Aunt Rosa hurried back down the hall with a towel, which Josie took gratefully.
“Thank you,” she said, then gestured at the room. “This is—amazing.”
“Yes. Actually, this part is the original house his father built. Luke and his brothers added on to it. Tomorrow you’ll be able to see the view. I don’t know if Luke told you, but this kind of rain isn’t typical for this time of year.”
She managed a smile. “So I just got lucky?”
Aunt Rosa smiled and patted her arm. “Something like that. Now, let’s get these bags to your room so you can get into something dry, then I’ll feed you.”
Josie pulled the handle on her suitcase and looped the other two bags over her shoulders, waving off Aunt Rosa’s extended hand. “I’ve got them. But thank you.”
She followed her aunt’s trim figure down the hall past that wonderful fireplace and was surprised to meet an older woman coming out of a room right at the beginning of the hall. She moved slower than her age would indicate, with a walker, and a bag of what appeared to be knitting supplies. Her smile was friendly as she saw them. “Well, hello. You must be Josie. I’m Alice Ryder, Luke’s mother.”
Josie extended her hand. “I am. Nice to meet you, Alice. Thanks for sharing your home with me.”
Alice chuckled. “This is Luke’s home. I’ve got my own a little farther down the lane. I’m a temporary guest.”
“Alice had her hips replaced,” Aunt Rosa explained.
“The boys insisted I stay here so they can keep an eye on me,” Alice said cheerfully, and then her smile faded. “I’m glad you got here safe. This place is hard to find in the daylight, much less the rain and dark.”
“Yes. I learned that the hard way,” Josie admitted. Luke had been clear on her folly, and he’d been right to call her on it. Sheer stubbornness mixed with exhaustion had colored her judgment, and look where that had gotten her. “It’s a mistake I won’t make again.”
Alice smiled at her. “I’m sure you won’t. Now you get settled in and relax.”
“This is a gorgeous house,” Josie said as they continued on.
Rosa nodded “It is lovely. I love it here. But it’s time for me to go spend some time with Kelly.”
Rosa’s first grandchild was due next week. “I know she’ll be thrilled to have you around.”
Rosa laughed. “Considering how long she waited to have children, she’s not surprised that I want to be there.” She paused to open a door a few steps down. “This is your room.”
Josie followed her in. The bedside lamps were already on, which gave the room a lovely glow. She set her bags down on the floor, next to the one Luke had already dropped off. She thought she could catch a whiff of his scent lingering in the air. Crazy.
“You’ve got a view of the mountains,” Rosa said. “In the morning you’ll be able to see it.”
“It’s a lovely room. So—serene,” Josie said. And it was. The walls here weren’t log. They were painted a very pale lilac gray, a color that felt a little like twilight. The carpet was cream and very thick underfoot. The queen-size bed had a light blue quilt and a white coverlet folded over the end. There were a few framed photos on the wall, shots of what she assumed was the ranch. A small sitting area rounded out the space, with a television.
And a cattle skull over what turned out to be the bathroom.
“Yes,” Rosa said, following her gaze with a good-natured sigh, “the senses of humor around here tend toward warped. I can take it down if you’d rather not look at it every day.”
“Ah, no, it’s fine,” Josie said, eyeing it warily. She was in the West after all. “It lends character.”
Rosa gave her another hug. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Me, too.” Josie’s stomach growled, and they both laughed. “So there’s dinner?”
“Oh, yes,” Rosa said and smiled. “Change if you’d like, then follow your nose to the kitchen.” She left, pulling the door shut behind her.
It took Josie only a few minutes to use the bathroom and put on yoga pants and a long-sleeved T-shirt. She pulled her hair up in a ponytail and stared at her reflection with a wince. Pale, with dark circles under her eyes, she looked as exhausted as she felt. While she’d jumped at the chance to get out of LA, she wasn’t sure after her adventures today that she was cut out for this kind of place.
She took a deep breath. She could do it. It was six weeks in the middle of nowhere, cooking for four people. She’d spent the past few years cooking for critics and crowds, her life consumed by her career. How hard could it be?
Josie slept like a rock, and woke up confused when her smartphone alarm went off. She never slept through the night, in fact had prescription sleep medication that she tried not to take but often had to after several restless nights.
Blinking the sleep from her eyes, it took her a few seconds to remember where she was. The Silver River Ranch. She got up and hurried through her morning routine. Rosa had said she was usually in the kitchen by five, and it was nearly that now.
She hurried through the dark house and nearly screamed when a shadow detached itself from the darkness near the fireplace and hurtled itself at her, panting.
She darted behind a chair and whacked her shin on something hard. She bit back a curse and rubbed her aching leg as the shadow—a dark-colored dog—nosed her, tail going a mile a minute.
“You scared me,” she said accusingly, and the dog sat, tail still going, apparently unfazed by her tone.
She sighed and gave the dog’s head a quick pat, her heart still racing. She wasn’t a fan of dogs. Or animals in general, though she’d taken riding lessons as a teen. She’d never had a pet in any of her thirty-two years. Her parents had been too busy, and she’d followed right in their footsteps in terms of throwing herself wholeheartedly into her work. No time for houseplants, much less a pet.
She moved around the dog, who trotted behind her into the kitchen. It already smelled heavenly, and most important, like coffee. Aunt Rosa looked up with a smile. “Good morning. Did you sleep okay? Ah, I see you met Hank.”
“Good morning. I did, thanks.” She decided not to mention her little run-in in the living room with the furniture. Getting spooked by an animal seemed like a poor start to her job here. “You let the ranch dogs in the house?” Apparently giving up on Josie, Hank trotted over to Rosa, who rubbed his ears.
“Not the working ones. When they get old or can’t work for some reason they’ll usually get adopted by a family member. Hank is Luke’s dog.” To the dog, she said, “Go lie down, Hank.” He gave Josie another long look, then meandered out of the kitchen.
Rosa nodded toward the stack of white mugs on the counter next to the huge coffeepot. “Help yourself.”
“Thanks.” She moved around the island and poured a cup, adding a little milk and sugar. She closed her eyes as she took a sip. “Wow. This is really excellent coffee, Aunt Rosa.”
“Luke wants only the