Chapter 8
CHAPTER 8
Robyn
Since owning a B&B meant she’d be cooking breakfast for her guests, Robyn had gradually adjusted her sleeping schedule over the past month. It hadn’t been easy as she’d always been somewhat of a night owl. Still, she was sound asleep when a ringing dragged her out of dreamland. With her eyes closed, she lifted her hand to flap it over the surface of her nightstand until it connected with her phone.
“Hello?”
“Please don’t tell me you are sick,” Hayleigh said.
“Nope, I was just in bed.”
“Bed? Oh! Good for you, girl! I’ll call you back later… never mind, I’ll just see you tomorrow and you can give me all the details.”
Robyn wasn’t too far gone to realize Hayleigh’s mind had jumped to the wrong conclusion. “I’m in bed, all by my lonesome, and was asleep.”
“Asleep? It’s not even nine!”
Robyn rolled her eyes beneath her closed lids. “People in hotels usually check out by nine in the morning, and they don’t want to sit around drumming their fingers on the table waiting for their breakfast to magically appear. But it’s sweet of you to call to”—a huge yawn had her pausing before she managed to say—“check on me. Or did you need something else?”
“No, no, that’s fine. Go back to sleep. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Okay, tomorrow.” Robyn pushed the button to end the call and snuggled under her quilt again. With any luck she might be able to reenter the dream where she and an unnamed cowboy had been walking hand in hand down a country lane.
Singing some sappy country tune?
Rolling over, she smiled. “Why not, this is my dream and if I want to have my fantasy man serenading me, then that’s what he’ll do.”
Girl, you’ve got to seriously up the heat level of those fantasies of yours!
Of course, she’d have to be asleep in order to hear her cowboy crooning as well as enjoy other naughty, delicious things with him but when half an hour passed and she was still wide awake, she groaned and reached for her Kindle. If she couldn’t play a part in her own fantasy, at least she could read about others.
The next time she awakened, it wasn’t to the sound of her phone ringing, but of her doorbell buzzing. Glancing at her phone, she was shocked to discover it was 8:50.
“Shit!” She almost fell off the bed in her haste to climb out. “Hold on! I’m coming,” she shouted as she hopped on one foot while disentangling her other foot from the twisted bedcovers. Once freed, she raced down two flights of stairs and across the living room to yank the front door open.
“Wow! Is that what B&B owners are wearing these days?”
“Huh?” Robyn pushed back her hair to stare at Hayleigh, Sadie, and Wren who were standing on her front porch.
“You two start the coffee and I’ll try to do damage control,” Hayleigh said.
Sadie pushed past Hayleigh to pause beside Robyn. “I might not know much about the hotel business, but I think it’s safe to say that if you greet your guests wearing that, they aren’t going to be thinking about bacon or eggs.”
“Huh?”
“We’ll make it strong,” Wren said with a giggle as she entered the house.
Hayleigh stepped inside and closed the door before taking Robyn’s hand. “For someone who goes to bed before nine, you sure look like you didn’t get a wink of sleep.”
Words started making sense as she was practically pulled up the stairs she’d just run down. Still, it wasn’t until Hayleigh guided her through the bedroom and into the rather tiny bath that she was able to put those words together into a sentence. “This is your fault.”
“My fault? How can this be my fault? I just got here and I most certainly did not suggest you wear that for the open house.”
“Wear what?” Robyn asked and then caught the upper half of her reflection in the mirror above the sink. “Oh my god!”
“That’s just about the reaction we had,” Hayleigh said as she reached into the shower and turned on the taps. “Though, I gotta say I’m going to need to know where you got that outfit and warn you that if you don’t cover up a teensy bit more, those grannies aren’t going to want you to be serving anything to their hubbies.”
Robyn groaned as she looked down at herself. She’d always considered herself a bit more modest than most of her friends growing up. Well, at least on the outside. Even after arriving at the Ranch and feeling free to dress in cute Little clothing sometimes, her wardrobe as a B&B owner included more vintage-style clothing of the 50s. Regardless of whatever she wore on the outside, underneath it, she liked to wear sexy lingerie. That included the pink babydoll sheer nightie and matching pink thong she was currently wearing.
“Wait? You said we?”
“Wow, you really are out of it. Yes, we. Sadie and Wren wanted to come help and it’s a good thing they did. They are currently downstairs making coffee. How much sleep did you get last night?”
“Almost none. I mean I was having the nicest dream until you called and then I couldn’t find it again. Instead, I sat up and read a bit until I guess I finally fell asleep.”
“How long was a bit?”
“I don’t know. About five books worth?”
Hayleigh whistled. “That’s a lot even with how fast you read. I’m sorry about that. But we’re here now and still have time to pull this off if you get your cute little tushie in the shower right now.”
“Oh my god, today is the opening!”
“Welcome back to the real world,” Hayleigh said. “Now get naked and shower. I’ll help Sadie set out the refreshments. You did remember to make something before you went to bed, I hope.”
“I did. I was functioning perfectly until I couldn’t sleep. There are scones and pastries in boxes in the refrigerator. I was going to use my grandmother’s coffee service, but it won’t hold enough coffee if we have a crowd. Oh, Georgie and Eli sent over some flowers so we need to get them into vases and set them out, and?—”
“And I know,” Hayleigh said, squeezing past her friend in the small space. “Get yourself bathed and dressed and join us, but don’t take too long or you won’t get a chance for a cup of coffee before the hordes descend.”
Not about to be denied the very brew that would give her a much needed boost, Robyn had her gown pulled over her head and one foot in the shower when Hayleigh giggled.
“Though that thong hardly qualifies as panties, do you normally shower with it on?”
Robyn’s growl was enough to have Hayleigh pulling the bathroom door closed though her laughter was still audible. “Thank god for friends,” Robyn said, stepping out of her panties and then under the flow of water.
Within fifteen minutes, she was dressed, her hair was sort of dry, and she was headed downstairs. It would have taken longer, but when she emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a towel, rubbing another over her curls, it was to find her bed neatly made and a lavender-colored dress laid out on top of the quilt. The skirt had a floral design and the white Peter-Pan detachable collar and apron had the sweetest little dark-purple violets embroidered on them. She’d practically swooned when she’d found them in a box at a yard sale in Porter’s Corner. The collar and apron were vintage, but the matching bra and panty set in a lighter shade of lilac were new. Evidently Hayleigh had felt free to rummage through her lingerie drawer. That knowledge didn’t upset Robyn as it had in her childhood when her sisters were always “borrowing” her things without asking. Knowing Hayleigh had done it out of love and friendship made Robyn smile. Her secret fetish might be out but she was confident it was safe with the women downstairs. After all, the Little friends she’d made since her arrival had come to be more than friends. They were her family.
“If there is anything better than the aroma of coffee, I don’t know what it could be,” Robyn said as she entered her favorite room of the house, her kitchen. Its bright white cabinets and soft yellow walls never failed to make her happy. The sunflower clock with the bee hands moving around its face always made her smile, though today that smile was a little panicked when she saw it was almost 9:30.
“I can’t thank you enough,” she said, looking around the room. Trays of the goods she’d baked covered the surface of the butcher-block island in the center of the room. A large coffee urn was percolating, but it was the sight of her friends sitting at the table in the kitchen’s nook that had her heart swelling.
“Come, sit down.” Sadie patted a place beside her on the built-in bench.
“I have to?—”
“Breathe,” Wren said.
“And coffee-fy yourself,” Hayleigh said, lifting the silver coffee pot that had been in Robyn’s family for generations and pouring the brew into an almost translucent coffee cup with a pink rose pattern on its surface. Setting it down in front of an empty spot, she moved the matching silver sugar bowl and cream pitcher closer.
Robyn felt tears welling as she slid onto the bench.
“Hey, don’t cry. Everything is going to be great!” Sadie assured her.
“I-I know, it’s just… just that you guys are so fabulous.”
“Well, we’re not going to argue with that,” Wren said. “As long as you know how fabulous you are as well.”
Robyn nodded, blinking fast to hold the tears back, not wanting to ruin the mascara she’d just applied. She stirred a spoon of sugar into her cup and added a stream of cream before lifting the cup to her lips. About to take a sip, she looked across the table to Hayleigh. “Coffee-fy?”
Hayleigh shrugged. “If it works, it works. So, does it work?”
Taking a sip, Robyn closed her eyes and moaned.
“I think that’s a definite yes,” Sadie said.
“You might want to start offering a high tea some afternoons along with breakfast in the morning.” Wren lifted her cup. “You’ve already got the dishes for one.” Her cup was another of the mismatched sets Robyn had collected over the years. This one had bluebells on it.
“That would be fun and I’d definitely want to come,” Sadie said, turning her cup in her hand. “These are just adorable, though I admit, I’m a bit terrified I’m going to break it if I sip too hard. This china is so thin.”
After drinking half the contents of her cup, Robyn finally felt fully alert and laughed. “Let’s see if I can make it through the weekend first, shall we? And don’t worry about the china. If something breaks, it won’t break my heart. I pick up cups and saucers whenever I find them at flea markets and garage sales. That’s why no two cups and saucers match.”
“I think that just makes them more fun to drink from,” Wren said. “You make second-hand objects feel like true treasure.”
Robyn smiled. “Thanks, that’s exactly how I think of them.” She took a look around the room again. “It looks like you’ve done everything. I’m so glad you rescued me and found all the vases and the helium tank.”
“Helium tank?” Wren asked, looking to the other two who’d stepped in to help.
“Yes,” Robyn said. “Oh, please don’t tell me you actually sat here and blew up all those balloons by mouth.”
“Balloons?” Sadie repeated as if she’d never heard the word before.
“Balloons!” Hayleigh yelled, slapping her hand to her forehead. “I knew there was something missing.”
Robyn jumped up, her friends instantly following as she ran to the pantry. Being Littles, they couldn’t help but waste a few precious minutes by sucking down helium and talking like cartoon characters. Still, by the time the first guests arrived, they were greeted by a huge balloon bouquet tied to the sign outside the B&B.
When Derek pulled her into a hug, Robyn finally did let a few tears fall. “Thank you. I couldn’t have done this without you.”
“Sure you could have, but I’m really glad you chose to do it in Montana. We’ve needed to have a place for those less, let’s just say adventurous, people to stay when coming to visit family. Now, dry your eyes and have fun. I have a feeling you’re going to be a pretty busy bee from now on.”
Robyn smiled as she wiped her tears away. “I’m not even half-full this weekend, but I hope that in time, those guests’ reviews help draw others. I want to make you proud.”
“Darlin’, you make me proud just by being you.”
Robyn looked up into Master Derek’s eyes and saw the truth in them. “I think I know your secret Master Derek. Underneath that tough cowboy exterior, you are a big softie, aren’t you?”
Derek grinned. “I’ll let you in on another secret if you’d like?”
“I’d like that very much.”
“It’s about the magic that people find when they come to Rawhide. Having the willingness to look beyond what we might believe is impossible, the courage to cross bridges to walk a new path with a fresh outlook, discovering we have the ability to be strong enough to protect those we care for combined with the softness to allow another to help us discover what it is we need to find happiness that fills us up from head to toe. That is the secret of the magic we all have inside us.”
“That’s beautiful and really profound,” Robyn said. “I’m going to need to embroider that on a pillow so I won’t forget, or did you really mean it’s a secret secret.”
Derek chuckled. “It’s one of those secrets that should be shared with everyone we know, but I’m afraid your embroidery is going to have to wait. You’ve got guests arriving, little girl. Go welcome them.”
Robyn did just that. She circulated among the guests, thanking them for coming and making sure they had something to drink and eat. She lost sight of her friends, but knew they were around by the simple fact people she hadn’t served were holding glasses and their choice of pastry. When a couple asked for a tour, she readily agreed and took a group of people through the house to show them the guest rooms she and Hayleigh had designed. It didn’t matter how many times she repeated the tour throughout the morning, she never once felt anything other than pride and awe combined with disbelief that she’d actually done it.
It was well after three before the last of the well-wishers left, leaving only those guests who had actually made reservations to stay.
“I wanted to thank you,” Ethel said, coming back into the living room after Hayleigh had shown her to her room once she’d checked her in.
“For what?” Robyn asked, a bit confused. “I mean, I should be thanking you for coming to stay.”
Ethel smiled, the almost translucent skin and wrinkles a testament to her age as she laid a small hand on Robyn’s arm. “You already have, my dear, but I meant the basket I found in my room. It is just lovely.”
“Oh, it was my pleasure. I wanted to offer something to commemorate your visit.”
“You did more than that. Anyone can stick a box of cookies in a basket, but going to the trouble of making tigers, elephants, lions and giraffes look so realistic is going to earn me a whole lot of grammie points with my grandson.”
Robyn beamed. When taking reservations, she’d asked her prospective guests if they had any family they were visiting and if there was anything special about their visit. Ethel had told her that she was visiting her daughter’s family and then mentioned that once her five-year-old grandson had discovered books about the curious monkey and the man in the yellow hat, he loved anything that had to do with the jungle. Robyn had fun baking sugar cookies and decorating them, thoughts of the little boy’s face making her smile as she wrapped each one in its own bag before tucking them into Ethel’s basket.
“I was happy to do it, and I hope you have a lovely visit. If there’s anything you need or if I can answer any questions you might have, please don’t hesitate to give me a call. My number is on the card in the basket. And if you need me to arrange transportation, I can do that as well.”
“That’s another thing I’m already loving about your place. I might do that tomorrow but my son-in-law is coming to pick me up in a few minutes. That’s why I have this,” Ethel said, opening her purse where she’d tucked a giraffe cookie inside. “We’re going to dinner in Porter’s Corner, but I’m bringing dessert!”
Robyn smiled. “Have a lovely time.”
She repeated a version of the same welcome to her other guests as well. When she suddenly found herself standing alone in the middle of the room, she was a bit surprised.
“That’s it?”
Wren popped her head out of the kitchen door and laughed. “Says the woman who’s been on her feet for the past several hours.”
“With no sleep, I might add,” Hayleigh said, joining her.
“Or food,” Sadie contributed, holding out a plate. “We saved you some lunch. Come sit down and eat and get some rest. Your supply of baked goods is sort of decimated and you’ll have to get up and make breakfast, so allow yourself a break to take it all in.”
Robyn entered the kitchen and shook her head. “I’ll never be able to pay you three back.”
“For what? Helping a friend?” Sadie asked, waving her hand in the air.
“You did far more than that. I mean, you’ve been here just as long as I have, worked harder and then did all the dishes? Who does that?”
“People who love each other,” Wren said. “Your place is fabulous and is going to bring a lot of people happiness. Love you, but I’ve gotta run and feed some horses.”
“And I’ve got to go too.” Sadie set the plate down on the table. “If you need help tomorrow, just buzz.”
“Thank you.” Robyn gave each girl a sincere hug.
“You’re welcome,” the two chimed and left together, leaving only Hayleigh in the kitchen with her.
Robyn took a seat and picked up one of the small sandwiches from her plate. When it was halfway to her mouth, she pulled her hand back and stared at it. “Where did this come from?”
Hayleigh laughed. “You didn’t think my Daddy was going to let you celebrate without gifting you a basket of his own, did you? He brought over a huge tray earlier today. You might even find a pan of mac ’n’ cheese in the fridge.”
“God, I love you and your Daddy.”
“You just love cheesy goodness.” Hayleigh laughed and bent to give her a hug. “I’m gonna head out and let you get some rest.”
“Wait, don’t you want to stay and just catch up? I mean we really haven’t had a chance to talk. You never told me about the Meet and Greet last night. Was it fun?”
“Oh, believe me, it was definitely entertaining.”
Robyn gave her a long look. “Why are you smiling like the cat who ate the canary? What exactly was so entertaining?”
“I think it would be more accurate to ask who was doing the entertaining,” Hayleigh said.
“Seriously? You’re going to leave me hanging? Who are you referring to? Wait, you’re not saying a certain?—”
“Gotta strut, later gator!”
Before Robyn could say another word, Hayleigh had waved from the doorway and disappeared. Robyn shook her head, her instincts telling her that Hayleigh was hiding something, but a girl had ways of making another girl spill the tea. With a smile at the thought of hosting that particular type of tea party, Robyn had just bitten into her second sandwich when Hayleigh’s parting statement popped into her head. Well, at least one word of it. She hadn’t said she had to scoot. She’d definitely said she had to strut. Which could only mean …
The sound of the bell over the front door dinging cut off her thoughts.
“I knew it! Get your butt in here and tell me who was doing the strutting–”
“That would be me.”