Aunt Mo frowned. “Oh, honey. He’s not one bit surprised. Why do you think he groused so? He’s scared of everything changing.”
“I didn’t have a choice. Things had to change, and he places the blame squarely in my lap.”
Aunt Mo pulled her into a hug. “He’ll come around. You’ll see.”
When Charlie Grace had finished helping Aunt Mo in the kitchen, she took the clean bedding and changed beds. A couple was arriving later this afternoon. Another family was coming in this evening. And several more guests were scheduled to be here in the morning.
She had no more than finished up the cabins when a Jeep wound its way up the lane and parked. Out climbed a middle-aged couple.
Charlie Grace brushed the hair from her cheek and headed in their direction.
“Welcome to Teton Trails,” she said, greeting her new guests with a wave. “Hope you didn’t have trouble finding us.”
The man looked to be in his fifties. He was tall, had short-cropped brown hair, and wore jeans and a button-down in a nice shade of blue. “No trouble at all. The map on your website was very helpful.” He moved to the passenger side and helped his wife from the vehicle. She was a pretty woman with mid-neck length hair the color of a Hershey chocolate bar. Her eyes were warm and friendly when she smiled.
“We are so happy to have you with us. I’m Charlie Grace, the main proprietor.”
He shook her extended hand. “Tom Strobbe. And this is my wife, Ava Strobbe.”
The woman laughed. “That still sounds so strange. I’ve been a Briscoe for nearly my entire life,” she confided. “Tom and I just got married in Hawaii.”
“Oh, congratulations!” Charlie Grace’s face drew into a puzzled look. “And you left Hawaii for your honeymoon? Sorry, but that feels a little backwards to someone like me.”
“We live there…on Maui, actually,” Tom explained. “We thought we’d honeymoon stateside, in the mountains. We’ve just spent a week in a cabin near Glacier National Park. We’ll stay a week here and explore Yellowstone and Teton National Parks, and then our plan is to head south to Ouray, Colorado.”
“Tom talked me into going on a two-day backcountry Jeep excursion while we’re in Ouray. Way out of my comfort zone.” She smiled up at him with the adoration of a newlywed.
Charlie Grace learned that Tom and Ava lived and ran a pineapple plantation in Maui called Pali Maui. Ava had four children and three grandchildren. “This is my second marriage,” she explained.
Tom threaded his fingers with hers. “Mine as well. We look forward to spending the rest of our lives together.”
Ava quickly agreed. “Yes, it’s never too late in life to be happy.”
Charlie Grace swallowed, silently hoping the sentiment was true. They were so lucky to have found each other.
“What about you? Are you married?” Tom asked as she showed them to their cabin.
“I was.”
Ava climbed a couple of steps onto the porch leading to the front door where they’d be staying over the next few days. “Ah, well…I hope you are as lucky as Tom and me and find someone special.”
Unbidden, an image of Nick Thatcher waiting at the end of the aisle formed in her mind. The idea startled her. She shook the thought from her mind, mentally chastising herself for such a ridiculous—and unwelcome—notion.
She quickly diverted her attention back to her guests. “Here, let me help you get settled.”
She aided Tom and Ava with their luggage before giving the newlyweds a brief tour, guiding them over to the main lodge, to the stables, and to the area where they hosted the campfire dinners. “You won’t find more authentic Western cooking than what Ford Keaton serves up,” she told them. “His fried spuds and onions will have you begging for seconds.”
Ava grinned and linked arms with her new husband. “I get that. There’s nothing like local cuisine. Back home, my best friend, Alani, delights luau guests with kalua pork that can bring tears to a grown man’s eyes.”
“So, the website says this is a working ranch?” Tom asked.
Charlie Grace nodded and told them the history of the ranch, how her ancestors had homesteaded the acreage so many years back. “We’re delighted to have an opportunity to share this land with people who will love it as we do.”
“Everything here at Teton Trails is absolutely wonderful and exactly what we hoped for,” Ava told her.
Charlie Grace’s phone buzzed in her pocket. She excused herself and stepped away to take the call. It was Jason.
“I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” he said when she answered.
