“Better than ever. We’re taking bookings a year in advance at the moment.” Hannah rolled her table into the storage area. “You can stack your table against mine.”
When they’d finished, Hannah followed him into the main room. She hoped he didn’t think he had to stay until everything was cleared away. “I appreciate your help, but you can leave whenever you want.”
“I’m happy to be here. It gives Pat a chance to spend more time with Ida.”
“They’re such a sweet couple. Ida worked so hard to regain her mobility after her stroke. How long have you known them?”
“About twenty years,” Brett said softly. “After I left school, Pat offered me a job as a ranch hand. I stayed with them until I was twenty-five, then flew to Australia and worked in the outback. I came back to Montana eight years ago.”
“What was Australia like?”
Brett grinned. “Hot. If I thought we were isolated on the Double Circle, it was nothing compared to Alice Springs.”
“Did you come home when Pat’s son died?”
“I did. Pat needed someone to help manage the ranch.”
From what Pat had told her, Brett had done a lot more than help with the ranch. When their grief had weighed them down, Brett had given them a reason to get out of bed and appreciate each day. “The McConachies enjoy your company.”
“They’re like family to me.” Brett folded the legs on another table. “I’ll take this through.”
While Brett moved the table, Hannah packed another set of decorations into a box. She smiled when someone in the kitchen started singing a Christmas carol. Claire was helping the catering staff pack away the dishes, but it definitely wasn’t her voice. Her sister was great at a lot of things, but singing wasn’t one of them.
When Brett returned, he helped her stack the boxes of decorations beside the main doors.
“When you were working at the retirement village, Pat told me you were also an artist. Are you still able to paint as well as organize events?”
Hannah sighed. “I’d like to have more time to paint, but that’s not an option at the moment. When I was younger, I wanted to be a professional artist. I completed an arts degree and exhibited in a few galleries. But when we were thinking about starting Perfect Staging, I had to decide what’s more important.”
“And your event staging company came out on top?”
“It had to. If we couldn’t commit one hundred percent of our time to making our business successful, we wouldn’t have survived our first year.”
Brett tilted his head to the side. “If you had the choice, would you prefer to be a full-time artist?”
Hannah had asked herself the same question many times. It wasn’t an easy question to answer, and she wasn’t sure she ever could. “I don’t know, but I enjoy working with Claire. We still run art workshops for children and we’re members of the Bozeman Art Collective. In a lot of ways, I’ve got the best of both worlds.” With the decorations safely stored in a box, she folded the table’s legs and rolled it toward the storage room. “What about you? Did you always want to work on a ranch?”
“I didn’t know what I wanted to do. But ranching has a way of seeping into your bones and becoming part of who you are. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else now.”
“I’m glad you found Pat and Ida. They’d be lost without you.”
“I’d be lost without them, too. I’d better find Pat. It was nice meeting you, Hannah.”
A pang of disappointment hit her chest. She could have talked to Brett all afternoon and still had questions for him. “It was great meeting you as well. Thanks for giving me a hand to tidy the room.”
“You’re welcome. Maybe I’ll see you around town some time.”
Hannah nodded. “I’d like that.”
Brett stuck his hands in his pockets. He glanced at the kitchen door, then back at Hannah. “I usually come into town once a week. Would you like to—”
A scream filled the room.
“That’s Claire,” Hannah said as she rushed toward the kitchen. She flung open the door and skidded to a stop.
Claire was standing on a chair, pointing at a cupboard. “There’s a mouse. A huge, hairy, brown mouse with long whiskers.”
Hannah grinned and walked across to the cupboard. “Are you sure it wasn’t a rat?”
Claire shuddered. “I don’t know. Just get rid of it.”
Brett passed Hannah a plastic container. “This might help.”
Claire closed her eyes. “I hate mice.”
“We can tell,” Hannah murmured as she knelt on the ground and peered into the cupboard. “Are you sure the mouse was huge?”
“It was enormous.”
“Hmm.”
Brett knelt beside her. She pointed to the dime-sized hole in the back of the cupboard. “He’s escaped.”
“And that’s supposed to make me feel better?” Claire screeched.
“At least he’s not in the kitchen anymore,” Brett said, trying to be helpful.
Hannah knew that nothing short of a fumigation would make Claire stay in the kitchen. “Let’s go home. Brett and I have finished in the main room and the kitchen looks spotless.”
Claire peered at the floor.
Hannah held back a smile. Her sister was one of the bravest people she knew, but show her a mouse and she became hysterical. “If you make a run for the main room, the mouse won’t come anywhere near you. I’ll grab your coat and bag off the counter.”
Claire didn’t wait to be told twice. She jumped off the chair and sprinted past Brett.
He looked at the kitchen door, then back at Hannah. “She really doesn’t like mice, does she?”
“She had a bad experience when she was younger.”
Brett’s mouth tilted into a smile. “You wouldn’t have had anything to do with that would you?”
“Not that time. When Claire was about nine years old, she was cleaning our pet mouse’s cage. She put him on her shoulder and he crawled into her long hair. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t leave. I was only little, but I still remember how much she screamed.”
“What happened to the mouse?”
Hannah picked up their bags, coats, and hats. “I had to find a new home for him. We’d better go. Claire’s probably waiting for us.”
Brett held open the door. “I’ll let the staff know about their resident mouse before I see Ida.”
“That would be great.” She glanced at the boxes of Christmas decorations. Someone from the village would take them to reception and use them around their walls and counters. Everything else looked exactly as it had when they arrived.
Claire jumped out of her chair when they walked into foyer. “Are you ready to leave?”
Hannah nodded and passed Claire her jacket and bag. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m okay.” A blush stained her sister’s cheeks. “I wish I could get over my mouse issue. I’m too old to be scared by a little ball of fur.”
Brett pulled up the zipper on his jacket. “I wouldn’t worry about it. Everyone has things they don’t like.”
A soft spot formed around Hannah’s heart. He was trying to make Claire feel better without embarrassing her. “Brett will let the staff know about the mouse.”
Claire sent him a grateful smile. “Thank you.”
“That’s okay. I’d better get going before Pat sends out a search party. Have a great week.”
And before Hannah could say goodbye, he’d left.
“He’s a keeper.” Claire sighed. “If you don’t ask him on a date, you’re crazy.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you. He didn’t take his eyes off you all afternoon.”
“That doesn’t mean I’m going to date him. I’m too busy.”
“Men like that don’t come along every day.” Claire pulled her mittens and woolly hat out of her bag. “And on that cheerful note, we’d better leave. It looks as though it’s going to snow.”
Hannah followed her sister outsi
de. Brett seemed like a really nice person, but even if she wanted to see him again, she couldn’t. Christmas was ten days away and she had a lot of things to do.
***
By Wednesday night, Brett still couldn’t get a certain blond-haired, blue-eyed woman out of his head. It hadn’t helped that Pat hadn’t stopped talking about Hannah.
“Are you in or out?” Trent, his friend and neighbor, asked.
Poker night was usually every second Friday. But with Christmas so close, all of Brett’s married friends had other things they needed to do—like spend more time with their kids.
As a compromise, they’d moved this week’s game forward by two nights and canceled the next game.
Brett dropped his cards into the middle of the table. “I’m out.”
Trent grinned. “That didn’t take long.”
“Must have had something to do with the cards you gave me.”
Jordan, Trent’s brother, threw four crisp dollar bills on top of Brett’s cards. “I’ll see your two bucks, Trent, and raise you another two.”
“Wait for me,” Matthew yelled from the kitchen. “Jordan cleaned me out last time. It’s time I returned the favor.”
“You’ll be lucky,” Jordan scoffed. “It takes more than a pretty face to beat the maestro.”
Matthew walked into the living room carrying a plate of hot dogs. “You might want to reconsider when you see what I’ve got.”
As far as hot dogs went, they were spectacular. Each bun was smothered in fried onions and enough ketchup and mustard to meet all major nutritional requirements.
Brett helped himself to a hot dog. “Has your fiancée been teaching you how to cook?”
“Nope. I did this myself. I thought we needed to lift our cuisine selection above Jordan’s basic skill set.”
“You didn’t complain when you were eating my pizza.”
“I was worried about hurting your feelings. After you robbed me of twenty bucks, I changed my mind.” Matthew bit into a hot dog. “Yum.”
Brett handed Jordan one. “Here, take this. It might be your last meal if Matthew cleans you out.”
“Sarah loves me. She wouldn’t let me starve.”
“She will if you keep annoying her.” Trent reached for his drink. “I saw Pat today. He talked nonstop about the carol competition. His favorite nurse was there.”
Brett choked on an onion ring.
“Someone’s been holding out on us.” Trent looked pointedly at him.
Matthew grabbed a napkin and handed it to Brett. “You’ve been dating someone without telling us?”
“I haven’t dated anyone.”
“Exactly,” Trent said. “Pat was worried that you’d forgotten how to talk to a woman.”
Brett picked up his soda. “You don’t need to worry about me. I’m doing fine.”
Jordan looked confused. “Rewind the conversation. I got lost when you said Brett is dating someone.”
Brett sighed. “I’m not dating anyone. I met Hannah Williams on Sunday at the retirement village. Pat has a soft spot for her and thought I should ask her on a date.”
Jordan’s eyebrows rose. “Wouldn’t she be a little old for you?”
“She’s not a resident,” Brett growled. “Hannah and her sister, Claire, own a business called Perfect Staging. They organized the Christmas carol competition.”
Trent frowned. “What’s wrong with her?”
“There’s nothing wrong with her.”
“Why don’t you ask her on a date, then?” Jordan asked.
Heat rushed up Brett’s neck.
Trent grinned. “You chickened out.”
“Oh, man,” Jordan said. “You really need our advice. Talking to a woman isn’t that hard.”
Trent made a scoffing sound. “Your wife might disagree with you.”
“You know what they say,” Jordan said. “People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. Marrying your wife in Las Vegas when she was drunk isn’t the way to win a woman’s heart.”
“But I got there in the end,” Trent said with a smile.
“After I stopped her from getting on a plane to New Zealand.”
Matthew held his hands in the air. “That’s enough from the McKenzie brothers. I’ve got a game of poker to win.”
Jordan picked up his cards. “Not going to happen, but you’re welcome to try.”
An hour later, Matthew was sitting in front of a small mound of one dollar bills. “What was that you said about not winning, Jordan?”
“You probably put something in the hot dogs to reduce my awesome poker powers.”
“Or not,” Matthew grinned. “Now that I’ve recouped my twenty bucks, how about Brett tells us about Hannah?”
Trent threw his cards onto the table. “It’s got to be more interesting than those cards.”
Matthew, Trent, and Jordan stared at Brett as if he were a science experiment that had gone wrong.
“There’s nothing more to say.”
“Sure there is,” Jordan said. “As the only single person at the table, you’ve got a moral duty to give us something to talk about. There are only so many stories about our wives, fiancées, and kids that a man can handle.”
Matthew sat forward. “Why didn’t you ask her on a date?”
Brett crossed his arms. “Okay, you were right. I chickened out. But she wouldn’t have said yes, anyway. We’d only just met. Apart from what Pat told her, she knows nothing about me.”
“That could work in your favor,” Jordan said. “If Hannah’s blown away by your good looks and charm, she might overlook your other issues. It worked for me.”
Trent laughed. “You’re forgetting that Sarah saw through your cowboy charm quicker than anyone you’d ever met.”
“But she still agreed to marry me, so I must have done something right.”
Matthew picked up his soda. “Are you going to try again?”
“I don’t know,” Brett said. “I live an hour from Bozeman and Hannah’s busy.”
“Offer to help her with something. It isn’t that busy on the ranch at the moment.”
Jordan nodded at Matthew. “Good idea. Or you could call her and invite her to the movies. If she says no, it’s better to hear it over the phone than in person.”
Trent’s eyebrows rose. “Is this pearl of wisdom coming from your vast dating experience?”
“As unlikely as it sounds, I had my fair share of rejections,” Jordan said with a smile. “At least talking to someone is better than sending them a text to say everything’s over.”
“It’s just as well I’m married,” Trent said. “I wouldn’t want to be in Brett’s shoes. It was bad enough with Gracie, but at least she was married to me when she realized I was the man of her dreams.”
Jordan shook his head. “Don’t listen to my brother. All you need to do is call Hannah.”
Brett was beginning to feel sick. “I’ll think about it.” He pushed his chair away from the table. “Does anyone want a cup of coffee?”
Matthew and Trent nodded.
Jordan grabbed hold of his arm as he walked behind him. “Are you all right?”
“I will be. I’ll be back soon.” With the kitchen door closed, Brett leaned against the counter and took a deep breath. He’d known his friends for years, but they didn’t know much about his life.
Worrying about whether Hannah wanted to date him or not was making him feel sick. He was scared of making a mistake, of not being good enough. Even when he’d dated, nothing lasted more than a few months. He was damaged goods and Hannah deserved more than he could give her.
***
Hannah put down her phone and frowned. “You’re not going to believe this.”
“Believe what?” Claire murmured as she studied their plan for Holly’s wedding.
“That was Pat McConachie. He wants me to catalog the paintings on his ranch.”
Claire looked up from their workroom table. “Why does he want you to do that?”
“
For insurance purposes and for his wife. Ida collected paintings by nineteenth-century American artists for most of her married life. A long time ago, they made a list of the paintings they own, but he can’t find it. He wants me to take a picture of each painting, then add the dimensions and artist’s name to a spreadsheet. Nick Costas will value the paintings. After I’ve finished the spreadsheet, Pat wants me to make an album of all the photos for his wife.”
“It sounds interesting, but do you have the time to help him?”
Hannah sighed. “I like Pat. I don’t want to tell him I can’t do it.”
“How long does he think it will take?”
“A couple of days, but he’s offered to let me stay on the ranch for a week. I could catalog his art collection in the mornings and paint in the afternoons.” A month ago, she wouldn’t have been able to help the McConachies or think about painting. With back-to-back events scheduled, she’d been working seven days a week.
Claire leaned her elbows on the table. “Our last Christmas event is tonight, so you don’t have to worry about that. But what about your vacation? I thought you had things you wanted to do while I was in San Diego?”
“I do, but Mr. and Mrs. McConachie are lovely people. Besides, it would be like old times. It’s been years since I had an art project to work on. Being able to paint is an added bonus.”
A slow smile spread across Claire’s face. “Your decision wouldn’t have anything to do with Brett Forster, would it?”
“Don’t be silly. We’d planned on having a vacation before Christmas. This gives me the best of both worlds. I can enjoy the ranch and immerse myself in the McConachies’ art collection.”
“Working on the catalog won’t be the same as a vacation.”
“It’s half a vacation.”
“It sounds as though you’ve already made up your mind,” Claire said. “You could look at the week as an adventure. And at the end, you might even want to date Brett.”
“Maybe.” Hannah poured herself a cup of coffee. “But for now, we’ve got the rest of the afternoon to work on the plans for Holly and Daniel’s wedding. Did we include everything on their wish list?”
Claire opened a document on her laptop. “I think so. They’re getting married in their barn, so we don’t need to worry about a venue. They want fairy lights and flowers everywhere. I called the man who supplied the lights for Sally Randall’s wedding and he can help us. If we give Becky an idea of what we want, she’ll create all the flower arrangements, table posies, and the bouquet. The only thing I haven’t organized is where Daniel’s alpacas will go. I thought one of his neighbors might babysit them for the day.”
The Gift (The Protectors Book 6) Page 3
