I havent said anything yet! Bea protested.
Yeah, but youre going to, and I dont think Im going to like it.
Just hear me out, Ginger. You too, Roxie. Bea leaned forward in her chair and rested her elbows on her knees. She looked like a womans basketball coach dispensing orders in a sideline huddle.
Lets say we bypass Josie and go right to the source of the problemRick Rousseau himself. Lets say we approach himin a nonconfrontational way, of courseand tell him were on to him, that we know who he is and what hes done.
Roxie frowned. Id hate to see what you consider nonconfrontational, Bea.
Maybe we could all go for drinks? Or even dinner? Ginger sounded markedly more enthusiastic.
Oh, right, Roxie said, laughing. We just introduce ourselves as Josies psychotically nosy coworkers and tell him we want to interrogate him to see if hes worthy of our friend. Now thats an offer any man would jump at!
Bea looked up from her crouch, smiling. This is a first, ladies! I do believe were all on the same page.
For a woman whod had precious little sleep the night before, Josie was damn near perky all day Saturday. It was probably the newness of everythingthe staggering beauty of the ranch, the way Rick looked at her and touched her, Rosas food. Honestly, the womans homemade cinnamon rolls made Josie see the face of God, and her chicken enchiladas with mole were nearly as sensual as Ricks bedtime story. Josie decided that before she left on Sunday evening, shed ask Rosa if she had a recipe for eggplant Parmesan.
She and Rick spent the entire day walking and talking their way through the ranch, taking breaks only for lunch and an afternoon snack of lemonade and Rosas fresh-baked oatmeal raisin cookies. Within the first five minutes of her tour, Josie knew the word ranch didnt do justice to the place. The word conjured up images of the old TV show /Dallas/a flat, brown, fenced-in world with big, bleached horns of Texas Longhorns mounted over the fireplace. Ricks place was the Garden of Eden in comparison.
He showed her everything. The tour of the main house began right after breakfast, sixteen rooms on two floors that managed to combine history with modern comfort. All of the guest rooms featured antiques, though none were as spectacular as those in Ricks suite. He told Josie whythose furnishings once belonged to Madame Toulouse herself.
We have a lot to live up to in that bed, Rick said, with a laugh.
The great room on the first floor featured several worn leather couches grouped around a huge stone fireplace. The walls were decorated with bits of the ranchs historyframed pages from Madames diary of household purchases, early sepia-hued photographs of men with handlebar mustaches standing with their horses and carts in front of the house. There were also dozens of oil paintings from Sonomas most respected painters. Josie was particularly intrigued by a painting of two lovers, sneaking a kiss in a vineyard at dusk. Something about the tenderness in the mans embrace made her sigh.
Romantic, huh? Rick stood at Josies side as she studied the painting.
Its one of my favorites.
Josie slowly turned her head to look at Rick. She might as well admit itshe was in love with him. At that moment, he was focused only on her, as if she were all that mattered. She loved that. She wanted more of that.
Its not just the paintingthis whole place screams romance, she said. You should rent it out for weddings.
That suggestion seemed to please Rick. A huge smile spread over his face. You aint seen nothing yet, he said, grabbing her by the hand and taking her outside.
He walked her around the first-floor veranda, where wicker tables, chairs, and rockers were grouped under huge ceiling fans. Ropes of wisteria twisted and tangled their way through the wrought-iron railing.
When Rick took her arm and guided her down the front steps and onto the lawn, Josie was awestruck at the vision. The thick green carpet sloped hundreds of feet in front of the house and ended at a stone wall that divided lawn from vineyard. Beyond the wall was a line of live oaks, and beyond that was nothing but pure Sonoma Valley vistascraggy mountains and green vineyards as far as the eye could see. Samhain Ranch was more than a retreat, it was a world unto itself.
The dogs stayed close, running and wrestling and sniffing. I think Genghis is going to turn up his nose at Dolores Park after being here for a weekend, Josie said.
He can come as often as he likes. Rick looked down at her, smiling.
Those were the same green eyes that had mesmerized Josie from the moment she saw him. But today his eyes seemed deeper, darker. Maybe it was because she knew him now, she knew who he was.
Rick gave her a tour of gardens overflowing with herbs, tomatoes, raspberries, and figs, plus a variety of trees, including apple, lime, and lemon. He showed her the delphiniums, and the hollyhocks, roses, ferns, snapdragons, geraniums, and dozens of plants with names Josie couldnt remember five seconds after Rick told her. He took her hand and pulled her up to stand on the stone wall, then pointed out over the rolling hills of grapes. He explained to Josie how the vineyards were laid out and how each area would yield grapes destined for a particular type of wine. He took her through the olive grove and said she could take home cases of their olive oil if she wanted. He took her on a tour of the pool and pool house, plus the tennis and basketball courts, where they found Teeny shooting hoops and listening to his iPod.
Beautiful morning, Teeny said, removing his earbuds. He stood in place and bounced the basketball, catching his breath. Josie caught the way Teenys eyes flashed with a question when he scanned Ricks face.
The most beautiful in recent memory, Rick said to his friend. Want to take a stroll with us?
Nah, you two dont need me tagging along. Teeny smiled at Josie. So you like the place?
Yes, Josie said simply, knowing superlatives werent needed. I sure do.
Next, they hiked up to the staff housing at the far north edge of the ranch, a line of about a dozen small houses with tiny well-kept yards.
It was where Rosa and her husband and children and their children lived.
It looked like a miniature subdivision, Josie thought.
Rick showed her the charming three-bedroom guest cottage and the newer barna huge structure divided into a section for cars and farm vehicles and a section that had become Ricks custom-made gym. Rick offered to take her through a workout, but with one glance at the free weights, she asked for a rain check.
Next he took her to the horse barn, where she met Tom, the only cat on the ranch who liked people. He rubbed up against her ankle and purred, undeterred even when Genghis sniffed and poked at him with his paw. Then they went out to the pasture to meet the horsesa paint, two Appaloosas, and three quarter horses. Rick saddled up a couple of the mild-mannered geldings and they took an hour-long trail ride, Chen and Tara tagging along happily. Genghis kept his distance from the intimidating beasts.
When evening rolled around, they returned to the suite and took a shower together, kissing and soaping and laughing. Rosa served them dinner on the verandascallops with angel-hair pasta, a baby greens salad with walnuts, and then pears and cheese as dessert.
While Josie sat there in the spacious, comfortable rocker and sipped her tea, it occurred to her that the entire daythrough every glorious moment of that remarkable dayMrs. Needlemans words had echoed through her head: /… you must be brave enough to embrace what youve asked for./ Josie had asked for a lot when she wrote that list, and here he was, sitting next to her in the last golden light of the day. He was a survivor, a seeker, a lover a man whod been through hell and back and decided there had to be a better way.