home here , Celia mused, and so would John Wayne .
“What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?” Angie said with a laugh.
“No.” Celia found her voice. “I’m just awestruck, I guess. You said ‘ranch’ and I imagined something more Ma and Pa Kettle , not so much Legends of the Fall. It’s a bit much for a little ol’ swamp rat like me. I’m not used to anything like this.”
Her little apartment she’d had back in Natchitoches was small and simple. She’d grown up in a three-bedroom narrow shotgun house on the back side of Lafayette, Louisiana, with a rusted tin roof and more love than money. Angie’s family had lived nearby but their grandparents lived out toward Breaux Bridge Swamp in a house so old it had a dogtrot between the two main rooms. The upstairs had been added on later and the swamp, teeming with wild things, provided the scenic view. The cypress trees reached up out of the deep waters and it wasn’t uncommon for a gator to crawl up into the yard. Granma Odile spoke French first, English as a learned tongue, as did Granpa.
“It’s easy to acclimate yourself to, let me tell you, Tee-doo,” Angie said as she settled down onto one of the couches. The old Cajun nickname meant “sweet little thing.” “You’ll like it here, I guarantee.”
If she didn’t, Celia faced a long year ahead. “I hope so. It’s a lot farther out in the boonies than I expected. I wanted solitude but this is way beyond it.”
Angie waved a hand to dismiss the idea. “You won’t be totally alone. Chuck’s here, out in the bunkhouse to take care of the stock, and he’s got two teens coming in on weekends to help. If you want, I’ll ask Nina to come out daily.”
“Nina?” The long drive combined with getting up too early and the new place affected her brain. “Who’s she?”
“Cher, she’s my housekeeper and cook. You don’t think I sweep and dust this place, do you?” Angie flung her arms wide. “I’ve already asked her to come out once a week. If you’ll leave a list, she’ll bring back anything you need.”
Celia loathed charity and she wrinkled up her nose. “I can go grocery shopping. There’s got to be a supermarket and discount store in Sallisaw.”
Angie met her gaze. “Of course there are, several in fact. Don’t get your drawers in a knot. I asked you to house-sit for Justin’s year abroad, right? And I’m paying you a salary but it includes room and board. And I bet you’re down to your last few dollars after losing your job. I wouldn’t doubt you ran your car in here on Empty. So don’t get all pissy, okay?”
She choked down her pride and sighed. “ Oui, Angelique. You know me too well.”
Her cousin grinned. “’Course I do. Now let me show you around —soon as Justin gets back from giving Chuck his orders, we’re out of here.”
Celia nodded. Beyond the great room, a large dining area decorated in warm Southwestern colors reminded her of an upscale Mexican restaurant. The kitchen tucked in beside it offered every state -of-the-art convenience but managed to be homey too. One open side faced out to the living room over a built-in room divider. Stools bellied up to it and offered a more casual place to dine. Celia spotted a thick notebook on the granite countertop and Angie pointed to it. “Everything you need to know should be in that,” she said. “Emergency numbers, ranch stuff, local lists of businesses, who to call if the lights go out or the commode backs up. It’s all there but you can read it later. Come on, this way.” A mudroom led out onto a back porch and a laundry room, complete with appliances and a linen closet beside it. “This door opens into the downstairs bath,” Angie said and showed Celia.
They backtracked through the great room and Celia noticed the open stairs ascending beside the entrance. Angie led her into a spacious master bedroom with a king-sized bed, a long dresser with a
“What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?” Angie said with a laugh.
“No.” Celia found her voice. “I’m just awestruck, I guess. You said ‘ranch’ and I imagined something more Ma and Pa Kettle , not so much Legends of the Fall. It’s a bit much for a little ol’ swamp rat like me. I’m not used to anything like this.”
Her little apartment she’d had back in Natchitoches was small and simple. She’d grown up in a three-bedroom narrow shotgun house on the back side of Lafayette, Louisiana, with a rusted tin roof and more love than money. Angie’s family had lived nearby but their grandparents lived out toward Breaux Bridge Swamp in a house so old it had a dogtrot between the two main rooms. The upstairs had been added on later and the swamp, teeming with wild things, provided the scenic view. The cypress trees reached up out of the deep waters and it wasn’t uncommon for a gator to crawl up into the yard. Granma Odile spoke French first, English as a learned tongue, as did Granpa.
“It’s easy to acclimate yourself to, let me tell you, Tee-doo,” Angie said as she settled down onto one of the couches. The old Cajun nickname meant “sweet little thing.” “You’ll like it here, I guarantee.”
If she didn’t, Celia faced a long year ahead. “I hope so. It’s a lot farther out in the boonies than I expected. I wanted solitude but this is way beyond it.”
Angie waved a hand to dismiss the idea. “You won’t be totally alone. Chuck’s here, out in the bunkhouse to take care of the stock, and he’s got two teens coming in on weekends to help. If you want, I’ll ask Nina to come out daily.”
“Nina?” The long drive combined with getting up too early and the new place affected her brain. “Who’s she?”
“Cher, she’s my housekeeper and cook. You don’t think I sweep and dust this place, do you?” Angie flung her arms wide. “I’ve already asked her to come out once a week. If you’ll leave a list, she’ll bring back anything you need.”
Celia loathed charity and she wrinkled up her nose. “I can go grocery shopping. There’s got to be a supermarket and discount store in Sallisaw.”
Angie met her gaze. “Of course there are, several in fact. Don’t get your drawers in a knot. I asked you to house-sit for Justin’s year abroad, right? And I’m paying you a salary but it includes room and board. And I bet you’re down to your last few dollars after losing your job. I wouldn’t doubt you ran your car in here on Empty. So don’t get all pissy, okay?”
She choked down her pride and sighed. “ Oui, Angelique. You know me too well.”
Her cousin grinned. “’Course I do. Now let me show you around —soon as Justin gets back from giving Chuck his orders, we’re out of here.”
Celia nodded. Beyond the great room, a large dining area decorated in warm Southwestern colors reminded her of an upscale Mexican restaurant. The kitchen tucked in beside it offered every state -of-the-art convenience but managed to be homey too. One open side faced out to the living room over a built-in room divider. Stools bellied up to it and offered a more casual place to dine. Celia spotted a thick notebook on the granite countertop and Angie pointed to it. “Everything you need to know should be in that,” she said. “Emergency numbers, ranch stuff, local lists of businesses, who to call if the lights go out or the commode backs up. It’s all there but you can read it later. Come on, this way.” A mudroom led out onto a back porch and a laundry room, complete with appliances and a linen closet beside it. “This door opens into the downstairs bath,” Angie said and showed Celia.
They backtracked through the great room and Celia noticed the open stairs ascending beside the entrance. Angie led her into a spacious master bedroom with a king-sized bed, a long dresser with a
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