“I’d have no choice. I can’t afford to start over somewhere else. And what I’m trying to do won’t work here with the kind of disruption the trains will bring.”
“It’s only a few trains a day.”
“To start. But it’s definitely going to increase over time. And that doesn’t count the two years of construction, when there’ll be almost constant noise and activity. I can’t make it two years with no customers.”
“Seth knows this?”
Darby gave a helpless laugh. “If he doesn’t, he’s even better at denial than I thought.”
“You just did it again,” said Abigail.
“Did what?” Darby was confused.
“There’s a lilt in your voice when you talk about him.”
“Must be a result of that midnight fantasy.” Darby answered quickly, starting for the stairs to cover her astonishment at Abigail’s powers of observation. “Come on up. Most of the rooms have balconies, and the views are amazing.”
Abigail followed behind. “He does it, too.”
“I put oversize, jetted tubs in each of the en suites,” Darby rattled on. “And each of the rooms comes with a wine rack.”
“When he talks about you,” Abigail continued. “There’s something in his tone that—”
“Are you here to check out Sierra Hotel or me?” Darby interrupted, pausing at the top of the stairs.
Abigail hesitated, considering Darby’s expression. “You intrigue me.”
“Well, you’ve hit the nail on the head. Congratulations. Seth has the hots for me, and I have the hots for him. We’ve both admitted it, but we’re miles apart on everything else.”
“Seriously?” came Katrina’s voice.
Darby turned to find both Mandy and Katrina gaping at her. Oh, perfect. She might as well have blasted it over the airwaves.
“Wine, anyone?” she asked into the silence.
“Absolutely,” said Mandy.
“Fruit juice,” said Abigail with resignation.
Darby quickly headed back downstairs, darting into the kitchen and concentrating on selecting a bottle of merlot from her own wine rack.
What had she gone and done? How could she have been so careless?
“Seth’s only ever dated casually,” Mandy stated as she entered the kitchen behind Darby.
Darby peeled off the heavy foil and retrieved a corkscrew. “Seth and I are not dating.”
“She might not want to talk about her sex life with his sisters,” Katrina admonished. “This is a fantastic kitchen.” She glanced around at the long counters, the new cabinets, a large stove and dual ovens. All were sparkling under the sunshine streaming through the big windows.
“Thanks.” Darby popped the cork, grateful for an opportunity to change the topic, and more than willing to steer the conversation in a new direction. “The cook and the rest of the staff have the night off. But we normally feed ten to fifteen people.”
“I really do think we should book a weekend here,” said Mandy.
“That is a fantastic deck,” noted Katrina. She’d moved to the bay window in the breakfast nook.
“It’s very popular,” Darby confirmed as she retrieved four wineglasses from a high shelf.
“I bet you drink wine out there,” said Katrina.
“We do,” Darby confirmed, crossing to the fridge and finding some juice for Abigail. “Passion-fruit–mango okay?” she called behind her.
“Compared to merlot? Absolutely not.” Abigail gave a deep, exaggerated sigh. “But sacrifices must be made.”
“Okay for us to drink out there?” Katrina asked brightly.
“Absolutely,” said Darby. “It catches the afternoon sun, so it’ll be warm for a while yet.” She continued pouring the merlot.
“I heard you were in the military,” said Mandy.
Darby nodded. “I’m still in the reserves.”
“Our ranch was kind of like boot camp,” Katrina mused. “Up at the crack of dawn, hard physical work, eating communally in the cook shack.”
Mandy rolled her eyes. “You are such a princess.”
Katrina grinned unrepentantly. “Reed likes it that way.”
“Help yourself to a wineglass,” Darby told them. “Down that little hall to the left will get us outside.”
She took a glass for herself, handed the open bottle to Mandy then retrieved a second bottle of merlot for good measure. As she followed them out through the back door, she framed up a little speech on the peace and tranquility of Sierra Hotel. Nothing like a live demonstration to make her point.
They quickly settled themselves in the padded chairs. A few fluffy clouds marred the blue sky, and the lake was dead calm, reflecting the autumn-colored mountains on the far shore.
The sun streamed comfortably down on her body as she tried to come up with an opening line. Perhaps she could ask Abigail about the DFB restaurant, then segue into the ambiance and tranquility of Lyndon Valley.
“So why did you join the army?” Katrina asked Darby, setting her wineglass on a side table. She kicked off her sandals and wiggled her sparkling lavender-painted toes.
“Oh, that sun feels good,” Abigail groaned.
“They paid for college,” Darby answered Katrina. “It was just me and my mom, and she couldn’t afford tuition, so it seemed like a good opportunity to get a degree.”
She didn’t mention that her mother thought college was a waste of time, and that she wouldn’t have helped with tuition even if she had had any money.
“What’s your degree in?” asked Abigail.
“Psychology.”
“Mine’s in history. But I should have taken business.”
“You had to join the army to go to school?” Katrina seemed shocked. “I feel a little guilty here.”
Mandy spoke up. “She was in private dance school in New York City from the time she was ten.”
“It obviously paid off,” said Darby. She knew Katrina was now a very successful dancer. “And don’t feel sorry for me. The military was a good experience. I met some amazing women, and it’s the reason I’m here today.”
“What did your mom do?” asked Abigail.
“Cocktail waitress.”
“And your dad?”
“Not a clue,” said Darby, taking a swallow of her wine. “I expect he was married. Most of the customers who hit on my mom were married.”
“It reminds me of Niki,” said Katrina. “Reed and Caleb’s newly discovered half sister,” she added to Darby. “Their dad had a fling years ago in D.C.”
“Without the wealth,” Mandy put in. Again, obviously for Darby’s benefit, she added, “Niki’s mother, Gabriella, parlayed her sexual relationships into a very large Swiss bank account. She wanted to be sure Niki was secure.”
“That’s not at all like my mother,” said Darby. “I think she expected me to follow in her footsteps. In a weird, very unhealthy way, she hated that I was more successful than her.”
“What’s your relationship like now?” asked Abigail.
Darby took another bracing drink. “We hadn’t talked for a long time and then she passed away last year.”
“I’m sorry,” said Mandy.
“Families are tricky,” Katrina added. “For most people, my upbringing would be a dream come true. But it was hell for me.”
“Hell?” Mandy challenged.
“She was a delicate flower,” said Abigail.
“I dreamed of toe shoes and tutus. I got cowboy boots and manure forks.”
“I love ranching,” said Mandy. “I’ve always loved ranching.”
“What about you?” Darby turned the question to Abigail.
“I can live with ranching, but I like business better.”
“You help run DFB?” Darby saw her chance to turn the conversation.
“Why did you leave the army?” Katrina asked.
Darby told herself to be patient. They had a whole bottle of wine to go. “My tour was up, and I thought I could help more in civilian life.”
“Are you a psychologist now?” asked Abigail.
“Only to the extent that there’s psychology in operating a women’s retreat.”
“She’s also a bad-ass bodyguard,” said Katrina. “We all heard about how you intimidated the pranksters.”
“From Seth?” Darby couldn’t help but ask.
“From Travis,” said Mandy. “He heard it from a city council member. Seth stays away from gossip.”
That was good to know, considering some of the things Darby had been doing with Seth.
“You look relieved,” Abigail observed.
“No.” Darby shook her head. “Just curious to know how information gets around in this town.”
“Why do you hate the train so much?” Katrina asked.