Season of Fear Read Free Page B

exception of Cook." He cleared his throat, and the gruff air descended upon him once again.
    "Our employees prefer to live in town."
    She remembered Mary's fear of Alexander Ridley.
    As if reading her thoughts, suddenly he seemed in a hurry to leave the room. "Dinner is in a half hour, Miss North, and now, if you'll excuse me."
    And he was gone. What an unusual man, she thought. He seemed to be two different personalities, one gruff and overbearing, angry at the world; one delightfully relaxed and charming. Which was the real Alexander Ridley?
    Adding Sara's comments to her own perceptions, she had a sinking feeling of which one it might be. And if that were the case, the length of her employ at the Ridley Ranch might go down in the book of records as one of the shortest in history!
    Knowing that she had a half hour to kill before the family assembled for dinner. Robin decided to explore the main section of the house. She departed from the living room, decorated in its cool green and blue shades.
    The dining room opened into the living area, the clean lines of the long mahogany table and stylish chairs further enhanced the feeling of designer decorating that ran through the house. Further along the hallway Robin came to the main foyer, the plant-filled entrance that she and Sara had come through only hours before. Following the hallway past the doorway, she found the game room, equipped with pool table, stereo, television, and comfortable stuffed furniture that showed signs of much use. This room gave off an aura of hominess.
    Across the hall she opened a door to find a charming, book-filled study. The walls that were not covered with volumes of books were paneled in dark wood. The soft plush carpet was beige, as were the draperies that hung at the large windows, still open to allow the last rays of the summer sun to filter through the glass.
    She slipped out one of the sliding glass doors in the game room and escaped to the garden.
    Robin's first impression of the garden was amazement at its size. The sprawling house surrounded it on every side, and there were many doors, like the one she had just come through, in each wing. The kidney-shaped pool was surrounded by gay deck chairs, and umbrella-covered tables were dotted here and there. Small, well-kept beds of flowers were spaced along the walls, and the lush lawn was green and thick. In such hot summer weather, it must take quite a lot of care to keep this oasis so bright and fresh. A basketball backboard rose on a pole in the far corner, another reminder that a family lived in this picture-perfect world.
    Even though the sun was sinking fast in the sky, now just a pinkish-and-orange glow on the horizon, the heat of the summer day was still almost overwhelming, so Robin turned to retreat once more to the coolness of the air-conditioned house.
    Someone was waiting for her at the door. A quick glance was all she needed to recognize Sara's twin brother, Jacob. The dark hair, the olive-colored skin, the questioning eyes—all were identical to his female twin. His body was fuller, he stood a little taller, the locks of black hair fell forward into his eyes, but the similarity was there.
    "You must be Jacob." Robin smiled.
    "That took no great intuition, Miss North, seeing as you're already acquainted with my sister," he said, politely, to be sure, but Robin was certain she could detect an air of hostility beneath the surface of his voice. His eyes were not open or friendly like those of his sister.
    "Sara is delighted that Father had allowed you to stay."
    "I'm glad she's happy about it. And how about you?" Robin looked at the young man questioningly, his barely hidden gruffness such a reminder of her recent run-in with his father.
    "I'm still unsure of why you've come. You don't look much like a housekeeper." His eyes traveled up and down her slender body.
    She was angry at his undisguised nerve. "Things are not always as they look," she retorted.
    "No doubt you will be