by Stacy Finz
“Do you realize how demeaning you sound?”
“What, the heiress doesn’t like it when people are frank with her?”
“You want frank, I’ll give you frank. You’re an asshole, Nate. I am putting everything I have and then some into this job. I won’t apologize for being born into wealth, which you seem to resent so much. Why, I have no idea, since you don’t exactly seem to be hurting for money. Is that the Jag you drove to work this morning or the Range Rover?”
“I earned every cent of my money.”
“Good for you. And how much of it have you used to help others? This may be my first job, but I’ve raised and given away millions of dollars to people in need, the arts, and a dozen other important causes. How much have you raised?”
Before he could answer, she added, “And by the way, Emily wouldn’t have saved our butts for a paycheck. She only did it for my services.” Sam started to walk away. “Don’t worry, I’ll have my stuff packed and be out of here in the next hour. Thank you for at least having given me the opportunity.”
Nate leaned against the counter, sipping his coffee, and raised his eyes over the mug to stare at her. “Quitting so soon?”
“I’m not quitting. I just figure you’ll fire me for insubordination.”
“I wasn’t planning on it.” He turned to leave the kitchen but stopped to say, “I’ve gotta go to San Francisco for a few days. Hold down the fort while I’m gone, would ya?”
“What about Emily’s wedding?” she asked, unsure of what game he was playing.
“I guess we don’t have much of a choice. Just try to organize your time wisely.”
He left her standing there, stunned. The man must have a brain tumor, she thought. What else could explain his complete capriciousness?
Nate returned from San Francisco four days later, just in time to meet with Landon Lowery. Tracy rode up with him and planned to catch a commercial flight back to the city from Reno-Tahoe International as soon as they concluded the conference.
The woman had talked his ear off during the long drive. She was good-looking, though, with a tight little body. If Nate hadn’t had a policy about dating employees, he might’ve asked her out. She’d come on to him plenty, making it known that she’d be amenable to dating, sex, and pretty much anything Nate wanted. For that reason, he questioned how smart it was for them to be sharing a car together. But having her fly both ways when he was driving anyway, seemed stupid.
Tracy took a quick tour of the Lumber Baron, then commandeered Maddy’s office, forcing Sam to conduct her business at the front desk. Tracy had also asked Sam for a cup of coffee. Sam got it for her willingly enough, but Nate figured she had to be bristling at being treated like the help. He also figured it was good for her.
They stood around in the lobby, watching the clock and waiting. When Landon finally pulled up, Sam seemed surprised that he drove a Prius. “That’s his car?” she said, as if she expected a limousine.
Tracy snorted. “Boy, you really are new.” She trotted down the porch steps and gave Landon a big hello.
“Nice place,” he said, staring up at the Lumber Baron.
“We like it,” Tracy said, and Nate laughed to himself. Not until thirty minutes ago had she ever stepped foot on the property.
Tracy escorted Landon onto the veranda and introduced him to Nate, skipping over Sam. Undaunted, Sam stepped up and shook Landon’s hand. “Samantha Dunsbury. We talked on the phone.”
“Hey, Samantha. You were right about the drive. It was insanely awesome.”
Tracy wedged her way between the two. “Landon, can Sam get you something to drink or eat?”
“I’ll take a Red Bull, if you’ve got one.”
“Hon”—Tracy called to Sam as she led Landon away—“why don’t you bring that to the conference room. And mineral waters for Nate and me.”
The conference room had been the innkeeper’s quarters before Maddy had married Rhys and moved into his farmhouse at the end of McCreedy Road. They decided that turning the suite into a luxurious meeting room, done up in Victorian furnishings and gumwood wainscoting, might snag them extra business, including companies looking to hold small retreats.
In the room, Tracy had set up a PowerPoint presentation, showcasing the inn’s amenities as well as various local attractions. The three of them made small talk for a while—what’s the weather like in July, you get a lot of bears in summer, blah, blah, blah. As Tracy readied to boot up her laptop, Sam came in with the drinks. Where she’d dug up the Red Bull Nate would never know.
“These are some nibbles Emily made.” Sam set a platter of cheese puffs, palmiers, and mini quiches on the table. For Landon’s benefit she said, “Emily Mathews is our chef.”
“Thanks, Samantha,” Tracy said, waiting for her to leave.
Sam took the hint and backed out of the room. For the next hour Tracy did her shtick. Afterward, she took Landon on a tour of the property and a drive through town to show him the hot spots. Nate had excused himself from that part of the program, confident that Tracy could close the deal on her own. Unfortunately, the pile of work on his desk needed attention.
On the way to his office, Nate couldn’t find Sam. She’d probably gone to a late lunch or out, doing wedding errands for Emily. Lost in his work, he didn’t hear Tracy and Landon return until Tracy’s high heels clicked past his office on the hardwood floors. From what he could tell, they’d gone into Maddy’s office—probably to sign a contract.
But ten minutes later, a panicked Tracy popped her head in. “I need help.”
Nate came around his big pine desk and followed her to the lobby, where Landon peered at the Donner Party picture exhibit Maddy had hung on the wall. Sam was back to sitting behind the front desk.
Sam pointed to the pictures. “It happened just down the road. Did Tracy show you the memorial?”
“Dude, there’s a memorial?”
“There’s a whole Donner state park with a museum, a marked trail where the pioneers got stranded, even one of their cabins. It’s eerie.”
“Does it have stuff about them eating each other?” Landon asked.
“It’s all there.” Sam laughed. “Even historical accounts of the cannibalism.”
“Seriously? I might have to hit that on my way home.”
“The guests find it fascinating,” she said and went back to something on her smartphone.
“So what do you think?” Nate asked Landon. “This a good spot for your reunion?”
Landon bent down to tie his high-top tennis shoe. “The inn’s great. I’m just not sure there’s enough to keep everyone occupied for a week. I guess I was hoping for more points of interest.” He looked over at Sam, who was still messing with her phone. “What are you doing?”
Sam let out a frustrated noise. “I just got this app that’s supposed to organize all my events for the inn, but I can’t get it to work right.”
Landon held out his hand for her to give him the phone and became immersed in tapping the display keys. He played with it for a few minutes before handing it back to Sam. “Here you go.”
Nate wanted to strangle her for sidetracking Landon and getting them off topic.
“Landon, I think we could put together a nice itinerary for you.” Nate tried to maneuver the conversation back to business. “One of the days we could bus you all to Reno—”
“Oh my God, how did you do that?” Sam squealed. “You added icons.”
“Dude?” Landon looked at Sam like Seriously? Don’t you know I’m a tech genius?
Nate still wanted to kill her for running them off course.
“Thank you, Landon.” Sam smiled so sweetly at him that Nate got an instant toothache. “Did Tracy show you the Western Pacific Railroad Museum? I read in your bio that you’re a train enthusiast. You know it has the largest collection of Western Pacific memorabilia in the country?”
“Yeah, that’s why I picked Nugget in the first place,” he said. “I wanted one day for us to take t
hat train-tour deal through gold country. Tracy and I went over to the station and they said they’re booked the whole month of July.”
“But Tracy told them you’re with the Lumber Baron, right?” Sam said, and all eyes fell on Tracy. “They reserve space for our guests.”
Nate wondered if she was making this shit up, because it was news to him.
Sam picked up the phone and dialed. “Hey, Lloyd, it’s Samantha Dunsbury . . . I’m well, how are you? . . . Good, I’m so glad to hear that. And the family? . . . Excellent. I’m calling because we have a guest who is interested in holding a family reunion at the Lumber Baron in July and would like to take the train . . . Hang on a sec.” She turned to Landon. “How many seats?”
“Maybe twenty.”
“Did you hear that, Lloyd? . . . So is that doable?” She nodded at Landon. “Great. We really appreciate you doing that for us . . . Oh, that’s so nice . . . No, he hasn’t quite decided yet, but you’ll hold them for a few days, right? . . . Terrific. Thanks, Lloyd. Talk to you soon.”
Sam hung up the phone and turned to Landon. “We can also get you into the Plumas County rodeo. The events sell out every year, but the Lumber Baron has a box.” This too was news to Nate. “And you cannot miss cowboy poetry at the grange hall—so Americana. One of the days during your visit we can set up a picnic hike, nothing too strenuous for the older folks, but the wildflowers that time of year—amazing.”
Landon nodded his head, seemingly into it.
“And the millpond in Graeagle, did anyone talk to you about that?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “It’s this lovely swimming beach where you can rent paddle boards and pedal boats. Kids love it. The shops there are also adorable. For the more adventurous among you, there’s horseback riding and mountain biking. Honestly, Landon, you could stay for a year and not run out of things to do.”
“What’s that rodeo like?” Landon wanted to know.
“I just went for the first time a few weeks ago,” Sam said. “And I loved it.” Nate highly doubted that.
“Although a lot of the participants are local ranchers and not professional, it’s still very exciting,” she continued, describing to Landon the various events. Nate noticed that Lowery appeared much more interested.
“You can really make that train ride happen?” Landon asked Sam, and Nate knew she’d hooked him.
“Of course. And the horseback riding, bird watching, river rafting. We’ll keep you busy from day to night.”
Landon peered into the main parlor and took in every little detail. “My folks would really love the inn,” he said, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “You’ll personally handle it, right?” This was directed at Sam, and Nate noticed Tracy stiffen.
“I’ll take charge of the entire itinerary and set up everything,” Sam said. “I can even make up an activity list and put it in each guest’s room.”
“All right, I’m sold,” Landon said.
“I’m so glad.” Sam beamed. “I promise we’ll make your reunion truly memorable. What about the Donner Memorial, you want me to include that too?”
“Hell to the yes!” he said, and Sam looked at Nate as if to say Ha, you should’ve given me the project in the first place.
Tracy took over the contract end of the deal. Once everything was signed and sealed, Landon left in his Prius and Andy took Tracy to the airport. Nate had to hand it to Sam for saving the day. A guy like Landon Lowery could generate lots of business for the Lumber Baron and they’d been this close to losing him. Then Sam had jumped in, spouting off activities that Nate hadn’t even known the Lumber Baron had special access to. She’d surprised the hell out of him. If Sam could make Landon’s family reunion a success, the inn would attract other VIPs for retreats, conferences, even parties.
Nate found Sam in the kitchen plating Emily’s hors d’oeuvres for the guests.
“Do you need something?” she asked.
He walked straight up to her and planted a kiss on her cheek. Just a congratulatory peck, nothing that could get him into hot water. “You did good.”
“Really?” Her face positively lit up, and Nate’s gut squeezed. She really was an extraordinarily pretty woman.
“Hell to the yes,” he said. “Just tell me there really is a Lloyd and that we have a box for the rodeo.”
“Of course there’s a Lloyd and we absolutely have a box for the rodeo.”
“Since when?” He popped one of the cheese puffs in his mouth and she slapped his hand.
“Those are for the guests. When I first started, Maddy told me to go out, meet people, make contacts, and learn about the area. Grace’s husband, over at Farm Supply, practically runs the rodeo. It’s every weekend during the summer, so Maddy and I decided to buy a box for guests to use. In the scheme of things it’s a pretty small expense and I think the guests will adore it. As far as the train, you would not believe how popular it is. So popular that it sells out the entire summer. So I introduced myself to Lloyd, who’s a sweet old volunteer, and worked out a deal so that they reserve seats for our guests and in exchange we make a small donation to the museum.” She blinked up at him, like maybe he’d be angry. “Maddy said it was okay.”
“It certainly paid for itself today. But what’s small?” he asked.
“Five thousand.”
He lifted his shoulders in resignation. Five thousand wasn’t too bad. “You won’t quit before the Lowery reunion, right?”
“No. Why are you so convinced that I’m such a short-timer, Nate?”
Because I knew someone just like you once. “How can this town possibly hold the interest of someone in your position for long?”
“You mean someone who’s rich? You’re rich, you like it.”
“I’m not the same kind of rich as you, Sam. So don’t compare us. What I’m saying is that you’re young, you’re single, you’re sophisticated, and this town can be kind of a freak show.”
She laughed. “And you don’t think Greenwich can be a freak show?”
He looked at her. “A freak show with access to some of the best culture on earth. Here you have to travel nearly five hours for that.”
“Here, I can just be me.”
“Yeah, and who’s that?”
“The Lumber Baron’s event planner. I have to get these out there.” She lifted the tray of appetizers and started to leave.
For some odd reason, he wanted to stop her and ask her why she’d ditched her fiancé. Had she just tired of him the same way Kayla had of Nate?
The next time he saw Sam, she was leaving for the evening. “Hey,” he called to her. “You want to go to the Ponderosa and have a celebratory drink?” Nate at least owed her that for what she’d pulled off.
She looked taken aback. “Uh . . . could we do it tomorrow?”
“Why not tonight?” Maybe she had a date. Not his business.
“I have to meet with my lawyer.”
Again, not his business, but the words left his mouth before he could stop them. “Your lawyer? What do you need a lawyer for?”
“I’m suing my father. See you tomorrow.”
Chapter 5
“Can you break away for about an hour after breakfast?” Emily asked, putting the last touches on the best eggs Florentine Sam had ever eaten. It was only her first week on the job, but Emily seemed like she’d been working here forever. “Get those out while they’re still hot, okay?”
Sam scooped them onto individual plates and carried them out to the Dolbys from room 210. The couple, school teachers, were visiting from Seattle.
“Thanks, Sam,” Mrs. Dolby said. “Everything is delicious.”
“Just let me know if there’s anything else I can get you,” Sam said, and dashed back into the kitchen. “Where are we going?”
“To get wedding boots.” Emily said it while her head was in the oven, so Sam thought she might’ve heard wrong.
“Wedding boots?”
“Yep.” Emily straightened. “They’re a surprise
for Clay.”
“That’s nice. You know his size?”
“They’re for me. To wear with my wedding gown. Clay has a thing for me in cowboy boots.”
Sam giggled. “Seriously?”
“What do you want? He’s a cowboy.” And Emily giggled too. “There is a woman across town who custom designs them, and she said if I come in today she can have them done in time.”
“So you want me to come with you?”
“I want to make sure the style works with my dress. And you’re my bridal consultant.”
“Yes, I am,” Sam said with pride.
“Donna’s coming too. Maddy had to take Emma to a doctor’s appointment.”
“Is everything all right?”
“Everything is fine,” Emily said. “Just a routine checkup.”
Sam served the stragglers, cleared the tables, and loaded the dishwasher. Until she’d worked at the Lumber Baron, she hadn’t done too many domestic chores, but now she did a little bit of everything. Emily had already wiped down the stainless-steel countertops. The kitchen in the inn was as efficient as it was beautiful. Sam especially loved the copper pots and pans that hung over the center island.
“You ready to go?”
“Yep, let me call Donna and tell her to meet us there,” Emily said.
On their way out, Sam left a sticky note on Nate’s door, letting him know she’d stepped out for a while. He’d been deep in the weeds all morning and she didn’t want to disturb him—or disrupt what seemed to be a silent truce between them.
Emily drove them in her van to a part of Nugget Sam had never seen before. It looked pretty shabby, with small, crowded homes, broken-down porches, and dirt yards. The streets didn’t even have sidewalks.
They pulled up in front of one of the nicer homes. A tiny Craftsman with a fresh coat of paint and a wreath of dried flowers on the door.
Emily stuck her head out of her window and read the address on the mailbox. “This is it,” she said.
“Should we wait for Donna?”
“Nah. Let’s go in.”
Sam grabbed her purse and followed Emily onto the front porch. Before they even knocked, a young girl about nine or ten answered the door.
