Chapter 21
TWENTY-ONE
Hazel
I’m bouncing around the inn this morning, trying to make sure all the activities are set up for the weekend, confirm the performer for our late-night local history and cupcakes event, figure out what’s wrong with one of our dryers, and confirm the menu Kit’s put together for the fall menu changeover that’s coming in a few weeks. Then, hopefully, we can start putting in produce and grocery orders and be that much closer to set for our next big round of guests. Grace comes back to my office, though, to tell me we have some special visitors. I raise my brow in question.
“Amelia’s here, and a couple who say they’re friends of Ramsey’s?”
I’d forgotten what day it was and missed that it was Amelia’s arrival, and that was on me, but I had no idea Ramsey had invited friends out .
“They all have reservations?” I ask, wondering if he comped them on my behalf.
“Yes.” Grace looks thoughtfully between me and my bookkeeping.
“Okay. Start checking them in, and I’ll be right up there.” I rack my brain to see if Ramsey mentioned anything, but I don’t remember it.
Amelia, on the other hand, has come back year after year to visit the inn. She’s a sweet older woman, and she always reserves the same room with a view of the ranch and the mountains beyond it. She’s obsessed with Kit’s cooking, and I always manage to spend some time with her each visit, listening to stories about her childhood and the exotic trips she and her husband used to take when he was alive. I smile just thinking about her because she’s one of my favorite guests.
When I reach the lobby, Grace has already checked the couple in, and they’re gathering their bags.
“Can I help you with anything?” I ask. Several of our employees went back to college earlier than anticipated this season, so Grace and I have been doing the check-ins, the request runs, and the baggage until I hire someone new. Which needs to be sooner rather than later and a thing I need to get on the to-do list.
“Nah. I think we’ve got it.” The guy smiles at me, and I immediately recognize him when he does. He’d been on the TV over and over again speaking out in Ramsey’s defense and giving testimony about his character to the court. Cooper Rawlings. The former star wide receiver for the Queen City Chaos, Ramsey’s teammate, and the guy whose life he saved. The woman next to him also looks familiar. She did a lot of the press work for Ramsey in the wake of his arrest, and she was also related to a football player for the Seattle Phantom, if I remember correctly. I’m racking my brain for her name when she steps forward and introduces herself.
“I’m Beatrix Xavier, and this is Cooper Rawlings. We’re friends of Ramsey’s. You must be Hazel?”
“That’s me.” I smile softly.
“This place is gorgeous. I can’t believe how beautiful it is out here. And so cozy inside. I can’t wait to see the rooms. I hope you don’t mind that we just popped in. I saw you had a room available, and I knew if we called ahead, Ramsey would tell us not to bother.” Beatrix is all warmth and smiles. The kind of person who’s hard not to like from the moment you meet them.
“We just want to check up on him. Make sure he’s doing all right after everything,” Cooper adds.
“Of course. We’re so happy to have you. If you want to go up and get settled in your room, I can go find Ramsey out on the ranch and send him back here.”
“Are you sure you don’t mind? We don’t want to impose.”
“No. No problem at all. I think I know where he is anyway.” I turn back and wave at Amelia who I can tell is waiting to talk to me. “I’ll be right back in a bit! Grace can get you checked in.”
“Of course, dear. No problem.” She grins, and I nod my goodbyes before hurrying off.
I run around half the ranch and find Ramsey where I should have looked in the first place—in the stables with Wolfsbane on their way back from a ride. When I let him know his friends have come for a surprise visit, he looks wildly confused, worried, and then happy—his face running the gamut of emotions at the news in rapid order. He hands Wolfsbane off to Elliot with some protest, and we both go back inside together, breaking for him to follow his friends upstairs and me to find Amelia.
“Hazel!” she gushes when she opens her door. “You didn’t have to come all the way back here, sweetheart. I can get myself settled.”
“No! Let me help you with your bags, at least. I’ll get some tea going and help you get settled in.”
“It’s so good to see you.” She smiles at me, letting me take her larger bag and tuck it in the closet now that she has it unpacked.
“It’s good to see you. I’m sorry about that. I was all prepared for your visit when Grace told me you were coming this month after all. But I didn’t know about my husband’s friends coming. Had to rush around to get things done for them.”
“Your husband’s friends? I thought the wedding wasn’t for a bit yet. I set my save the date out on the mantel!” She looks at me with worry.
“Oh, yes. About that…” I blush because I’m not sure how to explain all of this to my sweet older friend. “Well. It’s a bit complicated in that I’m still married from my first marriage. We thought the divorce had gone through years ago, but it turns out, it hadn’t. So we’re working our way through that mess now.”
“Oh no. Don’t tell me you’ve lost the fiancé?”
I hate lying to Amelia, but the truth would make this even more complicated. “We’re on a bit of a break while my previous husband and I figure the divorce out.”
“Oh, honey! I’m so sorry. I was so looking forward to the wedding. Curtis is such a sweetheart, and I loved how well you two got along when I saw you last summer.”
“Me too. I’m sorry it’s such a mess for everyone involved, but I’m still hopeful it’ll all get worked out.” If I didn’t get worked out in the process anyway. Not that I’m about to share that with Amelia.
“Well… we have to catch up. You’ll have to tell me all the details.”
“Definitely. I’m not sure what the plans are going to be now that his friends are here, but it sounded like they had a short reservation. If I can’t catch up with you in the next day or two, we’ll definitely do dinner or lunch one day this week.”
“I’ll hold you to that!” She grins at me as I start up the tea kettle for her and put out a box of teas and a few of the cookies Kit baked this morning.
When I finish getting Amelia settled in, I go in search of Ramsey and his friends. I find them in the stables, surrounding Wolfsbane while they chat. I’m apprehensive as I approach because it’s obvious the three of them are close and clearly locked in a deep conversation about something—Ramsey’s parole, if I had to guess.
Sure enough. It’s the topic of discussion. They move from that one to a discussion of Cooper’s proposal a few moments later when Ramsey notices a flash of light on Bea’s hand as she pets Wolfsbane. It’s enough to make me want to melt into the floor or at least disappear to a dark part of the stables because the next question is about us.
“You must be so excited to have Ramsey back.” Bea grins at me. “We’re all quite sad we’ve lost him to Colorado for the time being.”
“He’s been a lot of help around here for sure.” I force my face into the appropriate order.
“She’s being kind. I’ve mostly been a pain in her ass, but she’s tolerating me pretty well.” Ramsey smiles at me and turns to his friends. “Trying to earn her goodwill back, mucking one horse stall at a time. Ain’t that right, darlin’?” He glances back at me.
“I am trying to put him through his paces.” I return the beaming smile he has plastered on. I feel simultaneously happy for him and envious that there’s this version of him I haven’t known before. It’s clear he has an easy friendship with them, inside jokes and a softer demeanor than I’ve seen him have in this town. A whole life outside the one he had here it seems. One I know absolutely nothing about and one that appears so different from my Ramsey.
“Well, someone has to keep an eye on him, or he gets into trouble,” Cooper muses, looking back at his friend. I nod, and we stand in silence for a few moments before Bea finally turns it around.
“We need to go riding!” Bea turns to Cooper with a hopeful look.
“I haven’t been on a horse since I was a kid. This close to the season, they’ll kick my ass if I fall off a horse and hurt myself trying to impress you.”
Ramsey laughs. “Yeah, I’m not gonna be held responsible for that. Enough people on the Chaos coaching team are still mad at me.”
“I can take you out for a ride if you want,” I offer to Bea, and her brown eyes light up as she turns to look at me.
“You wouldn’t mind? It’s been so long, and I used to love it so much.” Bea smiles.
“Of course not. We can ride out to the falls and back. It’ll take us a couple of hours, but we can take some food and drinks with us, if you’re up for it.” She’s so kind it’s hard not to want to indulge her. I wouldn’t mind learning a little about Ramsey’s other life in the process.
“Sounds perfect. ”
“You’ll have to pick a different horse though. Wolf’s picky about his riders.” I flash a look at Ramsey, and he grins.
“Moody like his owner, is he?” Cooper laughs.
“Something like that.” I shrug. “But Teddy and Lady Luck over here are both very patient with everyone.”
“Ooh, Lady Luck. I like the sound of that.” Bea pets Wolfsbane one last time.
“We’re gonna head into town. I need to run an errand, and I figure I’ll show Coop around town and grab some food.” Ramsey looks at me.
“Meet back here for dinner?” I ask, and he nods.
“Perfect.” Coop leans over and kisses his fiancée. “Have fun. Be careful, Trix.”
“I will. See you later.”
I hurry toward Lady Luck, hoping it looks like I’m too focused on getting Bea set up to remember to exchange the same pleasantries with my own husband. I have no idea what he’s told them, or how I should behave around them—so for now, I’ll just assume it’s the same story we’ve given everyone else.