Rain.”
“You don't like me very much do you?”
Bolt picked up another potato. “My personal feelings have nothing to do with the matter. I work for Mr. Rain.”
“Well, where is Mr. Rain?” Annie glowered at Bolt's impervious back. “I'll have him tell you that you can go home.”
“Mr. Rain is busy in his study. He doesn't want to be disturbed.”
Annie whirled around and started for the hall. “He won't mind me bopping in for a minute to tell him to send you home.”
“He's with his sister,” Bolt said crushingly. “I believe it's a private matter.”
That brought Annie to a halt as Bolt had no doubt known it would. “All right, I'll wait until they're finished. Then I'll talk to Oliver. In the meantime, don't peel any more potatoes. I'm going to make tacos.”
“We'll be having broiled salmon, Duchess potatoes, and artichokes,” Bolt said. “It's one of Mr. Rain's favorite meals.”
“I'll bet he likes tacos, too.”
“Not particularly.”
Annie gave Bolt a narrow-eyed glance. “He hasn't had my tacos.”
She turned and stalked down the hall toward the elegant guest suite that had been assigned to her.
Bolt was going to be a problem, she decided. She had sensed from the start that he didn't like her. She had to admit it was an odd experience. She was accustomed to being liked. But if Bolt was going to draw battle lines, then she would stand her ground. After all this was her home for the foreseeable future. She was not going to be ordered about by a robot.
The sound of a tearful female voice rising in anger and frustration broke into Annie's thoughts. She glanced toward the closed door of Oliver's study. It had to be Valerie, she realized with a sympathetic pang. Somehow Annie could not envision the polished, self-confident Heather bursting into tears in the middle of an argument with her brother.
“Damn you, Oliver, I'm not going to let you run my life any longer.” Valerie's distraught voice reverberated through the door. “I love Carson and if he asks me to marry him, I'm going to do it.”
Annie could not overhear Oliver's response, but that didn't surprise her. She doubted that Oliver would ever raise his voice in anger, regardless of the provocation. He had far too much self-control.
“I don't want to hear about what happened after Dad left. I've heard that story too many times already.” Valerie flung open the door of the study and rushed out into the hall.
“It's ancient history,” she shouted over her shoulder, her voice throbbing with emotion. “Sybil's right. You can't let go of the past.”
“That's enough, Valerie,” Oliver said quietly from the dark depths of the study. His voice was not harsh, but it was as unyielding as stone.
“I pity your new wife,” Valerie declared with passionate contempt. She was shaking with the force of her anger. “Does she know yet that she's married a man who shapes his whole life around something that happened fifteen years ago?”
Valerie did not wait for an answer. She spun around, dashing the tears from her eyes.
She collided with Annie who was trying to get out of her way.
“Annie. My God.”
“Excuse me.” Annie steadied Valerie gently. “Are you all right?”
“Yes. No. I just want to get out of here.” Valerie pushed past her. “I hope you know what you've done by marrying my brother, Annie. I think you're going to be very, very sorry.”
Valerie rushed off down the hall. Annie gazed after her. A moment later the front door opened and immediately slammed shut. Annie turned around and glanced into the study.
Oliver sat unmoving behind his black lacquer desk. The halogen light splashed across his folded hands and threw the rest of him into deep shadow.
Annie took a step forward and came to a halt in the doorway. In the corner of the room near the rock garden, the jeweled leopard crouched, watching
“You don't like me very much do you?”
Bolt picked up another potato. “My personal feelings have nothing to do with the matter. I work for Mr. Rain.”
“Well, where is Mr. Rain?” Annie glowered at Bolt's impervious back. “I'll have him tell you that you can go home.”
“Mr. Rain is busy in his study. He doesn't want to be disturbed.”
Annie whirled around and started for the hall. “He won't mind me bopping in for a minute to tell him to send you home.”
“He's with his sister,” Bolt said crushingly. “I believe it's a private matter.”
That brought Annie to a halt as Bolt had no doubt known it would. “All right, I'll wait until they're finished. Then I'll talk to Oliver. In the meantime, don't peel any more potatoes. I'm going to make tacos.”
“We'll be having broiled salmon, Duchess potatoes, and artichokes,” Bolt said. “It's one of Mr. Rain's favorite meals.”
“I'll bet he likes tacos, too.”
“Not particularly.”
Annie gave Bolt a narrow-eyed glance. “He hasn't had my tacos.”
She turned and stalked down the hall toward the elegant guest suite that had been assigned to her.
Bolt was going to be a problem, she decided. She had sensed from the start that he didn't like her. She had to admit it was an odd experience. She was accustomed to being liked. But if Bolt was going to draw battle lines, then she would stand her ground. After all this was her home for the foreseeable future. She was not going to be ordered about by a robot.
The sound of a tearful female voice rising in anger and frustration broke into Annie's thoughts. She glanced toward the closed door of Oliver's study. It had to be Valerie, she realized with a sympathetic pang. Somehow Annie could not envision the polished, self-confident Heather bursting into tears in the middle of an argument with her brother.
“Damn you, Oliver, I'm not going to let you run my life any longer.” Valerie's distraught voice reverberated through the door. “I love Carson and if he asks me to marry him, I'm going to do it.”
Annie could not overhear Oliver's response, but that didn't surprise her. She doubted that Oliver would ever raise his voice in anger, regardless of the provocation. He had far too much self-control.
“I don't want to hear about what happened after Dad left. I've heard that story too many times already.” Valerie flung open the door of the study and rushed out into the hall.
“It's ancient history,” she shouted over her shoulder, her voice throbbing with emotion. “Sybil's right. You can't let go of the past.”
“That's enough, Valerie,” Oliver said quietly from the dark depths of the study. His voice was not harsh, but it was as unyielding as stone.
“I pity your new wife,” Valerie declared with passionate contempt. She was shaking with the force of her anger. “Does she know yet that she's married a man who shapes his whole life around something that happened fifteen years ago?”
Valerie did not wait for an answer. She spun around, dashing the tears from her eyes.
She collided with Annie who was trying to get out of her way.
“Annie. My God.”
“Excuse me.” Annie steadied Valerie gently. “Are you all right?”
“Yes. No. I just want to get out of here.” Valerie pushed past her. “I hope you know what you've done by marrying my brother, Annie. I think you're going to be very, very sorry.”
Valerie rushed off down the hall. Annie gazed after her. A moment later the front door opened and immediately slammed shut. Annie turned around and glanced into the study.
Oliver sat unmoving behind his black lacquer desk. The halogen light splashed across his folded hands and threw the rest of him into deep shadow.
Annie took a step forward and came to a halt in the doorway. In the corner of the room near the rock garden, the jeweled leopard crouched, watching
Similar Books
