“Perfect. I really like all of that so far. What happens Friday night?” Logan asked.
“Friday evenings there is a chuck wagon dinner with a main course of steak or chicken followed by free time to enjoy their cabins and those big screen televisions… or go out and do whatever they like, but every Saturday night through October there is a dance on the deck with a country western band and a grilled dinner of barbecue ribs or chicken kabobs as a sort of final, romantic, happy memory,” Jill explained. “Once folks find out there is a dance on Saturday night, they all want to stay for that and the Sunday morning service in the little chapel just beyond the covered bridge. We’re offering photo opportunities by a professional photographer on the covered bridge after church. Then there is a good-bye lunch of chicken salad or egg salad croissants like the one we had at The Broken J... and that’s it.”
“Looks like I need to start preparing my sermons,” Logan smiled, his blue eyes brightening at the idea as he added the task to his to do list.
“I thought you’d be happy about that,” she replied.
“Well, only if you’re on the front pew to cheer me on every Sunday.”
“I’m still thinking about all of that, so no promises. I’m not much of a church goer these days, but the kids have been going with Mama to church in Lander.” She had decided not to stand in the way of the children learning about God. However, Jill still needed to see a little more of God’s love at work in her life if she was going to dive into being a Christian again. As soon as she’d let those remarks escape her lips, she was sorry she had as a flash of disappointment crossed his eyes.
Logan decided to ignore all of the thoughts that remark brought to his mind and decided to turn matters back to the business at hand. “All right, I’d like you to repeat those same activities for the month of November and our Investor’s Week.”
“We can add lasso roping tricks and a ropin’ contest in the corrals during November and a Thanksgiving meal each week. Bronson and McGuire showed me what they can do with a lasso. Everyone is going to love them!” As she spoke, a glance at his desk revealed a copy of her book, Best of the East Coast with a bookmark about halfway through it. It stabbed her in the heart. He was so supportive of her work and accomplishments. She felt a strong need stirring in her heart to be more supportive to him, to his beliefs, to everything he stood for.
“Our investors will love that!” he chuckled. “Bronson and McGuire… sounds kinda like a law firm duo or an acting team. I like it.”
His remark brought her back to the current discussion. “Only thing is, you’re going to need to hold a meeting with housekeeping. They’ll only have Sunday after two o’clock and early Monday mornings to prepare cabins and rooms before the next groups arrive.” Jill continued. “So far, we have almost everyone booked for a full week with varying arrivals on Mondays; the earliest check in is at ten o’clock in the morning and departure time is anytime Sunday with latest checkout at two o’clock.”
“Got it!” Logan wrote the times down on his desk calendar and added a reminder to his notes about holding a meeting with housekeeping. “What can we do when it starts to snow?”
“Well, I checked around and did some research. Right around November eighteenth Wyoming begins to experience snow in this area. Many ranches still offer horseback riding in the snow if there isn’t ice, so I figure we can too if we salt the trails. As you know, the trails will have to be checked daily for ice, but I think we can offer it and confine trail rides to only two trails so there are less trails to check,” Jill explained.
“Okay, good work. I’m glad you checked into all that. I was wondering what we’d do. Have you already made the December calendar?” he asked.
“No, but I’ve been gathering ideas and research,” she answered. “We want to convey a resort feel to our activities. Nothing says that more than skiing in the winter.”
“Good point,” he agreed.
“In addition to horseback riding in the snow through scenic trails right here at our own resort, Beaver Creek Ski Trails offers six miles of groomed loops for back country cross country skiing. The Nature Trails in Sinks Canyon and the Lander Municipal Golf Course are also open to skiing, hiking, and sled riding in the winter.”
“It’s a good thing we purchased two vans for commutes like this,” Logan commented. “I’m beginning to see how busy we’re going to be. I don’t think we’ll be busy enough to hire a full time driver. I’m thinking our wranglers can take turns with the driving at first. Give them a break from being in the barns.”
“We can also offer a van or bus ride to Togwotee Pass between Jackson and Dubois for snowmobiling. We can offer sleigh rides too, not to mention all sorts of Christmas themed activities… but we’ll need to acquire one or two sleighs and plenty of sleds for the snow season. We may even want to consider offering dog sledding.”
“Sounds great! You did a fine job working all this up for The Sweetwater,” Logan praised her as he added a note to his list of things to do about acquiring sleds and sleighs. “Tell me another thing… I know you’ve been workin’ on menu planning with Corky and Mrs. Wright. How’s that going?”
“I think it’s going well.” Jill reached inside her planner and presented another document of notes. “This is what I propose. In October, it’s our first month open. We want fabulous reviews to build up the ranch, especially where food is concerned. People aren’t happy if they’re hungry. Our first few months open will be especially critical in this area. I think we should consider a breakfast buffet including beignets, scrambled eggs, bacon or sausage, fresh fruit, yogurt, biscuits with three kinds of jam, French Toast, oh and providing omelets and waffles made to order…”
“You’re making me hungry,” he laughed. “The breakfast buffet sounds great, but Corky may have to man the order station, which means we might need a helper in the kitchen. I see lots of cornbread recipes, chili, chicken strips for the kids, plenty of fresh veggies and fruits, BLT’s and burgers… plenty of brisket, steak, ribs, and chicken on the dinner menu. The desserts look great! Wyoming Hot Fudge Cake, Mrs. Wright’s Apple Pie, and Corky’s Cherry Cobbler! Guests are going to love this stuff.” Pleased, Logan laid the menu aside and added a note to hire a kitchen helper to his growing list of last minute things to do.
“Thank you,” Jill closed her notes. “I’ll have this all drawn up into official plans to distribute to guests and staff then if I have your approval.”
Logan stood up and walked around his desk to her side, pulling her up into his arms. Her notes slid to the side of her chair. “Baby, you’ve already got my approval.”
“Why are you so good to me, Logan Haven?” she asked.
“Because I love you!” He kissed the top of her forehead and brushed a stray curl from her eyes.
“I don’t see how you can love me when I’ve got three kids, stretch marks, and a lot of extra baby pounds…” She still doubted his affections at times. Mr. Popular had always had the prettiest dates in high school.
“The kids… I love! The more the merrier. Mama always said her stretch marks were like extra gems in her crown. As far as extra pounds, I think your curves are perfect!” Apparently he had rendered her speechless as she took all that in. After a long kiss that made her lightheaded and dizzy, he added, “Now, what are we going to do about getting our kiddos together? You know how they stop by my office every day after the school bus drops them off. Then they go down to my mom’s cabin until I’m done working. For the last couple of weeks, every time I pick them up, they’ve been hankerin’ for a sleepover.”
“Mine too,” Jill admitted, toying with the buttons on his shirt. “Besides that, we’ve kept mine on a tight leash due to their school schedules. They’ve only been over to explore your ranch a couple times and it wasn’t for very long. They keep asking to come back over. What do you propose?”
“It’s been hard dating with kids… and even harder with opening a ranch. We’ve been out to dinner about once a week, but i
t hasn’t been near enough,” he acknowledged. “How about we spend the whole day together this Saturday? It’s our last weekend together before the ranch opens.”
“Sounds fun!” she smiled. “Are you sure you’re up to a whole day with five kids?”
“It’ll be great! We’ll do some horseback riding. How about we order a pizza after and have movie night? Just us and the kids…”
“It’s a date!” she laughed.
She was just thinking how blue Logan’s eyes looked when his cell phone rang.
“It’s Joey… could be important,” he said, releasing her from his arms to answer the call. “Hey, what’s up?”
“Boss, you’re not gonna like this… but some jerk spray painted one side of the hangar with graffiti last night!” Joey said, sounding irritated and out of breath. Logan could imagine his ranch hand pacing while surveying the damages.
“Just one side?” Logan asked, a stern look spreading across his face. Jill could hear some of what Joey said. Logan turned on the speaker so she could hear better.
“Yeah… but there’s a message,” Joey added.
Logan ran his hands through his hair. “What’s the message?”
“You won’t like what I do next,” Joey answered.
“Is that it?”
“No, there’s more…” Joey paused. “Kinda looks like a multi-colored skull and cross bones. Whoever did the job is a terrible artist.”
“Which side of the hangar is it?”
“The side closest to the air strip,” Joey replied. “Dumb thing is, whoever did this ditched the spray cans in the field, so we might have finger prints. Oh, and maybe even a shoe print in the overspray…”
“Sounds like a teenager…” Logan said.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought too,” Joey replied.
“All right, don’t touch anything yet but can you get us a bunch of pictures? I want to get the sheriff out here.” Logan sighed. “Did you find anything on our tapes from the security cameras?”
“Not yet,” Joey answered. “I’ve been watching the tapes, but it could take me a while to search through them.”
“Okay, after the sheriff comes out, I’ll need you to make a copy of those for us before you release those tapes and also, we’ll need to get the hangar painted. You think you can manage all that and search through the tapes before say next Wednesday? The grand opening is coming up and we’ve got some folks flying in.”
“Yeah, I’m on it boss.”
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. Matthew 6:14
Chapter 15.
Forgiveness
“What’s a horse whisperer, Uncle Logan?” Micah asked as Logan navigated a bedroom full of toys in order to tuck him in bed and say bedtime prayers. Micah had the middle, front-facing, upstairs bedroom in the main barn house.
Stepping around toy cars, trucks, airplanes, and horses, he finally made his way to the edge of the bed and sat down. “Well young man, a horse whisperer is like a person who can relate to horses really well.”
“Grandma Sadie said a horse whisperer can hear horses whisper,” Micah said, his blond curls resting against the pillow. “She also said a horse whisper person can talk to horses and horses can understand them.”
“That’s right,” Logan grinned, picking up a plastic toy horse. “Can you hear what this horse whispered to me just now?”
Micah laughed, “Toy horses can’t whisper, Uncle Logan!”
Grace Anne, brushing her teeth, poked her head in around the door through the bathroom connecting her bedroom to her brother’s bedroom.
“This one can!” Logan assured him. “Don’t ya wanna know what he whispered?” Logan nudged the horse up next to Micah’s ear while his nephew giggled.
Grace Anne leaned back inside the bathroom to rinse the toothpaste out of her mouth.
“He whispered: When is Micah going to clean his room?” Logan changed his voice to a funny, high pitched sound to imitate the imaginary horse talk. “He also whispered: This room is a mess!”
“I know, Uncle Logan. Tell Juniper I’ll clean it tomorrow after school,” Micah promised.
“Juniper? Is that the horse’s name?” Logan asked.
“Didn’t he tell you?” Micah wondered.
Grace Anne popped in the room for their nightly routine of bedtime prayers.
“Oh, yes, that’s right. He did… it was the first thing he whispered. Oh, what’s that Juniper?” Logan pulled the horse to his ear and listened. “Aw, okay… got it. Juniper asks, did you brush your teeth before bed?”
Micah smiled, “Of course I did.”
Logan glanced at Gracie who looked tired. “Juniper says very good. Now fold your hands and we’ll say prayers.”
Micah folded his hands. Grace Anne bowed her head. Logan managed a quick prayer. “Dear Lord, please keep Gracie and Micah safe all through the night and tomorrow at school. Please help them with their lessons and make them very smart. In Jesus’name, Amen.”
“Amen,” Gracie said. Giving her uncle and brother each a kiss on the cheek, she added, “Good night, Uncle Logan. Good night, Micah.”
Logan held up the horse and nodded in Juniper’s direction.
“Oh, all right!” Gracie added, rolling her eyes in desperation, “Good night Juniper!”
“Good night Gracie Anne!” Micah sang out as she disappeared into her room through their shared bathroom.
“Night night,” Uncle Logan said. “If you do a good job cleaning your room, Jill will bring the kids over Saturday and we’ll ride horses, eat pizza, and have a movie night.”
He didn’t think he was very good at this parenting thing, but he was learning. Man, these kids were smart… and messy! He really needed a woman in his life to help him keep things in order. The problem was, he was in love with Jill but she was still running from God. She was everything he could want in a woman, but he didn’t believe in marrying someone who wasn’t a Christian. Being yoked with an unbeliever was an unequal yoke. Dear Lord, please hurry up and heal Jill’s heart so I can ask her to marry me.
Jill poured herself a cup of coffee and added creamer until the color was just right as she read another letter from the chest upstairs in her attic bedroom. She and the kids had really enjoyed horseback riding and the movie night with Logan, Gracie, and Micah at The Sweetwater. Exhausted from the long day, they had tuckered out early and been asleep for hours now. She, on the other hand, was wide awake.
“I thought I heard someone stirring,” Mama said as she entered the kitchen in her pale, lemon-yellow robe and pink slippers. She rubbed her eyes and blinked as they adjusted to the dim light of the kitchen. “I went to bed early and didn’t hear anyone come home. Did you all have a nice day at Logan’s ranch?”
“We did!” Jill looked up from the letter. “I was just going out to the porch swing to read this letter.”
“Mmm, that coffee smells good. You’re still reading those letters?” Mama asked as she looked at her watch and decided to pour herself a cup.
“I’m learning so much about our family history,” Jill replied. She sipped some of the delicious strong coffee, enjoying the aroma. “Wanna join me on the porch swing?”
“Sure, why not? Can’t think of a better thing to do at nearly three o’clock in the morning. It’s almost time for me to get up.”
When they were settled on the swing together with their coffee, Jill read the letter out loud.
February 15, 1930
Cincinnati, Ohio
Dear Elizabeth Anne,
I can hardly wait to get home to you. My heart aches sometimes for missing you. My brother Joseph and I are truly thankful for our Cincinnati jobs in this economic downturn of events. We saw a long line of folks waiting for hours for a loaf of bread and a bag of clothing yesterday. I don’t mind saying this, but truly, the righteous do not have to beg for bread, just as the Lord says. He has opened doors for us to have good jobs when others do not, s
o I will not complain that we must be parted for a little while. He has blessed us greatly. When we return to Wyoming, I’ll have earned enough to build us a fine home on our own piece of heaven next to Belden Farm.
I can’t wait to see you walk down the aisle in your beautiful wedding dress. I see you in my dreams carrying a bouquet of wild flowers wrapped in a silk ribbon. I’ve enclosed enough for you to purchase the yard goods so you’ll be ready when I return home. The Lord is so good to us. He fills our mouths with good things to eat when others do not have enough. He watches over us like a Father. He blesses the work of our hands and keeps us free of diseases. He fills my heart with joy and has put a song in my heart. Truly, with you by my side I will be the happiest man alive for all of my days and live to serve you and our Lord, together.
With All of My Love,
George M. Parker
Jill finished reading the letter and slipped it into her jeans pocket. “Mom, do you realize you were named after Elizabeth Anne?”
“Well, I do now,” she replied. She sipped more of her coffee and added, “I do remember my mother, Louisa, telling me about my namesake. Elizabeth Anne Parker was Mama’s Grandmother. Grandpa Parker must have written that letter to her not long before they were married.”
“She must have had help making her wedding gown…” Jill surmised. “This letter was written on the brink of the Great Depression, Mama.”
“Yes, it was and yet, the Lord took care of our family and preserved us, so that you and your children would be able to come along someday. ’Tis so true, the Lord is so good to us. In addition to a song in my heart just like your grandfather writes, He gave us a fine harvest this year,” Mama reflected. “I’ve got a little money in the bank, my bills are paid, the farm is paid off, and we’ve plenty of hay, corn, and oats to feed our animals through the winter and next year.”
Dreams of Sweetwater River (Whispers In Wyoming Book 3) Page 12
