“Eeek…” She squealed and jumped a foot, her heart beating hard. Who was at her door? Already? She wasn’t ready for company. She was in her shorty pj’s.
Which reminded her there were no curtains on the office windows. Anyone could look in and see her. The fact that she was no longer in a city with busy streets and crowded hallways did nothing to calm her. That was what she was used to.
She scurried back through the inner door, closing it behind her. Whoever was at the outer door could just wait. Or go away, she didn’t care. Imagine expecting her to be on call at the crack of dawn!
The knocking continued.
Grabbing her lavender summer robe, she slipped it on, then hurried barefoot to open the office door.
The tall guy from last night stood there…what was his name? His gaze went from her tousled head to her painted toenails, noting where the robe stopped at her knees. Why did he make her feel she was exposing more than she should? Her robe covered more than a pair of shorts did.
“What is it?” She asked rather grumpily. Her temper made her impatient and cranky. Then her training kicked in. She cleared her throat and said more evenly, “May I help you?”
He raised a brow, an amused grin starting to spread.
“I thought since this is your first morning here, you might like to go out to breakfast.”
“Well, I don’t know…um…?” She stumbled for his name. She usually remembered people’s names, but at the moment his mischievous look distracted her.
“Grant.” His smile spread wider.
“Ah, yes. Like the Civil War general.”
“As a matter of fact, that’s the way it was. My granddad is a history buff, and he named me.”
“Oh, is that a fact?” She was interested in spite of his silly grin. No one knew much about her personal history.
“How about breakfast?”
“I suppose it couldn’t hurt.” She was starving. There wasn’t anything in the refrigerator except mustard and ketchup, and the soup from dinner the night before was long gone. She’d have to grocery shop at some time, she knew. “Give me fifteen minutes to get ready.”
She turned, and raced into the bedroom.
“Fifteen minutes?” He called after her. “Most women take that long just to get into the shower.”
She heard him, but she didn’t answer. She’d been trained to take three-minute showers, and two-minute dry-offs. Getting dressed was a matter of grabbing the clothes off the top of the stack in her suitcase.
True to her word, she reappeared in the office in fifteen minutes. She wore jeans, a blue T-shirt, and brown sandals. She’d combed through her wet hair with the speed of lightning, and twisted it up with a large clip. She wore no makeup.
“I don’t believe it,” he said, looking at his watch, then giving her a once-over glance. “Fifteen minutes to the second.”
“I never usually take long,” she said with a note of pride. “But for breakfast, I put a rush on it. Where are we going?”
It didn’t matter a whit. She could eat a cow. Maybe two.
“There’s a place about ten miles that way that’s good.”
She had no idea where “that way” was. She supposed he was safe enough. He escorted her out to the road where a small red pickup was parked.
“Now tell me, where did you get the name Sunny?”
“My mom named me Sunny because she said the day I was born was the sunniest day she’d ever seen,” she said, climbing into the truck. She did know that much, at least.
“What did your dad say to that?” He closed her door, then went around to his side.
Sunny shrugged. “I don’t know. He died before I was born.”
“That explains it.”
“Explains what?”
“Oh, um…that your granddad never said…never knew about you. I guess the communication got lost along the way somewhere.”
“Yes, I suppose so.” She didn’t want to discuss it, not with this near stranger. Her emotions were too on edge. “Tell me about the lake and its history.”
“Ah…that’s a tall order.” And a safe one. “All right, here goes. In the thirties, the local utility company built the lake to generate electricity, and since it’s a private concern, that’s why anyone can build right on the lake…”
Grant talked all the way to breakfast. She watched him shift gears at a crossroad, barely glancing to the right and left. Then he talked through breakfast, and she watched his expressive eyes as he told her of the struggles of the utility company to obtain all the land.
At the end of their meal, he slowly wound down. He’d eaten his eggs and sausage, while she nibbled on the last of her toast, having consumed her meal without a word.
“Fascinating,” Sunny said. It was a word she used when she didn’t know what else to say in a given conversation. But she really meant it. The history of the region was fascinating.
“Well, now that you’ve got your tummy full, what are you going to do?”
“Go shopping.”
His mouth drooped. “It figures. I never knew a woman who didn’t want to shop all the stores in an area new to her.”
“I meant for groceries. Where are the nearest grocery stores?”
His face brightened. “Really? Well, your best bet is about two-plus miles at the end of this road. You know, I could do with a bit of grocery shopping myself. Why don’t I take you now? It would be silly to go all the way back to Sunshine Acres only to pick up your car.”
She studied his face. Did he really have nothing better to do?
“What about your resort? Don’t you have riders…er, customers arriving?”
He glanced at his watch. “Not likely today. But it’s early yet. If we shop quickly, I won’t be that late getting back. Besides, I have someone there to take care of anyone that might happen by.”
“Oh, that’s nice. You have an assistant.”
“Yep. His name is Buzz.”
“All right, I suppose. I appreciate the help.”
The grocery store was a small one, but she chose several frozen entrées and lots of fresh vegetables and fruits. Grant settled for coffee and steaks.
On the drive home, Grant talked of his plans for Grant’s Retreat.
“I hope to expand to three trails a day in the summer. It would be great, if I can continue to trail the extended ride through the forest. And in autumn, I plan to host some evening rides. But I just got going before the end of last year…nobody but my family came for rides, practically. Old Nathan has been…was wonderful about waiting for payment while I’m getting started.”
“What do you mean? About my grandfather?”
“He owned the land. Didn’t you know?”
“No.” She watched the ribbon of road twist and turn while he talked.
“Yeah. And then there was a ten-acre partial in the valley that attaches to mine that he had an eye on. It made a solid bridge to mine. He called me as soon as it went on the market. I was able to snap it up.”
“I see.” Childish, unreasoning jealousy welled up inside her. Jealousy and envy over knowing and spending time with Nathan, really knowing her