tag and winced at the price. “We’re kind of on a budget here, but I want the gear to be safe and durable.”
They settled on backpacks, then Hanna went to get the flashlights while Micah moved on to the climbing gear. She stared at the shelves stacked with flashlights. Good grief. There was such a thing as having too many choices. Should she get the big six-volt ones, or would they be too heavy to lug around? Maybe she should get the industrial-sized one for Micah and smaller ones for the guests. She took a step toward the sporting-goods area, intent on asking Micah, when she noticed a woman standing with him.
She stopped and watched for a moment, wondering who the woman was. Micah’s back was to her, but she could see the lady’s face. Her red hair was set in a style popular among the twenties crowd, butHanna suspected the woman was well into her thirties. The tennis out fit she wore showed off a pair of legs that could’ve passed for a teenager’s. The woman laughed and laid a hand on Micah’s bicep, where it lingered too long to be a friends-only gesture.
Just then, Micah turned and pointed to Hanna, and she quickly grabbed a flashlight and pretended to read the label. She felt heat infuse her face as she realized they’d probably seen her staring. A quick glance showed that the couple was once again engaged in conversation. Was
she
Micah’s Thursday night appointment? He“d never mentioned a girl friend, but they hadn’t really talked about their personal lives.
The woman had moved closer to Micah and was brushing some thing off his sleeve. Micah repositioned his arm causing hers to fall away. The smile fell from the woman’s face, and her chin raised a notch.
Stop being so nosy, Hanna. Honestly.
She forced her attention back to the shelves in front of her but couldn’t miss the rumble of Micah“s voice, then the hiss of an angry woman.
Don“t look. It’s none of your business.
Big flashlights, little flashlights, waterproof flashlights … batteries.
Don’t forget the batteries.
The low, angry tones of the woman’s voice reached her; then, in her peripheral vision, she saw the woman storm away. What’;s this? A lover’s quarrel?
None of my business, none of my business.
Minutes later, Micah approached and dumped an armful of ropes and harnesses in the cart. He helped her select the flashlights, then they moved on to the tents.
It was a much quieter Micah on the ride back to the lodge. During the silence Hanna sought for a way to ask him who the woman was.
Why do you care so much anyway?
The thought jerked her mind to a momentary standstill.
Yeah, why do I care so much?
Hanna tossed to her other side and squinted at the red digital numbers on her alarm clock. Twelve-sixteen. She kicked off the covers andflopped to her stomach. She felt like she was in junior high and tomorrow was her first day of school.
It’s just Memorial Day weekend, Hanna, get a grip.
But it was much more than that. It was the beginning of tourist sea son, and the lodge was booked fully for the first time in almost two years. It had always been one of the most popular weekends, but this one marked a new start. Tomorrow they would kick off the plan they’d been working on for six months, ready or not.
And they
were
ready. So why did she feel uneasy? Devon was scheduled to pick up the guests from the airport. Micah wouldn’t have his first climb until Monday, when he would do a two-dayer up Mount Moran, but his schedule was set and advertised in the front lobby. She and Gram had prepared all the empty rooms today—make that yesterday—and Mrs. Eddlestein had made scones and biscotti to be served at tea in the afternoon. The van was up and running, and she had finished entering all the customer data into the computer.
The computer. Had she saved all the information she“d entered on disk? Surely she had. She’;d been burned before, so she
always
saved now. It was routine for her; that’s why she didn’t