Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Sheridan
On Friday, I pulled up to Jasper’s house.
My body still ached from cleaning rooms all morning.
My staff was able to pitch in and cover for Constance.
Some did it more happily than I expected, and while Landon hadn’t been thrilled, he’d jumped in too.
Then he’d decided he liked cleaning, having his headphones on, and being left alone rather than working outside.
Maria had been nicer to me than ever, but I had also drafted a policy about large groups that I asked her to review and give me feedback on. Dare I say she might actually like me?
Next week was full of interviews. Maybe I could do this. I was also going to call Linda about the waterfront property one more time and make sure she hadn’t forgotten about me. That way, if she made any decisions, I’d be the first to know.
I headed to the door, but Jasper was already coming out, his legs extra long in a nicer pair of jeans than he usually wore. I tried not to ogle, but with his deep-blue button-down shirt, his brown eyes somehow glittered brighter.
“Hop in, boss.” Grinning, he swept an arm toward his pickup and plopped a cowboy hat on his head. My stomach did a full somersault.
“I can drive if you want me to.” Then I could concentrate on the road instead of him.
“Nah, we’ll use my gas. It was my idea.” He rounded the bed of his truck and opened the passenger door. “Besides, I’ve been to Reservoir Barrel and sampled their taps. It’s your turn.”
“I can’t get drunk. I’ve got to drive back.
” What would I do? Sleep on Jasper’s floor?
Even worse, the things that I might say if I drank too much would be mortifying.
I might tell him how hot I think he is. How I couldn’t quit staring at him.
That I think about how good he was with his hands. Alcohol would loosen these lips.
Jasper, did you know that I watched you so hard as you laid down pavers I doubled the water bill for two days trying to cool off?
Jasper, your ass looks so good in jeans, I just want to take a chomp out of it.
Heeey, do you know how long I’ve wondered what you kiss like?
No, thank you. I wouldn’t be doing more than tasting.
I smiled at him as I climbed in and soaked up how good he looked in a hat.
The way it shaded his eyes created a mysterious glint that gave a girl ideas.
I grew up in this area. Guys who worked on ranches and farms weren’t any different than my ex, who thought I couldn’t fight my way out of a paper bag, but he’d gladly let me pay for everything.
Jasper was different, and that made him even more attractive.
On the drive to the brewery, we chatted about work, and I kept telling myself this wasn’t a date.
He felt sorry for me. I hadn’t gotten out much, and I was working so hard at the resort that I didn’t have time to wind down.
I was a social charity case for the charming cowboy turned handyman.
It wasn’t like he’d tried to touch me or get closer other than dragging me out for an evening.
When the brewery came into view, I sat forward with a gasp.
A majestic brick building sat in the middle of the prairie, not far from an old set of railroad tracks that were now grown in with wild grasses.
The brewery was tall with narrow glass windows that hinted at the aesthetic inside.
It was simple but breathtaking. “Oh, wow. That place is gorgeous.”
“It used to be an old train foundry and repair shop. Isla used a trust fund to restore it and fix it up, but it was important to her to keep the character of the place with the brick and the big doors. She hired McCoy to help do that and get the brewery set up. Before he did that stuff, he’d run his own successful brewery.
” He grinned like he’d helped build Reservoir Barrel, but he’d said before that it was like a proud jewel tucked into the countryside for everyone to enjoy.
“He wanted to help others do the same?”
“I think the ex got it in the divorce.”
I laughed, but I was incensed for a man I’d never met. “Dang.”
“Yeah. His mom did industrial construction-type work before him. Now he just helps run the brewery and raise their kids. He’s a good guy.”
“He’s a Barron now?”
He laughed. “Basically. The three of our families are so intertwined, it’s like having a town full of cousins.”
Wistfulness wound through me. A big, supportive family and so many of them weren’t related by blood or marriage. Just common connections that they turned into family.
After he parked, I was out of the pickup before he could run around and open the door. He was chivalrous, and I couldn’t get the wrong idea. I’d get silly fantasies and end up with a broken heart for no reason. All the while, he’d be oblivious.
Inside, the tables were mostly full and a casual din from their chatter filled the space.
He didn’t rush me to a table but let me take in the high ceilings with lazy fans circulating air.
I could easily picture a giant train engine sitting in the middle of the room, waiting for maintenance.
The concrete floor gleamed with a resin coating, and a short wall of taps ran behind the bar.
Behind that were tall, shiny steel tanks.
Pipes ran from them to elevated mash tuns.
“I’ve toured exactly one brewery before,” I said to Jasper as I led him to a table by the far wall where I could enjoy the view of the train tracks and open pastures out of the arched window while also admiring the interior. “It was nothing like this.”
“There are a few in old train stations and repair shops.” He pulled out a chair at a tall table for me. The move was so automatic, I could not read into it. He was a gentleman. He was who I wished all my exes were. He was…a friend. “Isla said she studied quite a few before taking the jump.”
A college-aged girl came over and put two napkins with the logo on the table. “What can I get you?”
I ordered a tasting flight. That was all I planned to do anyway. Jasper ordered a beer made from mushrooms. When he saw my lifted brows, he grinned. “I’ll let you try it.”
The tall tables made me want to swing and kick my feet. This was the most fun date I’d had, and it wasn’t even a date.
A tall man wove through the tables. He was older than Jasper, his hair lighter, and he had scruff on his face that showed a little gray. While the man was striking, he didn’t make my heart race like the guy across from me.
Jasper’s mouth spread into a wide smile. “There’s a McCoy in his natural environment.”
McCoy laughed and lines winged out at the corners of his eyes. “You recognized me without kids and pumpkins around?”
“Just barely.” Jasper stood and gave McCoy a handshake and backslap. “This is Sheridan Bishop, from Bishop’s Landing. She hadn’t been here yet, and I needed to remedy that.”
McCoy turned to me, hand extended. “Nice to meet you. Welcome to Reservoir Barrel.” His grip was strong and quick.
“Beautiful place. I’ve seen the flyers we have at the front desk, but I haven’t had a chance to get away.” Except for last weekend, when I had dinner at Jasper’s.
“And it’s a short drive,” McCoy said. “Your first flight is on the house because you’re with this guy here.”
“I’m good for it,” Jasper joked.
McCoy lifted a big shoulder. “I owe you for being on kid patrol when it comes to pumpkin picking.”
“Isla’s cousin is Evander. Violet’s husband,” Jasper explained. I pictured the gruff guy next to her at the restaurant. “He also grows a lot of other things for the brewery, like raspberries and rhubarb. We get together for the harvest.”
“All of us,” McCoy added. “It’s a big party with a ton of kids, but since Isla and I are usually trying to calculate poundage for this place, we can get distracted. Uncle Jasper here is a hit with the kids.”
“It’s because my sisters say I’m a big kid myself.”
He didn’t sound bitter like I would if my brothers said the same thing. The server stopped by with our drinks.
“Pumpkins?” I lifted one of the more orange samples in my flight. “You make them into beer?”
McCoy nodded. “That’s made from Evander’s pumpkins.”
I tasted the beer. There was a nuttiness from the pumpkins, mixed with a sweetness that made me think of a crisp fall day, where the wind wasn’t plaguing a sunny day for once. “It’s delicious.”
Pride crossed his face. “Isla likes to play around, but she knows what she’s doing.” He scratched the side of his face. “How are you handling the news of the new group that wants to build in Bishop’s Bay?”
Confusion dulled my taste buds. “New place?”
Jasper frowned. “I heard rumors, but I thought they weren’t going to go through with it.”
“They weren’t going to, but I think your mom’s passing changed their minds.” His eyes filled with sympathy. “My condolences. She was an indomitable woman.”
“She was,” I echoed, alarm trickling in enough that grief was an afterthought. “What about this group?”
McCoy shifted like he was uncomfortable being the one to open my eyes to something that filled me with dread, and I hadn’t heard all the information.
“Well, I heard one guy made it big in oil like a lot have done around here. He’s an avid fisherman, and he wants to build something like that lakeside resort in Devils Lake. ”
Woodland? It was bigger than my family resort and had a campground attached. But they were right on the water. I gave my head a shake. “I don’t get it. Devils Lake has world-class fishing. The bay is good, but it’s not where anglers flock to.”
“They do if they want recreation, and I think that’s what this group wants to provide. Make it a party lake, sort of like what Metigoshe is known for, but with a healthy dose of fishing.”
Lake Metigoshe was gorgeous, but my dad used to complain that the kids ruined it in the summer. I assumed he meant college kids. “More like fishing as an excuse to drink and be on the lake all day.”