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CHAPTER3
Drake spentthe rest of the day breaking through the plaster of another room, dreading what he might find. Thankfully, he uncovered studs and beams, not more mummified bodies.
By the end of the day, his hair, skin and clothing were thick with plaster dust.
He met the other men and Molly outside the front of the lodge at five o’clock ready for a shower, food and a place to stash his stuff.
Molly grinned, her teeth the only clean place on her face. “My brothers wanted to invite all of you out to the Iron Horse Ranch for supper.”
As one, the men groaned, Drake included.
Molly laughed. “I told him we’d do that on the weekend when we’re not all so tired and covered in dust. Besides, I know some of you are still settling into your digs. Drake, if you can’t find lodging in town, we can put you up at the ranch until you can.”
“Thanks,” Drake said. “I’m going to see if the bed and breakfast where Grimm is staying has another room.”
Molly nodded. “You’ll like Ms. Dottie. She’s a character and runs a quaint and clean establishment. The offer’s open if she’s full up.”
Drake nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Thank you all for a successful, if eventful, day,” Molly said. “We made a good start on the demo. I have a plumber scheduled to check for water leaks tomorrow. Hopefully, we can get some water running for us to rinse off before we leave tomorrow.”
“That would be nice,” Murdock said.
“See you all here tomorrow morning. Get some rest.”
Molly and Parker left in a black dual-axel pickup with the ranch logo emblazoned in gold on the doors.
Judge clapped his hands together, creating a small cloud of dust. “Meet for dinner at the Blue Moose Tavern in an hour?”
“I’m in,” Utah said.
“Me, too,” Grimm seconded.
Murdock nodded. “I’ll be there.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I secure lodging,” Drake said.
“I’m at the same B&B as Grimm,” Murdock said. “I’m pretty sure the room beside me is vacant. Hopefully, Ms. Dottie hasn’t filled it.”
“Only one way to find out.” Grimm slung his dust-covered arm over Drake’s shoulder. “Let’s hope she lets us through the door like this.”
Murdock chuckled. “She might make us strip in the laundry room. She reminds me of my grandmother. We’d come in from playing in the mud, and she’d make us strip to our skivvies in the mud room before we took another step inside the house.”
“Ms. Dottie’s place…Ms. Dottie’s rules,” Grimm said. “See the rest of you at the Tavern.”
Each man headed for his own truck.
Drake slipped behind the wheel, regretting the amount of dust he’d leave behind. He’d need a change of clothing each day if the work continued to be as dusty as the first day on the job.
He followed Grimm and Murdock to the bed and breakfast on a side road off Main Street. They parked their trucks curbside. Drake grabbed his duffel bag and climbed the steps to the bed and breakfast behind the other two men.
A thin, older woman, dressed in polyester slacks and a floral blouse, met them at the door. “Oh, my.” She pressed a hand to her mouth. “You can’t come in like that. You’ll have to go around the back and come in through the mud room where the washing machines are. Strip down, and leave your clothing there. I’ll wash everything and have it back to your rooms by morning. You can find towels in the cabinet above the washer.” She waved the men away from the front door. “Go on.”
“I take it you’re Ms. Dottie?” Drake said with a grin.
She nodded. “I am. Been Ms. Dottie all my life.”
“I’m not a guest at your establishment,” he said. “But if you have a room, I’d like to be.”
