By Firelight by Janice Maynard

Author:Janice Maynard [Maynard, Janice]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2016-08-11T16:00:00+00:00

Two

Hallie had never fainted in her life. Well, except for that one time when she gave blood on an empty stomach, but that didn’t count. Her vision went fuzzy, and she took several deep breaths. “Fifteen people?”

She’d had some hazy notion of dusting the occasional bookshelf and catching up on her reading for the next two weeks. B&Bs in the middle of nowhere were not the same as high-end hotels. The occupancy rates were minimal, especially outside of tourist season. Right?

Daniel took her cold hands in his and rubbed them gently. “Take a deep breath. You’re a pro, remember? You can do this with your eyes closed. You know the hospitality industry inside out.”

But that was just it, Hallie lamented inwardly. She didn’t, not really. All she knew were the rigorous schedules that kept her big hotel running smoothly. She knew how to deal with an irate guest and a malfunctioning AC unit. She knew how to pacify a wealthy rock star whose suite was still being cleaned and prepared. She knew how to handle squabbles among the housekeeping staff. But she sure as heck didn’t know how to entertain fifteen people in a four-thousand-square-foot bed-and-breakfast. Good Lord.

She yanked her hands away from Daniel’s comforting grasp, mostly because she wanted so much to cling to his strength. Time to find her backbone. This B&B was her problem. Not his.

Clearing her throat self-consciously, she grasped at straws. “By breakfast, I assume you don’t mean tossing a waffle in the toaster?”

He winced. “Not quite. Hazel is legendary for her spectacular breakfast spreads. There’s a red and green loose-leaf binder on the kitchen counter where she has all her recipes. Muffins, quiches, fruit salads . . . you name it. I think she even has meal plans that she rotates every five days, so guests don’t get tired of the same thing.”

“Five days . . .” Hallie’s throat was dry. “Excellent.”

The expression on Daniel’s handsome face was troubled. “You do know how to cook, right?”

She waved a hand. “Of course,” she said airily, her heart thumping. “Who doesn’t?”

Over the next half hour, she waited to get struck by lightning for her bald-faced, unrepentant lie. Hallie Prentiss had been known to ruin strawberry Pop-Tarts, for God’s sake. The inside of her microwave oven saw more action than a Vegas hooker. If it couldn’t be nuked, she didn’t eat it. Not at home, anyway.

She followed Daniel out to the car, her pulse racing. Fifteen guests. Arriving tomorrow. She was in deep trouble.

The outside air took her breath away . . . literally. Even dashing from one warm spot to the next required bracing against a jolt of subzero air. But on the upside, the infinite night sky was black velvet spangled with a million stars she’d never been able to see back in Seattle.

She had assumed they were going straight home, but Daniel took an unfamiliar turn, and she didn’t challenge him. After a few minutes they wound up a small hill. She saw the sign for the University of Alaska, Fairbanks.

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