I appreciate the lift. Good night, Ben.”
“Sweet dreams.” He watched the unconsciously sensuous sway of her hips and heard the click of her heels as she walked away and knew his dreams would be anything but sweet. Then he thought of something. “Cam?”
She turned. “Yes?”
“My father owns an automotive repair shop in town and my sister works there. I’ll have her check out your tire.”
“That would be great. My Mercedes is in the employee lot, and probably the only car there with a flat tire. Just have her let me know the cost.”
“Will do. Don’t work too late,” he cautioned.
“Okay.” She walked into her office behind the registration desk and shut the door.
The two of them couldn’t be more different, but that didn’t stop Ben from wanting her. It seemed to get more intense every time he saw her and she worked where he lived. She’d spend the night right next door. It was just a damn shame that she wouldn’t be in his bed.
“Hello?”
Cam looked up from the spreadsheet on her computer monitor when the voice from the registration desk outside the office door drifted to her. In a perfect world there would be a front-desk clerk on duty, but her world wasn’t perfect. She was getting used to that particular customer tone, a combination of surprise and annoyance that they’d been waiting longer than necessary for someone to check them into the hotel.
“Damn it, Mary Jane—” Cam had been through this too many times not to know the woman had abandoned her post yet again.
She hurried out and plastered a big friendly smile on her face. A man was standing there and did a slight double take.
“Hi, there,” she said. “I hope you haven’t been waiting too long.”
“A few minutes.” He was alone, in his early forties, balding and twenty pounds overweight. He didn’t look irritated, which was a good thing.
Cam’s motto was never give the customer a reason not to come back. “How can I help you?”
“I’d like to check in.”
“Of course. What’s the name?”
“Stan Overton.”
She pulled up the reservations screen on the computer. “Here you are. Three nights?”
“That’s right.” He wasn’t much taller than she. “Would there be a problem extending my stay?”
If only, she thought. “Not at all. We’d be happy to take care of that for you.”
“Great.” He glanced around the lobby. “I’ve never been to Montana before and I might want to hang around longer.”
“I’m sure you’re going to love it here.” She pressed some keys and pulled up his information. “What brings you to Blackwater Lake?”
“A combination of business and pleasure,” he said vaguely.
“Did you want to use the same credit card?”
“Yes.” He pulled out his wallet and handed it over. “Have you been in town long?”
It felt like forever. But she wondered why he would ask. Was “greenhorn” tattooed on her forehead? “Long enough to appreciate how special it is.”
“What’s your favorite restaurant?”
“I could be prejudiced, but the best place in town is the five-star restaurant right here at the lodge. The chef is from New York.”
The man leaned an elbow on the high desk that separated them. “What do you like to do here? On your day off, I mean?”
“What’s a day off?” She hoped he would take the remark in a teasing way, but it wasn’t a joke.
“I know what you mean.” He laughed. “But what I’m asking is if you only had a short amount of time here, what would you see?”
“The lake is beautiful. I’m told the fishing is good.” She printed out a summary of the hotel’s daily room rate and policies. “I’ll need your signature and if you could initial the places I indicated…”
“Sure thing.” He scrawled an indecipherable name. “I did some research on the Net and what I found said there are hiking trails and places to camp. Is there any place you would go? Somewhere not to be missed?”
Now she was starting to get irritated. Was he just friendly or hitting on her? That was just…Ew. Or maybe he didn’t get out much. The worst thing anyone in hospitality could do was to show impatience.
“To be honest, I can’t recommend any outdoor activities from personal experience. But we have a variety of brochures and the concierge desk is right across the lobby. Dustin would be happy to help you. One key or two?”
“One.”
She put it in a folder and handed over the packet and receipt. “Third floor. The elevators are right around the corner.” Forcing a charm into her smile that she didn’t feel, she said, “If there’s anything the staff can do to make your stay more pleasant, don’t hesitate to ask.”
“Thanks. It’s starting out great.” He nodded and walked away.
Cam let out a breath and saw Mary Jane Baxter rush around the corner. She stopped short for a second, then just looked guilty.
“I just left for a minute, Miss Halliday. I didn’t think I’d be missed.”
“You never do.”
“I’m sorry.”
That statement should have been followed by something along the lines of it would never happen again. Cam was just about to the point of making sure it didn’t. “Mr. Overton just checked in. Would you please finish up the paperwork?”
“Of course.”
The woman handled people and paperwork flawlessly—when she was there. The disappearing without a word was a chronic problem and needed to be managed, but not when Cam was this angry.
“Are you going to be here for a while?”
“I—” She nodded.
“Good. I’m going to take a fifteen-minute break.”
Cam turned on her heel and headed for the exit and the rear of the property. Breathing deeply of the clean, fresh air, she climbed the wooden stairs up to the second-floor deck. Her serenity spot. She looked down at the green grass and beautiful flowering plants in the fast-growing shadows. It was six o’clock and the sun had disappeared behind the mountains, taking the warmth with it, and that was just as well. She needed to cool off.
Just as the irritation started to dissolve, she heard the sound of footsteps, heavy ones. A man’s walk. There was someone behind her.
“You look ready for a knock-down, drag-out with that railing, but I don’t recommend it.”
Ben. the corners of her mouth turned up, which was a minor miracle. She turned. “And yet again you’re trespassing.”
“I saw you at the registration desk, but you were gone before I could flag you down.”
“So…Stalking?” She lifted one eyebrow.
“More of a house call. Someone to use your words with.”
“McKnight in shining armor strikes again.”
“You look like someone broke the heel off your favorite shoe. What’s up?”
“Same old thing. Personnel insubordination.” She leaned an elbow on the railing. “My clerk at the registration desk disappeared again.”
“Again?”
“I