Chapter 2
CHAPTER 2
S amantha Anderson stood behind the counter nervous as a mouse being chased by a kitten. The first and biggest wedding of the Mistletoe Inn was this Saturday night and the success of this event would determine whether the inn survived or if they were in even more financial trouble.
She’d put her life savings into doing everything she could to save the family home. Since her father’s death a year ago, it was like the financial gain of their ranch had died along with him.
Her mother Betty strolled through the front entrance after setting out arrangements in the barn. They were all working together to keep the place alive. Even with everyone helping, terror gripped her at the thought of losing the home and land that had been in their family since before Montana became a state.
“What do you think?” her mother said as she turned to face her.
“It’s lovely, Mama. Our guests should be arriving just any time. Are the bedrooms all prepared?”
Anna Finlayson came whirling through the room with her arms loaded with towels. “As soon as I put the towels in the bathrooms, we’re ready.”
“Thank you, Anna,” she said as she opened the computer files to go over the guest list of who were arriving and the rooms she had assigned to them.
This was such a big day for the Mistletoe Inn. Everything had to be perfect.
Staring at the screen, she noticed a new name on the list Edward had entered.
“Edward,” she called.
Her tall, lanky blonde brother came around the corner, his clothes impeccable. His jeans were creased down the middle. Edward liked to be a beacon of fashion and in many ways that made Samantha worry. Clothes often made the man, but not Edward.
Though he was older than her, he still acted like he was a college kid and she often wondered if he would ever grow up. Since the death of their father, he’d acted even stranger. More remote and less thrilled to be here.
It felt like he wanted to be anywhere but here at the ranch and yet they needed him.
She worried if taking over the responsibility of their property was too much for him. He’d never been that interested in being the head of the Mistletoe Ranch and now he had no choice unless he wanted to turn it over to her. And their father wanted his son in charge of the ranch.
“I’m helping Conor make certain the drive looks great,” he said. “Did you know the groom and the best man have already arrived?”
“No,” she said, wondering where they were. “I’m sure Tara knows they’re here.”
They were blowing the snow off the circular drive in front of the big barn they’d turned into a reception area. She doubted very seriously that Edward was helping wearing those clothes.
After all, he wouldn’t want those designer jeans to get dirty.
Why wasn’t he outside when she called him?
“All right, but do you know anything about a Cameron Burnett’s reservation?”
“Oh yeah, he called in late last night and I happened to pick up the phone and add him to the reservation list,” he said.
That was odd, she’d been around until after ten p.m., and she’d never heard the phone ring.
“He’s with the wedding party, right?”
“Yes,” he said. “Gotta go. We want that driveway to look perfect when they pull up to the barn.”
And just like that, he disappeared out the door.
With a sigh, she looked at the rooms she’d assigned and gave Mr. Burnett the last one. There had better not be any other last-minute changes to the wedding or they would be out of rooms. In a way, it was a good thing they were completely sold out.
“Is everything all right?” her mother asked, her wrinkled face expressing worry.
“Yes, we are now officially sold out. There are no more rooms at the inn,” she said.
“That’s great news,” her mother said.
Tara came out of her office, her dark hair curling around her face. “Our first event.”
“Yes,” Samantha said. “Are you as nervous as I am?”
“Absolutely,” she said. “And as difficult as this bride has been, I’m a little scared.”
Samantha smiled at her friend. The last six months, Tara had been working tirelessly to make this woman happy. Samantha had sat in on meeting after meeting with Francesca Vanderhausen, otherwise affectionately known as the Bride of Frankenstein or Bridezilla for short.
The woman was demanding, and between her and her mother, Tara and Samantha had jumped through hoops to make her wedding day absolutely perfect. Now everything had to go as planned.
Their business depended on it. If Frankenstein didn’t rave about them, then their wedding business could end before it even had a chance to get started.
“We’ve done our best,” Samantha told Tara. “But I plan on having a glass of scotch just as soon as this wedding is over. I saved one of Daddy’s hundred-year-old bottles and we’ll share it.”
Tara shook her head at her and smiled. “That sounds like a hangover waiting to happen. Count me in. After they check in, send the guests out to the barn where their gift bags are waiting and the photographer. We’ll take their picture as members of the wedding party. Gotta go check on some last-minute details. This is it.”
She scampered out the door and Samantha checked the computer one last time. Everything was prepared. The rooms were ready and they were just waiting for the wedding party to arrive. She was so intent on making certain that everything was perfect that she didn’t hear anyone walk in the door.
“Excuse me,” a deep voice said. The timber sent chills racing through her. Oh, that deep silky voice was like butter spreading through her.
Jerking her head up, she stared into the bluest eyes she’d ever seen. A trickle of awareness spiraled through her. A firm, rugged jaw and sandy-brown hair that peeked from beneath a white cowboy hat. Staring at his full lips, she wondered how they would feel against her own. How would he taste?
He was a guest and she was going all gaga over him.
“Hello,” she said brightly. “Are you here for the wedding?”
A frown drew his dark brows together.
“Yes,” he finally said. “I’m Cameron Burnett.”
“Oh, yes, I just saw your reservation. Welcome to Mistletoe Inn. I’m Samantha Anderson,” she said. “Are you a member of the wedding party or just a friend attending?”
Maybe she was being nosy, but she wanted to know. The way his coat fit him to perfection across those broad shoulders and muscular chest made her curious.
It had been months since she’d even considered a man. Months. And this one was easy on the eyes and had her heart racing and pulse dancing. Her breath came out short and quick.
“I’m here to attend the wedding and maybe try to talk the groom out of it,” he said smiling.
When he smiled, it was like a thousand-watt bulb lighting up the room.
“Now, Mr. Burnett,” she teased, “we want our couple to be very happy. They’ve been planning this big day for a long time.”
If this wedding didn’t go off as planned, she might have to prop up Tara for months. The woman had worked so hard on this event. If Samantha could afford it, Tara would be getting a bonus if this event went off without a hitch.
“And I hope they’re very happy,” he said. “But we single guys need to stick together. We’re in short supply.”
Wasn’t that the truth. Especially ones who looked like he did.
The man was single. He wore a cowboy hat. He had a physique that had her body warming and a smile that sent tingles all the way to her center.
But this was business.
“Oh, I’m sure that the next group of college graduates will be available in the spring,” she said. “It’s like a wheel of rotating available men and women.”
He laughed at her. “You’re good.”
“Why, thank you,” she said, tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder.
For a moment, they stared at one another before she took a deep breath. Why did she feel such an attraction to this man?
“Mr. Burnett, I put you on the second floor of the bunkhouse. Here is a list of activities that are planned. I hope you have a real nice stay with us.”
When his hand reached out for the key, their fingers touched and he smiled at her. “I’ll be seeing you.”
God, she hoped so.
“If you need anything you know where to find me,” she said smiling.
Oh, that sounded really corny and almost like a come-on line. She needed to back away from the counter and go into the kitchen and crawl into a freezer. The heat flowing through her would melt everything inside that cooler.
A grin spread across his face and he tipped his hat at her.
When he walked out the door, she laid her face in her hands. “Oh my God, I acted like a fool over him. But he was so damn cute.”
Her mother came out of the back and walked over to the counter. “What are you doing?”
“Oh, Mother,” she groaned. “Our first guest just arrived and I think I gushed all over him. Gosh, he was so handsome. Better than any man I’ve seen in months.”
Her mother laughed. “The first time I met your father, I could only stammer and hem haw as I stared at him. He was such a good-looking man.” She sighed. “I still miss him every day.”
Samantha came around the counter and hugged her. “I know you do, Mama. We all miss him. I think Edward does too.”
Her mother sighed. “Edward should have learned from his father before he passed away. Instead of being gone all the time, Edward should’ve been learning about running the ranch.”
It was an old argument, and sometimes, Samantha just wished they would’ve handed the ranch over to her. But her father believed that once she married, she would leave home and he wanted to make sure the land stayed in the family. But there were days that Samantha worried they wouldn’t survive another six months.
“You need a boyfriend,” her mother said.
After her last disastrous relationship in college, she’d frowned on dating.
And yet her lack of a man in her life was a constant discussion in their household. But when you worked on a ranch in the middle of the boondocks and the closest small town didn’t have many single men, it became a problem. You knew the failings of those single men, and you walked on by. Sure, she’d dated in college, but hadn’t found a man she wanted to spend forever with.
Because when she married, it would be forever. She dreamed of having a marriage like her parents. One that lasted over thirty years and would have lasted longer if not for her father’s sudden heart attack.
Only Edward had been with him at the time of his death and sometimes she resented that her brother was the last one to see him alive.
“Mother, we’re running a business here for weddings, not a matchmaking service. And I need to concentrate on making it successful so we can return the ranch to the old status.”
Her mother’s gray-haired head bobbed and she gave Samantha a reassuring smile.
“Honey, I hope you can do it. I’m losing faith in that brother of yours,” her mother said.
Samantha didn’t want to admit it to her mother, but she was as well. Nothing seemed to add up and how could they go from being successful to worrying about money? Even before her father died, the last two years had been fraught with anxiety.
Edward and her father had fought often. And her father had been frustrated at his lack of responsibility. The way nothing seemed to be important to him. It was like Edward hadn’t a care in the world, including his family.
But regardless, he was her brother. She only prayed he didn’t take them down some dark path they couldn’t recover from.
“Mama, we’ve got to stand behind Edward and give him a chance,” she said, hating the words, but trying to keep them together.
“Yes, well, I hope he doesn’t lose the ranch because then what do we do?” she said.
That was a real concern. One she feared would put her mother in the grave. This was her home where her memories of raising her children were and Samantha would do everything she could to keep her mother here and not have to move ever.
“Have faith, Mama. It’s Christmas. We need to be thankful for what we have and celebrate our Lord’s birth,” she said, thinking it was weird that she was reminding her mother of how they wanted to live their lives. Her mother was the one who had made certain they appreciated the life they were given when they were children.
“You’re right,” she said as she turned toward the window. “But I’m sending up prayers every night that somehow we recover from this.”
Just then a shiny black limousine pulled up outside the reception area.
“Oh no, they’re here. Two big limousines are pulling up in the driveway. Everyone get ready. Our guests have arrived. It’s show time.”
Fear spiraled through Samantha as she put a smile on her face. This was it. This week would determine their fate. This week, they had to make this wedding a successful event.