“SILAS!”
“Good morning, Molly.”
Molly was embarrassed. She hadn’t heard Silas tending to Outlaw, his horse in the next stall. Silas was her stables manager, a lifelong cowboy, former rodeo rider, good friend, and regular riding partner.
Molly talked over the dividing wall. “Silas, I was only kidding. I’m just trying to bring a little excitement to Jo this morning.”
The grizzled old timer sauntered over to her stall in his cowboy hat, jeans, western shirt, buckle belt, and boots. Molly had never seen him in anything else. He knelt down to give Shadow some love. “I thought Bart had a little extra spring in his step this morning. Bear certainly did. They left about a half hour ago. He packed his gear yesterday and I helped him load Beryl this morning.”
“You know Bart?”
“Sure. Good customer. He winters Beryl here when the snow flies. And we take care of her when he’s down to provision.”
“Shadow and Bear got acquainted this weekend.”
“Hope it takes. That’s a good pairing.”
“Yeah, Shadow agrees with you on that, don’t you, girl?”
Shadow barked on cue.
“Bart knows his animals.”
“How so?”
“Well, Bear for starters. That’s as fine a German Shepherd as you’ll ever see. No offense Shadow. And he knows horses. He pitches a tent in the campground but spends more time over here admiring whatever is around. He’s been around horses all his life. Have you seen his mule?”
Molly chuckled. “Just from a distance.”
“No ordinary mule. Beryl is a beautiful jenny, and he takes good care of her. We like having her in the winter. The jenny is strong and a good climber. I’m sure that’s why he has her.”
“Where does he live?” Molly asked innocently, giving Jo a vigorous brush across the hindquarter.
Silas chuckled. “Good luck with that. He’s off the grid somewhere.”
“How long has he been wintering Beryl here?”
“Maybe five years. We didn’t keep those kinds of records until you made us use those fancy computers.”
Molly ignored the friendly barb.
“How’s everything else?”
“Good. The outfitters are getting ready for the season. We’ve got five trips on the books in May. I got a good buy on hay over the weekend. Been waiting for a decent price.” He paused and lowered his voice, “Not sure how much longer Jo’s got.”
“I know.” Molly gave Jo a good scratch around the ears. “You tell me when you think it’s time.”
“You know I will.”
“Then, you can check me into therapy for a week. I’ll be a mess.”
“Hard losing your best friend.”
Molly dreaded that day, but knew it was coming.
Molly and Shadow walked down the dirt road to the heart of the resort where the restaurant and general store were located next to the lake with a shared parking lot. Shadow sat outside as Molly walked into Mack’s Diner. On a Monday morning in the spring, the restaurant was more than half full, part guests eating breakfast, part locals there for cinnamon rolls and coffee. It was the local gathering place. Molly walked slowly through the dining room, stopping to talk with friends and customers, as she worked her way back to check in with her manager.
Evelyn had managed the diner for over twenty years and oversaw operations like a mother hen, greeting every customer,working the floor, gathering and dispensing Summer Lake gossip. She lived in a log home on the lake built by her husband, Reggie, a local logger. She ran a tight ship, and Molly gave her a free hand. A large, silver-haired, tireless worker, she hired and fired staff, decided on menus, ordered supplies, and supervised the dining room and kitchen.
