Page 52 of Snowed In With the Maverick
“I like it,” he said, brushing a stand of hair away from her face. “A little off topic, but—”
“The day you came here,” Andrea said. “When I found that farrier tool in the wall. You said it was used to make horseshoes.”
“That’s right,” Seth said. “I did. But I thought you didn’t believe in luck.”
“I think I’ve changed my mind. Turns out that might have been the luckiest day of my life.”
Seth grinned. “I think it’s perfect.” He drew her toward him, and met her lips in a deep, passionate and utterly consuming kiss.
When the sound of applause cut through the slight opening of the front door, Andrea pulled back, and watched as Seth’s expression changed, and he started to laugh. “Looks like we have an audience.”
Her lunch guests. She’d totally forgotten. They were watching from the dining room table like Andrea and Seth’s reconciliation was their own personal theatrical performance.
Andrea laughed. “Sounds like they approve.”
Seth reached out and took her hand and offered a quick wave to the guests. “Shall we go inside?”
Andrea’s heart swelled at the perfection of the incredible man next to her. She smiled softly, but her words were full of certainty. “I’ll go anywhere with you.”
Epilogue
February
“If you’ve got a moment to sign the guest book, we’d appreciate it,” Andrea said, smiling at the young couple who’d just paid for their one-night stay, a brief stop on their way from Bozeman to visit the woman’s parents in Stanley, North Dakota, before she was too far along in her pregnancy to make the trip.
“Of course.” The woman smiled, rubbing her stomach and grabbing the pen from beside the book. “We’ll be back for sure. This is right at the halfway point for us. And something tells me that next time we make the trip, this baby girl won’t be up for making the full nine-hour journey to see her grandparents. I mean—if you allow children.”
“Of course,” said Andrea. “I hope we see you again.”
“For sure,” said the man, picking up his carry-on luggage in one hand, and his wife’s bag in the other. “Thanks for the hospitality. If anything, we’ll be back for another plate of those warm pretzel bites.”
“I’m glad you liked them,” Andrea said.
She waited until the couple disappeared through the entrance to read what the woman had written in the book.
We loved our stay in your heavenly ranch,the woman’s scrawling cursive wrote.The last bit of peace and quiet for us for a while!
Andrea smiled to herself. Her first guests.
She’d opened the booking page on her website only a week earlier and had taken out some ads on social media and in the surrounding local newspapers, but she hadn’t expected to get a booking so quickly, especially in the dead of winter.
But only a day later, the automatic email notifying her of the one-night reservation for a king room had appeared in her inbox, and Andrea experienced the thrill of anticipation, ready to host her first guests.
And what a perfect couple to start with. Gracious, low-maintenance, just looking for a comfortable place to lay their heads.
The last few months of completing the remainder of the renovations and then decorating all the guest rooms and shared spaces had been busy but gratifying. And Seth had been right at her side, pitching in whenever he could between working at the ranch and with the town council on exploratory work for the dino park.
When Andrea needed a break, they drove into Bronco for a date night, or into town for a drink at the Tenacity Social Club or Castillo’s.
She couldn’t have been happier with how their relationship had progressed. Seth was committed, attentive and reliable, but gave her enough space that she still felt independent and self-sufficient.
And even though they’d been dating for over four months, she still experienced the same rush every time Seth’s vehicle pulled up the long driveway from Five Point Road, which he was doing in this very moment.
Setting the guest book aside, Andrea moved to stand in the doorway, unable to stop the smile crossing her lips.
“I didn’t think you’d be dropping by today,” she called as he stepped out of his SUV.
With a grocery bag in hand, Seth bounded up the steps, his grin as wide as ever. Without hesitation, he swept her into his arms and lifted her up like he always did, like he hadn’t seen her in months and couldn’t hold her close enough. He kissed her deeply, the warmth of it stealing her breath.
