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Tami shrugged. “If you don’t mind grubbing through the cobwebs, be my guest.”
Rayne headed back across the white carpet, pausing at the door to glance over her shoulder. “I’ll say goodbye before I leave.”
“Don’t bother. I have a pedicure appointment.” Tami lifted a slender arm to glance at the Rolex strapped around her wrist. “I’ll see you next month.”
Salzburg, Austria
Then
Rayne hauled the last of her suitcases into the cramped dorm room. It was a sparse space, with two single beds and two matching desks. There were no posters on the barren gray walls, and no television or stereo system. The only beauty to be seen was out the window, where the snow-capped Alps towered over the landscape.
“Hello, mouse.”
Rayne jumped at the sound of a voice coming from the open doorway. She whirled to study the tall, blond-haired, blue-eyed girl who managed to make the school uniform look as if it should be on a runway.
Natalie Scantlin. Like Rayne, she was fourteen years old, but that was where the similarities ended. Natalie was the most popular girl in school. And not just because she was pretty, or smart, or because her parents were rich. It was her vivacious personality that made her the constant center of attention.
Rayne, on the other hand, preferred to fade into the background. From the moment she’d arrived in Austria she’d tried her best to avoid attracting attention. It was a habit she’d learned after her mother had started dating Mark Jefferson. It had been painfully obvious the man didn’t want Rayne underfoot, and she’d made a conscious effort to disappear.
It hadn’t worked, of course. Two days after the wedding, Rayne had been packed up and sent off to St. Cecilia’s.
Surprisingly, Rayne was happy at the school. Although she didn’t mix easily with the other students, she loved her classes and even the nuns. Especially Sister Gemma, who’d recognized Rayne’s talent in art and encouraged her to spend her free hours painting. It wasn’t until the school counselor, Sister Rosa, had pulled her aside two days ago that she realized that the teachers were worried about the amount of time she spent alone. They insisted that she swap rooms and move in with Natalie, in the hopes the gregarious girl could pull her out of her shell.
Now she scowled at the girl who strolled into the room with a confidence that Rayne would never possess.
“Don’t call me that,” she snapped. “I’m not a mouse.”
“A mouse with teeth.” Natalie abruptly laughed, her blue eyes twinkling with a humor that took the sting out of her words. “Good. Let’s go.”
Rayne frowned. “Natalie—”
“Nat,” the girl interrupted. “Only my parents call me Natalie. And the nuns.” She lifted her hand to motion toward Rayne. “Come on.”
“Where are you going?”
“To the stables. Lucy said there’s a new colt.” She touched the camera hung around her neck. It was heavy and black and looked as if it belonged to a professional. “I want to get some pictures.”
Lucy was Lucy McKenna. She was a year older than Rayne and the daughter of an actress, but she’d always been kind. In fact, she’d been one of the few girls to go out of her way to spend time with Rayne after she’d seen the way Mark Jefferson had treated her when her mother had come for a visit. She’d understood the trauma unwelcome men forced into a young girl’s life.
“I have to unpack,” she informed her new roommate.
“You can do that later. The light is starting to fade.” Marching across the wood-planked floor, Nat threaded her arm through Rayne’s and steered her out of the room. “Come on.”
They headed through the narrow hallway and down the stairs to leave the castlelike structure through a side entrance.
“Maybe I don’t like horses,” Rayne protested, even as she was urged across the manicured lawn.
Nat angled past the looming cathedral, heading for the L-shaped stables and paddocks at the edge of the property.
“What are you talking about? Everyone loves horses.”
Rayne snorted. “Are you always this bossy?”
“Yes. You’ll get used to it.”
“Doubtful,” Rayne groused, although she wasn’t as annoyed as she was trying to pretend. There was something irresistible about Natalie Scantlin. A charm that not even Rayne could ignore.
Without warning, Nat came to a halt, pulling Rayne to face her. “You’re an artist, right?”
