Sherryl Woods - Come Fly With Me

Lisa’s sisters screamed as they made their way over to greet their youngest sister. Emily hugged Lisa and held her at arm’s length. “I didn’t even recognize you. You’re so thin….”

Katarina nudged Emily aside and took her turn for a hug. “You look wonderful, Lisa. What are you doing here? Why didn’t you call?”

Alex glanced at Adam with a puzzled look, and Kevin, still holding his curly-haired toddler, gave Adam the thumbs-up, then took his daughter over to meet her long-lost aunt. The toddler immediately grabbed a handful of Lisa’s silky blond hair.

Adam caught Susan shrugging her shoulders as Elizabeth asked why they’d been called over for a Berthoff family reunion.

“Lisa, why didn’t you tell us you were coming?” Emily’s smile and question were genuine.

“I didn’t know. It was a last-minute assignment. I just arrived last night.” Lisa smiled at the child, seemingly wary of frightening the child. “I meant to call. I just ran out of time.” Her voice was soft, and she covered her eyes, playing peekaboo with Alissa. The toddler giggled, then hid her face in the crook of Emily’s neck.

He had no more doubts that Lisa was right. This time his paranoia was getting the best of him. Too much time spent trying to avoid Cupid’s arrow, he guessed. The fact that the festival coordinator had managed to dub Adam and herself as host and hostess for the masquerade probably didn’t help right now.

With their niece in her arms, Lisa made her way through the crowd to him. “Now are you convinced?”

“Point made,” he grumbled, giving Alissa a raspberry on her baby-soft neck. The toddler instantly dove into his waiting hands. “It still doesn’t mean I want to be a part of your magazine.”

Elizabeth’s eyes lit up. “The magazine? You mean, we—we’re going to be featured? Really?”

Lisa’s eyes brimmed with mischief. “Not if your brother doesn’t stop being so obstinate.”

Adam felt his face turning red. “I never dreamed you were serious, Liz. You might have warned me. Who would have thought an unfinished lodge would stand a chance? Especially as a romantic bed-and-breakfast.”

Elizabeth winced at her brother’s raised voice. “You’ve opened Grandma and Grandpa’s house to others as if it were a bed-and-breakfast since the day you moved in, Adam. If adding a touch of romance can help us keep the ranch in the family, isn’t it worth considering?”

“Not only does my brochure not mention bed-and-breakfast or romance, but we’re not even open yet. Didn’t you have to send testimonials or something?”

While the others laughed, Elizabeth immediately defended herself. “I sent your brochure as is without one change. Remember, romance is a matter of personal opinion. As for customer recommendation, you shouldn’t be surprised that your friends gave you wonderful reviews. Admit it, Adam, this was a great idea.”

He had to remember, though he held the majority of the interest in Whispering Pines, he couldn’t forget that he wouldn’t be standing in this spacious guest house without the help of his family. Kevin and Alex had donated their time and talent on the lodge construction, Elizabeth and her husband, Kirk, had offered not only financial backing, but business insight, as well. Susan and Mike had donated manual labor to the project each weekend. And without his mother’s encouragement, Adam never would have had the courage to tackle the project at all.

“Why don’t we have some muffins and juice?” Millie suggested. “I see Adam has coffee made.”

The conversation eventually drifted away from the article, but not before Liz made arrangements to come back later in the day to visit with Lisa and show her around the ranch. After serving refreshments, Adam’s mom and sisters left, leaving only Lisa’s family.

While the women visited, Adam, Alex and Kevin discussed unfinished details on the lodge. When they returned, Emily and Katarina had already bundled the little ones in their coats and were ready to leave. “We’ll see you both at church in the morning, right?”

Adam looked directly at Lisa, waiting for her response. “Your sister’s welcome to join us.”

Before Lisa could reply, Katarina waddled over to give Adam a hug. “It’s settled, then. Sunday dinner will be at our house this week. Emily’s on call.”

Lisa took her coat from the hook and followed them out the door. He watched her hug everyone goodbye, then walk around the side of the lodge with Toby.

Standing alone in the foyer, Adam said, “I’d sure like to know how you worked this one out, Lord.”

When Lisa returned to the lodge after saying goodbye to her sisters and playing with Toby, the huge log house was empty. Adam had cleaned up and disappeared.

Without Adam to distract her, she had the chance to study the lodge and understand Adam’s claim that there was a lot to be done before the grand opening. There was a lot of potential. Had Adam hired a decorator to add those final touches, or did he have a girlfriend who was going to help?

The mantel clock chimed. Elizabeth wouldn’t be back for another hour.

She wondered if Adam had taken pictures of the entire process from beginning to finish, and retrieved her camera. She started upstairs in the guest suites. As Adam had claimed, none of the other rooms were ready for guests.

Antique furniture stood against bare walls, gathered by color and style. Furnishings for the two-bedroom suites were all rustic mission-style, like in her own suite. One furniture set included a matching marble-top dresser and washstand, yet another was a massive darker collection with a bed so high off the ground, she would need a step stool to climb in. On the far side such a stool stood next to the bed frame. All looked as if they had been refinished recently and were beautifully matched.

Pillow-top mattresses and goose-down pillows still wore their plastic coverings and Do Not Remove Under Penalty Of The Law tags. On each antique table or desk was a compact disc player/radio/clock still in the box. On one library table stood a dozen lamps, some old, some new, some matching and many unique designs.

Windows were stark frames to the beautiful backdrop of Colorado scenery. Ceiling fans waited anxiously for the summer heat.

Each bathroom was different. Some had oversize walk-in showers, while others replica clawfoot tubs, and pedestal sinks. The largest suite had a double-size jetted tub.

She snapped photos, hoping Adam wouldn’t mind. They weren’t for professional purposes, but for him, just for fun. This had to have been a huge undertaking to oversee the design, plans, purchases and building. She could see now why the cowboy was stressed.

Lisa finished the roll of film in the great room and kitchen, again, enthralled with the impressive collection of antiques—Hoosier cupboards, iceboxes of varied sizes and one intriguing massive oak chest with a dozen shallow drawers and at least another half-dozen cupboards, not counting the hidden compartments on each side of the unit.

By the time Liz returned from her mother’s house, Lisa was armed with questions. She heard the back door open and close.

“Lisa?”

“In here.” Lisa paused, studying the collection of compact discs and books in the Ballister bookshelf and the computer-generated note inviting guests to enjoy the discs in their rooms. “Quite a collection.”