Jackson, the sound of male voices and laughter grew louder. The back-room door slapped shut, then the inner screen door opened and two men stepped into the kitchen. They halted abruptly just inside the door and stared at Rebecca with identical expressions of surprise and interest.
“Whoa. Who’s this?”
The taller of the two grinned at her, his blue eyes alive with interest on an open, friendly face beneath close-cropped blond hair. The other man was shorter, with dark brown hair and a handsome face. Rebecca instinctively liked the taller man and withheld judgment on the handsome one.
She glanced at Jackson and found him watching her reaction, eyes narrowed.
“This is the accountant. She’ll be staying here for the next couple of months or so. Rebecca Wallingford,” he nodded at the blond man, “this is Gib Thompson…”
“Hello.” The lanky young man grinned and nodded a greeting.
“…and Mick Haworth.”
“Pleased to meet you.” An engaging smile wreathed Mick’s handsome face.
“It’s nice to meet you, too.”
“Where are you from, Rebecca?” Gib asked.
“San Francisco.”
“Yeah? Are you…”
“Out of the way.” Hank’s testy voice interrupted them. He elbowed his way past Mick and Gib and shot them a glare. “If you two want to eat tonight, you’d better get washed up. I ain’t waitin’ dinner on you while you stand here jawin’ with Rebecca.”
The two shot Rebecca apologetic looks and left the room. Their boots sounded on the stairs, the din of their friendly arguing floating behind them down the stairway.
“You, too, boss.”
Jackson left the kitchen without comment. The radio played an old Stones tune as his boots sounded on the stair treads.
By the time Jackson and the other two came back downstairs, faces, hands and arms washed free of dust and grime, Rebecca was folding napkins and tucking them under silverware. The maple table was set with mismatched china, a crockery bowl filled with salad greens and red tomatoes making a bright spot of color against the wooden tabletop. Hank forked steaks onto a platter and set it on the table.
“Well, come on, set down and eat before everything gets cold.”
Chairs scraped against the wooden floor, Mick and Gib jostling each other to pull out Rebecca’s chair. Jackson gave them a steely glare and they retreated to their own seats. Rebecca calmly seated herself and picked up her napkin.
For a few moments, the silence was punctuated only by requests to pass food and the scrape of spoons and forks against bowls and plates.
The quiet was broken by Gib.
“So, Rebecca, you’re an accountant? In San Francisco?”
“Yes.” She picked up her water glass and sipped. “I work for an investment firm downtown.”
“And you do this often?” Mick asked.
Rebecca glanced up. “Do I do what often?”
“Travel to a strange place and live with strangers?”
“I travel a lot,” she conceded. “But I usually stay in a hotel room by myself.”
“And that doesn’t bother you, traveling all the time?” Gib asked, his voice curious.
“No, not at all. I like visiting new places, meeting new people.”
“And you don’t miss being at home?”
Rebecca had a quick mental image of her San Francisco apartment with its few pieces of furniture and the unpacked boxes still shoved into closets after three years. Her busy traveling life left little time to build a nest. “I miss San Francisco,” she admitted. “I love the city. But I rarely get homesick when I’m away. I’m usually too busy working and exploring a new city.”
“So most of your jobs are in the city?” Mick asked, ignoring his half-eaten steak to stare at her.
“Until now, all of my clients have been located in medium to large cities. But that doesn’t mean that our firm never has clients in smaller towns.”
“But you’ve never worked in a small town,” Jackson interjected.
“No,” Rebecca admitted. She lifted an eyebrow, trying to keep annoyance from her voice. “Are you concerned about my ability to deal with a rural-based business rather than an urban corporation?”
“No.” He shook his head. “I’m concerned with your ability to put up with the isolation of a ranch after living in the city.”
“I have a car,” she pointed out. “And Colson isn’t that far away.”
“True. But Colson isn’t San Francisco, not even close. You’re a long way from gourmet restaurants, Starbucks coffee and the opera.”
“I don’t go to the opera.”
He shrugged. “Then, the ballet. Whatever it is that you like to do in the city, you’re not likely to find here.”
“Maybe not.” She narrowed her eyes, determined to squelch the urge to lose her temper. “But I’m sure there are other things unique to the area and unavailable in the city that I’ll find here.”
He looked unconvinced. “I’m sure there are, but I doubt you’ll like any of them.”
Rebecca forced a small smile. “I have no doubt I’ll find them fascinating. In any event, I won’t be here forever. Two or three months is longer than my usual assignments but the time will pass quickly enough.”
“You don’t usually stay at a company for three months? Why so long this time?”
His question seemed casual, but Rebecca didn’t miss the intensity with which he watched her.
“I don’t know.” She was suddenly aware that everyone at the table had stopped eating, their attention wholly focused on her. She chose her words carefully. “As far as I know, this is the first time Bay Area Investments has made a loan to a rancher. Perhaps the company is being cautious because this is a trial project in a new area.”
“Maybe.” Jackson was unconvinced. Gut instinct told him that she was holding something back. She sipped water, and her gaze met his without evasion over the rim of the glass. He didn’t think she was lying, but doubted she was telling him everything she knew.
Rebecca glanced around the table. “This steak is excellent,” she said politely, changing the subject without worrying about subtlety. “Is it from beef raised here on the ranch?”
Hank hooted. Jackson’s mouth twisted with wry humor.
“I wish I could say yes. The few cattle left on the place when I took
