take it he’s no longer with us?”
“Cancer.” She scraped a booted foot across the gravel. “Four years ago.”
Even with the distance of time, her grief was evident.
“He must have been a young man.” Kaleb pulled the tool back out then grabbed a pair of cutters to trim the excess plug.
“Fifty-six.”
That had to be difficult. Losing someone who, by all counts, was in the prime of their life. He knew what that was like. Tossing his tools back into the box, he stood and looked at her, his annoyance fading. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It wasn’t your fault.” Despite a momentary chink, her armor was back in place. “I’ll get that compressor.”
She turned and again headed for her tent, but not before he noticed the sadness in her hazel eyes. Beyond the striking mix of green, brown and gold, there lurked something that intrigued him all the more.
For all of Grace’s toughness, it seemed her heart was as tender as the wildflowers that blanketed the mountains in late July. Those that endured the harshest of winters only to flourish and grow more beautiful.
Not at all like Gina, his ex-fiancée. She’d wilted as soon as the storm clouds rolled in.
The hum of an electric engine drew his attention. Looking up the road, he spotted Luann Carter zooming toward him in her signature red golf cart, her grin as wide as ever.
She slowed to stop in front of him. “I thought that was you, Kaleb.” She hopped out, scurried around the cart and greeted him with a hug. “It’s always a joy to see you.”
“How’s it going?” He released the sixty-some-year-old redhead and peered down at her. Luann was a short one all right. Not even reaching five feet tall. But what she lacked in height, she more than made up for in spirit.
“Just wonderful. And how ’bout yourself? I’m sure you’re so busy you’re havin’ to turn away customers.”
“I wish things were that good, Luann. But I’m hoping they’ll pick up after Memorial Day.”
“That reminds me. ” She wagged a finger his way. “Make sure you bring me some brochures. I want to have plenty on hand so I can tell everyone about the new Mountain View Tours.”
He couldn’t help smiling. Seemed the whole town had rallied around him, willing him to bring this fledgling company back from the brink of disaster. He was determined to show that their faith in him wasn’t unfounded.
“I’ll be sure and do that just as soon as I get them printed.” Of course, before he could do that, he had to have someone design them. Add that to the long list of things he had yet to do.
“Well, hello there.” Luann’s attention shifted to somewhere behind him.
He turned to find Grace, compressor in hand. “Luann, I’d like you to meet my new office manager. Grace McAllen, this is Luann Carter. She and her husband, Bud, own the campground.”
“Pleasure to meet you.” Grace smiled at the older woman. “I think I met your husband when I checked in.”
Luann waved a hand. “Probably. I’ve been out running errands most of the afternoon.” Her assessing gaze skimmed over Grace. “So you’ll be working with Kaleb?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Well, let me tell you, sugar, this is probably one of the finest young men you could ever work for.” Luann rested a hand on his arm. “He is kind, generous, respectful...” She hesitated a moment, then forged on. “Ol’ Bud and I were having some car trouble back this winter and, well, things were a little tight financially.” She gently squeezed his arm. “So Kaleb here fixed it for us and didn’t charge us a thing, ’cept for the parts.”
Warmth crept up Kaleb’s neck as Grace’s focus shifted to him.
“Poor fella spent two days in that freezing-cold garage and never asked for anything more than one of my coconut cream pies.”
He cleared his throat. “Grace, if you ever have one of Luann’s coconut pies, you’ll understand that it was a very fair trade.”
Luann playfully swatted him, her own cheeks turning pink. “Oh, stop, you.”
Grace watched the two of them, a smile lifting the corners of her mouth. “You have a lovely campground, Luann.”
“Thank you, sugar.” Luann’s phone whistled. She tugged it from the clip attached to the pocket of her cargo pants and looked at the screen. “Looks like Bud needs me. Gettin’ close to dinnertime, you know.” She winked at Kaleb before turning her attention back to Grace. “I hope you enjoy your stay with us. Just let me know if there’s anything I can do for you.”
Luann hugged both of them before hurrying back to her golf cart. “Catch ya later.” She waved as she sped off.
Kaleb looked at Grace and they both cracked up.
“You won’t find many people with a bigger heart than Luann,” he said.
Grace lifted a shoulder. “According to her, you’ll give her a pretty good run for her money.”
“Yeah, well. She tends to exaggerate.” He toed at the dirt. “Hey, look, about the tire. I’m sorry if I was a little pushy.”
“A little?” There went that perfectly arched brow again.
“Okay, so one of the first things you should probably know about me is that I like to be in control.”
Her gaze narrowed. “Does that mean you’ll constantly be looking over my shoulder at work? Questioning my abilities?”
“Not at all. Your job entails things I won’t even pretend to know about. But I do appreciate an attention to detail and, based on our earlier conversations, I think you bring that to the table.”
She nodded, her lips pursed. “And just so you’ll know, I’m...not usually so stubborn. My mother taught me to play well with others.”
He chuckled.
“Speaking of my mother, can you tell me how to get to Fifth Street?”
“Sure.” He pointed toward the southeast corner of town. “Simply head up Seventh Avenue and make a right onto Fifth.” He faced her again. “Donna and Roger will be happy to see you.”
Her smile evaporated, her eyes narrowing. “How do you know who my mother is?”
His stomach muscles tightened. She didn’t know. “Uh, Roger. He’s one of my guides. Matter of fact, he’s the one who convinced me I should buy Mountain View Tours.” Even going so far as to provide some financial backing. But she didn’t need to know that. Nor did she need to know that, after learning Grace was one of the applicants for the office-manager position, Roger was the one who’d recommended her for the job.
“One of your guides?”
“I’m
