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  Eunice sat down beside me and gently said, “I’m sorry, but—”

  “No,” I said, my chest tightening. I knew nothing ever good came from those words. I knew what I’d witnessed, I knew that nothing would be okay. Alice was gone. I just didn’t want to believe it. My body shaking, I repeated, “No, no, no.”

  Paige reached for Matilda, and I refused to hand her over.

  This child needed me.

  Little did I know, I needed her just as much.

  Chapter 4

  Leah

  “You’re going to need to replace the roof at some point.”

  “Thanks, Grant,” I muttered.

  “For what?” my brother asked, cocking his head to the side.

  “For telling me what I already know,” I said dryly.

  I felt like screaming. My brother had come by to do some minor repairs on the place, and while he was there, had to point out a number of other issues. All of which I couldn’t afford. I knew about them. They were on a list to get done eventually, when I managed to turn a bigger profit. One of these days, I kept telling myself.

  “You know I can do the work,” Grant said, running a hand through his dark brown hair.

  “All by yourself?” I raised my eyebrows.

  “No, I’ve got a friend I can ask for help—”

  “You have a friend?” I laughed. “I better look outside and see if pigs are flying yet, because God knows, that’s a first.”

  My brother was a bit of a loner. Always had been. He never did too well in school, and while he enjoyed football, he didn’t like the popularity contest that often came with being an athlete. After high school, he chose the military instead of college, and came back even more of a lone wolf than before. The service changed him, and sometimes I wasn’t sure it was for the better.

  “Yeah, well, I’ve been listening to your advice,” he said, smirking at me, “and decided to start my own business. I asked Kellen to join me since he’s good with his hands.”

  “Kellen? That name doesn’t ring a bell,” I said.

  “Don’t worry, you’ll be sure to meet him,” Grant laughed. “He’s out of town at the moment, though.”

  “Does he live around here? If so, I’m sure I’ve seen him around—”

  “You haven’t seen him around,” Grant said. “He’s more of a hermit than I am.”

  “How did the two of you meet then?”

  Grant shrugged. “It’s a long story.”

  My brother wasn’t much for stories, so he went back to work on the kitchen sink without saying another word about his friend. I was happy for him. Grant needed to do more than work all the damn time. He had no interest in running the hotel, he left that to me, but he handled all the renovations on the building along with some rentals our family left us. For the most part, a management company handled those, but Grant insisted on doing all the work himself. He always found something to do, and sometimes, it felt like he would work himself to death.

  “So do you and this friend do more than just work together?” I asked.

  Grant grumbled something I couldn’t make out.

  “What was that?”

  He pulled himself out from under the sink just long enough to say, “I’m not dating the guy, if that’s what you’re asking.”

  “God, no,” I laughed. “I know you’re into women. Even if I can’t recall the last time you went out on a date.”

  “Kind of hard to date around here,” Grant said. “Everyone talks.”

  “I can’t argue with that,” I said, leaning against the counter. “It’s part of the reason I’m not looking to date either. After what happened with Jason, half the town knew my business, while the other half heard a story that wasn’t even remotely true.”

  “About the threesome you mean?” Grant piped up.

  I cringed. “Don’t tell me you’ve heard it too?”

  “Who hasn’t?” Grant said, reaching for the screwdriver before going back under the sink. He shot me a playful look. “I’m guessing it’s not true then?”

  “No, it’s not true.” I pretended to kick him. “Jason cheated on me, plain and simple. I never gave him permission to sleep with other women, and no, I didn’t join him in that pursuit either.”

  “I know,” Grant said. “And no one believes it. They know Jason is a scumbag.”

  “Good.”

  The bell at front desk rang, and I heard Philip talking to someone. A second later, Philip popped his head into the kitchen and said, “There’s a man out here asking for you.”

  I followed Philip out into the lobby, and standing at the counter was a distinguished looking gentleman. He was wearing a tailored, designer suit that fit him very well, probably to overcompensate for his lack of attractiveness. He was far from handsome with a rat-like face and eyes that seemed to be pure black. He watched me as I walked towards him, and I had to resist the urge to shudder.

  “Are you the owner of this hotel?” the man asked, looking around with a disgusted look on his face. He acted like the place was filthy and crawling with roaches. We weren’t the Four Seasons, but we weren’t Motel 6 either.

  “I am,” I said. “What can I help you with?”

  The man reached out his hand, and I didn’t want to touch him, but it would be rude. I shook his hand, and inside of his palm was a business card. I groaned inwardly as soon as I read it.

  Donovan Russo - Real Estate Developer with Russo and Brothers.

  I tried to hand the card back to him.

  “I can already tell you that I’m not interested,” I said.

  He didn’t take the card, instead dropping his hands to the side and giving me a snide grin. “You aren’t even going to hear me out first?”

  “Nope. Don’t need to,” I said, putting the card on the counter and pushing it toward him. “I’m not interested in selling.”

  “Everyone has their price, Ms— I’m sorry, what was your name again?”

  “Barnes. Leah Barnes,” I said. “Not that you’ll need to know that. We’re through talking.” I turned on my heels to head back to the kitchen.

  “Is there someone else I could speak to? Perhaps your father?”

  I stopped in my tracks and turned around. “Excuse me? I’m the owner of this hotel,” I said. “And the only one authorized to sell it or not, so unless—”

  “I heard that a Mr. Grant Barnes also owns the place. Is he available?”

  My jaw nearly hit the floor. This asshole wasn’t taking no for an answer. Grant must have heard his name, because he stepped out of the kitchen, wiping the sweat from his brow.

  “You asked for me?”

  “Yes, Mr. Barnes. I’d like to talk to you about selling your property—”

  Grant raised an eyebrow, then took a step back, holding his hands up. “Oh hell no,” he said. “I’m not getting involved with this. Leah has control of the hotel. You need to talk to her.”

  Mr. Russo’s eyes returned to me, and he didn’t look pleased.

  “And my answer is the same as it was a minute ago,” I said dryly. “No way in hell. Even if I had no choice but to sell this place, you’d be the last person I’d consider now.”

  “Yeah, you shouldn’t have done that,” Grant said with a smirk. He seemed more amused than anything else.

  “Shouldn’t have done what?” Mr. Russo asked.

  “You know what you did. And if you don’t, well, you’re stupider than any businessman I’ve met before,” Grant said with a chuckle before heading back into the kitchen.

  I crossed my arms in front of my chest and glared at the man.

  “You really don’t want to make her angry,” Phillip added, obviously trying to diffuse the tension.

  “She’s not angry already?” Mr. Russo asked. He seemed to be mocking me.

  “Oh, I can promise you,” Phillip laughed. “She’s just getting started.”

  I was known for my temper, but only when people tried to take advantage of me or the ones I loved. I was a sma
ll woman, and men often thought they could walk all over me. But they were wrong.

  “Mr. Russo, I won’t ask you again. Please leave before I call the sheriff. He’s an old friend of mine, and you better believe he’ll take my side in this.” “Us locals stick together. You’d best not forget that.”

  The man stood there for a few more minutes, and I swore he was going to push my buttons further. But with a heaving sigh, he picked up his card and sauntered casually to the exit. He stopped before leaving, turning back to me with a smile that sent chills down my spine.

  “I was hoping we could work together nicely, Ms. Barnes,” Mr. Russo said. “But I see I’m going to have to do this the hard way. And trust me when I say this - you will not come out ahead if you go to war with my company.”

  “Get the fuck out of here,” I said. I flipped him the bird, just to make sure he got the message. You don’t mess with Liberty folks, and I don’t take well to threats. None of us would.

  Most everyone in town had known each other all our lives. I meant it when I said I was friends with the sheriff. Teddy and I were on the debate team together. Half the guys working for him went to high school with us. In a town like Liberty, everybody knew everybody. Sometimes that was a pain in the ass, but most of the time, it came in handy.

  It meant no one messed with us.

  The man left, but I stayed up front in case he came back inside. With my fists balled at my side. I was fuming mad.

  “Can you believe the balls on that guy?” I asked Phillip.

  “Yeah, clearly he doesn’t know who he’s messing with.”

  Phillip was still a young man, technically a teenager at only seventeen. He worked at the hotel during the summers ever since he was legally allowed to do so. He was heading off to college next fall, but like many in Liberty, he’d probably be back.

  There was just something about this place that brought us all back.

  “Leah! I was hoping I’d run into you.” A familiar voice pulled my thoughts back to the present.

  Wade Harris, one of our regulars, walked around the counter - even though I had signs specifically stating it was for employees only. Wade went in for a hug, but I backed away before he could put his arms around me.

  “Please, Wade, I’m having a rough day,” I said.

  “Even more reason for a hug, don’t ya think?”

  Wade was around thirty-five, so a bit older than myself. I didn’t know much about him, besides the fact that he often traveled to Liberty to get away from Las Vegas. Not that I blamed him. I’d go mad in a city like Vegas.

  He loved the place so much, he often rented the hotel out for corporate retreats. He was some kind of manager and had the leeway to do that, so about twice a year, the place would be completely booked for a solid week. I owed him a lot, but I still didn’t want to hug him.

  He was attractive enough, I supposed. A little plain. A little too prissy for my liking. His blonde hair was almost white, and I couldn’t tell if it was just that blonde or from prematurely aging.

  I shot Wade a look, and he backed away from the hugging. Thankfully so. I often went along with whatever he wanted to appease him to stay on his good side. He was good for business, even if his over-the-top flirtatiousness grated on my nerves sometimes.

  “What can I help you with?” Phillip asked, stepping between Wade and me. He was such a good kid; I was going to miss him when he went off to college.

  “Oh, nothing. I just wanted to speak to Leah,” Wade said, his eyes on me.

  “What do you need? Please tell me your room is fine. I—”

  “My room is perfect, as always,” he said with a smile. “I just wanted to check in on you, see how you’re doing.”

  “I’m doing okay,” I said. “How about you?”

  “I’m good,” he said. “Better than good, actually. You see, I won these two tickets for a concert in Salt Lake City. Brad Paisley, have you heard of him?”

  I cackled. “Of course I’ve heard of him. Congrats, by the way. I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful time.”

  I started to walk toward the kitchen, but Wade jumped in the way, blocking my path. “I was hoping you might want to go with me? I don’t know anyone else who’s free that weekend.”

  “I’m sorry, Wade, but I can’t. I’ve got a lot going on with the gala and everything.”

  “You don’t even know when the concert is,” he said, sounding like a little boy who just discovered Santa Claus wasn’t real.

  I sighed, rubbing my temples. “I don’t have any time these days, Wade. I literally live to work.”

  “Maybe you should change that.”

  “Sure, I’d love to, but I can’t.” I was getting a little snippy and didn’t want to do that. But I was tired of dealing with men for the day and wanted to retreat into the back and try to find a way to pay for all the repairs that needed to be done, not deal with Wade. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to work.”

  I slipped past Wade and found Grant standing in the doorway with a cheeky grin. He moved out of my way, then continued blocking the door so Wade couldn’t pass. Thank the Lord for my big brother. He was my savior in that moment.

  “You really shouldn’t be back here,” Grant said, pointing to the signs. “It’s for employees only.”

  I hurried through the kitchen and shut myself away in my office. Sitting down at my desk, I let out a deep sigh. My head was hurting from all the bullshit I’d had to deal with already, and I still had to do payroll for the week.

  “And they wonder why I have no patience with men,” I muttered to myself as I got to work.

  There was a knock at the door, followed by Grant’s voice. “It’s just me.”

  One of the only men I didn’t despise.

  “Come in.”

  My brother strode into the room, which was far too small for the likes of him. He sat down in the flimsy chair across from my desk and steeped his fingers, studying me.

  “What’s up, big brother?”

  “I was just thinking… are you sure you don’t want to sell the place?”

  “Uh, don’t even start in on that bullshit,” I said. “Our parents would disown us if we did that.”

  “Nah, they’d get over it,” he said. “Besides, dad left you this mess. Had he run the place better, you wouldn’t be in the hole.”

  “Yeah, but now it’s my job to fix it.”

  “Is it though?” Grant asked. “I mean, I’d hate to lose the place too, but the stress you’re under, Leah - is it really worth it?”

  I took a deep breath and thought about what he was saying. “Yes, of course,” I said after a moment of thought. “This is my dream, Grant. I want to get this place up and running successfully, to turn this into a legacy I can leave my children and future grandchildren.”

  “I know you say that, but Leah, this place is a mess - and Liberty will never be a tourist mecca, so what are your plans to keep people coming here?”

  “Well obviously Liberty has caught the attention of big-time developers, so there’s something big here,” I said. “Besides, I have plans. I just need to get all the remodels done before I can implement them.”

  “Yeah, yeah, I know, you want to turn this into a B&B, a relaxing mountain escape for those who yearn to avoid tourist traps,” Grant said. “But we both know that ain’t going to be easy, Leah. Not with the condition the building is in, and all the things that need repaired.”

  “I know, Grant. Trust me, I know. I scour over the books day in and day out. What do you want me to say?”

  “I don’t know. I just want to make sure you’re happy, that’s all.”

  “I am happy.”

  “Are you?” Grant asked.

  “Yes,” I said. I knew he doubted me, so I decided to elaborate. “I’m as happy as I can be. I’m still hoping to settle down one day, find myself a man that isn’t a complete asswipe - but if that doesn’t happen, at least I have the hotel and everything I’ve worked toward. And I’ll have giv
en back to the community, and to charity. At least I can say I lived my life on my own terms. Can you say that, Grant?”

  Grant looked taken aback. I hadn’t meant for it to be an attack on him, but I worried about my brother. He never let anyone in. Even I had trouble sometimes. He used to have dreams too, and those seemed to be tossed aside for busy work.

  “I’m starting my business,” he said.

  “Good. That’s a start,” I said. “And I’m proud of you for making a friend and getting your shit together to start a business with him.”

  “I hope you know I’m proud of you too, sis,” he said.

  “For what?” I asked. “For not walking away when that’s the smart thing to do?”

  “No, for standing up for what you believe in. For sticking by the folks of Liberty, for all that you do in our sister’s name.”

  My brother rarely told me he was proud of me. It made my day to hear him praise me, something that rarely happened. Still, it felt weird and a bit awkward. My cheeks flushed and I looked away.

  “Thank you,” I said softly.

  “Anyway, I better get back to work. That sink ain’t going to fix itself,” Grant said.

  Our sweet brother-sister moment was over, and we were back to work. Before Grant left, he turned to me and said, “And watch out for that Wade guy. I think he’s a bit obsessed with you.”

  I groaned. “Tell me about it,” I said. “But he’s harmless. It’s just a silly little crush.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure—”

  “Alright, you can stop the protective big brother act. I appreciate it, but I can take care of myself,” I said with a playful laugh. “Besides, he’s one of the only reasons we’re still in business, so I have to play nice.”

  “Just be careful around him. He’s a bit creepy,” he said.

  “Wanna talk about creepy? Wade has nothing on that Donovan Russo guy,” I muttered.

  Grant’s phone rang, and he stared at it with a scrunched up face. “It’s Kellen,” he said. “I better answer this.”

  “Go on,” I said, shooing him from the office. “Handle your business and leave me to mine.”

  I heard his voice as he stepped out of the office, and from the sounds of it, something was wrong. I didn’t want to pry, but I couldn’t help but overhear bits and pieces of the conversation.