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“Don’t be. We were better off without him.” The cold steel in his voice caused a shiver to crawl up the base of my spine. “He was planning on running off with Mama’s best friend. Good old Aunt Jennie—who wasn’t as good as we all thought. She shot him and herself. They both died.”
Shock slammed into my chest. “That’s horrific.”
“Mama deserved better. Which she got when Pop came into our lives.”
I was dying to know more about all of it but didn’t want to pry. This family had been through a lot. It wasn’t salacious gossip but a true tragedy, thus not meant for my curious consumption.
“She married Pop when I was ten. Without him, none of this would have happened. We’d probably have lost the ranch and been forced to move to the city where we’d have all been miserable. Fortunately, Pop adopted us and gave us our last name and we became the Moon family. If we hadn’t had him come along, I don’t know what would have happened to us.”
“Like my aunt Biddie,” I said under my breath, more to myself than him. However, he clearly heard me because he nodded. “She took me in after my mother died.”
“By the grace of God go we,” Caspian said. “If not for tender, generous souls who love children they didn’t make.”
“Truth.”
For a moment, we stood in silence. The rugged Rocky Mountains in the distance provided a frame of the blue sky.
We stopped now in front of a small building with a sign that said Office and Guest Services over the door. Caspian gestured for me to enter before him. I stepped inside, taking in the rustic beams and countertop, as well as a stone fireplace.
A plate of cookies, a pitcher of milk, an open bottle of wine, and a half dozen empty glasses were laid out on a console table.
“We have cookie and wine time for the guests every day between four and six,” Caspian explained.
“Where are these from?” I gestured toward the plate of cookies. They looked dry and thin, as though they would crumble easily.
“They’re awful,” Caspian said, lowering his voice. “Since we lost our pastry chef we’ve had to go with whatever we can find at the grocery store bakery.”
“I can remedy that without much trouble.”
“I’m counting on it,” Caspian said.
A slender young woman dressed in an impeccable navy blue suit and silk shirt came out from behind a door that said Employees Only.
“I’m so sorry to keep you waiting. I didn’t hear you come in. I was…never mind. Welcome to Crescent Moon Ranch.” A crisp English accent? Interesting. I wouldn’t have figured I’d hear that in Montana. Pretty, too, with an oval face and small features, other than bee-stung lips. Tawny hair streaked with light gold highlights had been pulled into a neat bun at the base of her neck. Wide-set dark blue eyes. Her name tag told me her name was Finley. “Are you checking in?”
“No, we’re not checking in. I’m Caspian Moon.”
Finley’s manicured hand flew to her mouth. I expected it to smear her perfectly applied pink lipstick. It didn’t.
“Oh, goodness, my apologies. Nice to meet you, Caspian,” Finley said. “Thad’s told me all about you.”
“I take it you’re the new hospitality coordinator?” Caspian asked, his gaze fixed upon her.
He probably noticed how pretty she was too. Why did that bother me? Never mind. Not important. Not right now, anyway.
“I am. This is my first day.” Finley beamed, a little too brightly, as if trying to control her nerves by leaning all the way into a learned perkiness. If I guessed right, she probably cursed like a sailor when away from work. The angelic-looking ones always did. “I’m called Finley. Finley Baker.” She flushed, clearly flustered. I couldn’t blame her. Caspian Moon had the same effect on me. “I’ve spent the day training with Thad. But he had to take care of something and left me here alone.”
“Have you come here directly from England?” Caspian asked. “It’s not often we hear an accent like yours in these parts.”
These parts? He sounded like a cowboy from an old Western film.
“Not directly, but I arrived in America a few months ago.” Finley glanced in my direction, prompting Caspian to introduce us.
“Miss Young’s interviewing for our pastry chef position,” Caspian said.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I said.
“You too.” Finley brushed a stray strand of hair away from her face. “Good luck. So far, it seems like a great place to work. And you can’t beat the view.”
