The scenery on the short drive to the hotel was breathtaking. Trees, rugged mountains and blue sky added up to a spectacularly beautiful day. They passed ski slopes but it was early November and there wasn’t enough snow yet for them to open. Before long the resort buildings came into view and the car stopped in front. The hotel tower was tall, all wood and beams with a peaked roof that looked chalet-like and just right for this environment.
Merry had never been anywhere like this. Not ever. She was speechless, but Wren did enough chattering for both of them. Following behind the Crawford clan she was able to observe Hunter with his daughter. The trusting way the little girl slipped her small hand into his bigger one. He teased her before effortlessly lifting her onto his broad shoulders as they walked into the spectacular lobby with its wood floors and huge fireplace, where logs cheerfully burned and crackled.
Apparently having money also made check-in a breeze because room keys were waiting and bags had indeed been delivered to the suites. Max instructed everyone to go have fun and they would meet later in the afternoon for the wedding rehearsal followed by dinner. Hunter had already assured Merry she would have her own room, but she wasn’t clear on how that would logistically work with a suite. After an elevator ride to the top floor, he unlocked the door and they walked in.
There was a beautifully decorated living room that separated the master and auxiliary bedrooms from the one on the opposite side of the suite. She would have her privacy and still be available to Wren if needed. And, as Hunter had promised, her suitcase was there on the bench at the end of the king bed. Her borrowed dress was hanging in the closet. Quite possibly this hotel suite was bigger than her entire house back in Rust Creek Falls.
Wren ran into Merry’s room and grabbed her hand. “Come and see where I’m going to sleep.”
Merry let herself be tugged into the room. The puffy mattress was high and the white bedding looked pristine. “This is beautiful. Fit for a princess.”
“Come and see Daddy’s room. It’s way bigger.”
That seemed too intimate, too much an invasion of his privacy. Too tempting to think about him and what he wore, or didn’t wear, to bed. And her heart was beating just a little too fast, a sure sign doing this would be a bad idea.
“Why don’t we unpack your suitcase? And I want to see your dress. It’s probably hanging in the closet.” Merry saw Hunter in the doorway and wondered what he was thinking with that brooding look on his face.
Wren folded her arms over her thin chest. “You can’t see my dress until the wedding. Like the bride.”
Merry laughed. “Fair enough. But we should still get your things unpacked. Make sure you have your shoes, tights and everything you need. There are good surprises and bad ones.”
The child thought that over then nodded. “Okay.”
They made short work of unpacking the small princess suitcase. Once the wedding day accessories were present and accounted for, the little girl started jumping on the bed.
“Wren, stop. You’ll fall and hurt yourself,” Hunter said sharply.
Merry knew this was pent-up energy and excitement, not bad behavior. It just needed to be channeled in a more positive way. She believed her job wasn’t just about babysitting when Hunter wasn’t around, but to help out whenever she could. This was one of those times.
“I have an idea,” she said.
The child stopped jumping. “What?”
“We should go exploring.”
“For what?” the little girl asked.
“Adventures. There are beautiful grounds here at the hotel. Just look out the window.”
Wren plopped her bottom on the bed then slid off and raced over to the window. “I see a lake with water coming up out of the middle. And a sidewalk. And maybe a play area. Daddy, come and look. We should go.”
“Sounds like a good start for an adventure. I’ll take you,” Merry said.
“No. I want Daddy to come, too.”
“Maybe your dad wants to rest. After all, he was up pretty early this morning.”
The little girl looked up at him. “Do you want to take a nap instead of exploring with me and Miss Merry?”
“Absolutely not.” Although he didn’t look quite that certain. “I wouldn’t miss it.”
“Yay!” Wren clapped her hands and headed for the door. “Let’s go.”
“Put on your jacket,” Merry and Hunter said at the same time.
All of them grabbed coats and left the suite. After taking the elevator to the first floor they found the exit leading to the rear of the property and a path lined with shrubs. In her pink quilted jacket Wren took off running as her ponytail swung from side to side.
“Stay where I can see you,” Hunter shouted.
“I will,” she called back.
Merry walked beside her employer as they moved more slowly down the path. To fill a silence that bordered on awkward she asked, “How do you like Montana? And why did your family leave Texas?”
She glanced up at him and saw his mouth pull tight as a muscle in his cheek tensed. The question had stirred up something not good and she began to wonder if he was going to answer at all.
Finally he said, “When my dad gets an idea into his head it’s pretty hard to change his mind.”
“Did you want to?”
“I like ranch work, taking care of the animals. I don’t much care what state I do it in. As long as my daughter is happy, I’m good.” He looked down. “Thanks to you, her school transition was smooth.”
“I’m glad I could help. I know how it feels to be the new kid in the class.” As they walked, Merry was keeping that pink jacket in sight and she figured Hunter was, too.
“You made the difference. Please tell me you’re not leaving town.”
“Why would you think I was?”
“I noticed the for sale sign in front of your house.”
“Oh. No. I’m not leaving Rust Creek Falls,” she said.
“Then why sell?”
Because she couldn’t afford the monthly payments and that was humiliating to admit. Merry had faced a lot of speed bumps on the road to establishing her career, which meant that her bank account had suffered, too. She was torn about telling him the truth, then decided keeping it to herself might have him thinking it was something worse.
“My mother died when I was about Wren’s age. My brother is ten years older than me and he joined the military.” She was the one dealing with memories now and they were sad. It had been a lonely time for her. There’d been no motherly hugs after school, no homemade cookies with a glass of cold milk. Her father had withdrawn into his own grief and she’d felt all alone. “Dad didn’t quite know what to do with me so he took me to work with him a lot.”
“What kind of work?”
“Electrician. Ed Matthews knew his way around wires and light switches. Not so much about what to do with a motherless little girl.”
“I can relate to that.”
“And we moved around a lot, going where the work was. Following the jobs. Changing schools all the time.”
“That’s why you knew how Wren felt, why you looked out for her when she was new to the school.”
“Yes.” She smiled up at him, then zeroed in on the pink jacket again. For some reason she wanted him to know she was working on her life even