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CHAPTER10
Annabella
I couldn’t sleep. It was so…. quiet here. All I could hear was the wind whistling through my open window. I had to admit, it was nice not having to worry about making sure every window and door was locked before I went to bed, but if there had been a television in the room, I’d have put it on just to have some normalcy.
Stretching out on the bed, I threw the covers off and got up. Even though I was tired, I couldn’t lie there any longer. After dressing, I opened the door and headed downstairs, trying not to wake anyone else in the house. When I got to the kitchen, I saw Mr. Marzoni sitting at the table.
“Good morning,” I said.
“Hello, how did you sleep?” he asked.
“Great, thank you,” I lied. Looking around the kitchen, I noticed the empty coffee pot. “Would you like me to make some coffee and breakfast?” I offered.
“I don’t want you to go to any trouble. You’re our guest. We should be waiting on you,” he said. “Colton can cook for us when he gets back.”
“Back? He’s not here?” I asked, surprised. I hadn’t heard his truck leave.
“Since he was in high school, Colton has gotten up before sunrise for a jog.”
“How far does he go?” I asked, trying to guess how long he’d be gone.
“Around the property,” he replied. “Sometimes gone for an hour, others, two.”
“Wow, he really must enjoy jogging around that much,” I said. It was beautiful here - rolling plains as far as the eye could see, and I could imagine myself getting lost in the tall, waving grasses. “How big is your property?”
“Just over twelve-hundred acres.”
“What?” I asked in surprise.
He nodded and explained, “It starts where you turned onto this street and goes back about a quarter of a mile that way.”
“This is all yours.” I still couldn’t believe it. No wonder Colton didn’t seem to enjoy being in Boston.It’s nothing like what he’s used to.
I wanted to relocate, and I could see the charm in living in a place like South Dakota, and everyone I spoke to last night was friendly and welcoming, but this place wasn’t for me. I had a vision of what my life would be someday, and this wasn’t it.
My stomach started to grumble. I hadn’t eaten much last night and was regretting it now. Mr. Marzoni said, “Maybe coffee would be a good idea.”
Before he could get up, I said, “I’ve got it. And I make a pretty good omelet as well. You have so much leftover ham and veggies that I could whip us up a western easily.” There was so much food left over from yesterday’s gathering that I could cook for them for days and hardly make a dent.
“Just like Lilly used to make.”
I looked at him, hoping I hadn’t just said something wrong, but instead he was grinning. “Thank you, Annabella. I’d enjoy it, if you don’t mind doing the honors.”
I smiled. “It’s my pleasure.”
As I pulled things out of the fridge and set to work chopping, I asked, “How does Colton like his eggs?”
He chuckled. “Cooked and served to him. Just so you know, he’s up before dawn, but doesn’t eat anything until all his morning chores are finished. His routine, not ours. I guess that’s why he landed a job working at the dairy farm.”
When we were in Boston, I found several things we had in common.Here I’m learning there are plenty more that we don’t.
“I’m not a morning person. Probably why I work most nights,” I said.
“What do you do?” he inquired.
“My dad owns a limo service and I’m one of his drivers,” I said proudly.
“In Boston?”
