Season of Fear

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Season of Fear

  A Classic Mystery Romance

  by

  Christine Bush

  Published by ePublishing Works!

  www.epublishingworks.com

  ISBN: 978-1-61417-120-1

  By payment of required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this eBook. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented without the express written permission of copyright owner.

  Please Note

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

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  Copyright 1983, 2011, 2012 by Christine Bush. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.

  Cover and eBook design by eBook Prep www.ebookprep.com

  Thank You.

  SEASON OF FEAR

  Reviews

  "An unforgettable cowboy in a sweet timeless romance"

  ~Abby Shuey

  ~

  WHAT OTHER READERS ARE SAYING:

  "In the grand tradition of "Rebecca" told in the storytelling style of Daphne du Maurier..."

  "Loved this book... Kept me guessing more than I thought it would. Had a hard time putting it down!"

  "A great ending and a nice feel-good book."

  To my Mom and my Dad

  Chapter 1

  As the bus bounded along the highway, Robin unfolded the letter in her hand and read it one more time. She knew she could probably recite it by heart if she tried, but somehow seeing the black type officially on the page before her made everything seem more real.

  Dear Mr. Ridley,

  This is to introduce Miss Robin North, the young lady about whom we have corresponded and who I heartily recommend to fill the position of housekeeper for your residence. She has successfully handled many similar duties while in my employ at the Robinson Resort, and we consider her an asset to any staff.

  Sincerely,

  Herman Robinson

  Robin smiled sadly as she reread her Cousin Herman's words. His little white lies had landed her the position as housekeeper at the Ridley Ranch in Montana. Besides omitting the little detail that she was his cousin, Herman greatly exaggerated her experience at his resort a few miles from Chicago. Actually, she had only been employed at the Robinson Resort for a summer, in between college semesters, and her duties had been limited to bedmaking and dishwashing.

  But Herman had confidence in her, and she knew his confidence was not unfounded. For years she handled her father's house, saw to all of the details of keeping things in order, as well as making the many medical decisions during his long illness. And she attended college at the same time, budgeting her hours carefully so that there was always time to spend at her father's bedside, lovingly reading to him, patiently comforting him in his long fight for life.

  He did not win the fight. The doctors had known that there was no chance of recovery, even though they had done every possible thing they could. But Professor Robert North was not defeated easily. He hung on, painfully, hopefully, as long as he could, and Robin's young heart felt defeated and alone when he took his final breath and died.

  Life seemed a little blurred after that. She missed her graduation ceremony at the university, for the funeral was held on the same day. There were not many people to mourn her father's passing: only Cousin Herman and his wife, Lisa, a few friends of Dad's from the faculty at the university, and, of course, Robin. The service had been brief and touching, and Herman had been so very supportive and strong.

  The days passed, and Robin drifted aimlessly around the big old house, remembering her father with an overwhelming grief. Her state of depression might have lasted indefinitely if it hadn't been for Herman. Dear Herman. He arrived on the doorstep one day, whisked her out of her state of lethargy, and efficiently began to tend to the legal details that she had ignored.

  "You need a change of scenery, Robin," he said before all the details were ironed out. "A job." And the next thing she knew, he had written to an old acquaintance in Montana, and she had a job.

  "Alexander Ridley of the Ridley Ranch," he told her. "You're to be his housekeeper. I'm quite certain you can handle that."

  She nodded numbly, like a child.

  "Great guy, you'll like him, Robin. He raises cattle on a huge ranch in Montana. Has three children, I think. Lost his wife about five years ago, and his housekeeper has just retired. I convinced him you'll be perfect for the job."

  And in his determined way, her cousin made all the arrangements, closed the house, and Robin was on her way.

  "You can't sit and mope, Robin," Herman told her kindly as he put her on the bus. "You've got to get out there and face life. You've been cooped up for years with your father, and it's time for you to see the world. Just do a good job. And then after you've made your mark, you can admit you're a college graduate and that we're related."

  She waved goodbye from the bus window as they pulled out of the station, her emotions a mixture of apprehension and excitement. She felt very alone as the bus left Chicago behind, yet she knew that Herman's words were true.

  That had been two days ago. This morning, in the early-light of dawn, they had entered Montana. By midafternoon, Robin would be at the end of her journey.

  After a stop for breakfast, Robin dozed off. Sometime later she snapped to alertness as the driver announced, "Hamilton, Montana."

  She had arrived.

  Robin found her slender hands were shaking as she combed her long blond hair and tied it with a scarf at the nape of her neck. She gathered up her things from the seat beside her and made her way to the open bus door.

  Instinctively, she felt the right pocket of her linen skirt for the letter of introduction from Herman. The crackle of the paper reassured her somehow. Yet she still felt nervous.

  But as her feet first made contact with the sidewalk of Hamilton, as she inhaled her first full breath of fresh air, clean and warm from the midday sun, the tension in her body seemed to dissipate and her fears evaporated. She was here to begin her own life, a step long overdue, and she no longer desired to linger in the sorrows of the past.

  She made a pretty sight as she carried her leather suitcases, her cheeks glowing with excitement. Her blue eyes were alert and happy, the sun highlighting the silky blondness of her hair. She wore a lime-green linen skirt and flowered blouse, and a comfortable pair of beige pumps. Her step was light as she made her w
ay to a small sandwich shop on the main street of town, ready for a quick snack and eager to phone the Ridley Ranch to announce her arrival, as Herman had instructed. The ranch sat about five miles north of town, she knew. There'd be ample time for her to ease her hunger pangs before anyone would arrive to pick her up.

  "Bert's Sandwich Shoppe," as the sign over the door announced, was the only restaurant she could see as she glanced up and down the street. Hamilton was a very small town by her familiar midwest standards, she realized. She made mental notes as she traveled down the street: a grocery store, post office, general store, a barbershop, a run-down movie theater, and a few quiet shops. A handful of local people sauntered from one establishment to the next, stopping to chat whenever they could.

  Robin opened the door of the sandwich shop, hearing a tinkling sound as the bell on the back of the door shouted her arrival. The red leather booths that lined the walls of the shop were deserted, the counter seats empty. The lunch hour past, she was the only customer.

  "Howdy," offered the girl who appeared behind the counter. "What can I do for you?"

  Robin glanced over the menu as she sat in the nearest booth and gave the girl her order. Robin judged her to be about her own age, her hair dark and curly, her body stocky and athletic looking, tanned by the sun.

  "Is there a phone I can use?" Robin asked.

  "Sure," the waitress replied, pointing to the corner of the room. "Right over there."

  Robin deposited her coins and dialed the number of the Ridley Ranch, her mind struggling to find the words to introduce herself to her new employer. A feminine voice answered the ringing phone.

  "Ridley Ranch."

  "Yes, hello. May I speak to Mr. Alexander Ridley?"

  A pause. "He's not here. I'm not sure when he'll be back."

  Robin swallowed. She hadn't considered the fact that Mr. Ridley might not be available when she arrived unannounced.

  "This is Robin North. I have just arrived in Hamilton, and I'm to take the position of housekeeper at the ranch. I wonder if there is any way for me to get out there this afternoon?"

  "You're the new housekeeper? The one from Chicago? Well, what do you know! I never thought you'd really come. Where are you?"

  "I'm at Bert's Sandwich Shoppe in town. I was just about to grab a sandwich."

  "Good idea. I've no idea when we'll have dinner here. Just sit tight, and I'll be out in the jeep to pick you up in a few minutes. By the way, I'm Sara Ridley. See you soon."

  The line went dead, and Robin felt uneasy. They didn't think I'd really come? But why not? Herman had assured her she'd be expected, and welcome.

  The first shadow fell over the sunny day.

  The smiling waitress arrived with her order just as Robin had reseated herself in the booth. She set the food on the table and then slid into the booth opposite Robin.

  "I couldn't help overhearing you on the phone. I'm Mary Brown. I live here in town. Are you really going to be housekeeper at the ranch?"

  Robin was startled at her frankness, her open curiosity. But she knew the Ridley Ranch was one of the biggest in the area, and so the comings and goings must be a major topic of gossip in a town of this size. It would do no harm to befriend Mary, for the news of her arrival would get around sooner or later.

  "Yes, I'm to be the new housekeeper. I'm from Chicago."

  "Amazing."

  "What on earth is so amazing?"

  "That anyone would come so far to be a housekeeper. Even more so that you'd want to work at Ridley Ranch."

  Robin felt her temper beginning to warm up. She had wanted to be friendly, but she didn't feel she had to explain herself and her motives to this girl who was a stranger.

  "I don't know what you're talking about."

  "Well, no one's been expecting the Ridleys to come up with a housekeeper so quickly. Mrs. Manchester is terribly old, and when she became sickly, she had to retire. She'd stuck with the family for years and years. But no one else from town would ever take a live-in position out there at the ranch, at least, not after all that happened out there. No, you wouldn't catch me out there after dark. Not with that family!"

  "But I don't understand," Robin protested. "What is the matter with the Ridleys?"

  "No wonder you came. You don't even know. It's bad enough the kids are crazy, but that's beside the point. Who in their right mind would want to live in the same house with a man who's killed his wife?"

  Robin sat very still, her heart hammering in her chest. Gossip? Exaggeration? Could that be true? Her mind was filled with questions. But she didn't have time to ask even one.

  For the bell on the door tinkled at that instant, and the door opened to let in a teenage girl, her black hair hanging in dark braids, clothed in well-worn jeans and a gingham western shirt.

  "Robin North?" she asked in a bright voice. "I'm Sara Ridley. Are you ready to head for the ranch?"

  Chapter 2

  Robin left her half-eaten sandwich on the plate and quickly paid Mary for her meal. She no longer had any desire to eat. Indeed, the shock of the words she had heard only minutes before had numbed her so that she no longer felt hungry at all.

  She silently picked up her things, Sara carrying one of her suitcases, and they left the shop with the tinkling doorbell behind them.

  The ride in the jeep was far from smooth, as Sara was by no means a cautious driver. She smiled at Robin as they pulled away from the curb. She couldn't be more than sixteen, Robin thought. Old enough to drive, but still growing into the promise of beauty her young face held.

  "I'm glad you've come," Sara said gaily as they traveled through town.

  Robin was almost ready to unwind, to forget the anxiety she had felt at the sandwich shop, to ignore the words she had heard about the Ridleys, words that were more than likely merely vicious gossip.

  But Sara continued. "You won't be staying long, though, I can see that!"

  "What does that mean?"

  "No offense, Robin. I'd sure like to have you around. It would be nice to have someone young around the place. But Dad will throw a fit when he sees you. He has no idea that you're so young. He's got a thing about young women. He says they're all fortune hunters, trying to worm their way into his little heart. Fat chance. He's got no heart."

  Robin ignored Sara's personal comment about her father, not wishing to discuss the family members before she had even met her boss. But she was confused about the mix-up about her age.

  "But didn't Mr. Robinson tell him all about me?" she asked, immediately careful not to mention Herman was her cousin.

  "I'm sure Father just assumed you'd be older, as Mr. Robinson recommended you. He knows how Dad feels about these things. A very strange situation. But Dad knows you're a real, experienced housekeeper and not a simple young thing playing at the job with no real qualifications. At least that's true!"

  Robin's heart turned over. She was silently angry with Herman for not informing her about Mr. Ridley's desire for an older housekeeper. She was ashamed and embarrassed about her fake references, her deceit. If she could have boarded a bus at that instant, to return to Chicago, she would not have hesitated.

  But there was no bus, there was no chance to escape. Nor, she added cynically to herself, was there really anything to escape to. Her house was boarded up and empty, her father was buried. She really had no choice but to go on with her charade and hope for the best. But she certainly would admit the whole truth as soon as she could get her feet on the ground.

  They had left the town behind them, and Sara lowered her foot on the gas pedal. The wind whistled as they sped along in the open jeep, the beauty of Montana around them.

  Robin found her eyes filling with tears at the thought of her father, and she was glad that the whipping wind prohibited any further conversation, She watched the vast countryside as it flashed by, the green tufts of prairie grass along the paved road. She took in the breathtaking profile of mountains before them, the vast openness of the summer sky overhead. She cl
osed her eyes. A person could get very used to living out here, she thought. She wondered how long she'd be able to stay.

  "Wake up, lazybones," called Sara. "Look ahead, we're entering the Ridley Ranch."

  Tall posts held the carved wooden sign high above the narrow road they turned onto. "Ridley Ranch," it said in rustic carved lettering. About a mile further, several structures came into sight. Far to the left Robin could see several large square buildings standing silhouetted against the sky. They were the barns, Sara explained. And the bunkhouses next to them. Then a smaller barn, straight ahead, surrounded by a huge corral, which Sara said sheltered the horses.

  To the far right, a long, low modern structure began to come into sight as they drove closer, the home of the Ridley family. Two other cars stood in the large circular drive before it, a low-slung sports car, metallic blue, and a fancy-looking black Cadillac.

  "Looks like Dad's home now," said Sara. "And Jacob, too."

  "Jacob?" Robin asked, suddenly realizing how little she knew about the family.

  "Jacob's my twin brother. I adore him, though he can be a little much at times. And there's Gregory, our annoying little brother. He's ten. We're quite a group. You'll see."

  She slowed the jeep as they arrived at the front of the house, and moments later, they walked up the walk to the front door of the Ridley Ranch.

  No one greeted them as they entered the main foyer of the spacious house. It was several degrees cooler inside. The air conditioning kept out the late-afternoon heat.

  Robin felt a shiver run through her tired body, but forced herself to think it was because of the change of temperature, and not a result of the anxiety she was feeling.

  Sara was happy and talkative as she explained the layout of the house.