Lone Star 04 by Wesley Ellis Read Free Book Online Page A

strained. “Maybe . . . our guests would rather get back to town. It will be dark when we finish supper...”
    â€œNo, no, they will stay,” Gustolf said firmly. Jessie caught the silent message that passed between them. “It is all right, Sonia, eh? Go about your business, girl.”
    Jessie started to speak, but decided against it. Instead, she sipped her wine and looked at the old man, trying to read whatever it was that lay just behind his eyes. Something was definitely there, but he’d hidden it too well for her to see.
    Jessie wanted to get Ki aside to see if he could make any sense out of Gustolf’s behavior and Sonia’s obvious reluctance to have them around. Gustolf, though, gave them no chance to be alone, and stood firm in his resolve to avoid any talk more serious than the various merits of the wines of Central Euorpe. He seemed to have endless information on the subject, and told Jessie and Ki that in the old country he’d been a master winemaker.
    â€œWhy did you leave all that?” Ki asked politely. “A master winemaker is a most distinguished person.”
    â€œPah! Not anymore, he isn‘t!” Gustolf screwed up his face. “That is all gone now. Over. Behind me. And good riddance too!”
    â€œNow, Father...” Sonia came up and rested a hand on his shoulder. Whatever had disturbed her before seemed to have vanished. “Please don’t get him on politics,” she said, giving her father a scolding glance. “You will never hear the end of it, Miss Jessica.”
    â€œJessie’s just fine, and I would like to hear more.”
    â€œHah, you see?” growled Gustolf. “And what would you know, daughter? You have no respect for an old man.”
    â€œYou are a fine man, and not old at all. And I have much respect for you.” She patted him on the cheek and turned away in a whirl of heavy skirts. “Except when you are being an old fool, of course!” Gustolf reached out to grab for her with a big bearlike paw, but Sonia leaped lightly out of his way. Jessie raised a brow at Ki. Apparently the mood in Gustolf’s household had shifted as quickly in one direction as it had in the other.
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    Ki wasn’t sure when either Sonia or her father had had time to invite guests to dinner, but they somehow arrived on schedule. There were two of them: a somber, heavyset man in his fifties named Zascha, and a man of Ki’s own age called Feodor. It seemed as if Gustolf had deliberately asked one to offset the other. Zascha was a brooding, sour fellow with a permanent frown between his heavy brows, while Feodor was the other side of the coin. He was a darkly handsome man with a nose like a hawk and a full head of thick, curly hair. A lazy grin curled the corners of his lips, and his black eyes flashed with amusement. At first glance, he seemed a man who might drift through life enjoying its pleasures. Ki, however, saw deeper than that. Feodor’s easy manner was deceptive. He knew exactly what was taking place around him. Ki recognized something of himself in the man, as well—he moved slowly, because there was nothing happening that required moving fast.
    Ki saw something else too. A single glance at Sonia when Feodor entered the room told him the girl was his for the taking. Feodor answered her look—warmly, but without great interest. On the other hand, his dark eyes rested for a long moment on Jessie. Jessie accepted his glance and gave it back boldly, much to Ki’s irritation.
    Jessie couldn’t remember when she’d had so much to eat. The rich, spicy dishes, aided by a continuous flow of the old man’s wine, left her sleepy and a little lightheaded.
    Gustolf caught her eye and gave her a wink. “Ah, you like our food and drink, lady? That’s good. Very good! Here—you must try a sip of this.” He made a small circle with his thumb and forefinger and blew a kiss in the