Five? Wow. Did everyone up here have a big family? She wanted to ask but didn’t want toberude.
As they approached the bed and breakfast, she smiled. “This is great. How many guests canithold?”
“Twentycouples.”
Oh crap. Twenty? How on earth was she going to cook for forty people when she hadn’t turned on a stove in years? “Are you full during thewinter?”
“We sell out every year. This year, we sold out within a week of putting up the availability. I think people know that they need to book early because we’re only open for a limited time. We start two weeks before Christmas and close the week after New Year’s. It doesn’t open again until spring, so people are quick to bookspace.”
A rush of dread pooled in her belly. What had she been thinking? On the application, she’d lied. She’d said she was capable of running a bed and breakfast with up to thirty guest rooms. Crap, even if she got the job, there was no way they wouldn’t bust her the first week. This entire trip had been amistake.
Hank unlocked the door and swung it open. “Afteryou.”
When she walked into the entryway, her breath caught in her chest. A huge stone fireplace rose up one wall. Brown leather sofas and overstuffed chairs formed a semicircle around it. Oil paintings depicting scenes from Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons decorated thewalls.
She walked across the wood floor to the enormous living room. One corner boasted floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. A section of the ceiling was two stories high. She spotted a rolling ladder and couldn’t wait to explore the books. If she did somehow manage to get the job and keep it, she’d have plenty of reading material. Hopefully there were a few cookbooks mixed in with the otherbooks.
“Wow, this isamazing.”
“Our mom used to collect books about Yellowstone and the surrounding area. After she died, we moved all of her books into the library. In a way, it’s like she’s still here with us. She always loved reading. Don’t worry though, we also have plenty of spy novels and thrillers to keep you entertained when you have somedowntime.”
She followed him through the living room into a large dining room. A long table flanked by rows of chairs gave her a visual reminder of how screwed she was. She’d have to make enough food for every person at the table and she had no idea where tostart.
As they entered the kitchen, she sucked in a breath. Instead of the usual four or five-burner stove, a huge fifteen-burner stove lined one wall. Giant pots and pans hung on a copper rack overhead. Three refrigerators and two stand-alone freezers flankedanotherwall.
“You’ll be cooking for around forty to fifty people, but you’ll have plenty of spacetowork.”
“Fifty? I thought there were only forty guests.” Not that it mattered. She could hardly cook an egg let alone awholemeal.
“That’s right, but there’s also six brothers plus you. And, my brother Brady has a fiancée and a son. His fiancée’s mother comes to eat with us most nights too. So that puts us atfifty.”
Her knees wobbled. “Soundsgreat.”
“You can wait in the living room if you want. Mack should beheresoon.”
“Okay.”
As soon as he left, she plopped down onto a sofa in front of the empty fireplace. What on earth was she going to do now? She stared around the room. The bed and breakfast was beyond beautiful, but also had a feeling of warmth and hominess. When she’d looked around for honeymoon places, she’d seen several bed and breakfasts, but nothinglikethis.
The front door opened. A blast of icy air swirled into the house. She stood and turned to face her potential future employer. Her eyes went wide and she almost fainted. It was him. The guy from lastnight.
“What are you doing here?” sheblurted.
“I live here. What areyoudoinghere?”
“You’reMack?”
He narrowed hiseyes. “Yeah.”
“You said your name was Justin lastnight.”
“You said your name was Candy. I figured I didn’t have to give you my real name since you obviously didn’t give meyours.”
She flushed. “I thought… I thought I’d never see you again, so I didn’t see the point in telling you myrealname.”
“I had the samethought.”
“So…”
