“Bird watching?” said Olympia with a perplexed frown. “I have never watched a bird in my life.”
“This is a good place to learn,” said Jake. “With any luck Hoover and I will only be out over night if we get an early start.” He finished the beer.
“Dinner in an hour,” said Opal.
Jake said, “If you ladies will excuse me, I’ll see to the horses and get cleaned up for dinner.” He touched his hat again and left Olympia with the silly grin still spread across her face.
Fiona had other ideas. She and Olympia could go do some investigating of their own, if she could convince Opal to stay behind. She had hoped that Opal would go on the tracking trip with Jake and Hoover.
Olympia regained her voice over dinner. She had donned the most amazing red-sequined gown for dinner while the other three of them sported ranch duds. Where Olympia came up with some of the outfits she wore was beyond Fiona. Where she ever found them was a mystery.
She, unfortunately, was regaling Opal and Jake with exploits from their Australian vacation. There were some parts of that vacation that Fiona would rather not be made public. But she was seated too far away from Olympia to kick her in the leg.
“So you got into a little mystery solving on vacation,” Jake said.
“Oh, my, yes, and Fiona was superb. She zeroed right in on who stole all the expensive equipment.”
“Is that right?” said Jake. “What was the equipment for?”
Fiona butted in. “It wasn’t anything. Wouldn’t you like to hear about our sightseeing plans, Olympia?” She gave her friend a pointed look, but she refused to meet her gaze.
“Wasn’t anything? The police were very grateful you were able to identify those crooks. But not before this really lovely man, who wined and dined us the whole time, helped Fiona solve the mystery.”
“Olympia, really, you are boring Jake and Opal to death.”
Jake held up his hand, a smile in his eyes. “I’m fascinated by Olympia’s account. Fiona has not given us any details of your vacation in Australia. It’s someplace I’ve always wanted to visit. I hinted I wanted to go but Fiona had other plans, I see.”
Fiona felt her face heat up with that comment. One of the reasons it took her so long to make the trip to see Jake and Opal was that the Australia caper got out of hand, and they had had to stay longer. She didn’t want to go into any more detail. That was another story for another time. Maybe never.
“You wanted to come?” said Olympia. “Fiona, you never mentioned that. You would have been most welcome. We can go another time. Maybe after my next book.” She smiled her most alluring smile at Jake. “We could all go, but maybe Fiona doesn’t want to go back. It ended sadly for that lovely man who wined and dined us.”
“Olympia, will you please shut up?”
She finally looked into Fiona’s scowl and seemed to get the message. “I’m terribly sorry. I guess I am boring everyone.”
Jake held up the wine bottle to pour Olympia another drink. She smiled into his eyes.
“Really, Olympia, haven’t you had enough to drink?” asked Fiona.
“Not me. The night is young, the wine superb, the company beyond compare.”
Jake laughed and poured another healthy glass of wine for Olympia. Fiona covered her glass when he tried to do the same.
“I’ll get dessert,” said Opal, rising. “A little ice cream will cool things down.”
“Did I say something wrong?” Olympia asked Fiona.
“Nothing. Nothing. It’s just that when you have too much to drink you say things that are perhaps better left unsaid.”
Olympia waved a hand in the air. “Not me. I’m the height of propriety always.”
“Jake, why don’t you tell Olympia all the wonderful things there are to see in this lovely country?” said Fiona, trying hard to be pleasant. Olympia had gotten them into more than one ridiculous situation with her loose tongue. She really did want to forget the lovely man in Australia. She hoped he never showed up unexpectedly which was another reason she decided that now was as good a time as any to disappear into the middle of nowhere.
Jake studied Fiona with steady, not-to-be fooled eyes. “Yes, let’s tell Olympia what she has been missing all these years. Maybe it will show up in her next book.”
Jake was getting the hang of Olympia fast. He became tour guide extraordinaire and told her about hunting, hiking, camping, fishing, and ATV opportunities. Fiona knew Olympia didn’t follow a word he said. Her eyelids had the half mast look of one under the influence. But Olympia could carry a conversation even dead drunk though she didn’t always remember what she said.
“I would love to go fishing,” Olympia said. “I’ve never fished before. Would you take me? I mean, us, of course.”
“I’d be glad to take both you gals, if I had more time. Opal is a world class fisherwoman. What do you say, Opal?”
She looked at Jake like he was crazy. “We can drive to one of the lakes and have a look if you like. You girls have to get some gear and fishing licenses.”
Olympia turned her charm on Fiona. “Wouldn’t that be fun? What do you say, Fiona?”
At least the conversation was clear of the Australia caper. Though Fiona wasn’t much of the outdoor type, she could learn.
“All right. Tomorrow I’ll show Olympia the sights. We’ll go shopping in Rocky Point and meet some of the local flora and fauna first.”
Opal looked relieved. “Yes, you girls go. I got enough to do around the ranch. You go have a good time in that red bomb she drives.”
Olympia looked puzzled. “Red bomb? You mean my beautiful Range Rover?” A slow smile spread across her face. “I like that name. It shall be the Red Bomb for ever after.”
Perfect. They were set for some sleuthing in the morning.
Morning came and went and Olympia was still not out of bed. Jake had left before any of them had risen. Opal and Fiona finally discussed what Opal wanted done to the house. Opal was short on ideas. Fiona had endless. They agreed on new flooring for the great room which had some sort of linoleum that was badly worn.
“I think pine flooring would look great in here,” Fiona said.
“How much would that cost?” asked Opal.
“I’ll get prices.”
“There’s a good flooring place in town.”
“I’ll check prices there and what other possibilities they have to offer. There’s fake wood flooring that comes in squares that might work.”
“I worry about the cost of all this,” Opal said.
Now it came out. Fiona was afraid of this. “Do you have a budget in mind?”
She shrugged. “I never gave the price a thought. I wanted something that looks prettier than it does now. The place does look a little shabby, don’t you think?”
“It is charming as it is. It has a homey, lived in look. If you don’t want to change it, I understand.”
Opal sighed. “You’re sweet, Fiona. We lure you out, you come all this way, your house burns down, and I’m not sure if I can afford to remodel now.”
Opal was quiet while Fiona looked around the great room where they were standing, where the dance took place after the barbecue. Most of the interior walls were log or pine paneling, so there wasn’t much painting to do. Oiling would bring up the sheen on the wood and preserve it longer. She’d use a rustic theme for the floors and windows. Right now the windows had nothing at all. Nearly every window had a great view. Putting up insulated drapes could help with the heating bill in the winter. Changing all that could run into thousands of dollars in a space this big.
“There’s another thing holds me back,” Opal said.