Chapter 31
Gabe
While my fiancée is preoccupied planning the wedding, I’m in charge of the meet and greet for our guests. They start arriving today, and I’m excited to see all of them—except for Ismeralda’s father. After the dressing down he gave me over the phone, I don’t know what to expect.
“Morning, Mindy!” I say as I stroll into the reception office. “Everything ready for our guests?”
She looks up, then frowns. “Not exactly. We’re one cabin short.”
Izzie is going to have a meltdown if there’s not enough cabins for everyone. I thought this was all worked out, but we just found out that the General is bringing his wife with him.
“So let’s figure out a solution.”
She motions for me to stand beside her at the older monitor displaying all the cabin assignments. The Berringers in the Greenhorn Cabin. Sofia in the Tenderfoot Cabin. Izzie’s father in the Ace-in-the-Hole Cabin. My mom and sister in the Desperado Cabin.
Pointing to the screen, Mindy says, “After I moved you and Izzie to the Honeymooner’s Cabin, the only cabin left is the Kiddie Lodge. Do you think Mr. and Mrs. Monroe will mind being in there?”
I chuckle at the thought of the General and his wife sleeping in bunkbeds and snacking on Fruit Loops and chocolate milk. Not gonna happen on my watch.
“Keep Izzie and me in the Kiddie Lodge and put the Monroes in the Honeymooner’s Cabin. I want our guests to be comfortable,” I say.
“But that means you have to spend your wedding night in, er, um... bunk beds,” she whispers as a blush runs across her cheeks.
I shrug. “Not optimum, but I’m sure Izzie and I can figure something out.” We’ve gotten pretty good at making out in the hammock... Nope, Izzie won’t go for that on our wedding night. “I guess we can always put a bedroll on the floor, just like real cowpokes,” I joke.
“We do have sleeping bags for the overnight trail ride. I can give you a couple of them!” Mindy says excitedly.
“Sure, give us a couple of those,” I say, knowing full well Izzie won’t want to sleep in them.
“It’s very romantic to sleep under the stars, you could try that,” Mindy adds.
Does she even know my fiancée? Glamor, big city girl? Not one to sleep under the stars for sure.
I step back around the reception desk. “We’ll be fine. Don’t worry about Izzie and me. Is Jethro ready to lead the gold panning this afternoon? Does anyone ever find any gold when they do that?” We thought some of the guests would enjoy this activity, while others will want to just rest and relax in their cabins.
“He’s ready. I know a few weeks ago an eight-year-old boy found a nugget, but I never heard how much gold was in it.”
I bet the Berringers are all in if they think they can find gold.
“Well, let’s hope some of our guests have a streak of luck. Thanks for the help, Mindy,” I say as I stroll out of the office. I take a seat in one of the cedar log chairs on the front porch. I’ll hang out here and wait until everyone has arrived.
~*~
About an hour later a Hummer pulls up in front of the ranch house. The General and Mrs. Monroe exit the vehicle—no surprise that the military man rented a Hummer—but my eyes widen when I see Mrs. Monroe exit from the driver’s side.
“Sequoia!” Winston booms in his General-volume voice as he stomps up the steps and shakes my hand.
“Sir, if you don’t mind, I’m going by Gabe nowadays,” I remind him.
He nods. “Right. Your gal didn’t want to call you the name of a tree, if I remember correctly,” he says with a chuckle. Turning to his wife, he proudly pulls her forward. “Meet my lovely wife, Melanie.”
I exchange a handshake with Melanie. “Nice to finally meet you.”
“Same here. Winston and I have known Ismeralda’s father for years. We were surprised when you and Izzie announced you were getting married. Classic case of the client falling for her bodyguard,” Melanie says, then she and Winston laugh.
“Sounds like a Hollywood movie,” Winston adds, trading another amused grin with his wife.
I know they’re just joking, but a little twinge of doubt sets in. Did Izzie fall for me just because I was her bodyguard? Will the euphoria of the white knight syndrome fade and she’ll discover she doesn’t love me anymore?
“Go on inside and Mindy will check you in. There will be a light lunch in the mess hall at noon, and if you want to pan for gold, that activity will commence around two.” I sound just like a member of the staff.
“Ooh! Winston, let’s try our hand at panning for gold!” Melanie says excitedly as they walk away.
Two minutes later, a black van—that I’d recognize anywhere—pulls into the lot. The Berringers tumble out, both wearing those outdated velour track suits.
“Almost missed the turn for this place,” Bernie says without any greeting as he joins me on the porch. “The GPS coordinates must not be quite accurate, because it didn’t tell me to turn. Is there someone I can inform of that?”
My first thought is to tell Mindy, but she’ll probably refer them to Jethro. Before I have a chance to respond, Bernice pipes up.
“What’s with the slogan?” she asks as she plops into one of the porch chairs. “‘The friendliest horses and softest beds in the West,’” she says, quoting the ranch’s weird catch phrase. “Is it true?”
“I think you’ll find the accommodations here very accommodating,” I say, then wince at how that endorsement sounds.
“We’re used to roughing it,” Bernie says. “So even if they’re the hardest beds in the West, we’ll be fine.” He snort/laughs for a couple awkward beats.
“Who have you been tracking lately?” I ask out of curiosity and knowing Mindy is still busy checking in the Monroes.
“We got an excellent lead on Martha Stewart from a burger joint employee in New York City, but we couldn’t get there in time to follow her,” Bernice responds.
“Black SUV with a distinctive license plate. What was it?” Bernie says.
“Big Deal,” Bernice says.
I almost choke as I try to contain my mirth. If Izzie were here, we’d both be bending over with laughter. “Oh really?” I rasp.
“Martha’s a cagey one,” Bernie adds.
“We did track down Scooter Davis when she appeared at a bookstore in New York. That lead really lit up the network,” Bernice says proudly.
My brows draw together. “Who’s Scooter Davis?” I ask.
“That troubled child TV star. She just wrote a tell-all book that’s on the bestseller list. What’s the title?” Bernie says.
“ My Life on the Boob Tube ,” Bernice says. “Izzie’s book and Scooter’s book have been vying for the number one spot on the bestsellers list for weeks. Although after Izzie’s kidnapping in Denver, her book took over number one and has stayed there.”
That’s been one boon from the whole Denver incident. Interest in Izzie and her book has skyrocketed. No wonder we had all those people at Izzie’s New York book signing.
“Poor Scooter! Hardly anyone showed up at her book signing,” Bernie adds.
Bernice nods and smiles. “We purchased a copy and had her sign it, just to make her feel better.”
Geez. And Izzie had to bribe them with a free copy of her book.
The General and Melanie walk out of the office holding hands. They wave at me and the Berringers as they discuss their excitement over getting the Honeymooner’s Cabin.
I repeat my welcome spiel to Bernie and Bernice. “Please go get checked in. There will be a light lunch in the mess hall at noon, and if you want to pan for gold, that activity will commence around two.”
“Did you hear that, Bernie? Panning for gold!” Bernice shouts, dragging Bernie by the hand into the reception office.
Sounds like the gold panning is going to be a big hit.
~*~
Izzie’s dad is the last person scheduled to arrive today. My mom and sister decided to fly in tomorrow. Mom said that she doesn’t want to “rough it” for more than two nights, but I suspect Chloe’s the one who said that. My sister has always been such a tenderfoot.
Forty-five minutes after Bernie and Bernice are comfortably settled in the Greenhorn Cabin—me helping them transfer their luggage from the van into the cabin—a black stretch limo stirs up a cloud of dust as it navigates the dirt road, then pulls into the lot.
A man wearing a black suit and cap hops out of the driver’s seat, proceeds to the passenger side, and opens the back door. A stately looking gentleman with a shock of white hair emerges, nods to the driver, and strides up the stairs. He’s wearing a custom suit and thousand-dollar shoes that are polished to within an inch of their life.
“Mr. Martin, I presume?” he says to me in a clipped tone, his expression somewhere between chilly and glacial.
“Yes, sir! Please call me Gabe. I’m pleased to meet you,” I say, as I extend my hand.
His handshake is firm, but his expression doesn’t thaw. “I guess my daughter became besotted with you while you were acting as her bodyguard. Wonder when the attraction will wear off?” he says as he arches a bushy eyebrow and gives me a once-over with his steely gaze. “I simply don’t understand this sprint to the altar. Is there a reason for that?”
His implications are clear. He’s expecting a grandchild to appear in nine months. Will he expect me to sign a prenup next? I bristle. “We’re deeply in love. After Izzie’s stalker incident, we decided that life’s too short, so why wait?” My voice sounds huffy even to my own ears.
He grunts. “Where do I check in? I need to make some business phone calls as soon as possible.”
I motion to the office door. “Mindy will get you checked in.”
After he enters the office, I stride off to Izzie’s and my cabin, feeling the sting of his haughtiness and rejection. If I’d have known how frosty Mr. Harrington was going to be, I’d have had Mindy switch him to the Kiddie Lodge.