Mr. Congeniality

by Sherry Lewis

  In spite of his concerns, Dean tried to sound enthusiastic, and they soon shifted into a discussion of travel arrangements. It wasn’t until Carol rang off a few minutes later that Dean realized he’d forgotten to ask what Tyler thought of their plan.

  LATE THE NEXT AFTERNOON, Annie leaned against the truck’s headrest and clenched her teeth as the truck hit a patch of washboard ruts in the dirt road. A groan floated up from the back seat and Annie glanced back to see how Nessa was faring.

  They’d been traveling most of the day, and Nessa’s mood had been growing worse by the hour. Annie longed to soak away her weariness in a hot bath, but the farther they traveled the less likely it seemed that the Eagle’s Nest would even have running water.

  Trying hard to keep her spirits up, Annie watched the landscape as they bounced along the bone-jarring dirt road. A dense forest of aspen and pine grew right to the edge of the road, and behind the trees, white-capped mountains cut into a cloudless blue sky. The scents of nature—weeds and flowers, trees and soil—mingled with dust kicked up by the truck’s tires.

  The breeze coming in through Gary’s open window teased a lock of her hair from its clip at her neck. She smoothed it back into place and rested her hands on the legs of her casual linen suit. She’d thought her clothes were perfect for the country until she caught a glimpse of Gary’s straw cowboy hat, dusty jeans and leather boots. If everyone else dressed like him, Annie and Nessa—with her baggy jeans and hair done up in tiny braids—would stick out like sore thumbs.

  Not that there were likely to be many people around.

  They’d been driving for what felt like forever since leaving the tiny town of Whistle River, and they hadn’t seen another car in all that time. “It seems a little secluded way out here,” Annie worked up the courage to say. “Does the dude ranch do much business?”

  Gary grinned across the seat. “We’re only five miles from town as the crow flies. And we don’t know about business yet because this is our first season. But don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll do just fine. Plenty of folks pay good money to stay in places like the Eagle’s Nest.”

  Her dark-haired, dark-eyed cousin had grown tall and muscular over the years. Hours in the sun had weathered his skin and a new mustache added to his rugged appearance. His movements were unhurried, his speech leisurely and tinged by a slight drawl. If Annie hadn’t known him as a child in Chicago, she’d have sworn he’d been born in a saddle.

  “I’m not worried,” she said, unsure whether she was trying to convince him or herself. “I’m just glad I can help, and grateful for the chance to get away from the city for a while. Your offer was perfectly timed.”

  Gary took his eyes off the road for a second. “Well, you can thank the family grapevine for that. If Aunt Shirley hadn’t told Mom about your situation, I never would’ve known.”

  Annie shook her head in wonder. “I know they’re sisters and they talk almost every day, but the speed at which they circulate information still surprises me.”

  “Which is why I’m selective about the information I share. If you think my mother knows all the details about my divorce, you’ve got a screw loose.” He grinned lazily and added, “You know they’re not being malicious.”

  “I know, I know. They’re being helpful. If I had a nickel for every time Mom’s told me why it’s necessary to broadcast someone’s misfortune, neither of us would need to work again.”

  Gary’s mustache twitched around another broad grin. “My mom’s excuse is the embarrassment you’d suffer if you ran into someone and said the wrong thing because you didn’t know they were having trouble.”

  Annie laughed. “It would be a tragedy for sure.”

  Gary’s gaze drifted toward the rearview mirror and the twinkle in his eye grew more pronounced. “Speaking of trouble—you doin’ okay back there?”

  “Oh, yeah.” Nessa’s voice drifted up between the seats. “Just great.”

  Annie sighed softly and hoped Nessa wouldn’t offend Gary with her attitude.

  Luckily, Gary seemed to find Nessa’s answer amusing. He shot a conspiratorial glance at Annie before addressing the rearview mirror again. “Look, I understand how you feel, but you really shouldn’t worry about your hair. I knew a lady who used to go to church like that, and nobody ever said a thing.” His expression grew almost serious as he turned to Annie. “You remember old Bessie Marshall, don’t you?”

  Annie glanced at the myriad of tiny braids Nessa had plaited the night before and smiled at the memory of the old woman who’d frequently come to Sunday service with her hair in pin curls. “Yes, but I haven’t thought of her in years.”

  Nessa ticked her tongue and shifted slightly in her seat. “You wish you could look as good as I do.”

  Gary hooted as they bounced over another series of ruts. “I might have an ugly mug,” he shot back, “but I do okay for myself.”

  “I’ll bet you do.” To Annie’s surprise, Nessa didn’t appear quite so bored when she leaned into the space between the two front seats. “So tell me what there is to do around here.”

  “I’m sure the ranch has lots of activities available,” Annie said, looking to Gary to agree.

  He pursed his lips, shook his head and steered around a hole in the road. “Nope. Nothing. Sorry.” He let a few seconds lapse then acted surprised to find they were both waiting for an explanation. “You don’t believe me?”

  Nessa shook her head. “Should I?”

  Pulling one hand from the wheel, Gary chucked Nessa under the chin. “Shucks, young lady, we’re just country folk clear out here. We don’t do anything but whittle and spit.”

  Nessa laughed and put her arms on the back of Annie’s seat. “What do you spit at?”

  Gary’s brows knit in mock confusion and his drawl deepened. “Well, now, isn’t that just like a city person, trying to complicate everything? Spitting at something would take too much energy.”

  Nessa put her chin next to Annie’s ear. “Okay, I get it. Sorry.”

  Gary nodded with satisfaction. “All right, then. Guess I’ll confess that Dean’s bringing in a string of horses for trail rides. He’s had Les and me working for months recutting some old hiking trails, and we’ll be putting up the net for volleyball and badminton tomorrow. And a tetherball pole. He’s planning ice-cream socials when the guests start coming. You name it, we’ll try to provide it. Dean’s even talking about putting in a swimming pool, but we won’t see that this year.”

  “It sounds nice,” Annie said, relaxing in her seat. “How did you get involved with the Eagle’s Nest, anyway?”

  Gary steered around a muddy patch of road. “It was a fluke, really. I met Dean a couple of years back. It was like meeting up with a long-lost brother or something—like we’d known each other all our lives.” He shook his head and grinned at the memory. “Then circumstances changed for both of us and he decided to open the Eagle’s Nest, so I decided to throw my lot in with his.”

  “So are you partners?”

  “Not technically. He offered, but I couldn’t see it. Between my divorce and helping my sister and her kids when her husband died, my nest egg was nothing but a memory. And I couldn’t see Dean giving me half of his place just because I’m so good-lookin’. Maybe in a few years, after I earn my keep awhile, things’ll be different.”

  He slowed and nodded toward a wooden sign on the side of the road. “Would you look at that? We’re here already.” He turned onto an even narrower road and began a steep uphill climb. “Don’t be too disappointed, Nessa. It’s not as bad as it seems.”

  At the top of the hill, the truck emerged from the forest into brilliant sunlight, showing off a wide green meadow dotted with white, blue, yellow and red flowers. A clear blue stream wound across the valley floor and circled behind a cluster of cabins next to a large log building. To the south, several buildings were scattered around the field, and mountains climbed into the sky on every side.

  When Gary drew to a stop, Annie slipped out of
the truck, arched her back to work out the kinks and took a deep breath of clear air scented with pine and sage. They might be standing in the middle of nowhere, but Annie had never seen scenery to equal what lay in front of her.

  “Oh, Gary,” she whispered as he came around the front of the truck. “This is beautiful.”

  “We think so.” He turned to Nessa and added in a stage whisper, “Outhouses are in back if you need ’em.”

  Annie gaped at him and prayed he was just teasing again. Even in a valley this lovely, she couldn’t spend three months with an outdoor toilet.

  Nessa’s wide eyes filled with a horror that matched Annie’s. “No way!” she said, whipping around to face Annie. “That’s it. We’re going home. I am not using an outhouse.”

  Gary kept a straight face for a few seconds before breaking into a belly laugh. “You ought to see your faces,” he said when he could talk again. “Don’t worry. We have modern plumbing for people who require that kind of luxury.”

  Annie managed a relieved smile.

  Nessa nudged Gary with her shoulder. “Luxury? You’re insane. You know that, don’t you?” She tugged her duffel bag from the truck bed and slung it over her shoulder. “Where do I go?”

  “Head on up to the lodge if you want.” Gary pushed the brim of his hat back and nodded toward the two-story log building that seemed to be the center of this universe. “Look around until you find Irma. She’s housekeeper, earth mother and undisputed queen of the castle. If you don’t believe me, just ask her. She’ll show you where to put your things, but don’t give her any guff. She’s tougher than a bear and twice as mean.”

  Nessa gave her eyes one more enthusiastic roll, then scuffed off toward the lodge. Annie took her place at the tailgate beside Gary and pulled her garment bag from the pile of luggage. “Thanks for being so great with Nessa. She’s been having a hard time adjusting to all the changes in our lives.”

  Gary unloaded two heavy bags and followed Nessa with his eyes. “I don’t suppose it’s easy for a kid to watch her parents split up.”

  “I’m sure it’s not. But it’s not like it’s easy being the parent y’know.”

  “Yeah, but you two at least have some say in what happens. She just has to go along for the ride.”

  “She doesn’t realize that I didn’t have any say either,” Annie said as Nessa disappeared through the lodge’s open door. “I’ve worked with Spence at Holladay House since his dad died and Spence took over the restaurant. I’ve practically killed myself making it into what Spence wanted. Now I have to start over and Spence is the one who’s been making all the decisions—starting with his affair, right on down to telling Nessa she can stay in Chicago with him.”

  “She’s not going to Seattle with you?”

  “She doesn’t want to leave her friends.” Annie stretched to reach her overnight case and set it on the ground at her feet. “I don’t like the idea of her staying in Chicago. In fact, I hate it. But she’s so upset about leaving all we did for weeks was argue. It was beginning to ruin our relationship. So I’m getting out of Chicago for my sanity, and she’s staying with Spence for hers. And I spend every day just trying to convince myself that it’ll be okay in the long run.”

  Gary’s brows knit in concern. “He’s a good father?”

  “Yes, for the most part. Sometimes he gets his priorities mixed up.” Annie forced a grin. “He’s a lousy husband, though, that’s for sure!”

  Gary chuckled and pulled the last two bags from the truck bed. “I’m sorry you’ve been through a rough time, but you’re here now. I have a feeling the Eagle’s Nest is going to be good for both of you.”

  Annie glanced toward the long front porch of the lodge where several pine rocking chairs interspersed with ferns and baskets of flowers seemed to beckon, promising comfort. “I sure hope you’re right.”

  “The first thing to remember,” Gary said with a wink, “is that I’m always right.” He loaded himself with bags and jerked his head toward the lodge. “Ready?”

  Annie trailed him across the patch of mown wild grass that took the place of a front lawn. He climbed the steps two at a time and stood on the broad veranda, waiting for her to catch up. With every step she took her nervousness grew stronger.

  She’d worked at Holladay House with Spence for a lifetime. She wasn’t used to new jobs, new situations and new people. But that was just one more reason why this summer was a good idea. It would help with her adjustment when she got to the culinary institute in September.

  Taking a deep breath for courage, she stepped through the double doors that had been propped open to catch the breeze and gazed at the huge room in wonder. Honey-colored wood gleamed from the floors, the walls and the ceilings. The scents of wood and polish filled the air. A huge braided rug lay in front of a massive stone fireplace, and another in front of a two-story window that took up one long wall and framed a breathtaking view of the meadow and mountains. Several groupings of chairs formed conversation pits centered around Native American art and western sculptures, and shelves filled with books covered an entire wall.

  Slowly, Annie lowered her bags to the floor and turned toward Gary. “I thought you said the Eagle’s Nest was rustic.”

  “It is.”

  She ran her fingers along the arm of a chair and shook her head. “It’s beautiful. I didn’t expect this.”

  “That’s exactly the reaction we’re hoping for.” Gary propped his hands on his hips and followed her gaze with a gleam of satisfaction in his eye. “If we can just get people here to see it once, I think the word will spread and we’ll do okay.”

  Annie agreed. “How are bookings for the summer?”

  “We have reservations staggered through all three months and some friends of Dean’s may come later in the fall, but we’re not full by any means. I’ve been trying to convince Dean to advertise more…you know, make the most of having a gourmet chef on staff. But he’s not interested. I think it would be a great gimmick since none of the other lodges around here serve world-class cuisine. But Dean doesn’t want to start out that way and change midstream.”

  Annie slanted a glance at him. “That makes sense from a business perspective. But if he doesn’t want gourmet, what does he expect of me?”

  Gary seemed ready to answer, but the sound of footsteps nearby changed his mind. Annie turned just as a man wearing jeans, boots and a chambray work shirt rounded the corner.

  He was probably around Annie’s age, but that was the only similarity between them. He looked as rough and rugged as Gary, with his sleeves rolled up to reveal deeply tanned arms, a cowboy hat capping sun-bleached hair, and his face and neck sporting the same deep tan as his arms.

  He drew to a stop and his dark gaze wandered across her face, her unkempt hair and travel-wrinkled clothes. He extended one hand reluctantly. “You must be Annie.”

  Annie felt surprisingly ill at ease under his scrutiny, but she slid her hand into his. “I am.”

  “Dean Sheffield.” He gripped her hand just long enough to shake once and then release. “Glad you made it.”

  So this was her new boss? Annie started to respond to his greeting, but he’d already turned away. She glanced at Gary uncertainly, but he merely scooped up a load of bags and headed toward a broad staircase on the far side of the cavernous room.

  Before Annie could decide whether to stay or follow, Dean pulled a notebook from a polished wood table and thrust it at her. “You might want to study this so you can see what I want you to make for each meal.”

  Stunned, she took the notebook and did as he suggested. When she found that he’d already come up with a spectacularly unimaginative weekly meal plan she glanced back at him in dismay. “You want me to make meat loaf and mashed potatoes every Monday?”

  “I do,” Dean said without glancing at her. “Most of our guests will be staying for a week or less. They won’t care what we serve after they’re gone.”

  Annie took another look at the menu plan. Spaghett
i on Thursday, roast beef every Saturday and fried chicken on Sundays. She closed the notebook slowly and tried to hide her disappointment. “I don’t mean to sound impertinent, Mr. Sheffield, but if this is what you want to serve, why did you offer me this job?”

  “The name’s Dean.” He took the meal plan from her and put it back on the table. “And I offered you this job because I was between a rock and a hard place. I thought Gary told you that.”

  Annie flushed. “He did, but—”

  “So, is there a problem?”

  The sharpness of his tone and the deep frown curving his mouth stunned Annie. If he didn’t show a different personality to his guests, he’d need more than wood polish and art objects to keep them coming back.

  She squared her shoulders, determined not to let him intimidate her. “There’s no problem,” she said firmly. “It’s just not what I was expecting. I’m not used to cooking family style.”

  Dean motioned her toward the staircase and fell into step beside her. “That’s what I’ve advertised, and we have guests arriving in a week. I don’t plan to change everything just because you’re here.”

  Annie’s step faltered and she glanced up the stairs, wishing Gary would come back. Dean claimed to need help, but he acted like a man who’d been coerced into something he didn’t want.

  “I understand why you don’t want to change,” she said, dragging her eyes away from the empty staircase. “I was expecting something slightly different, that’s all. But don’t worry, I’ll adjust.”

  “Well, that’s good.” Dean’s gaze traveled across her face, but when their eyes met, he turned away. “All I need is someone who can throw a few simple meals together. You don’t need to knock yourself out trying to impress people.” He nodded toward the stairs again. “Have you met Irma yet?”

  “Not yet.” Gary’s description of the woman made Annie wonder how many other unpleasant surprises she had in store. “I’d be happy to introduce myself. Do you know where I can find her?”

  “She’s probably upstairs getting your rooms ready.” Dean moved strangely and touched one shoulder gingerly. His mouth was pinched and tiny white lines formed around his lips. “I’m sure she’ll be happy to show you around and fill you in on the rest. If she can’t, Gary will.” He turned away, making it clear that he considered the conversation over.