His Honour, Her Family. Tara Randel

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СКАЧАТЬ this case, Golden jobs and rentals.”

      “Hmm. A very cerebral approach to things.”

      “Guilty as charged.” He took another bracing gulp of his coffee. “So, care to fill me in on the inner workings of the vacation business?”

      “For your research?”

      “If you want me to do a good job.”

      She lifted the hinged section of the counter and waved him into the office area. “I made some notes,” she said as he passed by.

      There was that cherry scent again. It seemed to have taken hold of his senses. Shaking off the notion that Grace was the one to conjure some sort of sorcery, he took a seat beside the desk and waited for her to get started.

      She set her can aside and with nimble fingers took a printed paper from the top of the desk. “I pulled together a schedule. Memorial Day weekend is usually swamped with guests at the cabins, but most families do their own thing. I have two hikes scheduled for Saturday, a canoeing session on Sunday and a group zip-lining on Monday.” She pulled a map from the folder, circling an area in red. “The hikes will be relatively easy. They’re both at the same park, Crystalline Falls. It’s a gradually inclining path from the footbridge up to the falls. Beautiful scenery. About a mile up and back.”

      “I passed the entrance to the park when I was driving around town the other day. I’ll head out there later and check it out.”

      “Since it’s Thursday, you have time to familiarize yourself with the terrain.”

      “Got it. Sunday’s excursion?”

      “Canoeing on Golden Lake. It’s a bit tricky. Boaters will be out in full force because of the long holiday weekend, but most of the locals know to watch out for tourists. The canoes are stored at our warehouse just south of town. I’ll take you over there so you can see the inventory.”

      “The canoes aren’t in the water?”

      “Not yet. Uncle Roy will tow them over when he gets back to town. There’s a ramp and dock about a hundred feet to the north of our cabins, along with parking. We usually launch from there.”

      “I’ll have a look later today.” He read the next activity on the list and looked up. “I have to admit, I’ve never been zip-lining before.”

      “Don’t worry too much. All you do is escort the group to Deep North Adventures. We have an agreement worked out with them, along with the company that offers river tubing packages and another offering horseback riding, to book our guests at a discount. They have trained staff to safely handle their equipment during the entire experience.”

      “I see. So your guides don’t actually participate in all the activities?”

      “You can if you want to, but it’s not mandatory for the outsourced trips. A few years ago I realized it was easier to team up with other outdoor adventure companies in the area than try to do it all ourselves. It’s really helped to pick up business for everyone involved.”

      “Smart.”

      “I thought so.”

      He grinned. Pretty and confident. A dangerous combination, if his lingering interest in her was any indication.

      “You know, it just occurred to me,” he said. “Put Your Feet Up is a misnomer. If anything, your tours keep people on the go, not relaxing.”

      She laughed. “True. The cabin you’re staying in? My grandparents developed the land and built the cabins in the eighties. Uncle Roy took over and when my folks got married, my dad offered to assist by opening a booking office. Soon they expanded the business by offering local activities and the company grew from there.”

      “You mentioned your mother, but is your dad still involved?”

      She hesitated, her eyes taking on a hooded look. Clearly he’d stumbled into something here.

      “No. My father left for parts unknown years ago. That’s why my mom runs the business.”

      “And you?”

      “I help, as you can see. Mostly I worked here when I was growing up, then part-time while I was in college.”

      “But you came up with the business model?”

      She blinked, surprised he mentioned it. “Yes. It wasn’t really difficult to figure out ways to outsource some of the tours and still make a profit. For the most part people want someone else to arrange a tour, not make all the calls to different venues or worry about the costs or times. I do all that for a set fee.”

      “You?”

      “I mean Mama.”

      At the heat in her voice, he backed off.

      “What else should I know?”

      Grace spent the next hour explaining the tour options and his responsibilities, answering questions and effortlessly fielding phone calls. She engaged with those on the other end of the line, laughing or reminiscing with prior clients. By the end of the conversation, he had to wonder why Golden didn’t appeal to her anymore. She ran the office seamlessly.

      After her last call, when she’d mentioned someone named Nathan again, he had to ask. “So, Nathan? Is he the reason you need a new guide?”

      “Yes. And full disclosure, he’s my brother. Unfortunately he took off a few weeks ago and my mother has only heard from him once. I have no idea when he’ll be back.”

      “Noted. Anyone else in the family working here I should know about?”

      “I have a sister, but she’s not involved.” She closed the thick folder and handed it to him. “I’ve enclosed employment forms you need to fill out and return to me. Any health issues I should be aware of?”

      “For the most part, no. Allergies are about it.” What his family thought was childhood asthma had sidelined him when he was a kid. While his brothers had been outside running around, he’d stayed indoors, reading as a way to make the hours pass. Turned out he retained everything he read, which gave him extensive knowledge on quite a few topics. Didn’t hurt that he tended to be a geek. And he’d developed exceptional patience during that time.

      Thankfully as he got older, the doctors realized it wasn’t asthma but severe allergies. Since they’d worked out the right medication, he rarely experienced any problems. “During allergy season I fill a prescription and I’m good to go.”

      “Okay. I think that’s it.” She rose, grabbing a set of car keys from the desk. “Let’s go visit the warehouse. We can leave through the back door once I lock up.”

      She smoothed her slacks, then headed to the front door, which nearly hit her as it opened. A preppy-looking man with shiny blond hair styled in an expensive cut, a slick smile, a tan polo shirt and blue Dockers walked in. If Deke wasn’t mistaken, he heard a muffled groan carry across the room.

      “Grace Harper, it is you? Lissy Ann told me you were in town but I had to come by and see for myself.”

      “Why, СКАЧАТЬ