Season of Fear Read Free

Robin, let me show you to your room."
    They walked to the left of the house, down a long, low corridor, passing the open doors of the living room and dining room, where Robin got a glimpse of the tasteful luxury in which the family lived. They entered the west wing, and the clatter of kitchen noises reached their ears.
    "I'll introduce you to the rest of the staff later. I'm sure you'll want to rest up a bit. We've got a cook and three girls who come daily to help in the house, and handful of men who do the outside gardening. And the ranch hands, of course. A few live in the bunkhouses out by the barns. The rest come out from town each day."
    Mary's words came echoing back in Robin's ears. No one wants to live in at the Ridley Ranch.
    There were several bedrooms behind the kitchen, but most of them were closed up and unused. One door stood invitingly open, however, and Sara headed for that one.
    "I really didn't think you'd be coming, Robin, but I had the girls fix up this room, just in case. It's my favorite over here. I hope you like it."
    And she did. One wall was almost entirely glass, giving a breathtaking view of the prairie beyond the house, shaded by summery drapes of cornflower blue. The remaining walls were delicately papered in a wildflower print. The blue carpet beneath their feet was soft to the step. The furniture was light and modern, including a large bed, looking inviting to Robin's tired eyes, a dresser, writing desk, and matching bed tables. The room had its own adjoining bath, fresh and sparkling.
    "It's lovely, Sara. If you selected this for me, you couldn't have chosen better." She was touched with the consideration the teenager showed. "What did your father have to say?"
    Sara grimaced. "Oh, he didn't say a thing. He wants nothing to do with us or with the running of the house. All he cares about is the running of his precious cattle ranch. You'll see. You'll be much happier if you just stay out of his way. I've never seen anyone with a worse temper. But I really hope he'll let you stay, Robin. I think we'd get along."
    Robin smiled, hoping she looked friendly, and hiding her concern. "I think I'll rest for a while, Sara. Call me when your father wants to see me." And Sara bobbed out the door, her braids swinging as she walked.
    Robin peeled off her clothes and wrapped herself in a thin cotton robe.
    I'll just nap for a moment, she told herself, and then I'll feel better. No sense in unpacking when I may be on the next bus back to Chicago.
    She was not even sure she'd want to stay on at the Ridley Ranch, with its unhappy past and preoccupied owner. But one thing was sure. Montana had cast a spell over her. She lay her head down on the pillow and was asleep before another thought could enter her head.

 
     
     
    Chapter 3

     
    Robin opened her eyes, awakened by a tap on the door. By the angle of the sun now streaming in the window of her room, she knew that the afternoon had passed. The sun sinking in the sky marked the approach of evening. She had slept for hours!
    It was Sara at the door, as she had expected, informing Robin that her father wanted her to meet him in the living room before the evening meal.
    "I'll be dressed in a moment, and I'll rush right there." Robin remembered the stately room they had passed on their first walk through the house.
    She bathed quickly and donned a cool summer dress, its flowery print giving her a cheerful, refreshed look. She ran a comb through her long blond hair, deciding suddenly to wear it demurely twisted and pinned to the back of her head. It made her feel older somehow, less like a frivolous girl of twenty-two just out of school. She pushed down the nervousness that was arising in her, determined to remain cool and collected in the dreaded meeting that was to come.
    The sound of her footsteps as she walked down the slate-floored hallway echoed in her ears.
    "Ah, finally, Miss North, here you are." The deep, full voice boomed from the open doorway of the