Thunder Mountain Ranch (Alexandria Whitney Mystery) Read online

  “Wow, I hope so. But just in case someone comes back and asks for it, just let me know and I’ll get a copy for myself and send it back.” Looking back at the crafts room, Alex had another question.

  “Jess, did Anna pass away in that room?” Alex wondered about it’s importance.

  “Yes, she did. I was wondering when you were going to ask. One night after dinner I noticed the light still on and went to see what project she was working on so late. She was sitting in her rocking chair with the most peaceful look on her face.” Remembering back, Jessie realized how much she missed Anna, as did several of her regular guests.

  “When I was just in there, it felt so empty – not like the other times. I guess she really is gone.” Just as Alex finished the sentence the phone rang and Jessie needed to get back to work.

  Alex waved, left the little office with her treasures, and headed for her casita. She placed the picture on the table with the two fetishes in front. She wondered how long before the morning trail/crime scene ride would return. There was always more scraping to be done on the tack shed and she needed to get it finished before she left. Putting on her work clothes she figured she could get a little work done before lunch – which she was anxious for! She’d forgotten that yesterday she only had breakfast and a cookie with a glass of milk. That was probably the reason she was so hungry this morning. Jessie had only brought her a light breakfast thinking she may not have been that hungry, but all was well and her appetite had come back bigger than before.

  Walking towards the tack shed the air had a crisp smell to it and Alex felt great. Someone had painted the side she’d finished, so two more sides and she’d be done. Alex happily got to work. The paint wasn’t coming off quite as easy as before, but good enough to make sure the new paint adhered. The time seemed to pass as Alex mindlessly stared at the wall and didn’t really think of anything in particular, until she felt her stomach growl. Looking up at the sun she knew it was getting very close to lunch time, but still no sign of the morning’s group.

  Alex decided to head over to the dining hall to see if they had anything she could snack on. When she entered, Jessie was talking to the kitchen staff. Apparently the guests were having such a great time exploring the valley they would be about an hour late returning. Thank goodness Dawson had thought ahead and took a two-way radio so he could let Jessie know if they were going to be delayed. The kitchen staff appreciated the information as well, knowing they could wait an extra hour before setting up.

  “It looks like you have another couple of activities to add to the brochure – ghost hunting and crime scene investigations.” Alex was going for the bread, as all the hot stuff was still in the kitchen being prepared.

  “Great idea, Ms. Whitney. Does this mean you’ll be staying on to head up these new activities? You are our resident expert in both fields.” Jessie grabbed an apple as she headed in Alex’s direction.

  “How about I become the visiting expert? You know, once a year I come out to check the vibes and make sure all the spirits are behaving themselves.” Tearing her roll in half Alex looked for something to make a little sandwich with.

  “Come with me. I’ll show you where we keep the cold cuts.” Jessie took Alex by the hand and led her to the large stainless steel refrigerator.

  There was a platter with all types of meat, cut and ready to go. Alex peeled back the plastic wrap and took several pieces of roast beef, turkey and ham. She located the microwave, nuked the meat, then added American cheese, tomatoes and pickles. Yummy.

  “What are you up to anyway? I thought you were napping or just hanging out in your room.” Jessie saw her in her work clothes, but figured there was no way she was back working on the tack shed.

  “I’m scrapin’. I still have two sides to finish before I go home. Time’s a wasting, girlfriend. I signed on to do a job and by golly I means to finish it.” Taking a bite of her sandwich, she smiled at Jessie and headed for the door.

  “Alex, you don’t need to do that. We have people who can finish it.” Jessie loved the fact that Alex stuck to her word, but after all she’d been through she needed to take it easy.

  “Yes, and I’m the people who can do it. Jess, I’ll go stir crazy if I can’t get out and do things. But I won’t run myself into the ground to finish, deal?” With Sam occupied with morning chores Alex needed something to do, and as much as she wanted a hand woven basket she would end up spending the whole time thinking of Anna.

  “All right, as long as you promise not to finish if you don’t feel like it.” Knowing that Alex would not be talked out of this, Jessie at least wanted a compromise.

  “Yes, Mother. I won’t over do it. I promise. See you at lunch.” The little sandwich would definitely hold Alex until then, as long as there were no more delays!

  The lower half of one side was done, but someone had taken the ladder, making it impossible to do the top half. Whoever painted may have put it away thinking it wouldn’t be needed in the near future. It was wishful thinking on their part, but moving the ladder around was a pain. After lunch she would start on the lower half of the opposite side. At least it looked good as long as you didn’t look up to high.

  As Dawson had called it, the ride came back an hour late. Alex decided to stay out of sight until everyone headed for the dining hall. She was hoping she could slip in and out unnoticed and eat behind the tack shed – preferably with Sam.

  Alex watched and waited until only a few guests were still outside, among them Sam, Andy and Dean. Tip-toeing up behind them, she wanted to hear what they were talking about. The topic was how hungry they were and how much work they had to do after lunch. As Alex snuck up between Sam and Andy they both jumped at her sudden appearance. Laughing at how jumpy they were, the four were the last to enter for lunch.

  “Did you all have a good time without me?” Alex was standing behind Dean and Andy, but in front of Sam.

  “We sure did. But thanks to you and the fact that we’d been up there before, we were quite the experts in telling how you found the remains.” Andy was loving it, especially since the other wranglers had been turning green as he described what he saw when Alex uncovered the hand and arm.

  “I missed having you there. I didn’t feel as comfortable as I did before. You were my good luck piece, so to speak.” Sam reached over and gave Alex a little hug. If she never went back up to the valley, that would be fine with her.

  “Thank you, Sam. It’s nice to be missed. So do you think I’m safe to show my face yet?” Alex wanted to have full run of the ranch again.

  “Sure, but you’re still going to have a thousand questions to answer.” Andy totally missed Alex’s meaning to the question. He thought she meant was she safe from the ghosts.

  “Only a thousand questions? Gosh, that’s a relief. I figured a million minimum.” Smiling at Andy’s answer, the first group of kids had spotted her and were ready to pounce as soon as she sat down.

  Alex needed to resign herself, that this was her fifteen minutes of fame – so get used to it, sit back, and have fun with it. Surrounded by kids, Alex had Sam sitting next to her as the two of them fielded questions. Andy and Dean thought they were going to escape, but the young girl with the crush had them both cornered. Several other young girls as well were grilling them for information, although it probably wasn’t about ghosts or dead bodies as much as it was to see if either of them had girlfriends. Alex figured between the two of them they could handle four teenage girls.

  Thankful that lunch seemed to fly by, Alex took the rest of her meal and headed to the tack shed. She had several followers who she decided to put to work. The kids loved it, as long as they could keep asking questions, and ask they did. Alex was impressed by their intelligence and tried to answer them to the best of her ability. After a couple of hours the last helper headed back to tell his parents all that he had learned. The silence was deafening and Alex was in heaven. The shed was all scraped except for the high parts and she could goof off the rest of the d
ay. She decided to find Sam and see what she was up to. Remembering that she and Andy had a lot of work to do, meant they were around somewhere. They hadn’t really had much time to talk with all the kids around, but now hopefully ranch life would get back to the normal routine.

  Chapter 17

  A load of hay had been delivered and all hands were helping put it in the barn. Alex went to sit next to Jessie, Winston, and Dean, who were watching the shirtless men and one tank top wearing woman, unload the truck. Dawson still had a great body and Andy’s pecks and washboard stomach were enough to get any heart racing. Alex wondered if his female fan club was aware of this great beefcake show. The other wranglers had good reason to be jealous of Andy as they were “sevens” at best. Alex let out a wolf whistle and knew the wranglers would think it was directed at Andy, but it was for Sam. She was doing as much as the men, and in a few cases, more. Winston moved closer to her as he knew she was good for ten minutes of petting – minimum.

  Sam was smiling as she knew Alex was watching her very closely, and not in a casual fashion. Glancing over at Jessie, Alex gave her a wink then looked back at the activities. She couldn’t help but smile as she watched Sam flex her muscles, or stop the thoughts that were running through her mind. The sunshine was making the sweat glisten and she noticed Dean shifting and crossing his legs. She knew exactly what he was thinking about as she was having the same vision herself.

  The past few days she had been preoccupied with Anna and Ramon, but seeing them so much in love, she wished she was too. Was she rushing head first into a relationship with Sam, when she still had a lot to process regarding Dez? There was the nagging feeling she was going to end up in the same fix. She had been so sure about Dez and had ignored the small warning signs. Was she overlooking those same small signs with Sam? Alex wondered if the green eyed monster that had raised its head the other day was the first of many more times to come. Maybe they needed to talk about it. She wanted to get Sam alone after this chore and ask her if they could meet someplace quiet and talk after dinner.

  As the last bale was put in the barn, all hands were given a standing ovation by their little audience. Now the awkward part Dean wanted to plant one on Andy, just as Alex was of the same mind about Sam. The only one who could do what she was thinking was Jessie, who grabbed a very sweaty Dawson and did just that. Alex grabbed Andy and whispered in his ear which caused him to start laughing. He kissed her and swung her around. Not to be outdone, Dean and Sam did their best impression of the other couples. Feeling left out, the wranglers headed for their bunkhouse to get a shower. Winston, feeling a little unloved, put himself between Jessie and Dawson. It was obvious to all that he was jealous of all this hugging and kissing. Both Dawson and Jessie reassured him he was very much loved too. Dean and Sam joined Andy and Alex as she was telling him what a great body he had, which was causing him to blush. Alex did like the look of muscular bodies, but that was as far as it went. Taking Sam by the hand she gave it a gentle squeeze.

  “Are you done for the day?” Alex hoped they could hook up soon.

  “Yes. I just need a shower and then I’m off for the rest of the day. What did you have in mind?” Sam hoped for some private time for a change.

  “Great, we can take a walk before dinner, if that’s all right with you?” Alex thought that would be a good plan just in case things became too intense. They would have a nice little interruption to look forward to which could give them both time to think.

  “Sure, I can show you a little stream that runs close by. It’s a very peaceful place to visit.” Sam wanted to talk to Alex about a few things. She hadn’t felt this way about a woman since Teresa.

  Alex turned back towards the guys.

  “Okay, then we’ll meet for dinner. Boy, girl, boy, girl, right?” Alex figured being seen at dinner as a group was the way it was going to be from now on.

  “Andy, Dean! Hello, are you with us?” Smiling, as she realized they were having their own private conversation, Alex gave Andy a wink and repeated the question.

  “Absolutely. Dinner, the four of us. I’ll we’ll be there with bells on.” Smiling, Andy gave Dean a look and then headed for the bunkhouse to take his shower.

  “I’ll be ready for that walk in thirty minutes. I’ll come by your casita, okay?” Sam was going to run and get a shower before all the hot water was gone.

  “See you then.” Alex headed for her room.

  Getting only two steps away, she felt someone take her hand. It was Dean, who was planning to meet Andy at his room for a little talk of their own.

  “How’s it going with you two?” Alex was dying of curiosity.

  “Great, but I wish he had a nine to five job in Albuquerque. Then we could see each other all the time.” Dean flew into Albuquerque on a regular basis.

  “What do you do, Dean?”

  “I fly for an airline. I’m a pilot, not a flight attendant.” Being gay, people always assumed.

  “Wow, that’s great. Where did you learn to fly?” Alex thought he looked too young to be a pilot.

  “Air Force. I flew transports, before I was discharged for being gay. So now I make a lot more money and they don’t care if I’m gay.” Dean was proud of his military service and it was their loss that they had kicked him out.

  “That’s the spirit. Someday the military will get their minds out of the gutter and realize that some people want to serve their country and that’s all.” Alex kissed Dean on the cheek as they parted company and headed for their rooms.

  Alex jumped in the shower herself. She wasn’t sweaty anymore from scraping, but was very dirty. Washing her hair produced a steady stream of tiny white paint chips flowing down the drain. Toweling off and a quick blow dry of her hair made it easy for her to pull it back in a ponytail. Deciding what to wear was her priority. She chose jeans and a red turtle neck, as she had always been told she looked good in red.

  It was exactly forty minutes later when Sam knocked on the door, a little out of breath, but right on time. Alex had decided her casita was as good a place as any to have this little talk. But inviting her in may not have been such a good idea, as she smelled great and had on a very flattering skin tight Vneck sweater.

  “Don’t you look and smell great.” Maybe she shouldn’t have said that out loud.

  “Thank you. I must say you look quite delicious yourself.” Chuckling as she said it, it appeared that Sam really wanted to take a little nibble herself.

  “Why, thank you. Sam, I think we need to talk.” Alex didn’t mean for that to sound like they were already together and needed to break up.

  “Okay. What about?” Feeling sick, Sam was ready to hear the worst.

  “That didn’t come out right. What I want to talk to you about is that I’m very attracted to you and I hope you feel the same. It’s just that lately I’ve been distracted. I don’t want you to think I’ve lost interest, because I haven’t. I’m just afraid you may have been put off by my on again, off again mood. Does that make sense?” Alex was hoping that the fact Sam showed up looking so hot was a good sign.

  “Completely.” Sam assumed that her little burst of jealousy should have made it clear how she felt. “Does this mean we can go back and start this dating game over?”

  “Dating game! Yes, exactly. So can we take that walk now and get to know each other a little better before dinner?” Getting out of that room and into the fresh air was exactly what Alex needed before she grabbed Sam and made good use of her queen size bed.

  They walked out the main gate and headed in the direction of the stream, making the most of their time alone together. Sam learned all about the loss of Alex’s father, her controlling mother, living with her grandfather and her relationship with Dez. Sam was as eager to share her story as well. She had a few more relationships to cover, but they were short and sweet and by no means as painful as the last one with Teresa. Her parents were both alive and well and very supportive. Both women made it quite clear that there was no way
either of them would ever go back with an ex. When they said ex they meant it. Sam did ask Alex several point blank questions about her breakup with Dez. She was reassured that although it had been less than a month since they broke up, their romantic relationship had been over for quite some time. They had become roommates and nothing else. Maybe that’s why Alex hadn’t been devastated when it was finally over.

  It was the sound of the dinner bell that interrupted their deep conversation but they promised to pick up where they had left off. The temperature was beginning to drop quickly now that the sun was setting so Alex took Sam’s arm and pulled her close for the extra warmth or so it would appear to anyone who may be watching them as they returned to the ranch for dinner.

  They walked into the dining hall where Andy and Dean were waiting patiently by the door, ready to take their arms to escort them to the buffet line. Kissing their escorts on the cheek and telling each other how great everyone looked, they then had to decide on what to eat. For Alex it would have been easy except for the fact that the only thing she could smell was Sam, who was standing in front of her. If only she could have had what she wanted which was to turn her around, put her hands in Sam’s back pockets, and spend the next hour in lip lock. But that would surely blow her cover as Andy’s lady friend, so she settled on the beef stew in a sourdough bread bowl.

  Alex seemed to have a few more minutes of fame left as several of the kids wanted to sit next to her. Trying to keep the peace, Alex had to sit between twin brothers or there would have been “h” to pay at the table. Their little sister sat directly across smiling sweetly, showing a large space where her two front teeth would go when they grew in. Sam saw a side of Alex that she’d only heard about from Jessie. She was very patient with kids and didn’t want to disappoint them in any way. This must have been a trait she acquired from her father and grandfather. Alex listened intently, answered all their questions, and was very interested in what they all had to say. When the kids headed for the dessert bar their parents thanked her for being so wonderful with them and apologized for all the questions. Alex assured them it was fine and that as a teacher she loved to answer questions as much as she liked asking them.