Chapter Five

Never in her life had Kara ever felt so warm and relaxed. Her body was still glowing from her hot bath and her skin tingled beneath the large, warm bathrobe that Celeste had given to her.

Celeste.

Goodness, François’s wife was truly something! Kara had never been fussed over so much in her life. The minute they drove onto the gigantic ranch/farm, Kara was absorbed into the warmth and camaraderie of the farm workers and the ranch hands. It had already been getting dark, but the place was still bustling, everyone hard at work in peaceful harmony, but lifting their heads to throw a friendly wave or shout a cheerful greeting at their boss as he drove past.

François responded with a huge smile and genuine warmth to each of his workers. It was clear that they all had a good relationship. It was like a huge family and although she scolded herself for the stupid desire, Kara couldn’t help but wish that she could be accepted into it.

With a gasp of awe, she’d spotted a man atop a horse, riding it with such golden skill, she couldn’t help but stare and did so until the man rode out of sight.

Then François had led her into the large, beautiful farmhouse at the foremost area of the land and took her into a warm kitchen filled with delicious aromas. That’s where they’d found Celeste.

She’d been standing at the stove, her back to them, when they’d entered. Kara watched her nervously then glanced at François, only to find him staring at his wife with a sweet smile.

“Ma cherie…” he’d said gently and Kara watched Celeste turn quickly around at the sound of her husband’s voice. Her soft, heart shaped face was glowing and pink from the kitchen’s warmth and a captivating white smile bloomed over her face as she quickly wiped her hands to be lifted into her husband’s arms.

“Enfin tu es la! You're here!” she’d giggled into François’s neck as he spun her around.

Kara watched them, a strange feeling in her chest. Then she understood why François had spoken of his wife with such a huge smile. They were so… in love.

Then he’d settled her onto her feet, gazing down at her adoringly as he tugged her hand towards Kara. That’s when Celeste took notice of her and all hell broke loose. Before François could introduce them, Celeste, with a huge grin on her face, grabbed both Kara’s hands and tugged her forward for a hug.

“Oooooh, you must be Karen!!” she cooed, her slight French accent very pleasant. “I am delighted to meet you. Franç says you’ve been through a bad time, are you okay, you poor darling?”

Kara stood there, wide eyed and silent, wrapped up in Celeste’s hug as François gave her a wide I-told-you-so grin.

She didn’t know what to say in response to the gorgeous little lady’s warmth. Her throat became slightly clogged up with tears as she tried to find a response.

They were such… amazing people. They didn’t even know her and in Kara’s experience, it’s especially when someone doesn’t know you that they treat you the worst.

She was struggling to hold the tears at bay and respond when Celeste withdrew from the hug.

“I’m…fine. I…Thank you…” Kara began shakily, despising how easily her eyes kept filling. She couldn’t help it. It was all so unusual for her.

Suddenly a sob tore out of her throat and tears came rolling down her face.

Celeste’s expression became sad as well as she quickly pulled Kara back in.

“Oh, no, my dear. Do not cry,” she consoled as Kara wept in her neck. Kara could hardly understand what was happening herself, this was just so unlike her. All those pathetic tears, very unlike her.

The realization of her need to mourn the pain she’d lived everyday of her life in comparison to this newfound kindness and warmth too far for her to grasp.

She sighed and sniffed as Celeste rubbed her back, her tears finally spent.

“Now, my dear, this just won’t do,” Celeste scolded. “No more tears, everything will be fine.”

Pulling away, she again dazzled Kara with one of her warm smiles. Kara gave her a small smile in return as she sniffled her last.

“Such a beautiful girl, you’re going to distract all the men from their work on this farm, aren’t you?” Celeste teased with a wink. Kara laughed in embarrassment and blushed, hardly ever seeing herself as even pretty. Beautiful? Never.

Celeste chuckled as well and took Kara’s hand.

“Come along, now. We must get you settled in before nightfall.” Turning to leave, she quickly untied her apron and tossed it at her husband who rolled his eyes, but caught it nonetheless and put it on.

“It’s nearly ready anyway,” she reassured him, feeling a little guilty.

Celeste took Kara to a large living Quarters about fifteen feet to the side of the house. The inside of the place made Kara smile. It was so perfect.

It opened into a short corridor that led to a white walled furnished lounge with big, colorful cushiony sofas that Kara couldn’t wait to fall asleep on and beyond that she could see the granite tops of the open kitchen. There were two stools at the counters and the place was shiny clean. There was even a small fridge, a two plate stove and a microwave.

A thick black rug lay beneath the glass table at her feet, occupying the center of the living room. Across the room were long black drapes that revealed wide glass sliding doors when she pulled them back. Wide eyed, she slowly turned back around and gazed at the room before her.

“Oh, my God…” Kara heard herself whisper. This place was hers? She was going to stay here?

“Bon?” Celeste said behind her. “Do you like it? We can change the curtains if…”

“No! It’s fine…it’s…” Kara laughed in delight. “It’s perfect.”

Celeste then showed her the single bedroom, which was a fairly good size, but seemed enormous to Kara. She’d thrown herself onto the soft bed, rolling around in the thick, soft comforter.

Celeste laughed and called her adorable, saying if she had had a little sister, she thought Kara would fit the profile perfectly. Kara blushed, her heart-warming at that, until Celeste jokingly added that perhaps they could make it real by getting Kara married to François’s younger brother. Kara’s smile froze at the mention of the ‘M’ word.

“But, perhaps not, because he’s really… unfriendly, that one,” she’d added, letting Kara breathe easy with a smile. The guy was probably an asshole and Celeste was calling him ‘unfriendly’. She was so sweet.

The large bedroom windows were missing curtains and Celeste apologized saying she was going back to the house to fetch them, she’d gotten caught up in work and forgot.

Kara laughed.

“Trust me, it’s not a problem. I’m so grateful.” It really wasn’t a problem. She’d slept in houses with no windows to begin with, just empty square holes. What were a few missing curtains?

Celeste showed her the bathroom that had a shower, square-shaped bathtub and a toilet and sink. Kara loved it all. Celeste then left to go and arrange for pillows and curtains, leaving Kara to take a bath before dinner.

“I can’t believe this…how…” Kara whispered, gazing up at the ceiling and around the clean bathroom as she undressed. She knew she was to become Celeste’s helper and right hand woman since the kids were keeping her busy when they were home and also help around the ranch on occasion, so she’d assumed she’d get a bed in a worker’s unit on the ranch. Apparently not.

Celeste said that all of their permanent workers got a cottage from the ranch where they and their families could reside and in Kara’s case, the main quarters belonged to the house help, so it was hers.

Kara was so happy, it felt like her heart would burst from all the joy. She grinned all through her bath, loving the feeling of the hot water cascading down her body. Hot water! She laughed out loud. How long had it been since she felt the tinge of hot bath water as it poured over her skin?

Probably never.

With a glowing face, she climbed out of the bath and dried herself with one of the towels rolled out for her. She brought it up to her cheek and gently rubbed her face against the towel.

“So soft…” she whispered with a smile.

Wow. This was really happening. She clearly had to change her lifestyle now that Lady Luck was smiling at her. Firstly, no more stealing.

Yes. Before you land in jail.

Celeste had slipped back in when Kara was drying her long, black hair.

“Kaaarreen?” she’d called. Kara loved how Celeste pronounced the name with a French drag on the ‘R’. But it wasn’t her real name, so that feeling was short-lived.

Together, they quickly put the curtains up and fixed the bedding, Celeste gushing at how beautiful Kara is and how she would make the ranch men fall over themselves. Kara laughed and said there was no such thing.

Dinner was when Kara truly saw the Mom in Celeste. She was small in size, but the lady was bossy! Plate after plate of food landed before Kara as Celeste attempted to feed her the whole dinner table. Kara begged, bribed and flattered, but Celeste wanted nothing but for her food to be eaten.

François only laughed in amusement, enjoying his meal.

“Mais, non, ma Cherie. It is your first night with us, you must eat more,” she said, her grey eyes wide. Karen pouted at her.

“Celeste, your food is the best I have ever tasted in my life! But if I eat another bite… I might faint.”

Celeste looked anxious at that. “Oh, non. In that case, we’d better stop.”

After cleaning up the kitchen, the two of them went back to Kara’s new cottage.

Celeste insisted on helping her get tucked in. To her, Kara seemed closer to seventeen than her age of twenty-three and stirred up her natural motherliness.

It was something that warmed Kara to the core, having never really experienced this kind of motherliness. The one she’d been more accustomed to comprised of drunkenly slurred curses and a few slaps for being a spoiled brat.

The memories were bitter and they refused to fall away, but as she snuggled into her new bed that night, listening to the strange new sounds of neighing horses, Kara was determined to not let them shape her any longer.

She’d left it all behind and was determined to not let it affect how she would live her life anymore. Her father was definitely searching for her, he’d probably found out she’d escaped, but he wouldn’t find her. She couldn’t let that happen. She wouldn’t.

Reassuring herself was something she’d done from her childhood and it never failed to calm her racing heart.

She smiled sleepily as her eyes fell closed.

She had plenty of money now. She’d make use of it.

Money you stole.

Kara pouted. With the thought came an annoying image of the grey eyed man flitting past her closed lids. She frowned and groaned in annoyance, trying to erase it, but to no avail. With a sigh, she snuggled deeply into the warm bed and drifted off, thinking of the man she’d stolen from.