Honey Kisses (Romance on the Ranch Series #2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

her
upright.
    "Goodness, clumsy me." She walked a
few paces from him. He smelled like hay and sunshine. "It's even prettier
than I remembered when you showed me last week."
    "Well, you just do whatever you want to
gussy it up."
    Ann felt so tongue-tied she didn't know how to
respond. Sarah saved the day when she entered the room. "Do you want me to
help you unpack your clothes?"
    "Yes, yes. Let's do it now. Excuse us,
Jackson."
    In the larger of the two bedrooms, Ann opened
her suitcases. Sarah asked a few questions to find out where she wanted clothing
stored, and then went to work. After a few minutes, her friend said, "Do
you start work tomorrow?"
    "Yes. Jackson said I should come to the
house at nine and he'll give me a tour."
    "I think it's wonderful he was able to buy
the Triple T. Sage told me he worked for Tommy for a couple of years as his
foreman." She looked at Ann conspiratorially, "You know he's rich,
don't you?"
    "Who?"
    "Jackson."
    "Oh, no, I didn't."
    "Sage said he made his money playing the
stock market. I guess he has a business or marketing degree or something like
that. From what I gather, he lived in New York for about three years and worked
for a brokerage firm. He told Sage it didn't take him long to figure out New
York living wasn't for him. When he moved back here, he took an entry level job
working for Tommy Travis Tritt and worked his way up to foreman."
    "Goodness, I didn't know all that."
    Sarah winked. "Jackson is going to be a
great catch for some lucky woman. I think Pritzy Purvis has her eye on
him."
    "Oh, I met her at the wedding. She's really
pretty. They looked striking together."
    "Striking or not, I don't think she's right
for him."
    "Really, why not?"
    "She doesn't come off as being, well,
authentic. I think she wants him for his money. Everyone in the County knows
he's rich as Croesus. Now what Jackson needs to find is…" Sarah tilted her
head. "He needs to find a woman like Dixie St. John. She's sweet like
you."
    Ann folded some underwear and stacked it in the
beautiful antique redwood chest. She had her back to Sarah. "I don't think
I've met Dixie. Does she live on one of the ranches?"
    "No, she owns the coffee shop and bakery, Dixie's
Cuppa Joe, in town. The few times we've been there, I haven’t seen her to
introduce you. I've seen Jackson in there several times. Maybe he's already got
his eye on her. Do you want these sweaters hung up or folded?"
    Ann turned. "Just fold them. I'll store
them in the trunk at the foot of the bed."
    "Next time we go to town, we'll make a
point to stop by the coffee shop. After you meet Dixie, you can give me your
impression. I've been thinking about inviting her and Jackson to supper at the
house."
    "Uh, sure."
     

Chapter 6:  Tour Guide
     
    Ann wiped her hands on her jeans and
straightened her white cotton, button-down-the-front blouse. She had almost
reached the gate to the main house and her insides felt as twisted as taffy.
Lifting her eyes to a cloudless sky, she prayed for peace-of-mind. She was the
housekeeper for this marvelous ranch and she had one month to prove herself
worthy of the position.
    She thought about what Sarah had said the day
before about Pritzy and Dixie. Jackson was a young, eligible bachelor and she
didn't want to have ill feelings toward the women. If Dixie seemed right for him,
she would let Sarah know she should invite them to dinner and play matchmaker.
As far as Pritzy was concerned, she believed Sarah's assessment of her
character was smack on.
    Ann reached the gate and flipped the latch. She
opened the French doors of the terrace and stepped into the living room. The
books she had knocked on the floor a week earlier were again stacked
haphazardly on the table. She entered the kitchen and noticed coffee already
brewing. A cup had obviously been set out for her. She walked to the fridge to
find creamer and while she had her head stuck inside the big door, she heard,
"Good morning, Annie."
    Grabbing a carton of real