Seduction, Westmoreland Style - Brenda Jackson [16]
“You’re welcome. I grew them myself. I have a flower garden on the other side of the ranch house.” She chuckled. “That’s McKinnon’s way of making me tow the line by threatening to have my garden mowed down, but he doesn’t scare me any.”
“He doesn’t?”
“Heck no. I’ve been with that boy since the day he was born. I was his first and only nanny, so I know how to deal with him.”
A part of Casey wondered how McKinnon had been as a child but decided not to ask. “And you’re still with him now?” she asked while finding the perfect spot on a table in the living room for the flowers.
“Yes, only because he needs me. If I didn’t make sure he got a home-cooked meal every so often he would probably starve to death. And speaking of cooked meals, I understand you’re passing up the chance for me to fix a special one for you tonight.”
Casey grinned, thinking she liked this large, robust woman already. “Sorry about that but I was invited over to my cousin’s house for dinner.”
Henrietta nodded. “I imagine you’re talking about Durango . In that case I understand. I’m still grinning over the fact that boy’s married with a baby on the way. That just goes to show that miracles can happen to a devout bachelor when the right woman comes along.”
Casey hoped she wasn’t throwing out any hints about the possibility of her and McKinnon ever getting together because that wouldn’t happen. Ever. The man was too reserved, rigid and resigned for her taste. “Yes, I’m happy for Durango and Savannah . They are very happy together,” she said, leaving it at that and hoping Henrietta would, too.
“Well, I guess your decision to eat elsewhere is the reason McKinnon told me I didn’t have to cook. Now he has plans for himself. I guess he’ll be going into town tonight.”
A part of Casey didn’t want to think what he would do when he got there and who he would see. “I guess that means you’ll have a night off,” she said.
“Yes. I’ll be leaving in a few hours unless there’s something you need me to do. I tried to get this place ready for you as best I could.”
“And you did a wonderful job, Henrietta. It’s beautiful and I know I’m going to feel right at home for the short time I’ll be here.”
“And that’s what McKinnon wants.”
Casey doubted it, but decided not to tell the older woman that. However, there were a couple of things the woman could possibly tell her, things she preferred not asking McKinnon about. The less she saw of him the better. But it would help to know how early things got moving at the ranch in the mornings. The last thing she wanted was to be sleeping in while everyone else was up and working. The men employed by her father started their day as early as four in the morning. “How would you like to join me for a cup of coffee? There are some questions I have about the workings of this ranch and I’d rather not bother McKinnon with them.”
Henrietta smiled. “I’ll be glad to tell you whatever you want to know. You got a coffee pot here?”
“Yes, although there isn’t a kitchen to set it in. Since all I needed was an electrical plug, I’m using that table in the hallway. We can sit in the living room on the sofa. I simply love the view from there.”
“Isn’t it just magnificent?” Henrietta said glancing over at the window. “The only thing wrong with this house is that it doesn’t have a kitchen. I told McKinnon that while he was building it, but he said it didn’t need one since he intended for it to be a guest-house and not a guest lodge. It’s only a few feet from the big house, so anyone getting hungry can come in there to eat.”
Casey nodded, not surprised he looked at things that way given his stubborn and uncompromising nature. “Well, you just get settled on the sofa over there and I’ll bring the coffee to you.”
As she turned to leave she had a feeling that Henrietta would be one of the reasons she would find the time she spent on McKinnon’s ranch rather pleasant after all.
McKinnon stopped his truck the moment he pulled into Durango ’s yard, recognizing the dark blue car immediately. It appeared that Savannah had