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He set the bag near the door and stayed rooted at the threshold. “Bonnie used to rent out the rooms to guests. That’s why each room has a color theme.”
“Why did she stop?”
“I guess it got to be too much. I’ll let you get settled in. Bathroom’s down the hall. I have some work to do outside so that’s where you can find me if you need anything.” He touched the brim of his hat and took his leave.
Once he was outside, he breathed in fresh air. The scent of flowers and grass filled his nostrils, overpowering the scent of the newcomer. Chow followed Raven off the porch. Looking toward the house, he groaned. He wasn’t sure how he got wrangled in as the tour guide, but suddenly he thought he might not mind showing Parker around. Finally, his thoughts were on something else besides the explosion.
Chapter Nine
Swallowing against the lump in her throat, Parker stripped out of her new clothes that she bought at the charming boutique and turned the loose knobs in the shower. The pipes creaked and popped in resistance. She took a concerned step back wondering if they were going to explode. Finally, water spurted out of the faucet. Giving it a few minutes, she feathered her fingers under the stream, adjusted the temperature to hot, and stepped under the spray. Sighing, she felt the tension release in her muscles some.
Reaching for her face soap, she squeezed too tightly and bubbles floated around her. She blew them away and squirted a pea sized amount into her palm. After scrubbing away her makeup, then using the lavender soap on her body, she felt a little more human.
Turning off the water, she watched the suds swirl down the drain. Too bad she couldn’t send this project down the drain too.
Edgar had sent her out in the middle of nowhere, with no path to the outside world, in a town with people who looked at her like she was from a different universe. He’d meant it when he said he thought she needed some time away.
Wrapping the towel around her body and securing it, she scampered barefoot down the hallway and into the bedroom that obviously was the Rose Room. Roses covered every surface from the walls to the blanket to the rug.
Grabbing one of the new sundresses from the shopping bag, she laid it over the end of the bed and admired the purchase. She was in shock that the prices at the boutique were very reasonable.
After she’d dressed, she decided to check her phone and felt excited that she actually had service. And she saw that her mom had called and in her message she threatened to call in reinforcements if Parker didn’t return her call.
Crawling onto the settee, an antique piece that was probably worth a small fortune, near the window, she returned the call. Her mom answered on the first ring, “So you remembered you have parents, huh?”
“Sorry, Mom. I’ve been busy.”
“And your father and I aren’t?” Her grunt rattled the line.
“You’re right.” She turned to look out the window and her breath caught. She could see Raven in the yard, shirtless, pounding on the roof of one of the outbuildings. With each raise and lowering of the hammer, his muscles flexed and her throat twitched. Sweat beaded on her forehead.
“Did you hear a word I just said?”
Her mom’s sigh jarred Parker back into the conversation. “I was a bit…preoccupied.”
“Where are you?”
How did her mother know she wasn’t at home? Rebecca Manley always did seem to have Spidey-senses. “In Montana.”
“Montana?” Rebecca gasped. “Why in God’s name are you in Montana? Ricky! Parker’s in Montana!” she yelled. “Pick up the extension.”
Outside, Parker watched as Raven climbed down the ladder. The ripples and tight valleys of his torso stretched and she felt a tingle shoot through her body. “Holy shit!”
“Excuse me?” Her father’s low voice interrupted Parker’s running wild imagination.
“It’s lovely scenery here. You wouldn’t believe all the peaks and valleys.”
Raven lowered the water bottle he’d been guzzling. His gaze settled on the house as if he could sense he was being watched. She shifted away from the window, hoping he didn’t see her.
Her father was telling a story in an animated voice of how he found a box of antique Christmas cards at a yard sale. Listening, she bent forward and peeked through the window again. The cowboy was no longer in the same spot. She searched the yard and couldn’t find him.
“Are you listening?” Ricky asked.
“Yes, sorry. Antique cards for five dollars. What are you planning on doing with them?”
Her question made him pause, and then he asked, “Honey, why are you in Montana?”
“Work. Of course, work, dear. She always works!” The phone crackled with her mom’s sigh.
