Chapter 14
MATTHEW
I ’d broken my own rule never to get involved with a guest, and I wasn’t feeling too sorry about it.
“What did you say, honey?” I asked Gigi. She was sweeping the floor of the Round Room as we attempted to spruce the place up for our dance that evening.
“Do I have to dance tonight?” she said. “I want to hang out by the bar and drink Shirley Temples.”
“You could dance with one of the Jernigan boys. I think the older one might be almost your height.” I winked at her, knowing this suggestion would get her riled up, and she didn’t disappoint.
“Ew! I’m not dancing with that kid. I saw him give his brother a wedgie yesterday. Boys are gross.”
I didn’t bother to mention that Tyler and I were technically boys and not gross at all because I was fine with her being repulsed by boys her age for the time being.
“At least save one dance for your old man, okay?”
“Fine,” she said, “I’ll dance with you, but that’s it.” She paused and looked at the floor. “Sweeping this place is going to take forever.”
She was right. The Round Room was a large space.
True to its name, the building was a circle—or really, an octagon—matching the look of the rest of the ranch with its tongue and groove timber walls.
There was a stone fireplace, also circular, at the center of the room.
Seating comprised Adirondack style chairs and couches with leather seats, flanked by rustic wood side tables for holding an after-dinner drink.
The floor could have used refinishing, and there was some serious age on the furniture, but I still loved this part of the ranch. Everything about it felt like home.
“Ty, is Kyra able to come and help tonight?” I called out. He was stocking the bar my father had constructed many years ago.
“Yeah, she’ll be here soon to help with dinner and the party.” He dumped ice into the metal cooler behind the bar, and Gigi held her ears against the clanging noise until he finished. “She’s hoping we can dance together a little. Would that be okay?”
“Of course, it’s okay,” I said. “You two get out there. I appreciate her being here.”
We could have used at least two more helpers to get everything ready in time for the start of the party, but you did the best with what you had. Thank goodness for that Hart family work ethic that Lauren had praised so highly.
“When do I need to pick up the Tuckers?” Tyler asked.
I looked down at my watch to check the time. “They’re expecting you in about two hours. Hopefully, we’ll be set up in time.”
Merle and Jean Tucker lived down the road from our ranch, and they were old friends of my parents, as well as two-stepping dynamos, now in their seventies.
I’d asked them to come and give us all a lesson tonight, but Tyler needed to chauffeur them because Merle was developing macular degeneration and Jean didn’t drive well in the dark.
I needed to give that boy a huge bonus at the end of the month, but where that money would come from, I had no clue.
This evening, Chef Damon would set out a light meal of sandwiches and cold salads on the pool deck for our guests, even though he considered that type of meal beneath him as a professional.
I needed him to prepare a simple meal before the dance because we didn’t have enough employees to staff the dining room and the Round Room.
He didn’t complain too much about it, not after the trouble he’d put me through the night before.
We still hadn’t talked in-depth about the fact that he stole the Suburban, got drunk, gambled, and had to be saved in a bar fight.
He knew I was upset with him, but he was also aware I needed him to stay for the rest of the summer.
Sure, I could give him an ultimatum, but then I’d have to stick to it and find a new chef, and we both knew that wasn’t likely to happen.
“Is Uncle Samuel coming to the dance?” Gigi asked.
“He is.” I bent down so she could sweep her pile of dirt into the dustpan I was holding. “I think he’s bringing a date.”
Gigi rolled her eyes as she moved the broom. “Of course he is.”
She liked having her uncle all to herself, but he often had a new woman on his arm.
They were always attractive and intelligent, and I had no idea where he found so many of them.
Unlike Walt and Bowie, Sam could do committed relationships, and he introduced these women as his girlfriends, but no one lasted longer than a year, and he definitely never mentioned being “in love” with any of them.
My sister Faith called him a serial monogamist, which seemed pretty accurate.
“Who else will be here?” Gigi asked.
“Callan Colter and his nephew are coming. You remember them?” Cal was a bachelor neighbor and an old friend of mine who went to social events even less than I did. Since his nephew, Austin, had moved to Broken Arrow Ranch to help run the place, Cal seemed to get out more, which was a good thing.
“Yeah, I remember visiting their ranch,” she said. “They had some nice horses over there.” It was a cattle ranch, but of course she remembered the horses they owned.
I took the dustpan outside to the wraparound porch to toss the dirt into the garden, and who should pass by but my favorite distraction.
Lauren had a book in her hand and was moving at her rapid New York pace with a long-legged stride.
She’d relaxed a little since she first arrived though, smiling more easily and untense those pretty shoulders so they weren’t up around her ears anymore.
The memory of kissing her ran through my mind, and I couldn’t help but grin when I waved to her like some lovesick fool.
“How are party preparations going?” she asked as she approached the porch steps. She was wearing a slate gray tank top that scooped low in the front and showed off her pretty collarbones.
“Going well.” I took my baseball cap off to run a hand through my hair before setting it back in place. I was a sweaty mess, but she’d seen me this way before. “Still have a lot to do.”
She peered inside the propped open door behind me. “Can I help you guys with getting ready?”
“I’m sure you’d rather do something else. You’re on vacation.” She’d already mucked the stables, for goodness’ sake.
“I think I found out something about myself this week.” She clenched her teeth together in a grimace. “I’m not very good at relaxing.”
I laughed and shook my head. “You’re only discovering this about yourself now? I could have guessed that an hour after we’d met.”
“Ha ha.” She playfully slugged my arm, and even that bit of contact felt good.
I’d missed her, and we’d only parted a few hours earlier, when Walt unlocked the gate and we drove back to the ranch.
Sleeping with her at my side had been something special.
The shampoo she used made her hair smell like honeysuckle, and it was like waking up with my nose buried in sweet flowers.
“C’mon in then,” I said. “I’ll give you a task and then you can check it off my list.”
She pressed a hand to her chest. “How did you know I love lists?”
“Lucky guess.”
As we walked into the Round Room, I tried to see it through her eyes.
The hand-peeled aspen log chairs matched the rustic atmosphere of the room perfectly, but their leather cushions were wearing thin.
The stone fireplace was a classic feature that was also in need of a good cleaning.
I hoped she could appreciate the finer details of the room despite the age on them, including the pine plank floors and the airy feeling created by the high ceiling that rose to a peak in the center.
It suddenly occurred to me that maybe my nostalgia clouded my view of how this place really looked.
“This room is so interesting,” she murmured after saying hello to Gigi and Tyler.
I hoped interesting was good and not a euphemism for dated and dusty.
“I’ve always liked it. We’re trying to make it look a little festive for tonight, but I’m afraid that’s not really my strong suit.”
“Have you ever thought of—” she stopped herself short. “Nothing, sorry.” She mimed zipping her lips.
“Go ahead,” I said. “I don’t mind suggestions.
” One of the disappointing things about running the ranch on my own, without a spouse or a sibling, was that there was no one to bounce around ideas with or share in the triumphs and struggles.
Part of the joy my parents experienced in owning the ranch was building the business together.
My father had been the front man and the boss, but Mom’s handiwork was all over the ranch, from the choice of quilts on the beds to the website pages detailing the backstory of every horse the ranch ever owned.
“Well…” Lauren walked around the room, her hands on her hips and a pensive expression on her face.
“I’m picturing little lamps on some of these tables for mood lighting.
I think that would give this room a cozy glow.
” She looked up at the wagon wheel style chandeliers on the ceiling.
“You get some light from up there, but it’s still pretty dark in here. ”
“That’s a good idea.” I wondered if I could find some decent lamps at the Goodwill in Cheyenne next time I was there.
“Some cozy rugs might be nice scattered around the room to give it more warmth. It would be great if they were in a Native American pattern. Of course, you’d want to find something authentic, not a ripoff. My sister would really be the woman to help with decor. She has an amazing eye for detail.”
I could see the businesswoman in her as she surveyed the room, making mental improvements. She blushed as she clocked me watching her.
“Not that you need to do anything to this room. It’s charming as it is.”
“No, those are good suggestions,” I said. “Thank you. Would you like a drink from the bar? We just got it set up.”
She waved a hand, showing off her nails, which were now stripped of paint. “No, don’t be silly. Put me to work.”