“Okay...” Fred said slowly. He didn’t know why, but working with Erica seemed different than a single person. Erica was married, and somehow that mattered.
“What’s the big deal? All adults, here. She’s a professional and so are you.”
“You’re right. The ranch said they’d put her up and I’ll hire her as a consultant for the time she’s here. You sure you can let her go for a while?”
Jason laughed. “Sure. It’ll be good for her. She’s between cases right now and has been acting a bit antsy. Bit of a pistol. This’ll be good for her. Even if she doesn’t know it.”
They said their goodbyes, and Jason promised to email as soon as he’d talked to this Olivia person. They could make arrangements after that.
Jason had sounded confident that she’d want the assignment, so he decided to just rest easy, wait to hear from Jason and then they could move forward—and hopefully meet the Westons’ deadline.
Chapter 3
Olivia instinctively reached for the necklace she wore every single day and her fingers ran over the familiar outline of an airplane. She loved flying—anywhere, any time—and she’d jumped at the chance when Jason described the opportunity to go to Idaho. She’d never been west of the Rockies, and having grown up in the flattest part of Texas, and relocating to New York, she was anxious to see what it looked like.
She’d seen pictures of the big mountains out west, and couldn’t wait to see them in person. Jason had mentioned that she’d be gone for probably a few weeks, so at the last minute she’d grabbed her favorite blue cowboy boots. Maybe Idaho was a little like Texas and she’d get to ride a horse, or maybe square dance. Of course, it sounded like there was quite a bit of work to be done and maybe there wouldn’t be much time, but she could hope.
She’d called her sister, Opal, who still lived in Texas first thing.
“Guess where I’m going?” she asked
“On an airplane,” her sister answered. “You have that tone in your voice.”
“Very funny. But you’re right. An on-site consulting job in Idaho. In the mountains.”
They chatted for a while about the ranch—they’d looked it up online while they were talking and it looked beautiful, with log cabins, huge trees and spectacular mountains. She’d been working so hard for what seemed like years that she couldn’t remember the last time she saw a tree that wasn’t planted in the middle of a sidewalk, like they all seemed to be in New York.
“You sound way too excited. Guess you need a vacation. Will you be there for Halloween?”
Halloween was Olivia’s favorite holiday and always had been. She hadn’t realized, though, that it was coming up so quickly and had forgotten her vampire teeth and witch’s hat. Maybe they had something there she could use if she was still there at the end of October.
“Not sure. Just playing it by ear, but it seems like a pretty big project. Helping a banker with some of his clients, the owners of the ranch.”
“Great! Maybe you’ll meet a cowboy and want to stay,” Opal said with a laugh.
“Haha, you’re hilarious. Wouldn’t know what to do with a cowboy if I fell over one, and you know it. Besides, they’re the ‘love ‘em and leave ‘em type and you know I don’t do that.” Her sister knew she’d always had crushes on cowboys, but there weren’t many to be found now that she was in New York. And the one she’d dated—well, even though it hadn’t gone well, she still had a thing for the “idea” of a cowboy.
“Well, those gorgeous cowboy boots have got to be good for something, even if you’ve never even been on a horse.”
“Shh,” Olivia said. “Don’t give away my secrets.”
“Or worn the cowboy boots. I’ll never tell,” Opal said before they hung up and promised to talk soon.
She watched out the window of the plane as they descended and she leaned her head back as they taxied down the runway. Mountains surrounded the airport, and she reached for her carry-on in the overhead compartment as she considered her adventure.
Jason had said that she’d be looking for a man about his age—thirty or so—and that he’d likely be wearing a bow tie.
A bow tie?
Not exactly a cowboy, so she figured she was pretty safe.
As she stepped off the plane and followed the signs to baggage claim, she noticed how many of the people around her were not wearing bow ties at all. She was swimming in a sea of jeans, cowboy hats and boots and she smiled. She truly had landed in an alternate universe.
As she stood by baggage claim waiting for her suitcase, she took another look around. Across the carousel stood a rather tall man, with sandy blonde hair and a hint of curls straggling over his forehead. No cowboy hat but, a bow tie.
She glanced around once again and, sure enough, there were no other bow ties in the room. She signed and shrugged her backpack on, walking around to the other side of the carousel to tug at the stranger’s elbow.
He turned around and she looked up—pretty far up, for her, as he stood quite a bit taller than she did at five foot seven. He looked down at her, startled.
“Olivia?”
“Yes, Olivia Hamilton,” she said as she held out a hand and he gave it a strong shake. “You must be Fred.”
He smiled, and it lit up his face—bow tie and all.
“Yes, Fred Wharton.” He looked over toward the carousel. “Has your bag come through yet?”
She pointed at it and he covered the area between in two long strides, grabbed it and pulled the handle up, rolling it along behind him.
“Thanks for coming. You’re a lifesaver, and on such short notice, too.”
She reached up to her airplane necklace and smiled. “I’m always up for an adventure, and I’ve never been to Idaho. I’m excited to see it.”
He shook his head. “I’ll do what I can, but I’m afraid we’ve got a looming deadline, and the inside of an office is what you’re going to see mostly.”
She smiled. If she had a dollar for every late night she’d spent in the company of stacks of paper, she’d be a rich woman.
“To be honest, it’s something I love to do. Just point me in the right direction and we can get to work.”
He nodded at her answer and some of the tension seemed to drop from his shoulders.
She shrugged off her backpack when they got to the car and her eyebrows rose as he opened the car door for her, waiting for her to step in. Nobody had done that for her since she was back in Texas, and she wondered if cowboy-ness was just in the air here, even in the form of a bow-tied, handsome banker. She made a mental note to tell Opal next time they spoke.
“It’s not too long a ride, but by the time we get home, it’ll be too late to head to the ranch. Heck, the bank will even be closed. You hungry?”
She did tummy inventory and realized that she hadn’t eaten anything on the flight but the peanuts they gave out—good as they were.
“I am,” she said. “Is there a decent restaurant at the hotel?”
“Oh. Um, about that—I live in a big house that’s very close to the bank and has a spare room. Several spare rooms, actually. You can have your own suite.”
Olivia didn’t quite know what to say. She hadn’t intended on staying in a house with a total stranger and it felt kind of funny. Her mother—God rest her soul—would not have approved. Nor would her father, if she told him.
Fred must have noticed her hesitation as he looked over at her and frowned. “Oh, I’m sorry. It’s not—I mean, it’s not weird. I live with my mother.”
Olivia let out a laugh. She wasn’t sure which was weirder—that he’d asked her to stay with him or that he lived with his mother. He had to be at least thirty, a couple years older than she was, and she’d lived on her own for almost a decade. Figures he’d be one of those.
Didn’t matter, though. She was there to do a job, not to socialize. And as she looked out the window at the soaring mountains she’d seen just a while ago from the sky, she was pretty positive she could entertain h
erself if need be.
“Sure,” she said. “Whatever works best for you.”
“Great. We can stop by the house first. Mom loves to cook and I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s got something ready. She knows you’re coming.”
Good he wasn’t planning on surprising his mother with a house guest, she guessed. Even weirder, though, that she was going to cook for them. But again, oh, well.
“You probably can’t see real well, but that’s the bank. Bank of Riston. It’s been in my family for three generations,” he said as he pointed to a very old building with stone pillars on each side and gold letters painted on the window. It reminded her of any bank in every small town in the west, and she wondered if it had polished wood floors like most of them did. She loved being in those old banks—had worked in one in high school, in fact.
“You and your father run it?” she asked as she craned her neck to see better in the dimming light.
Fred cleared his throat. “No. My father passed away right after I got out of college. I’m the president now,” he said softly.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said as she pulled at a string on her backpack. “My mother passed away at about the same time.”
“I’m sorry for you, too, then,” he said as the sidewalks ended and they headed to the outskirts of town.
It was dark when they pulled up to a sprawling, brick ranch house.
“It got late fast. And dark,” she said as he opened her door and held out his hand for her.
“Yep, once the sun goes behind the mountains, it goes fast.”
He retrieved her suitcase and led her toward the front door, gesturing to the steps that she might not have seen in the dark.
Stepping through the door, he looked around, beckoned her to follow and closed the door.
“Mom?” he said as they walked into one of the biggest kitchens Olivia had ever seen. He picked up a note on the counter, read it and let it fall.
“She’s gone to bed. Said there’s lasagna and garlic bread in the warming drawer and a Ceaser salad in the fridge. Will that do?”
“Absolutely,” she said as she sat on one of the bar stools at the granite kitchen island. “Anything I can do to help?”
“Nope. I’m on it. Your room is right down that hall to the left. Make yourself at home and I’ll have this out in a second.”
She hopped off the barstool and rolled her suitcase into the room he’d pointed out. It was huge, and beautiful.
Maybe it was a strange arrangement, but she certainly would be staying in a lovely place.
She wandered back into the kitchen and enjoyed some of the best lasagna she’d ever had. Glancing at her watch, she realized it was past midnight in New York and once she knew she couldn’t not know that it was way past her bedtime. The yawns came fast and furious, and all she remembered from their conversation was that they were doing a general asset/liability audit and they’d be starting first thing in the morning.
“I’m so sorry. I suddenly got so tired,” she said as they cleared the last of the dishes. “Thank you for picking me up, and dinner was delicious. I can’t wait to thank your mom.”
“You’ll have plenty of opportunity. She works at the bank, too. She’s the Vice President.”
Olivia cocked her head at this piece of information, and she was too tired to digest anything more.
“Oh, good. I’ll thank her tomorrow, then. I think I’m going to fall asleep in the next ten seconds.”
He laughed—not for the first time during their conversation—and it made her smile.
“Okay. Sweet dreams. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Through the fog of exhaustion, she meandered down the hall. Sweet dreams? Do guys say sweet dreams? Well, it was sort of sweet. At least she’d landed in a place with nice people instead of axe murderers. You just never knew when you were on assignment.
She kicked off her shoes, took out her ponytail and fell straight into bed, clothes and all, hoping she’d be ready for the hard work that tomorrow would bring.
Chapter 4
The fact that she was no longer on Eastern time had Olivia up before the sun—but gave her an incredible opportunity to see the most incredible sunrise of her life. It had been dark when she’d arrived at the Wharton home, and although she’d been able to see it was made of brick and a bit on the outskirts of the town, she hadn’t been able to discern much more.
She rushed through her shower and put on some sweats and a t-shirt before rummaging as quietly as she could to find the coffee maker. She’d started a pot and poured a cup, and headed out to where the sun was beginning to stream in a huge, plate glass window.
Now, as the sun kissed the tops of the mountains surrounding the town and threatened to spill over, the shadows and nuances of the valley became more clear.
She hugged the mug of coffee before she’d grabbed a sweater and braved the chill on the deck. She watched in awe as the night turned into day and thought it was nothing like she’d seen in New York. Ever.
She took in a deep breath of the crisp fall air and stood, stretching as she turned to go back into the house. She stopped still as she spied Fred—his bowtie firmly in place, although it was a nice-looking one, really. Brown, with a blue button-down shirt and khaki pants. Not exactly a banker’s suit, and she smiled.
“Morning. I see you found the coffee,” he said with a smile that accentuated his dimples. His hair was still a little wet from a shower, she assumed, and his sand-colored curls fell over his forehead.
“I did. Hope you don’t mind,” she said as she took the last sip. “Can I get you some?”
“Oh, no, thanks. I thought we’d head out to the ranch and get started. We can have breakfast at the cafe, if that’s all right with you? They have the best specials in all of Idaho.”
“Perfect,” she said as she padded back into the house. “I’ll just be a second.”
“I’ll meet you in the car. Warm it up for you,” he said as he followed her into the house.
“Is your mom up yet?” she said as she headed toward her room. “I’d like to thank her.”
Fred laughed as he looked toward the empty kitchen. “No. I mean, yes. She’s up and gone.”
“Gone?” Olivia asked, her eyebrows rising. “It’s so early.”
Fred shook his head and pointed to the shelf of trophies on the mantle. “She plays tennis three times a week. Outdoors in the summer, indoors in the winter. She’s a champion.”
“Wow,” Olivia said as she passed by the trophies. “That’s impressive.”
“She’s an interesting person, all right,” Fred said as he grinned. “I’ll see you in a minute.”
He tugged on a jacket and grabbed the newspaper that was on the front stoop as he headed out the door, and Olivia quickly smoothed her hair into a ponytail, dabbed on some makeup and pawed through her suitcase. She’d hung some things up the night before, but Fred wasn’t dressed very formally and she didn’t feel like she needed to be. She was in the mountains, for goodness sake. No reason to wear heels and hose like she sometimes was required to in New York. What a relief.
She tugged on a nice pair of jeans and a soft sweater, grabbed her favorite flower-print scarf and a jacket and she was out the door behind him.
She could still see her breath as she climbed into the toasty, warm car. The leather seats were heated as well, and Fred smiled and set down the Wall Street Journal that he’d been reading—her favorite newspaper since she’d been a kid. Nothing like it for numbers, numbers and more numbers.
The streets of Riston were lined with quaint houses—some very old, like Fred’s, and some newer—each decorated for the coming Halloween holiday. Carved pumpkins, scarecrows, spider webs and witch hats dotted the neat neighborhoods and on the ride to the ranch, Olivia remembered what fun she’d had with Opal decorating, baking and downright scaring their parents in any way they could think of.
Before she knew it, the tires were crunching on gravel roads as Fred pulled off the main h
ighway. The trees—she’d never seen trees so tall. Some were evergreen and soared up toward the sky as far as she could see, and others—maples, maybe?—had leaves of red, yellow and still a little green.
“I thought today we’d gather some information we’ll need for the audit from the ranch offices after breakfast. We can set you up there if need be. Dani has room for you as their CPA is out of town for a couple of weeks.”
She hadn’t known him long, but she thought maybe he stumbled over that name a bit. His voice sounded a little funny. “Dani?”
“Yes. She’s one of the Westons six kids. Well, seven including Jess, the cousin raised with them. Same as a sibling.”
“All right. So the Westons had six kids—seven—and they created the ranch?”
“Yes,” Fred said as the car meandered down a hill. He pulled off the road for a moment and pointed down into a valley. “Just so you can get your bearings, that’s River’s End Ranch.”
“Wow. It’s big. Almost like a town,” she said as she stepped out of the car and looked over the sprawling valley. It seemed like there were lots of buildings and what looked like an Old West town in the center.
Fred stepped up behind her. “I guess you’re right. It is like a town these days. They’ve all worked really hard to make it the best guest ranch in all of Idaho.”
“I can’t wait to see it,” she said brightly as she turned and almost ran into him. She took a step back and smiled. “And we’re doing an audit. You need me because Dani’s CPA is gone?”
“Well, yes, pretty much. We have a Halloween deadline, and we need to go over decades of property and history. I can’t do it alone. I sure appreciate you being here to help.”
She shrugged and wiggled her eyebrows. “Are you kidding? I get to go through data, numbers, make pivot tables and come out here to a guest ranch that’s gorgeous? It’s like a dream come true,” she said with a laugh.
Fred shook his head. “Jason said you were a numbers nerd and I guess he wasn’t lying.”
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