Paul nodded approvingly. “I’ll call Tim, my friend, and let him know we’ll be there tomorrow afternoon. I’ll pick you up at one?”
“I’ll look forward to it.”
He brushed another kiss across her lips and murmured, “So will I.”
Considering the heady emotions she felt when she headed back to the inn, it wouldn’t surprise her at all if tomorrow’s outdoor activities led to eventual—perhaps sooner rather than later—indoor pursuits.
After a satisfactory meeting the next morning with two women who wanted to reserve the inn for an upcoming class reunion, Bonnie and Kinley exchanged their customary high five to celebrate another successful booking. “That will be a fun group,” Kinley predicted.
“I think you’re right.”
“Now, isn’t it time for you to change for your date?” Kinley looked pointedly at her watch.
Bonnie wrinkled her nose at the unnecessary reminder. “Yes, I’m going. You’ll check on the guests later if I’m not back by game time?”
“Of course. Dan and I are having an early dinner at the café tonight, then we’ll come back here for board games in the parlor with the guests. Stay out as long as you want. You’ve earned some time off. You’ve worked half a day, anyway.”
“Okay, then. I’ll have my phone if you need me, of course.”
Kinley rolled her eyes dramatically. “I think we can get by without you for a few hours, Bon. Heck, stay out all night. You deserve that every once in a while, too.”
“I’m not staying out all night,” Bonnie muttered. At least, that wasn’t in her plans at the moment.
“So, just what is going on with you and Paul, hmm?”
“Well, I’m n
ot changing my Facebook status to ‘in a relationship,’” Bonnie retorted, then sighed. “We’re going to spend a few hours together today, okay? A trail-ride date. I like him, he likes me. Maybe it will lead somewhere, maybe it won’t, but it’s no big deal right now, all right?”
“Sorry, little sis, I’m only teasing. I think it’s great that you’re getting out. You spend too much time here at the inn. You need to have a life outside of work. Paul seems like a nice guy, probably fun to hang out with. Though, ah—?”
Bonnie felt her left eyebrow shoot upward. “What?”
“Well, just be careful. I mean, yeah, he seems great, but a good-looking guy his age who’s still single…” Kinley shrugged. “Could be a bit of a player, you know? Just keep that at the back of your mind while you’re having a good time with him.”
Was Kinley seriously turning maternal on her? Only three years separated them, and Kinley wasn’t usually one to take her “big sister” status all that seriously. So why now?
“Like I said,” she repeated slowly. “We’re just having fun, seeing what happens.”
“As long as what happens isn’t you getting hurt by mixed messages or unrealistic expectations,” Kinley said quietly. “Trust me, that’s not fun.”
Bonnie was aware that divorced Kinley spoke from painful experience. Her youthful marriage had ended in disappointment and some humiliation when her husband of only months had abruptly changed his mind about wanting to be married. Holding her head up proudly, Kinley had thrown herself into work, becoming more of a perfectionist than ever, but Bonnie knew how deeply the failed marriage had hurt her sister. After their father’s abandonment and her husband’s betrayal, it had been hard for Kinley to trust her feelings for Dan at first, though it hadn’t taken him long to win her heart.
“I’m not letting my expectations get too high,” she promised. “You don’t need to worry about me—but thanks for caring.”
Her sister laughed with sudden self-consciousness and tucked a strand of hair behind her right ear. “I guess I was channeling Mom there for a minute. Forget what I said. Go have fun with the hunky teacher. The inn will be safely in one piece when you get back.”
“I’d appreciate that. Call if you—”
“Yes, I know. Go.”
Leaving Kinley with her computer work and phone calls in the small, tidy office, Bonnie headed down to her apartment to prepare for Paul’s arrival. She changed into a pair of jeans and a cap-sleeved yellow eyelet blouse over a matching lace-trimmed tank top, then eyed her reflection critically. She had aimed for cute and casual, and she decided she’d hit the mark closely enough. She stashed a ponytail band in her pocket in case she needed her hair out of the way later.
She had to climb on a stool to reach the box on a top shelf in her walk-in closet that held the boots she’d worn for horseback riding in the past. It had been so long since she’d worn them that she had to wipe off the dust before she put them on. They weren’t Western-style boots, but rather a low-heeled brown leather ankle boot with a slender toe box that made them work well enough in stirrups. Stuffing her phone and a few other necessities into a small, cross-body bag that would leave her hands free, she pronounced herself as prepared as possible.
She checked the time. Great. She was ready twenty minutes early, which gave her time to get nervous about the outing for no good reason. To distract herself, she headed back out of her apartment. She would wait for Paul outside.
She was sitting on the front porch in a rocking chair, chatting with a couple of their guests, when she spotted Paul’s car coming up the road. In deference to the nice weather thus far that day, he’d left the top down on his yellow Mustang, making her glad she’d thought to bring the hair band.