At the sound of the piercing whistle, Carissa rose from her seat and went into the next room.  The raven haired woman lifted the kettle off the flame and poured, the sound of steamy water hitting the cup and the aroma of tea soon filling the air.  She set the kettle aside, noting with satisfaction that there was yet plenty of water left for any of the others who might arrive.<br/><br/>She moseyed over to a window and peered out as she lifted the cup to just beneath her petite nose, breathing in the scent before taking a careful sip.   Her thoughts turned to her surroundings, to the strange little ranch in which she found herself.  She had only just arrived a few days ago and was still acclimating to the place - and, perhaps, to the idea and the role she was to play here.<i><i>Sometimes you just run off and leap before you look, Carissa... but I think this will take the cake."</i></i>She gave a soft, bemused laugh to herself and shook her head.  Yesterday, she had seen Charlie giving another tour to what she could only assume were prospective clients for the ranch and as she enjoyed the moments of calm solitude before the others arrived, she idly wondered what the visit might hold in store for them....<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>