Page 9 of In Love with a Ranger

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A week later, Christina knew what heaven looked like, and it was located in the middle-of-nowhere Wyoming, she mused. Every night for the past six days, she had soaked in the slipper tub and listened to her audiobooks. She was currently at the main house, doing laundry, when the first of the ‘team’ started to arrive. She was sitting in a large chair in front of the fire – and waved as Jill and a very wary woman walked past her right out the back door.

Oh yes, Jill had a routine.

Welcome a person, show them the cabin, comfort them, and then present them with food which means they will be back soon. The buzzer went off in the distance, and she snapped her book closed, moving to remove the clothes from the washer and put them in the dryer.

A few days later, Christina waved at Daphne in the distance – who waved back. She really liked the other woman. She was curt, sharp as a tack, and seemed to have an edge to her that didn’t bother Christina in the slightest. Someone who knew their value and stood up for themselves, but had a heart of gold with little ego was a rare find. Daphne wasn’t afraid to say no or question things, whereas Christina would clam up and listen, gathering ‘ammo’ before unveiling her argument.

They were supposed to be getting a new guest any day now – and this person had Christina a little curious. Lena was supposed to be a recovering addict, and her impending arrival had brought up some hard questions over dinner the night before.

“Nobody’s got prescription drugs in your cabins, right? No sleeping pills, no cough syrup, no diet pills – and no, I’m not implying anyone is overweight. The girl that is coming to stay with us tomorrow is in the process of cleaning her life up and I don’t want anything in the area to tempt her.”

“I have a bottle of sinus spray for allergies,” Christina volunteered.

“It’s January – toss it,” Houghton said evenly. “If you have a flare-up this spring, we can get you something then.”

“All right. I can just put it away and…”

“Throw it away, please,” he asked firmly, looking at her. “We’re going to have a bit of a shakeup over the next week, and I need everyone to be calm, cool, and collected.”

She nodded curiously, watching Houghton and Jill share a look.

“Now, you girls have heard me preaching all the time ‘friendship, trust, and understanding’… well, I hate to admit it, but it’s time to put it to the test,” Jill began and took a deep breath. “Being here opens doors, gives the broken a place to go, a family to help each other, and friends to support one another. I don’t ever ask much or demand anything, but I am now.”

“What do you need, Jill?” Chris asked simply, glancing at Daphne in surprise and seeing the woman’s shuttered gaze. Oh yes, she was waiting for the guillotine to fall on them both – except it didn’t seem to be something the couple would do. They gave and gave out of the goodness of their hearts, so why push back unless there was a reason?

“I need each of you to look past the obvious issues, take a chance you would have never imagined, and welcome our newest travelers with an openness that has never been asked of you before. We might have to get creative – and as a result, it might push you out of your comfort zones. Please do not worry. No one is being asked to leave. It’s just that our table fits two, four, or six very well, and we have more of ourselves to give.”

Christina leaned over the table and touched Jill’s hand, smiling at the woman. She had such a big heart that she would give the shirt off her back to anyone simply to make them smile.

“Whatever you need, you have my help however you need it.”

“I was hoping you’d say precisely that,” Jill smiled softly, looked at Houghton, and nodded… giving Christina pause. She felt like she just volunteered for the Hunger Games and was about to get ushered into another level of the game. “Babe, why don’t you go pick up our guests?”

“Is it time?”

“Getting pretty close.”

“Are you coming with me?”

“Actually, I think I will. You’ve told me so much about Giselle that I think I want to meet this one,” Jill smiled, getting her purse. “You girls have a nice evening, and we’ll be back soon. Now, we are supposed to get some snow, so get tucked in, and we’ll introduce you both shortly.”

The moment the couple left, Daphne met her eyes – hard.

“I thought the woman coming here was named Lena?”

“She is.”

“Then who’s Giselle?”

“I don’t know.”

“Looks like we’ll both be getting roomies, I suppose.”

“Fine by me,” Christina shrugged. “Let me tell you, sharing a dorm room with four other girls is tough. Sharing it with one? That will be a breeze.”

“Let’s hope so.”

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