, and stared
at the wooden door to the house. The nerves in her stomach knotted
tight. She would have to knock on that door. No problem, though.
She would do it for Edward.
    Straightening her spine, Anna marched up the
stairs, across the porch, and rapped her knuckles on the wood
before she could second-guess herself. Within seconds, the door
opened and a petite woman with red and grey hair eyed her.
    “Well, sakes alive. Come in, come in,
lassie.”
    Before Anna could introduce herself, the
older woman wrapped a strong hand around Anna’s upper arm and
pulled her inside the house. A delicious aroma tickled Anna’s nose
as the woman led her into a large parlor with a magnificent stone
fireplace covering most of one wall. The furniture was rugged but
striking, with firm, clean lines and masculine fabrics.
    “Why we haven’t had such a lovely visitor in
ages. Ya must come in and sit a spell. I’m Lola O’Brien, but please
call me Aunt Lola. And who be you?” The woman spoke in a heavy
Irish brogue, but the accent didn’t disguise the kindness in her
tone.
    “I’m Anna Stewart—”
    “Stewart, ya say?” Mrs. O’Brien interrupted
with a twinkle in her blue eyes. “Are your folks from the old
country? I knew I liked you for a reason.”
    The woman’s grin sent a warmth through Anna.
“My grandfather was born in Ireland, but his parents came to South
Carolina when he was a boy. Our family has lived there ever since,
until recently.”
    “Aye. Well it’s a pleasure, it is, to share
your company. Ya must sit down and make ya’self at home while I get
us some tea.”
    The older woman turned and started out of
the room, but Anna spoke quickly. “No, please.” Mrs. O’Brien looked
back with a question on her face. Summoning her courage, Anna
began, “I...I came to speak with Mr. O’Brien about an important
matter. Is he home?”
    “Nay, Marty’s out checking on the men in the
south pasture, but I expect he’ll be back soon. He didn’t take a
lunch, so I’m believin’ his stomach will bring him back straight
away.” The twinkle in her eyes was contagious, and Anna squelched a
chuckle. “Now sit ye down and I’ll be back in a jif.”
    As the woman disappeared around the corner,
Anna eased herself down onto a sturdy-looking sofa and clasped her
hands in her lap. The small, spunky Irish woman’s assertive
kindness had caught Anna off guard, but she couldn’t be deterred
from the reason she had come. The minute Mr. O’Brien returned, she
would discuss her business and leave.
    Anna’s nerves began to settle, and she
smoothed a hand over her skirt. Mrs. O’Brien’s voice drifted into
the room even before she appeared in the doorway with a cup in each
hand. “I put a drop of sugar in your tea. I be thinkin’ a lass as
sweet as ye wouldn’t have it any other way, but if you prefer it
without I can bring in a fresh cup.”
    “No, this is perfect.” Anna accepted the cup
from the woman’s wrinkled hand. Mrs. O’Brien shuffled over to seat
herself in a petite armchair that seemed overshadowed by the large
pieces around it.
    A whinny from the yard caused the older
woman to look up from the teacup she’d been stirring, and her
ever-present grin widened. “There be my cousin now.”
    “Your cousin?” Anna struggled to keep the
disappointment out of her voice. Where was Mr. O’Brien so she could
get this errand over with? “Your cousin lives