“No. I thought both my father’s parents were dead. My father was close to forty when he married my mother and when I was in my teens he was in his fifties already so I assumed his parents were deceased since he never mentioned them. I didn’t know about Herman until I got a summons to be present at the reading of the will. My parents didn’t even mention anything about the funeral. They attended the services but only said they were leaving town to take care of business. I assumed it was one of their usual business trips. It was only when they returned that they mentioned that Herman’s attorney had advised them that I was needed for the reading of the will in a week.”
She pulled in a deep breath. “Needless to say, I wasn’t happy that my parents had kept such a thing from me all those years. I felt whatever feud was between my father and grandfather was between them and should not have included me. I feel such a sense of loss at not having known Herman Bostwick.”
Jason nodded. “He could be quite a character at times, trust me.”
For some reason she felt she could trust him…and in fact, that she already did. “Tell me about him. I want to get to know the grandfather I never knew.”
He smiled. “There’s no way I can tell you everything about him in one day.”
She returned the smile. “Then come back again for tea so we can talk. That is, if you don’t mind.”
She held her breath thinking he probably had a lot more things to do with his time than to sip tea with her. A man like him probably had other things on his mind when he was with someone of the opposite sex.
“No, I don’t mind. In fact, I’d rather enjoy it.”
She inwardly sighed, suddenly feeling giddy, pleased. Jason Westmoreland was the type of man who could make his way into any woman’s hot and wild fantasies, and he’d just agreed to indulge her by sharing tea with her occasionally to talk about the grandfather she’d never known.
“Well, I guess I’d better get back to work.”
“And what do you do for a living?” she asked, without thinking about it.
“Several of my cousins and I are partners in a horse breeding and horse training venture. The horse that came in second last year at the Preakness was one of ours.”
“Congratulations!”
“Thanks.”
She then watched as he eased his body off her sofa to stand. And when he handed the empty teacup back to her, she felt her body tingle with the exchange when their hands touched and knew he’d felt it, as well.
“Thanks for the tea, Bella.”
“You’re welcome and you have an open invitation to come back for more.”
He met her gaze, held it for a moment. “And I will.”
CHAPTER TWO
ON TUESDAY OF THE FOLLOWING week, Bella was in her car headed to town to purchase new appliances for her kitchen. Buying a stove and refrigerator might not be a big deal to some, but for her it would be a first. She was looking forward to it. Besides, it would get her mind off the phone call she’d gotten from her attorney first thing this morning.
Not wanting to think about the phone call, she thought about her friends back home instead. They had teased her that although she would be living out in the boondocks on a ranch, downtown Denver was half an hour away and that’s probably where she would spend most of her time—shopping and attending various plays and parties. But she had discovered she liked being away from city life and hadn’t missed it at all. She’d grown up in Savannah, right on the ocean. Her parents’ estate had been minutes from downtown and was the place where lavish parties were always held.
She had talked to her parents earlier today and found the conversation totally draining. Her father insisted she put the ranch up for sale and come home immediately. When the conversation ended she had been more determined than ever to keep as much distance between her and Savannah as possible.
She had been on the ranch for only three weeks and already the taste of freedom, to do whatever she wanted whenever she wanted, was a luxurious right she refused to give up. Although she missed waking up every morning to the scent of the ocean, she was becoming used to the crisp mountain air drenched in the rich fragrance of dahlias.