He turned and left the room, his boots clicking across the tile floor and then fading as he moved across the hardwood family room floor and down the hall.
She glanced around the kitchen, knowing she should familiarize herself before breakfast, but feeling uncomfortable about exploring so soon after her arrival. What would he want for breakfast? The best way to decide was to find out what he had in the refrigerator.
She opened the refrigerator - milk, eggs, and bacon - the usual supplies. A little more exploring revealed that the cabinets were stocked with sufficient supplies of dry goods and the potato and onion bins were full. Was there anything Cade didn't do efficiently? The answer came to her so quickly that it brought a smile to her lips. Participate in conversation.
Returning to her designated room, she hung all her clothes in the cedar lined wardrobe and tucked her personals in the spacious dresser. At eleven she finally crawled into the bed. She was exhausted, and morning would arrive all too soon. She set the alarm and fluffed the pillows, but it did no good to close her eyes. They kept popping back open. Her mind was up, wandering the huge house - and Cade's mind. Why had he suddenly decided he needed a maid - or was it sudden? Could there be truth to Mary's suspicions. No. She couldn't believe that there was any thought of romance going on in Cade's mind. He had probably reached a point that the ranch and house were too much work. Seeing her at the diner probably gave him the idea of getting help.
She glanced at the door, realizing she had forgotten to lock it. Not that it mattered. If he intended her harm, he would hardly have fixed the door so it would lock from the inside. Of course, he could have had more keys made - in which case, it wouldn't matter if it was locked or not. She thought of the movie Psycho and immediately wished she had never watched it. The night was cold and she was cozy in the bed. There was no point in freezing her buns off darting across the cold floor to lock the door. Her eyelids drooped and finally she slept.
The alarm clock buzzed insistently and she reached over to slap the snooze button, squinting at the iridescent hands. Five a.m. She threw the covers back and gasped. It was miserably cold in the bedroom. Tossing her gown aside, she hurriedly pulled on some sweats and made the bed. Opening her door quietly she carried her shoes to the kitchen before putting them on. Then she lit the oven and washed her hands.