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Chapter 1
The dooron the west side of the hardware store always stuck. Eli kicked her boot against the bottom corner as she held the screen door propped open with her fist. It opened with a loud screech, stopping just short of slamming into the wall. The edge of the shelf Miss Mae had insisted her husband build made a good doorstop.
When she glanced up, Miss Mae’s daughter leaned over the counter with a wicked grin on her face. “Well, look who the wind brought in.”
Eli shook her head as she straightened her back. “I come into town often enough, Cady.”
Cady snorted. “Not enough at all.”
“Whatever.”
“What do you need today?”
Eli sighed. “I need a bunch of stuff. You know, you’re right, maybe it has been way too long since I’ve been into town if I need this much shit.”
Cady chuckled and came around to the other side of the counter so she could help Eli. The hardware store was the only one in town, not that there was much in town, but it was one of the largest buildings outside of the schools and churches. It had two full levels of stuff for Eli to peruse. However, she’d still have to stop by the lumber yard to get the rest of the supplies on her list.
“What are you fixing up?” Cady asked as she took the list from Eli’s fingers.
Cady had been a good friend to her throughout the years despite their age difference. That was Eli’s favorite part about living in small towns. Age didn’t matter. Some of her friends were decades older than her, some a decade younger, but everyone in town knew who she was and had something to say to her—most often, something nice.
Eli’s eyes lit up. “I’ve got a guest coming.”
“For your bed-and-breakfast?”
“Yup.”
“Is this your first guest?”
“No.” Eli bristled. “I’ve had plenty. But the bathroom upstairs isn’t working right, so I figured I would fix it up before doing an overhaul on it.”
“You want to overhaul the bathroom right in the middle of calving season?”
“No.” Eli’s eyes widened. “I don’t want to at all, but I may not have a choice. I need a functional building for my guests.”
Cady didn’t answer right away. Instead, she walked over to one of the pale-yellow painted shelves toward the back of the building to find the nails and caulk and washers on Eli’s list. Eli followed close behind her.
It might have been fully a hardware store at one point, but with business down because people didn’t mind the sixty-mile drive to get cheaper prices at the big box stores, they’d had to make some adjustments. Eli was sure Miss Mae was turning in her grave over it.
The front of the store was a boutique of sorts. It held items from local crafters and whatnot. The back of the first floor was where the hardware part remained. The basement, at the bottom of a ramp that was so damn steep it surely wasn’t up to code, was a thrift shop for locals.
Since Cady had opted to make the changes, the store had thrived. Eli grabbed a hand basket by the counter and let Cady plop items in it for her. That was the full service Cady always gave her, or really anyone. There was barely any traffic, and Eli always wondered how they managed to stay afloat and thrive, but they did.
“Who’s this guest you got coming?” Cady asked.
Small towns were known for being nosy and not respecting privacy, but Eli took pride in not letting her business get out. If a guest wanted to be known, they’d likely be walking around and exploring town. A lot of her guests wanted to get away and hide from people, especially if they were coming in the dead of winter.
“I don’t know. Her name is Sarah, that’s all I know.”
“It’s not right just having strangers come and stay at your house.” Cady didn’t skip a beat as she pulled down another box of washers to check and make sure it was the size Eli needed.
Eli’s jaw clenched, and her heart raced. She’d had that very same argument with her parents a couple dozen times, but ultimately they had left her the house when they’d moved, and everything on the land—ranch and vet hospital—was her property and her business. She’d hired locals who had gone to vet school to come in and run the clinic since that had never been her interest, and she had converted the giant house she’d inherited into a B&B to earn some income while she worked the ranch, which was her true passion.
Not answering Cady’s criticizing remark, Eli bent down and picked up a toilet plunger. She could probably use one of those too, so she slid it into the basket as she waited for Cady to finish figuring out exactly what was on her list.
Her B&B had blossomed since she’d started it. She had weddings booked up through the summer every year for the past three years. Winter was when it was slow, but she didn’t mind. It was good to have the time off from the constant drama of weddings. She could tend to her ranch, make sure all her calves were born and cared for, and bring in her wheat when harvest was done.
Trying to harvest milo while also running her B&B was exhausting, and she’d honestly thought more than once about hiring a second or third hand throughout the summer. Perhaps she should put out feelers to see if any of the local kids wanted to help—though it might be easier to get them to join in the harvest than help run her B&B.
