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  “Are you okay?” she asked. I jumped.

  “Oh, I’m fine, thanks. I’m just thinking.” I kind of gave her the ‘go away, you’re bothering me’ look. She took the hint.

  She gave me an odd look and kept walking, turning once to look back at me. I gave her a half smile, waiting for her to disappear out of my sight. Once gone, I started walking down the hall, turned a corner and another corner. I was then standing by the back staircase, usually used by the house staff, so no one would see them walking around all day. I wandered around for a few minutes, trying different doors to see what was in them. All of them opened and were not the storage closet.

  Then I noticed a door under the staircase that went up to the attic. It was painted the same color as the wall and was barely noticeable. This must be it, I thought. I walked over to take a closer look and there was a padlock on the door. I grabbed it and wiggled it around a bit, hoping it would magically come open, but no such luck. I decided to go look for Annabelle. She had lived in the house for a lot of years, she must know where the door goes.

  I found her in the kitchen, helping her mother with preparations for dinner. They both looked up when I entered the kitchen. Neither was surprised to see me there. I spent a lot of time in there hanging out, even helping cut veggies from time to time.

  “Hi,” I said to them both.

  “Hi, Madison,” Annabelle replied. “Wanna help?” she asked me, pushing some vegetables my way.

  “Not right now, maybe later. I was wondering if you could come with me? I have something to show you.” I motioned to Annabelle.

  Annabelle looked at her mother and she nodded. “Don’t be gone too long.”

  “Okay, mom.” Annabelle washed her hands and we were off down the hall and up the back staircase.

  “Do you know where this goes?” I asked, pointing to the door under the stairway to the attic.

  “I don’t know. We’re not supposed to go in there,” she said, looking a little scared.

  “Why not?” I asked.

  “I don’t know. My mom told me when I was little that Sarah told her that no one better go near that room. So, I have no idea what’s in there. I’ve never seen it open. I don’t think anyone but Sarah has a key.”

  “Wanna find out? I could get some bolt cutters and cut off the lock,” I told her, with a smile. It made me feel a bit mischievous.

  “No, we’ll get in trouble.” She started backing away.

  I had a sudden thought. “I have an idea,” I told her. “I think I know where it goes anyway. You stay here and you should hear me inside the room in a couple of minutes.” I started heading around the corner to find my room.

  “Where are you going?” she asked as I disappeared around the corner.

  “You’ll see,” I called back.

  A minute later I was in my closet and opened the door. I turned on the light and carefully walked to the back of the room, picking my way around the old furniture. I didn’t want to stub my toe on anything again. I found the door pretty easily and knocked on it.

  “Annabelle, are you there?”

  “Yes,” she whispered. “How did you get in there?”

  “Come to my room. I’ll show you.”

  Annabelle and I spent probably an hour looking around the storage room and didn’t really find anything all that interesting.

  “So what’s the big deal?” she asked me.

  “About what?”

  “This room,” she answered. “Why all the secrecy and the lock?” She was genuinely stumped about why Sarah made a big deal about going into the room, so many years ago.

  “Good question. Maybe they just don’t want people like us snooping around in here.” We both laughed.

  The next morning at breakfast, I decided to get some answers.

  “So, what’s with the locked storage room with all the dusty furniture in it?” I asked nonchalantly, watching them for a reaction.

  Sarah and Adam suddenly went silent and looked at each other.

  “What?” I asked, sensing there was a problem. I looked back and forth between Sarah and Adam.

  “What storage room are you talking about?” Sarah asked. It was obvious that she knew exactly which one I meant. It was almost like she was stalling, trying to figure out how to answer my question.

  Okay, I’ll play along. “The storage closet in my room.”

  “Oh, that one,” she said. “Nothing’s up with it.” She sounded like she was trying way too hard to be calm about the whole thing. “How did you get in there?”

  “There’s an entrance in my bedroom closet. I kinda found it by accident.” Then I figured I was this far in, why not throw it all at them. “And, what’s with that painting? It’s really cool, so why do you have it locked away?”

  They both hesitated at that one even longer. I just looked back and forth at them again, waiting for an answer. Something was definitely up.

  “It’s nothing,” Adam responded. “Don’t worry about it. It’s not worth anything.” He waved his right hand in the air as if shooing away a pesky dog. “Someone gave it to us a long time ago. We just don’t like it, so we store it in there.”

  “Then can I have it? I like it. I’ll put it up in my room.”

  “No,” they said simultaneously. “Just leave it alone.”

  Obviously something was up. That was a very strange reaction from the both of them. But, I left it alone. For now.

  Chapter 9

  One afternoon I was really bored and went to find Annabelle to see if she wanted to take the horses out for a ride or something. Anything, it didn’t matter. I just needed to have something to do. I found her in the kitchen with her mother. They had just started preparing dinner and always seemed like they had fun together. Annabelle was humming while she worked and I watched them for a couple of minutes, unseen. It made me wish Sarah and I had that relationship. Maybe one day we would, as we got to know each other better.

  “Can I help?” I really needed something to occupy my time. Even in that huge mansion, it could get boring.

  They hadn’t even noticed me there watching them, but they really didn’t seem surprised. “Sure,” Tia responded, handing me things to chop. I was always chopping something. I wanted more to do than that, but I got to work chopping anyway.

  Tia was Annabelle’s mother. That wasn’t her real name, it was just what everyone called her. I never did ask her real name. She was probably around 40 years old or so, about five feet tall and was thin as a rail. Not what you would expect in a cook at all. At least not what I expected. I always thought of the cook as being a middle aged woman who yelled at everyone around her and tasted her work in progress a little too much. But not Tia. I doubt she weighed ninety pounds.

  Tia was a sweetheart and I adored her. She was always nice to me. I don’t know if it was because I was the boss’s daughter or because she genuinely liked me. But, either way, I loved being around her. I felt comfortable and loved, I guess. I felt more for her than I ever did for my mother. Sarah was standoffish and selfish. Tia would let me hang out in the kitchen with her for hours, just chatting. Even when Annabelle was off cleaning another part of the house, or doing something else, Tia and I would spend the afternoon together. I was just so comfortable with her.

  Tia liked to boss me around in the kitchen, which was amusing. She said it was her kitchen, and things needed to be done her way. I think it gave her pleasure to tell me what to do. She wasn’t mean about it. She was always so kind. It really was her kitchen, so I figured that if I wanted to hang around there, I had to do as I was told. I had a lot of fun.

  I think Annabelle got a little jealous sometimes, because she would frequently come in, give me a weird look, and then tell me that Adam or Sarah was looking for me. I’d go see what they wanted and they had no idea what I was talking about. So, after a while, I just got to where I would leave if Annabelle walked in and appeared annoyed that I was there.

  “Here, cut these.” Annabelle shoved a pile o
f veggies my way. I had just finished cutting the stuff Tia gave me.

  “Actually, I was thinking I could make dinner tonight.” I saw Tia and Annabelle look at each other, not really knowing what to think of the boss’s daughter wanting to do their job. They didn’t mind me helping, but to actually cook the entire dinner was really a stretch for them.

  “Why would you want to do that?” Annabelle asked.

  “Because I like it. And, I’m really good at it. I cooked a lot when I lived with my grandparents and they always raved about my cooking.” It was true. My grandparents always encouraged me to cook. They said it was a great skill for anyone to have. Funny that my grandfather agreed with that, since he probably couldn’t find the stove if his life depended on it.

  “Well, prove it,” Tia challenged me. She had a sly smile on her face that told me she didn’t think I could pull it off. “But, if it isn’t good, make sure you tell your parents that you cooked it, and not me.” She smiled again, but I knew she was serious. Her job was important to her and she didn’t want to be held responsible for inedible food.

  I smiled at that. “I will, I promise. But it’s our little secret for now, okay?” They agreed.

  They had just started the prep work for salmon, so I figured I would just go ahead and make that. They offered to help, but I kicked them out.

  “I’m making dinner tonight. Out, out, out,” as I shooed them out the back door of the kitchen. They were amused by that.

  “What if your parents come in and see you doing our job?” Annabelle asked me as she left the kitchen. I think she was afraid she would lose her job over it.

  “Really? When was the last time they came into this kitchen?” I asked her, my eyebrows raised.

  “I see your point.” They left without another word.

  For the next two hours I worked really hard. I wanted to impress everyone with my skills. No one had a clue that I was making dinner that night. I used pineapple juice, white vinegar and brown sugar, just to name a few things. I also sautéed some snap peas in garlic and lemon. I didn’t even need a recipe book. It all seemed to come naturally to me. I just knew what ingredients would work, and it was such fun. Cooking was something that I had always enjoyed. I finished it right before 6 o’clock, which was when we always ate dinner. I had just enough time to run upstairs and freshen up.

  I called Tia and Annabelle in when I was done and asked that they serve it so no one would know. They agreed and I made a dash for my bedroom.

  A few minutes later, once we had started eating, Adam told Tia that he was really impressed with dinner. He said it was the best salmon he had ever had. Tia looked my way. My father saw the look she gave me.

  “What?” he asked her, looking back and forth between us. He knew something was up.

  “Actually, Mr. Tyler, I didn’t make dinner tonight,” she said, still looking at me.

  I shook my head ‘no’ at her, but it was too late.

  “Really? Well, who did then?

  “Miss Madison made it.”

  “Very funny, Tia,” Sarah responded. She had a smirk on her face. So typical of her.

  Adam just looked at me. “Is this true?”

  “Yes.” I don’t know why I lowered my eyes when I said that. I wasn’t embarrassed.

  “Why did you make dinner?” he asked me. He really did seem confused as to why in the world I would do something like that.

  “Because I like cooking, and I’m pretty good at it.”

  “Well, you sure are,” he told me, taking another bite. “But, it really isn’t something that our daughter should be doing.”

  “What do you mean by that?” I asked, feeling a little defensive.

  He looked over at Tia. “Can you excuse us please?” Tia headed back toward the kitchen.

  “He means that,” Sarah interjected, “we have a certain image to uphold, and we can’t be having our daughter work as the cook.”

  God, what a snob she was. How was it even possible that she was my mother? “I’m not working as the cook. I just like cooking. It’s fun.” I stared her down. “Why do you have a problem with that?”

  “I have a problem with that because..”

  “All right you two, if Madison wants to make us a nice meal once in a while, I don’t really see the harm,” Adam jumped in.

  I just smiled and Sarah looked down at her plate. She knew I had won that round.

  After that night, I cooked fairly often and everyone always loved it. I know that Tia and Annabelle liked when I cooked, as it took a few hours of work off of them on those days. Adam even started inviting friends over to try my cooking, at the complete embarrassment of Sarah. I catered many dinner parties for them, with the help of Tia and Annabelle. We spent many fun evenings in the kitchen.

  One night a friend of Adam’s, named Ray something, told me that if I ever wanted a job in his restaurant that it was mine. He had a really nice, upscale restaurant in the shopping district in town. It was one of those places that you had better be wearing a tie if you expected to eat there.

  His job offer really shocked Sarah. The look on her face said it all, even though she never said a word. Of course, I thanked him and that was the end of it. I’m sure Ray something never expected me to actually take him up on his offer. But, it was really nice to get the offer anyway.

  I continued cooking from time to time, but not much after that. Adam asked me to limit my time in the kitchen. I knew why, he didn’t have to say.

  Chapter 10

  Since I wasn’t cooking much anymore, most of my time was spent with my horse. I guess I became kind of a loner during the few months that I had been living at the ranch. Sarah didn’t seem to like me much. I guess that was probably my fault, because I didn’t give her much of a chance. It was just hard thinking of someone else as my mother, when I always thought of Abbey as my mother. I knew I needed to give that idea up. Sarah was difficult, to say the least. I’m sure I was no better. Perhaps we were more alike than I wanted to admit.

  Jett was a great companion. We spent a lot of time together. One Saturday morning I woke up early and decided to go for a ride. I threw on some jeans, a t-shirt, and a sweat shirt over it, brushed my hair and teeth and headed outside. I rarely wore make-up, didn’t want to bother. I know it was not the norm for a teenage girl to walk around with no make-up. Oh, the shame. I smiled at the thought.

  The sun was just coming up over the mountains and the air was crisp. I was glad I had the sweat shirt on. I went straight to the stable that Jett was in. Since it was early, none of the stable people were working yet. That was fine, I really didn’t need their help. I saddled Jett up, and we headed out toward the corral, so I could feed and water him. As we rounded the corner of the stable I ran smack into someone and the impact knocked me to the ground. I landed on my backside and it hurt. It took me a minute to gain my composure.

  “What the hell?” I said, as I started to get up. “Watch where you’re going.” I still had no idea who it was.

  That’s when I looked up for the first time to see who I had run into. A hand was stretched out to help me up. I took his hand and as I stood up I saw the most handsome guy I think I had ever seen. He was probably six feet tall, black hair and dark eyes. He was dressed in jeans and boots, just like all the other ranch hands. I figured that he worked there and was a couple of years older than I was.

  “Are you all right?” he asked me.

  “I’m fine. No thanks to you.” I started brushing the dirt and hay off of my jeans.

  He stood there smiling, which of course irritated me.

  “What are you smiling about?” I asked, clearly annoyed.

  “You should be more careful,” he answered. Then he just stood there staring at me.

  “You be more careful,” I snapped back. “What are you staring at?”

  “Nothing,” he said and started walking away. It was such an odd conversation that we were having.

  “Where are you going?” I asked, not really sure wh
y I cared.

  “I’m busy. You seem fine and I have things to do.” He kept walking.

  Great, just what I need, another cranky person around me. I didn’t know when he started working at the ranch. I hadn’t seen him before. Believe me, I would have noticed. It was early, but I saw a couple of ranch hands working as I took off on Jett for our morning ride. It turned out to be a beautiful day, sunny and brisk. I was still annoyed and wondering about that guy that ran into me, when an hour or so later, my stomach started to growl. Time to head in for breakfast.

  When I arrived back at the stables, he was nowhere to be seen. Thank goodness, I thought. I really didn’t want to run into him again. I handed Jett over to one of the stable hands to be taken care of and headed to the house. It was starting to get warm and I took off my sweatshirt as I entered the front door.

  When I walked into the dining room, there he was, sitting and eating breakfast with my parents.

  “What the ..” I started to say when Sarah interrupted me.

  “Madison, this is my nephew, Jackson.” I hadn’t taken my eyes off of him.

  “So, this is the famous Madison Tyler,” he said with a smug little smile on his face.

  “I thought you were the stable boy,” I said sarcastically, as I walked over and sat down across from him. He just smiled.

  “Madison!” Adam yelled at me.

  That made me snap out of whatever it was that I was in. “Well, he wasn’t very nice to me out there.”

  “So you two have met? When did this happen?” Sarah asked.

  “Earlier this morning when I went out to see the horses,” Jackson responded. “She wasn’t looking where she was going, ran right into me and fell down. Then she yelled at me, like it was my fault.” He never took his eyes off of me while talking to Sarah and Adam.