Assured that Rhoda was on her way with the towels, and that Serena had convinced her mother that they should take the boy home immediately, Kinley hurried Dan away before they could be detained again. She was not at all happy with the way the day had progressed thus far. She would feel much better once she had regained control and gotten back onto her carefully planned schedule.
“So, we have a meeting?” Dan asked as soon as they were inside the inn again.
She wrinkled her nose in response to his tongue-in-cheek tone. “It was the first excuse that came to me. I didn’t think you’d really want to spend the next hour or more hearing about Serena’s wedding plans.”
He chuckled, a rich, deep sound that made her tummy do a funny little tap dance. “I’m pretty good at getting myself out of things I don’t want to do. I’d have found an excuse for Mrs. Sossaman. But thanks for the rescue, anyway.”
She glanced past him when a foursome came noisily down the stairs. She greeted them with a smile. “Here you are. I’m ready for our meeting. Dan Phelan, this is Stephanie Engel, her fiancé, Richard Molaro, and Stephanie’s mother and sister, Faye Engel and Jennifer Vines. Stephanie and Richard are considering having their wedding here at Bride Mountain Inn.”
“It is a beautiful setting for a wedding,” he said with a flash of charming smile, earning himself a few more bonus points in Kinley’s esteem.
“We agree,” Richard said with a besotted glance toward his fiancée. “We’re ready to book the date and discuss options.”
Pleased, Kinley motioned toward a doorway behind them. “Let’s go into the office and get started, shall we? Dan—”
“I’ll catch up with you later,” he said, taking a step backward. “I have some notes to write. I’ll leave you to plan what will surely be a beautiful wedding for a beautiful bride.”
His easy tone and charming wink made the young bride-to-be giggle rather than groan at the blatant flattery. Her cheeks were glowing when she hurried through the office door Kinley had just opened for them. Kinley waited to follow them in, speaking to Dan. “Do you have plans for lunch?”
“No, I don’t.”
“If you like, we can meet here in the foyer at noon and I’ll take you to Bride Mountain Café for a meal and to answer more of your questions. My treat.” That would allow her an hour for the meeting, which she was sure would be sufficient. She considered her friend Liza Miller’s café another enticing reason to stay at the inn. Less than half a mile away, it was close enough to walk, if the guests desired, and provided food that always left them raving. Having Dan mention the café favorably in his article could only benefit both businesses.
He nodded agreeably. “See you at noon.”
With that, he turned and ran lightly up the stairs toward his room. Suddenly realizing that she was watching his tight backside, she blinked rapidly and turned toward the office. Time to get back to work, which meant putting all thoughts of sexy travel writers out of her mind for the next hour or so—though she couldn’t help looking forward to that lunch with an anticipation that didn’t feel at all professional.
* * *
The Engel-Molaro party checked out of the inn immediately following the very productive meeting. Kinley and Bonnie ushered them out the side door, repeating assurances that they would not regret booking their wedding here at Bride Mountain Inn. The sisters shared big, satisfied smiles when the door had closed behind their departing guests.
“That’s going to be a great gig,” Kinley predicted smugly. “Stephanie seems unlikely to turn into a bridezilla, Richard had some excellent suggestions and Stephanie’s mom and sister appear content to leave the arrangements to the bridal couple. Not to mention that they’re considering purchasing the full wedding package from us.”
They exchanged a quick, jubilant high five. A few more bookings like that, Kinley thought, and they could order the supplies for the Meditation Garden. Another good year after this one and they’d start thinking seriously about expansion plans—a couple of honeymoon cottages, perhaps. Knowing how driven she could be, her sister and brother expressed apprehension every time she started talking about those possible future developments, but that didn’t stop her from dreaming big.
“Am I interrupting a celebration?” Dan asked from the stairs.
Bonnie giggled, but Kinley transitioned smoothly into business mode. “Dan and I are going to the café for lunch. Do you want to join us, Bonnie?”
“Thanks, but I have things to do here. If you need anything or have any questions for me later, Dan, I’ll be around.”
“Thank you. My room is very comfortable, by the way. You’ve done a great job decorating.”
Bonnie’s face turned pink with pleasure. The way to her sister’s heart was definitely through compliments to the inn, Kinley thought with a slight frown. It didn’t hurt, of course, that the nice words came from a totally sexy guy.
She cleared her throat and motioned toward the side door. “We’ll have to go out this way. Bonnie, I have my phone if you need me.”
“I’ll take care of things here. You just go enjoy your lunch with Dan.”
Something in Bonnie’s tone made Kinley eye her suspiciously, but her sister merely gave her a blandly innocent smile in return. With a slight shake of her head, Kinley led their guest outside, determined to remain in control of this somewhat hectic day.
The chill of the spring morning had been replaced by a pleasant warmth fanned by a slight breeze that tossed Kinley’s hair around her face the moment she stepped out onto the side porch. She reached up to tuck a strand behind her ear, then pushed the sleeves of her light cardigan above her elbows. As always, she wore stylish but comfortable shoes, so the half-mile distance to the café wasn’t a concern when she asked, “Shall we walk or drive? Or we keep a half dozen loaner bicycles available for guests if you prefer to bike.”
“Whichever you prefer,” Dan replied gallantly.
“Let’s walk, then. It’s such a pretty day.” And she could use the exercise to clear her mind, she thought. For some reason, she had a little trouble thinking clearly when he looked at her with those strikingly blue eyes.
Chapter Three
As he and Kinley walked past the front of the inn on the way to lunch, Dan saw that some progress had been made in the repairs to the portico even during the relatively short time since he had arrived. The truck had been moved and the sagging portico had been jacked up to level again. A weathered-looking man who appeared to be in his late forties or early fifties, wearing faded, hard-used jeans and a stained gray T-shirt that displayed strong arms and a beer belly, balanced on a ladder, carefully reattaching dislodged gingerbread trim. A younger, thinner man in a Virginia Tech T-shirt and baggy shorts waited at the base of the ladder with a toolbox. Logan Carmichael stood nearby, talking on his phone.
Logan completed the call as Kinley and Dan passed, shoving his phone into a belt holster and speaking gruffly to his sister. “The new post is on the way. Hank had a spare available, as I thought. Everything will be back in place in time for the wedding rehearsal tomorrow evening.”
“That’s great news,” his sister said with relief. She motioned toward Dan. “We’re going for lunch. Want to join us?”
Dan wasn’t surprised when Logan shook his head. “I’m going to finish up here with Curtis and Zach.”
Kinley nodded as though she, too, had expected that reply. “Okay, see you later.”
Logan had already turned away to get back to work. Shaking her head slightly in an apparent response to her brother’s brusqueness, Kinley fell into step beside Dan on the driveway toward the road. There was no sidewalk to the café, but the paved road was wide enough for pedestrian