Season of Fear (16 page)

Robin awoke to the delightful sight of the early morning sun streaming in through her window. She felt rested and in high spirits, full of energy and drive and eager to organize her day, determined to find some of the missing pieces of the puzzle around the ranch.

It was with an optimistic heart that she appeared in the kitchen and began her daily routine. Cook was already busy at work. The children had been fed and had already taken off in various directions around the ranch, Gregory and Jacob to the stable to inspect a new pony, Sara to the swimming pool, clad in her suit and prepared to soak up the rays of the sun, despite the fact that she still could not swim because of the cast.

Robin completed her tasks, organized the household books and budgets, and helped Linda, one of the girls from town who had been coming in daily to work in the house, get settled in her room. With the advent of all the company at the ranch, and the extra number of rooms to keep up with, and mouths to feed, Linda had volunteered to take on some extra duties, while staying overnight at the ranch to cut down on her travel time. Cook was delighted with the prospect of extra willing hands in the kitchen for the evening meal.

It was a good sign, thought Robin, that the people of Hamilton were finally accepting life at the ranch once more. For years no one had dared to take an overnight position at the ranch, while gossip swirled mercilessly through the little town, but lately, the bunkhouses were once again occasionally filling up. And with Linda's matter-of-fact agreement to stay with the Ridleys, it seemed that the future looked brighter.

And finally, Robin told herself fervently, when the real truth is known about Laura Ridley's unfortunate death, the cloud will permanently lift and things would be brighter yet!

Her sunny mood didn't last indefinitely. Shortly before lunchtime, gazing out the kitchen window as she helped Cook with some of the luncheon preparations, Robin caught sight of Alex moving across the open land between the house and the barns. He was walking easily and wore an expression of alertness and interest as he moved along, talking to a companion clad in trim pink riding pants with a matching vest, her long black hair wound demurely at the nape of her neck. It was Deborah.

She had her hand buried affectionately in the crook of his arm; her face was animated and breathtaking as she kept his rapt attention. He threw back his head and laughed at one of her comments, obviously enjoying her company and her wit.

Robin's heart sank. So much for foolish dreams. She quickly moved from the window slightly embarrassed for watching their approach. It really was no business of hers. She finished up the salad she was making with a heavy heart. But her promise to herself to solve the mystery remained. She would do her best, help these people that she cared about, and then quietly slip from their lives. She felt a pang of anger at herself for even allowing herself to care about the handsome blond man that she would soon have to leave.

She forced a smile back on her lips to face the world and went to join the household for lunch.

Despite her apprehension on the way to the dining room, the meal passed reasonably quickly. Deborah monopolized the conversation, to be sure, talking of her exciting travels to various parts of the world, charmingly chiding Alex for being stuck to his "roots" and burying himself outside the limits of civilization. "After all," she jested with a smile, "you've seen one head of cattle, you've seen them all!" Alex laughed at her attempts, looking relaxed and unconvinced, Robin watched his handsome profile with a bit of a lump in her throat, taking in the casual banter.

Herman was engrossed with her words. Sara and Lisa listened politely. And Jacob and Gregory seemed to hang on to Deborah's every word. Gregory with the enthusiasm of the delightful child he was, Jacob with the starstruck eyes of a besotted puppy.

Really
, thought Robin angrily, in one of her weaker moments during the meal.
Must all men react in that same, charmed way when confronted with a woman such as Deborah
Rankin?
Young and old, she seemed to have them bewitched. Robin scolded herself silently for sinking into a bout of old-fashioned jealousy. Had Laura, too, possessed that unmistakable female charm?

No one mentioned the hunt that had gone on for Robin the evening before, for which she was grateful. She did not want to broadcast her fears or her interpretations of the incident, and was glad that she didn't have to answer any difficult questions in public. Alex had evidently satisfied their curiosity at some point and had commanded the subject dropped.

When the luncheon things were finally cleared up and the group began to disperse for their afternoon plans, Robin and Sara started out in the jeep for a trip into town and a visit to the doctor. Sara was hoping fervently that his diagnosis on this checkup would mean that the time to move her burdensome cast had come.

She chattered endlessly as they drove to his office, a white clapboard building on the main street in town.

Robin left Sara in the cozy waiting room with a jolly, round-faced nurse and a handful of other local patients, planning to do some errands while they were in town.

"Don't hurry," Sara said with a smile. "When I'm done I'll stop over at the coffee shop and see who's around. I guess the time has come for me to think about finally making some friend who are my own age, don't you think?"

"I'm all for it." Robin said happily, proud of the dark-haired girl, who was trying so hard to forget her recent disappointment in her relationship with the hand from the ranch. "I'll meet you over there when I'm all done then."

She made the rounds of the local shops: the grocery store, drugstore, five-and-ten cent variety store, storing her bundles in the jeep. Her purchases made, she consulted her watch and was relieved to find that she had made good time and still had a few minutes to spare.

She had one more errand on her agenda, and its time had come. She took a determined breath, and started off down the street, turning up the walk that led to a house that she had visited once before. She knocked on the wooden door, and very soon was looking once again into the aged but wise face of the retired Ridley housekeeper, Mrs. Manchester.

"Why if it isn't Robin from the ranch. Come in, my dear, and I'll put on the teakettle."

Robin followed the apron-clad figure into the kitchen, and perched herself at the table of the sunlit room as Mrs. Manchester puttered about with teacups and spoons and saucers.

"I've been hoping I'd see you soon, Robin. It's been weeks and weeks since your last visit and I must admit I've been as curious as a kitten about what has been going on at the ranch. At my age, I don't get out much, and the trip out to visit can be tiring."

"Of course, Mrs. Manchester. I haven't been into town too terribly much myself. And things haven't exactly been calm at the ranch..."

Robin told the woman the whole story of the things that had occurred since her last visit to the retired housekeeper's home. The old eyes snapped sharply a bit at hearing of the jeep accident, of Sara's injury in the stall, of the radio placed maliciously in the pool. But she took all of the information in with a look of considerable concentration, nodding occasionally, and sometimes injecting a question as the tale went on.

The visit was an enlightening one, from several points of view. Deborah had been in town a few weeks before. Many folks had seen her car, and had recognized her, but her visit had not been a long one, and as far as Mrs. Manchester knew (and she prided herself on knowing much of what went on in Hamilton, Montana), no one had heard of the reason for her visit. No one had claimed to know where she had gone or who she had spoken to. She disappeared as suddenly as she had arrived.

After a few more short questions, Robin was relieved to hear that to the best of Mrs. Manchester's knowledge. Herman and Lisa had not been seen at any time prior to their arrival at the ranch. Robin felt as though a nagging worry had been lifted from her shoulders at that. It had bothered her horribly to think that her cousin, whom she truly cared about, could have been involved in n'some way with this unexplained visit by Deborah.

She went over the details of Laura's death once again with the housekeeper, refreshing her memory and listening with rapt attention for any miniscule fact that might not have concurred with the versions that she had heard before.

Mrs. Manchester, even though well up in her years, had a sharp and clear memory, but she could glean no new information.

Robin finished sipping the refreshing tea and, after bidding farewell to Mrs. Manchester, with a promise to keep in touch, hurried down the block to the coffee shop to meet Sara.

There was a lively chatter in the air as Robin opened the door of the luncheonette. Two large fans rotated overhead, stirring the hot summer air slightly, taking the edge off the heat of the day. A jukebox piping out the latest popular dance number, its beat lively, created a happy atmosphere of noise and activity. There were a handful of couples in the booths that lined the walls, two elderly ladies resting from a shopping spree, a middle-aged couple deep in conversation, two cowboys hoisting large mugs of ice-cold soda to quench their thirst from long hours on the range.

In the back corner booth was a sight that gladdened Robin's eyes. Sara sat with a group of lively teenagers, their laughs and lighthearted voices ringing occasionally over the music pouring out of the jukebox. There were two boys and three girls, all approximately Sara's age, obviously enjoying each other's company as they enjoyed crispy French fries and cola. Sara seemed so natural, so alive.

"Hi. Robin," her voice rang out as she caught sight of Robin in the doorway. "Come on over!"

She met the group gaily. Tom, Steve, Carol, and Heather, all local teenagers who had met here for a short afternoon break before getting back to their various summer jobs. Carol and Heather worked part-time in a local shop. Steve made deliveries for the drugstore, and Tom helped out the manager of the auto service station at the far end of the town. Sara had been determined to meet and get along with the teens from town, and she was doing well.

Robin was thoughtful as Sara made her goodbyes, promising to return to town another afternoon to rejoin her newfound friends. Her face was radiant and happy as she climbed into the waiting jeep.

Had the time come for people to forget the past? Or had the worries about being unaccepted been fostered more in the minds of the Ridleys themselves?

What would the emergence of the truth do to the situation?

Perhaps the past was better left as it was, dead and buried, or at least ignored. After all, just who would be found to be the culprit?

Robin looked over at Sara, who was riding peacefully beside her, preoccupied with her own thoughts, but wearing a happy little smile, and still humming the refrain of the tune that had filled the air at the coffee shop.

Please, Robin said in a silent prayer. Let her still be humming when the truth comes out.

Chapter 15

Robin took a refreshing bath before the dinner hour, washing her long blond hair and brushing it until it glistened. She slipped into a colorful flowered dress and a pair of perky sandals. The thought of constantly facing Deborah's extensive wardrobe and dramatic makeup made her more conscious of her own appearance, and made the thought of facing the group across the dinner table in her usual casual attire not appealing.

She wasn't one to fuss over her appearance, but, as she ran the brush through her shiny hair once more and gave a quick check in the mirror, seeing her glowing complexion—with its creamy tan—and the brightness of her dress, she felt assured and confident about herself.

She would never look like a cover girl on a magazine, or catch everyone's eye as Deborah did with her tremendously glamorous looks, but she was a healthy, attractive young woman, and she had no intention of trying to be other than herself.

Deborah monopolized the conversation at the table, as was becoming the pattern at meals, and after losing an interest in the woman's endless monologue about the mysteries of South America and the luxuriousness of the Riviera, Robin slipped into her own thoughts, noticing that Alex, Herman, and Jacob seemed to be hanging on every word they heard.

Had Laura really been involved with another man here around the ranch?

Robin looked at Alex's proud profile across the table, his wavy, full hair, the straightness and strength or his wide shoulders. It was difficult to believe that a woman would care for someone else... and yet? Mrs. Manchester was definitely not the type of woman to be prone to imaginings or exaggeration. And she had been sure.