Chapter 1 #2
“Ohhh,” the twins replied. They were already familiar with the vocabulary, though it would be years before they understood the routes and the full scope of the business.
Cole grabbed her hand, squeezing tightly to get her attention through the padded gloves.
“Will Santa know where to find the cabin people?”
“Absolutely. You know we send daily updates to Santa about where to find our guests.” She bundled him close. “You look like you need a break from this wind.” She brushed a finger over his rosy cheeks. “How about we go inside for a snack?”
“Yeah, let’s do that, guys,” Dale agreed. “Then we can go work on the snow family. Should we take the horses and sleigh back to the house?” He met Evie’s gaze. “Do we have any evening sleigh rides tonight?”
She pulled out her phone. “We’re clear.”
With an excited whoop they were off, each of them clinging to one of Grandpa’s hands.
Evie grinned. “Before long, it’ll be a whole snow village out there,” she said to Wyatt.
“Enough to make the dog crazy.”
“He loves it,” Evie disagreed. Their dog Poncho, a German shepherd rescue, loved the snow and made a game of taking bites out of the snowmen or other structures the boys built. And in the evenings, there were zoomies with the boys and the dog, zipping through the snow.
She looped her hand around Wyatt’s arm. “What about you, Daddy? Are you ready for a snack?”
“Always.” His laughter faded as he studied her face. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were wearing yourself out.”
Evie shook her head. “It’s a busy season. I’m riding the holiday adrenaline rush. And before you start worrying, yes, there is a lot on my mind. And no, I’m not doing too much.”
“I reserve the right to veto you later.”
“Fair enough.” She suspected that veto would come within five minutes of hearing that she was pregnant. But she’d already called the doctor to discuss if and how she should adjust her activities. Right now, the key was rest and she was getting as much of that as possible.
“Smells like more snow,” she murmured as they approached the employee entrance of the casino.
He grunted. “We both know snow happens any time it wants to up here,” Wyatt replied.
“You know what I mean. Fresh snow makes the boys so happy.”
“True.” He smiled at the trio heading for the hot cocoa stand. “When I was a kid, I thrived on fresh ammo for snowball fights.” He pulled her close. “Have you been documenting the snow village progress this year? A couple folks mentioned seeing something on social media.”
“That’s all Dad and Lisa,” Evie replied. Their office manager was like a bonus daughter to Dale and the two of them made a good team. “It’s a good project for him.”
“You know, the boys might have a future in winter architecture.” Wyatt pulled open the door for her.
She stamped snow from her boots and stepped inside. They unzipped coats and peeled off gloves and hats as they headed through the service corridor to the back door of their office. Evie raised her keycard to the reader, but the door swung open and Lisa beamed at them.
“Just the people I’m looking for. Come in!”
Young and bright, she’d returned home to Deadwood after college with her shiny new business degree and limited opportunities.
But the timing had worked out perfectly for Wyatt and Evie, and they’d hired Lisa right away.
Her inexperience in the office was offset by her knowledge of the area and their overall business.
“Where are the boys?” Lisa asked, as they hooked their coats on the pegs by the door and swapped snow boots for indoor shoes.
“Hot chocolate with Grandpa followed by a sleigh ride home,” Wyatt said. “What’s up? You look excited.”
“I am.” She bounced on her toes. “I know we usually close the week after New Year’s, but we had a guest request to extend their stay up in one of the remote cabins. We don’t have that one booked after their current departure date.”
“They’re in the cabin now? Evie asked, mentally ticking through the listings.
“Not yet.” Lisa shook her head. “Their stay begins on the twenty-third. But they just got word that their original flight back home has been canceled. It sounds like they would rather stay up there than try and find a hotel room in town for the two days they have to wait for the airline’s next flight out. ”
“After all that time off the radar, the casino crowds would be a shock.”
Evie agreed with Wyatt’s assessment. “We always close for deep cleaning anyway.” And usually, they had to delay that effort due to a snowfall. “I vote we let them stay.” She looked to her husband. “Don’t you think?”
“Shouldn’t be a problem,” he said. “Go ahead and approve it, Lisa. If I need to go up and poke around when they arrive, I can.”
Evie understood where the caution came from.
When plans changed, they were deliberate about double checking.
Neither of them wanted to deal with a squatter situation or potential criminal concerns.
“Now who’s having flashbacks?” she teased.
“We’re not expecting any unusual storms for that week.
And we verify the guests that book those remote cabins. ”
“And yet, we’re both still thinking about it.” He turned to Lisa. “Did you verify the story about their flight?”
They were all aware that airline schedules could change based on demand and weather conditions. So it was likely the guests were on the up and up.
“I did poke around,” Lisa confirmed. “Just like you taught me.”
“Way to go.” Evie sank into a chair. “Find anything?”
“They didn’t give me the specifics, but I called the airport and got confirmation that a few flights on that day have been canceled and travelers notified.”
“Okay, so that lines up. Good work,” Wyatt said. “You still good with it?” he asked Evie.
“I am. Go ahead and confirm it.” She gave Lisa a nod. “If we have any issues, Sheriff Russell will help us out.”
Thankfully, they hadn’t had any big trouble in the years since the attempted theft of the famous Mae West Solitaire. The few minor issues they’d dealt with were either health crises, injuries, or lost hikers, all of which were handled with much less fanfare.
“Got it.” Lisa turned to her computer. “Oh! Jack swung by,” she said. “He needs to speak with you, Evie.”
While she and Wyatt had been building Cottonwood Adventures with the infusion of capital from the casino, hotel manager Jack Thornton had been promoted through the ranks of the Silver Aces and was now the chief of operations for the entire casino operation. “Did he mention any specifics?”
Lisa couldn’t smother her grin. “A last-minute, special request. Newlyweds.”
Wyatt whistled. “Coming from Jack?” He bobbed his eyebrows at Evie. “Good luck.”
She chuckled. Jack didn’t pull rank for no reason, and he generally didn’t get involved in something like this. Whatever was going on must be extra special.
“I think he knows the couple,” Lisa said as she drafted the email reply to the other guest.
“Oh, now, that makes more sense.” Evie smiled. “Hopefully it’s something we can easily add to the schedule.”
“Even better if it’s something we want to add this close to Christmas.”
“Hm. If we’re dreaming big…” Evie drummed her fingers together. “Do you think the newlyweds asked to babysit the twins?”
“As much as I believe in Christmas miracles, that probably isn’t it.” Wyatt laughed.
Evie’s laughter blended with his. “I’ll text Jack and let him know I’m heading upstairs.” With a kiss for Wyatt and a wave to Lisa, she headed for the staff elevators.