Chapter Eleven
It was still very early in the morning when Isabella steered her freshly washed Rover away from the full-service car wash. There weren't very many people making use of the place so they spent extra care on her vehicle—and it needed it. Then again, there weren't many people up and about this early Monday morning, either, and the workers were probably happy to have something to do.
She drove to a parking spot along Bellville's main boulevard. Then, with a sigh and a dreamy look in her big eyes, she curled her fingers around the steering wheel and stared out the windshield, not knowing that her cheeks were still warm and rosy from a passionate night with Jacob.
She'd already prepared breakfast and had immediately left, this time without any problem. This time, though, she had no intention of leaving. In fact, she believed she could make a nice home here in Bellville. The Rover needed a good cleaning, and she also felt she needed to clear her head. She also needed to get away from the ranch for a moment, and from Jacob, in order to do it.
The man was simply...intoxicating.
Good thing he was an early riser, too. He would've otherwise made it difficult, if not impossible, for her to leave. By the time she awakened, he'd already gone. She couldn't suppress a sense of...loss. She actually missed his warm, strong body beside her. It had already become so familiar, so...wonderful to have a warm body beside her in bed—and
what
a body!
Then she shook her head. "What are you doing, you silly woman," she whispered, softly. "You've only known him for four days and you're already acting like a love-sick fool. Ugh!"
For all her attempts to leave, she hadn't been very successful. Now she realized why.
It wasn't because someone was there to stop her, or circumstances didn't allow it. No. It was because she never really wanted to go. Sure, she was confused and off-kilter for a while, and Jacob really didn't make it easier on her, but now she realized that all her attempts to leave Barrington Ranch were failures because deep down inside she never really wanted to succeed. And this was becoming a problem.
"Face it...you like him more than you're willing to admit," she said with another exasperated sigh. Then she frowned and dropped her eyes. "Maybe even a little more than just 'like'. Maybe it was—" She abruptly stopped when she realized where she was going with that train of thought. She quickly shook her head, making her shining black curls bounce. "No. Impossible. And that's enough thinking for now, Isabella! You need to focus. You can't stay or you'll become just another notch on Jacob Barrington's bedpost!"
With renewed energy, she grabbed her macramé bag from the passenger's seat and exited the Rover. She needed to check if any mail had come in for her at the Postal Plus as well as check if anyone had informed about the position that she knew she had to vacate a.s.a.p. She also wanted to buy some extra time for her TracFone since the special was still valid and she might need the phone for on the road.
Yes, she was still planning on leaving. Now more than ever. Now it was no longer a choice. Now it's was a necessity of epic proportions—if only to spare her sanity!
Dressed in a pretty boat-neck summer print dress in soft blues, greens, and pinks, she knew she still looked completely out of place in Bellville. But she just wasn't the kind of girl to wear jeans. Never was.
She swung her beaded macramé bag over her shoulder before she turned and pointed the keychain remote, pressing the button and locking her Rover. Then on soft-blue, high-heel strap-sandals, she walked briskly to the shops and stepped up onto the walk before she made her way to the Postal Plus, bowing her head in greeting at friendly townsfolk who passed and greeted her.
She loved the way the men in Bellville touched their hat to her. It was so gentlemanly and yet so masculine. It's what Jacob did, too, but the way he did it made her heart skip and her body tingle all over—
"Enough!" she reprimanded herself. "Have some dignity, woman."
She'd been at the Barrington Ranch for only four days, but she'd come during the busiest time of the year for them. The cattle were being rounded up and branded for market and for the slaughterhouse. This would ensure that the Barringtons were going to be plenty busy which means they wouldn't be at the house as much. At least, that's what Jerr told her the other day.
She wouldn't see Jacob as much. On the plus side, it would make it easier on the new woman who'd, eventually, take her place. She was certain there had to be a ton of inquiries although she's received no calls as of yet. Strange, but one would think working for the Barringtons who paid so well would make anyone enthusiastic to find a position with them!
Though it was tougher to run the Barrington home than she let them know, she was proud of herself for handling it all with skill. She was a little rusty, but she was getting better at it. At least she was able to keep the house in tip-top shape! She even set vases with fresh cut flowers here and there to spruce up the rather barren interior of the western-style home.
She always tried to look through her mother's eyes and see what she would have seen. She believed her mother would be proud of her. Well, except for the part about having sex with one of the Barrington sons, that is.
She rolled her eyes up to the heavens. "Don't judge me, Mother. You've seen the man yourself," she whispered before she headed for the door to the Postal Plus.
The beauty of the Postal Plus franchise was, she had opened a mailbox in the other States that she'd traveled through, and they had an excellent mail-forwarding system. Every one of them forwarded all her mail from one mailbox to the other until it eventually ended up in Bellville. She was pretty proud of herself for setting this up. This would ensure her privacy to the nth degree. Or so she told herself but what, she'd later discover, was not the case...
"Howdy, Miss Isabella!" Mr. Brody greeted jovially.
"Hello Mr. Brody, Mrs. Brody," she said with a charming smile.
"What can we do for our Belle of Bellville, today?" Mrs. Brody asked.
She smiled with a brief frown when she heard the nickname they'd elected to give her, but then, "I came to check if there's any mail for me?" She stepped to the counter and slipped off her bag to pull out some envelopes that John Barrington had asked her to mail.
"I don't believe so, Miss Isabella," Mrs. Brody said.
She popped eyebrows. "Not even junk mail?"
" 'Fraid not," Mr. Brody said. "Didn't git any mail yesterday on account it was Sunday, and there was none on Saturday. It's still early, though, so maybe we'll git somethin' this afternoon. Afternoons are when we usually git the mail."
"Oh. Okay."
"I'd say, give it a couple of days. Mail takes it's time around here. I'm sure you'll soon enough regret not gettin' anythin' today once all that junk mail comes rollin' in," Mr. Brody said with a chuckle.
She smiled. "Well, I was also wondering if you've heard anyone inquire about the advertisement I had put up two days ago?"
"Advertisement?" Mrs. Brody asked, confused.
"Yes, advertisement. The one I pinned to the community board?" she said, thumbing over her shoulder before she glanced at the cork board—but then paused. She blinked big eyes when she couldn't see her advertisement. She dropped her hand, turned, and then walked over to the board and began scanning the board, hoping to see her roller index card.
"What were you advertisin', Miss Isabella?" Mr. Brody asked.
"Um...a position."
"Position?" Mrs. Brody asked with a confused frown.
