High Country Hearts Page 6

  “I’m Olivia Diaz.” She shook his hand, nodded to Sally, then turned to Rob. “And this is Rob McGuire…manager of Singing Rock.”

  He didn’t miss the hesitation in her voice before she tagged his title onto the introduction. He grasped the young man’s hand. “Looking forward to having you both as guests.”

  The pair reiterated their thanks and he handed them a business card. After a few more minutes of small talk, he and Olivia left them to finish their meal. Outside the door, he spotted Brett across the parking lot, already in the Jeep. A few steps off the porch, he caught Olivia by the arm and drew her to a halt. Brett didn’t need to be privy to this discussion.

  Aglow from her good deed, she gazed at him in happy expectation, and for a fleeting moment he almost held his tongue. How’d she get to be so pretty? No, it wasn’t solely the pretty part that caught his eye. There were plenty of nice-looking women around. There was something about her that went deeper than that. Something he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

  Then again, he’d thought there was more to his daughter’s mother, too.

  He glanced in the direction of the Jeep as thunder rumbled in the distance. He lowered his voice. “I know you mean well, Olivia. But you can’t go around doing what you did in there.”

  Still smiling, she drew back. “Doing what?”

  “Cutting special deals. Giving away freebies like that catered meal. Do you have any idea how much a good steak dinner costs these days? That’s lost income.”

  She laughed, looping her arm through his, and his hope that she’d understood what he was trying to convey faded. “It’s an investment, Rob, not an expense. If we make this young couple’s dreams come true, they’ll be lifetime guests. Their kids and grandkids, too.”

  “I don’t think those two will have much expendable income for quite some time.”

  “You don’t know that,” she chided, her light tone indicating she thought he was joking.

  “In case you didn’t notice, they’d split a single sandwich and an order of fries. Water, not sodas or coffee.”

  “All the more reason to give them a break. Besides, don’t you think people should be rewarded for doing the right thing?”

  “What right thing?”

  “You know, the kid.” Her eyes glistened with happiness, a dimple surfacing in her cheek. “Getting married. Not leaving a baby to make its way in the cold cruel world without a committed, two-parent family.”

  His stomach wrenched as his precious Angie’s countenance flashed through his mind.

  Breathe, McGuire, breathe.

  “I— It’s the right thing,” he said slowly, determined not to let on that the air had nearly been sucked from his lungs, “if Aiden’s not a lousy father and Sally an even lousier mother.”

  “Oh, come on, Rob. How did you get to be such a cynic?” She tugged on his arm, her disbelieving smile evidence she still wasn’t taking him seriously. “I have a good feeling about those two. I want to reward them for not running from responsibility. For committing to each other and the baby. For thinking about someone else besides themselves.”

  Tension mounting in his shoulders, he eased his arm from her grasp. “Don’t make a habit of this giveaway stuff, okay? Not without my approval.”

  “Your approval?” She made a sound of exasperation. “Look, Rob, this is my folks’ place. I know how they like to do business. I’m not going to run around town passing out freebies to everyone I meet. But I have a vested interest in Singing Rock, an even more pressing need for its success than you do.”

  “How’s that?”

  “This is my parents’ legacy of hard work and personal sacrifice. And my mom’s parents before them. So think whatever you want, but recognize I’m not going to let your personal agenda for Singing Rock—whatever it may be—change the mission my folks established for it.”

  So she didn’t plan to cooperate.

  “Nevertheless—” He forced more backbone into his tone. “I’m asking that you not do anything like that again without asking me.”

  The light in her eyes momentarily dimmed, then flared again. Another growl of distant thunder echoed. “Do you have any idea how many times I’ve seen my dad do the same thing I did in Kit’s? Bring a smile to those who might have no reason to smile? My folks not only tithe with their money, but with their time and their possessions—of which Singing Rock is an integral one.”

  “I understand tithing. And I respect your parents’ choices. But I believe they’d agree with me—and would be biblically well-grounded in doing so—that God doesn’t expect you to give away something that isn’t yours to give.”

  “What are you saying?” Her eyes searched his. “Are you telling me Singing Rock is in danger of financial collapse? This is the second time you’ve alluded to that.”

  At last. He’d finally gotten her attention.

  “Not immediately. But your parents have to invest in the property wisely to garner stronger returns in the future. Singing Rock’s cabins are only eighty percent full this summer. On top of that, most places around here—your folks’ included—have had to discount their rentals by twenty percent during this recession. Indiscriminate tossing away of potential revenue—by their daughter—could snowball into a less than desirable outcome.”

  Her dark eyes flickered. “They’d have told me if there was any danger of that. And they certainly wouldn’t have hired you and gone gallivanting off on vacation if that were the case.”

  “In spite of their hiring me to breathe new life into Singing Rock, I’m actually not certain your folks entirely grasp the seriousness of the situation.”

  She lifted her chin. “I’m not going to let you scare me.”

  He silently counted to ten. “I’m not trying to scare you. I’m trying to help you understand the situation. So please, in the future consult me if you get a whim to make special offers. I have only a matter of weeks to come up with a plan that will get this ship, this Titanic, turned before it hits an iceberg.”

  Lightning flared in the still-far-off darkening clouds. Another thunder roll, the scent of rain, accompanied by the disheartening realization that if Olivia refused to cooperate, he didn’t stand a chance.

  Chapter Six

  He might deny it, but she knew deep down that Rob was trying to spook her. Trying to keep her from involving herself in the running of Singing Rock.

  Things couldn’t be as bad as he’d made it sound. She had nothing to be afraid of—unless he told Paulette what she’d done. That she’d sashayed over to that young couple at Kit’s and right under the current manager’s nose gave them a special deal. Even if Paulette agreed that’s something she’d witnessed Dad do a million times, she would come down on her hard for interfering with Singing Rock business.

  But she didn’t dare call her parents to get to the truth of Rob’s allegations. Couldn’t risk reminding them of the responsibilities they were escaping for a few weeks. Paulette would kill her. She’d responded cheerfully to a text message from Mom that morning, not even mentioning she was at Singing Rock.

  Now, sitting in the swing of the darkened front porch late that night, keeping an eye on the lighted window of the apartment above the lodge, she pressed a speed-dial number on her cell phone.

  “Hey, Rey.”

  “Olivia!” The voice of Reyna Kenton—pastor’s wife and sister number four of the five Diaz girls—bubbled over with delight. “I wondered when I’d hear from you. Paulette told Lara who told Claire who told me that she’d seen you at Singing Rock yesterday. We weren’t expecting you. I guess Mom and Dad didn’t know you were coming, either?”

  “I’d hoped to surprise them.”

  “Some surprise, huh? So are you here through the holiday weekend? When do you have to be back at work?”

&
nbsp; “I’m between jobs.”

  “Oh, Olivia.” The disappointment resounded in her sister’s tone. “This was the organization that’s helping out in the aftermath of the tornadoes, right? What happened this time? Not a good fit?”

  She took a ragged breath. “Job was fine. The new supervisor, Kendal Paige, wasn’t.”

  “Details, please.”

  Olivia curled her legs up next to her. “I’d been dating him for over a month when one afternoon in walks a woman with three kids in tow. All four of them bouncing off the walls with excitement because they’d driven straight through from El Paso—to surprise hubby and daddy. Does my luck stink or what?”

  “Oh, Liv. You had no idea he was married? None whatsoever? How could you not—”

  “Rey, I’ve gone over every second of those weeks from the moment he first joined the team. Nothing. No hints. No telltale signs. Nothing to make me suspicious. Except—”

  “Except what?”

  “He didn’t want the team to know we were seeing each other. Thought that might make his supervision of the project more difficult, might divide the team if they thought he was playing favorites. His request seemed reasonable at the time.”

  “So you quit.”

  “I was two weeks away from the end of my commitment period, anyway. I put in the remaining time and didn’t renew. No way was I staying there after that. But I feel like such a dunce. And now I’m at loose ends—and back in Canyon Springs.”

  “Are you…intending to stay?”

  Olivia ran a hand through her hair. “That was the original plan. I’d hoped to win my way back into Mom’s and Dad’s good graces. Gradually work into managing Singing Rock.”

  “Honey, I don’t think—”

  “That I can do it? Come on, Rey. You know I can. Paulette raked me over the coals last year, got me believing all the labels she’s so generous in applying to me. Got me doubting myself. Which forced me to let Mom and Dad down.”

  “How many times do I have to tell you that you have to take Paulette with a grain of salt? She’s always been sensitive to the fact that Mom and Dad gave us later kids more freedoms and opportunities than she was given. You in particular.”

  “So because she made the decision to marry right out of high school and start a family, she’s jealous of me? You married your high school sweetheart and you’re not green with envy.”

  “No, but you’ve gone to college, traveled all over. Been active in missions. You’ve done so many of the things she once dreamed of doing.”

  “You think because she feels that way and her husband doesn’t want her taking over Singing Rock, that I shouldn’t come back to manage it?”

  “Do you really think it would make you happy? The hospitality part, sure. You’re a natural. But what about the business end? That could make you miserable.”

  “Why? Because I’m the family’s irresponsible little butterfly?” Olivia shifted impatiently on the porch swing, sending it rocking again, the chain supports creaking a comforting rhythm. She shouldn’t expect them to understand. She didn’t even understand it herself. All she wanted was to find the purpose God put her on earth for. She didn’t want to miss it, so she kept stepping out into new things.

  “I know you’re frustrated trying to find your niche,” Reyna soothed. Of the sisters, she’d been the most sympathetic to Olivia’s situation. Must come with pastor’s-wife territory.

  “But what if that niche is right here in Canyon Springs, Rey? At Singing Rock. The whole time I was driving home that thought kept pressing on my spirit. That if I went home, I’d find the answers right in my own backyard. That it was time to step up to the plate for Mom and Dad and not let Paulette talk me out of it this time.”

  “We all know how much they’ve wanted one of us to take over their business, but—”

  “I’ll tell you how sure I am that coming home is the right thing to do. I got a call on the way here from Lanetta and Franki, wanting me to join them on a trip to the Holy Land. The Holy Land, Reyna! And I turned them down. Surely that tells you something about how strongly I feel about this.”

  “But they’ve hired Rob McGuire.”

  “I know.” Olivia placed her foot on the porch, drawing the swing to an abrupt halt. “I guess I let them down one too many times. But I can make it up to them. I can—”

  “I think he’s going to be good for Singing Rock, Liv. You have no idea how hard it was for our folks to find someone with his background to come to a little town like this.”

  Olivia tapped her foot on the floor. Why’d the whole family think Rob was the answer to their prayers? They hardly knew him. “You don’t need to sing his praises to me. I’m well aware of his knight-in-shining-armor qualities. I knew him in college.”

  “That’s what I heard.”

  “And did your informant tell you Paulette told me to keep away from him?”

  Reyna laughed. “I think I heard something along those lines via the sisterhood grapevine.”

  Olivia sighed. “Just because I don’t lead men on when it becomes clear there’s no depth of communication or shared beliefs and values, she acts like I’m a femme fatale.”

  “So what do you think of him?”

  Her thoughts flew back in time. “He was a great guy. Friendly. Intelligent. Responsible. Hardworking. Faith-filled.”

  “One of those in-your-dreams sorts?”

  “I suppose so,” she hedged, sensing Reyna was on a fishing trip to find out where she stood with Rob. “But from what I’ve seen of him, it appears a few of those noble attributes may have rusted over time.”

  Compassion for one. He hadn’t fooled her. His objections to giving the couple at Kit’s a deal on a honeymoon cabin went far beyond the financial issues. He’d always held himself—and others—to high standards of moral behavior. Clearly he didn’t think Aiden and Sally should be rewarded for an out-of-wedlock delivery and belated marital commitment. When did he become so unforgiving?

  And what would be his verdict on her most recent romantic fiasco? Would he see it as evidence, as Paulette most certainly would, of a frivolous nature? Lack of good judgment?

  “Apparently he’s had a rough go of it recently,” Reyna noted, drawing her back from her wandering thoughts.

  “Paulette told me.” She started the swing going again, eager to move the conversation away from Rob. “And speaking of Paulette, is everything okay on the home front? I can’t believe she has a job at Wyatt’s. I didn’t think she’d ever give up homeschooling and full-time homemaking.”

  “The family’s had a few financial setbacks. Kids are in public school now. Except for Bobby, the kids aren’t handling it well. Brandi’s struggling. Rebellious. Skipping school.”

  Paulette’s sixteen-year-old. The one the family teased for being an Olivia clone.

  “So,” her sister continued, “are you going to stick around or try spreading your wings again?”

  Olivia stared across the clearing toward the lodge, at the light still glowing in the upstairs apartment. “With Mom and Dad leaving the place to a perfect stranger, it seems prudent to keep a close eye on things. Sounds like their new manager is cooking up so-called improvements for the property.”

  “That’s why they hired him, Liv.”

  A shadow moved across the window and Olivia frowned. “Are things really that bad? Paulette alluded to it. And Rob flat out said it. Are Mom and Dad in danger of losing Singing Rock?”

  “I would hope not. But that’s where Rob comes in with his property management experience. M.B.A. His natural business savvy. They’re counting on him. We all are.”

  “Sounds like you’re essentially telling me the same thing Paulette did. Stay out of his way and don’t interfere.”

  “Essentially? Yeah.
I guess so.”

  The light in the upstairs window went out, leaving her feeling strangely empty. Alone.

  Stay out of Rob’s way? That might be an option for her sisters, but Olivia couldn’t stand back and watch him turn their home into a cookie-cutter resort catering to people who needed to get in touch with themselves and God but chose instead to crank up the radio and drown out the still, small voice within.

  Nor could she stand on the sidelines and allow him to cut her out of a future at Singing Rock. Or continue on his frowny-faced journey undeterred. The restoration of Rob McGuire now topped her priority list.

  Doing the right thing. Rob shook his head Thursday morning as he rolled another coat of paint on the interior wall by Timberline’s back door. What Olivia couldn’t understand, with her lofty, self-righteous assessment, was that even if you knew what the right thing to do should be, it wasn’t always within your grasp. It wasn’t always your decision to make.

  Like with Cassie. Angie’s mom.

  Or rather, her biological mother. “Mom” intimated a living, breathing connection. A relationship. Cassie didn’t have a relationship with Angie. Didn’t want one.

  Didn’t want one with him, either.

  He dipped the roller in the paint tray once again. Then paused to gaze out the door at the forested surroundings. Already he’d come to appreciate the natural beauty of Canyon Springs. The quiet of Singing Rock. But in spite of a chilling encounter while inspecting homes in Vegas, one that sent him on a desperate hunt for a safer place to raise his daughter, it hadn’t been an entirely easy decision to take the job. Despite his sister’s assurance that small-town people made mistakes, too, were aware of each other’s shortcomings—and failures—and made allowances for each other, he’d be giving up the anonymity a larger community provided.

  When he’d started getting cold feet about the move, Meg said once townsfolk met his sweet Angie, saw how he was doing his best to make a home for her…well, they might shake their heads and cluck their tongues, but he’d find acceptance here. Desperate man that he was, he’d bought into that. Embraced that hope.