Redeemer Read online

  Picking up her smaller toiletry case, she padded into the bathroom and set it on the white-quartz counter. Sparkling, mint-green tiles separated several rows of the stark white subway tiles lining the shower walls, and she couldn’t resist stripping out of her damp clothes and stepping under the heated spray. Since her boss hadn’t ordered her downstairs within a particular timeframe, she relaxed and let the steam-filled enclosure loosen the tension from her muscles.

  Sophie leaned against the wall and let her mind wander back to her first stint at voyeurism. The three year anniversary of the night she had conceived Kasey was right around the corner, and yet, not even watching that erotic ménage could rekindle her interest in sex. Oh, she could fantasize like any woman at her sexual peak, but the warm flushes of expectant pleasure remained absent, her body unresponsive, and she still didn’t care. If she got nothing else from this change, maybe playing voyeur to the sexual escapades hinted at earlier would eventually stir her interest in sex again.

  Something else to think about anyway.

  Following the voices she heard once she went back downstairs an hour later, Sophie veered left toward the great room. The fireplace dominated the far wall, the mantel of reclaimed wood matching the beams adorning the vaulted ceiling. The floor-to-ceiling windows on the opposite side revealed the gray skies that now drizzled instead of gushed against the panes, dimming the vast expanse of rangeland separating the house from the far-off mountains. A billiards table with enough room around it to easily play the game wielding a long cue stick took up about a third of the space. The wood floors could use a sweeping, she noticed, passing the plush, brown leather sofas and chairs and glancing through the arch into the separate dining area on her way to the kitchen. If all the rooms were as large and neglected as these, she had her work cut out for her.

  She’d expected Adrian and the three people she’d met earlier, but not the other man and woman gathered with them around the largest kitchen island Sophie had ever seen. She might as well be naked instead of dressed in jeans and a pullover knit top, given the self-conscious unease the group’s sudden silence and interested stares put her in.

  “Just in time for pizza,” Jessie announced, smiling. “Isn’t she, Adrian?”

  Cutting her gaze toward her boss, Sophie couldn’t read anything from his brooding expression, or the way he leaned against the opposite counter with his muscled arms crossed, separate from his friends.

  “Just don’t dally. I still have to show you around, Ms. Turner, and I have other things that need my attention this evening.”

  What did it say about her and her state of mind that she found Adrian’s cool tone and borderline rudeness amusing? “Call me Sophie, and I wouldn’t think of keeping you, Mr. Coultrane.” He frowned at her rejoinder, his stormy, direct gaze turning assessing. Even with seven people in the kitchen, it wasn’t crowded as there was several feet of space between the long, L-shaped counters topped with ceiling-high cabinets and the island centered in the middle of the thin brick floor. Regardless of the people and space separating them, that potent look held the power to make her fidget.

  The black-haired woman slid off a stool and held out her hand with a welcoming smile her boss had yet to give Sophie. “Hi, Sophie, I’m Rachel. Ignore the resident grouch. He’ll grow on you.” She flicked Adrian a teasing glance which he returned with a raised eyebrow and silence.

  “Or piss you off,” Ashe muttered.

  When no one commented on that cryptic remark, Sophie smiled at Rachel. “Nice to meet you.”

  “Either that or you’ll tire of his attitude and want to stay clear of him. I’m Wyatt,” he said, his tone much friendlier than Ashe’s.

  Sophie shook the sandy-haired man’s hand, noticing everyone took Adrian’s unresponsiveness to their jabs in stride. “Hello. I don’t want to intrude…”

  “You’re not,” Adrian interrupted. “Get something to eat.”

  She flicked her new employer an uncertain look, his clipped tone leaving her to question whether that was true or not. He stared at her a moment then released a sigh, saying, “Help yourself, Sophie. We don’t stand on ceremony around here, and you’re not on the clock until tomorrow morning.”

  “Besides,” Nora put in, opening a pizza box and sliding it toward Sophie, “we get so few newcomers around here, it’s nice getting to know someone new. Idaho is quite a change from Louisiana.”

  Ashe picked up his bottled beer and moved away from the counter, nodding at Sophie and giving her room to settle on the stool next to Nora. She noticed a certain underlying animosity whenever Ashe glanced toward his cousin, but no one else seemed to think anything of the obvious stiffness between the two.

  Lifting a slice of pepperoni pizza onto a paper plate Jessie handed her, she replied, “It is, but I was ready for something and someplace different after having lived there my whole life. Is Boise the closest large city?” She hoped the quick change in subject would deter more personal questions. Her grief remained too raw, too painful to share with strangers.

  “Yes,” Rachel answered. “But it’s a good hour’s drive from here. Mountain Bend is much smaller but closer. You can get there in about thirty minutes, and you’ll love the quaint shops. Nora and I just signed a lease to open our second store there.”

  “Need me to update your website?” Wyatt offered before taking the last bite of his all-meat pizza slice then wrapping his hand around a canned beer in a koozie.

  Rachel smiled in appreciation. “That would be great, thanks.”

  Sophie noticed a softening of her face when she spoke to Wyatt, but she couldn’t tell if it stemmed from a romantic interest or just a closer friendship than she shared with the other men. The dynamics going on between these people were interesting.

  She scooped up a piece of pizza with spinach and feta, one of her favorite combos, before she inquired, “What do you sell? Shopping is my second favorite pastime.” Too late, she realized her blunder and held her breath, waiting for someone to bring it up.

  “We commission handcrafted items from artists around the state and carry a lot of unique items that appeal to tourists and locals alike.” Nora started to say something else, but Jessie beat her to the punch with a teasing leer.

  “What’s your favorite pastime activity, sweetie?”

  Wyatt and Rachel grinned along with Jessie, but Nora’s expression remained neutral. Uncomfortable, searching for a plausible lie, anything except revealing spending time with Kasey had filled the number one slot, Sophie took her time chewing then reached for a drink to wash it down her dry throat. She managed to pull off a nonchalant shrug but failed to convey it in her made-up answer and an airy hand wave.

  “Oh, I enjoy…uh, reading in my downtime, and um, binge watching Bluebloods.” She yanked both answers out of a hat, rarely reading anything more than a short story here and there in a magazine. The popular cop show was one of a very few television programs she liked enough to tune in to on the rare occasions she watched TV.

  “Nora always has her nose in a romance novel,” Jessie drawled with thinly veiled sarcasm.

  “Not all romances,” she shot back with a glare. “I’m reading S.L. Anders now, and she writes suspense. Have you read hers, Sophie?”

  Crap. She didn’t know one author from another. Best to go with the truth. “I’ve never heard of her.”

  “Really? She’s very popular…”

  Adrian surprised Sophie when he jumped in and cut Nora off. “I need to show Sophie around then let her settle in tonight. If you’re finished eating?”

  This time, his laser-sharp gaze eased her tension instead of causing it. “I am, thank you. Nice meeting all of you.”

  She’d started to follow Adrian out when Rachel said, “Adrian, give her our numbers. If you want to meet us in Mountain Bend for lunch, we’ll be there every day this week, Sophie. Nora and I live in Boise, so we wouldn’t be able to pick you up.”

  “I’d like that and can find my way. Thank you.”


  She turned and found she had to rush to catch up with her boss who hadn’t waited, her gratitude for his timely intervention dissipating with her huff of annoyance. His mood swings were confusing at best and downright frustrating at worst. He looked down at her as she reached his side in the great room, and her five-foot-seven height had never seemed so short. Despite his attitude, she was already more comfortable now it was just the two of them. Not that his friends weren’t friendly and welcoming – they were. But it was never relaxing when you were the odd man out in a close-knit group. Regardless of the underlying tension between them, their bond was obvious.

  Shoving aside trying to figure them all out, she worked up a smile she didn’t expect him to return. “I think I can figure out what needs to be done in here. What other rooms are on your priority list?”

  Adrian put some space between them then ignored her question, surprising her when he said, “Nora and Rachel are fine to spend time with on your afternoons off or on Sundays if they make the drive out here. They both like to ride. The guys are around more, and I prefer you not to encourage their flirtations. I have to contend with enough histrionics from everyone already. Jessie won’t take you seriously, Wyatt needs to concentrate on getting his act together, and Ashe will try to pull you into his corner just to annoy me.”

  Unbelievable. She gave herself a mental headshake against his gall at making that rude assumption before saying anything. He didn’t know her, she reminded herself, and gave him the benefit of the doubt he was looking out for her best interest. In the wrong way, but she could set that aside if that was the case.

  “And yet, you care about them.” Sophie held up a hand to forestall the eruption etched on his tight face. “Your business. I’ll do my job and stay out of everyone’s way when I can. I’m used to spending time alone when not working and prefer it that way.” Pain squeezed around her chest, and she swung her face toward the windows to take in the night sky that was now as dark as her encroaching thoughts. Fisting her hands against the memories threatening to pop up, she dug her nails into her palms until that pain distracted from the oppressing heartache.

  The release of Adrian’s loud sigh drew her head back up, a warm rush going through her when she encountered a glimpse of compassion on his rugged face before he wiped his expression clean. He didn’t know about her daughter, or so she assumed, since she’d never mentioned Kasey when applying. She braced for him to reveal he’d looked into her personal life by mentioning Kasey’s death then relaxed when he carried on in the same neutral vein.

  “Follow me, then. You’ve already seen my office,” he pointed out as they reached the hallway. Opening the next door, she saw bookshelves lining the walls. “Library and smoking room with special ventilation. If you don’t like cigars, don’t come in when one of us is using it.” He kept going to the next room. “And you’ve seen this smaller den.”

  Sophie cast a glance into the room where she’d witnessed his friends and cousin’s ménage, now noticing the small corner bar and long sofa that matched the wide armchair and footstool. She had time to glimpse two wall cabinets opposite the sofa before Adrian kept walking. A half bath was the last room before the hall ended at the rear of the house and the glass doors leading into the enclosed pool.

  Adrian nodded toward the inviting clear water, the concrete floor surrounding it stained the color of sand, the walls a pale blue. “I have a service that takes care of this room, but feel free to use the pool during your time off. That completes the areas you’re responsible for cleaning, except my room. You can reach me any time on my cell, and, if I’m leaving the ranch, I’ll let you know. You’re welcome to visit the stables – do you ride?”

  Amused at his rapid-fire instructions, she shook her head. “No, never. And I didn’t think to pack a swimsuit.” She wished she had as the pool and attached hot tub looked inviting.

  Shrugging, he appeared serious when he replied, “Nora and Rachel will sometimes skinny-dip. I prefer you don’t if the guys are around. If you want to ride, either of them or one of the hands can teach you. Once you’re comfortable on horseback, you can explore the ranch. My only rule is you let someone know where you’re going.”

  “I’ve also never gone skinny-dipping, and can’t picture myself starting in my place of employment, so no worries there. I’d enjoy seeing your horses,” she returned, his continued assumptions that she would consider flaunting herself in front of his friends poking her temper.

  Taking her elbow, he steered her back toward the stairs. “You need to get out more. Good night, Ms. Turner.”

  “Sophie. Good night, boss.”

  He nodded. “Adrian. We don’t stand on ceremony around here.”

  Her lips quirked, and she shoved aside her annoyance to tease him. “I noticed that five minutes after entering your home, Adrian.”

  “And I not only noticed your blasé attitude toward coming upon them, but that you weren’t uncomfortable while having dinner with the same people a short time later. You’re either good at taking things in stride or at keeping yourself bottled up.”

  And he was good at getting under her skin, Sophie thought, eyeing his broad back that tapered to lean hips and long legs as he walked away. The men she worked with at the resort had worn slacks and dress shirts, but there was something to be said for jeans, cowboy boots, and a snug-fitting work shirt with the sleeves rolled up to reveal corded forearms. Her new boss was as easy on the eyes as he was cryptic to the point of rudeness.

  At least her first few hours at the Coultrane ranch were interesting.

  ****

  “Hey, Adrian, I was just telling Ashe I like your new employee,” Jessie said when Adrian returned to the kitchen to find all of them still hanging around.

  “Stay away from her. I don’t want you or Wyatt coming on to her. You and Ashe have already given her a good reason not to stick around.” Adrian flicked a glance toward Nora, but hell, given how well she’d known Jessie before they started hooking up, she was well aware of his fickle reputation with women.

  “You’re not warning me off her?” Ashe asked with thinly veiled snide contempt.

  “You don’t fuck with our employees.” His cousin’s attitude didn’t bother him. First, he’d taken exception to Adrian inheriting the house and controlling interest in their father’s investments then to him marrying Nicole.

  Ashe would get over both, or not. He couldn’t let the rift between them get to him until he discovered which one had betrayed him with Nicole.

  “Hey, I don’t, either,” Wyatt protested, downing the last of his beer.

  “Go upstairs and sleep it off,” Adrian snapped when Wyatt stumbled against the counter.

  Jessie stepped in to take hold of Wyatt’s arm, sending Adrian a scathing glare. “Keep it up, Adrian, and you will not only have lost Nicole but us also. Our patience with your grief that has led to your false suspicions does have its limits.”

  Adrian locked his jaw against the twinge of guilt stabbing his gut. He agreed with Jessie – he needed to throttle back his anger until he could find concrete proof his wife’s death wasn’t an accident. Once he did, he wouldn’t hesitate to shove it in their skeptical faces to see their reactions.

  Something about Sophie’s arrival had put him on edge. Maybe it was seeing hints she was grieving over a recent loss or her admirable tact in dealing with an embarrassing, awkward first impression of her new work environment. He didn’t want to find his new employee both complex and interesting, not to mention attractive, and his struggle during their walk-through to rein in his dominant urge to probe behind the shield she’d erected around herself hadn’t helped.

  Rachel padded over to where he leaned against the wall and laid a hand on his arm. “We all miss her, too. It’s been so hard for everyone.” Tears swam in her dark eyes. She was the most tenderhearted of their group.

  “I know. Sorry.” He squeezed her hand, leaving it at that as Jessie and Wyatt started out.

  “I’ll be right back, N
ora,” Jessie tossed over his shoulder.

  “I’m riding home with Rachel, so don’t hurry,” she returned in a cool tone.

  “Then I’ll call you,” he replied, unperturbed. Not much got under Jessie’s skin.

  Ashe switched his unreadable gaze from Adrian to Nora as Wyatt and Jessie left. “It’s good of you to invite Sophie to join you for lunch.” Gathering the empty pizza boxes, he strode toward the rear door, casting Adrian a quick glance. “I’m taking the trash out and I’ll meet you in the office. We need to talk.”

  Yeah, they did, but Adrian needed to figure out how long an olive branch he was willing to extend at this time. He hated his suspicions and blamed himself for the unraveling of their close ties.

  The seven of them had gone their separate ways after high school, with Adrian and Ashe always intending to return to the ranch they loved. When they did, Jessie was already the sole proprietor of the Drop In bar and restaurant off Route 6 where he lived on the upper floor. After adding a gas station, it became a popular overnight stop for truckers, bumping up his success.

  Jessie and Nicole had one thing in common – both got off on flirting and teasing. Adrian had never thought anything of it, as most men would, when Nicole had given the others a coy look or when Jessie teased his wife with a sexual innuendo. Neither were serious, their behavior the same before he and Nicole married, and he hadn’t expected them to change. In fact, Nicole had always been as adamant about staying single and footloose and fancy free as Jessie until Adrian caved to her wiles and took her to his bed. From that night forward, she’d let him know she was open to taking their relationship all the way.