Page 5 of Snow River

As she shepherded her two wheeled suitcases across The Fang’s floor, he had the quick impression that she was gliding along a sunbeam toward him.He put down the glass he was drying for fear he might drop it.

“I’d like to apply for the bartender position.”Her smile was blinding.Literally.For a moment, he could see nothing else besides that smile.

I can’t hire her.I can’t work like this.

“Are you sure?”He felt his “scowly” face take over.“I need someone long-term.”

“Okay.”

“You just arrived.”He gave her suitcases a pointed look.“Looks like you’re just passing through.”

“Is Firelight Ridge really the kind of place you ‘pass through’?Pass through to where?The road ended.”

Good point.You had tointendto come to Firelight Ridge.“You have a vehicle?”

“No.I caught a ride.Does the position require a vehicle?”

“Not if you live close enough.Where do you live?”

“That has yet to be determined,” she said lightly.“But I’m not worried about it.It’ll all work out.”

He felt a sudden urge for a drink.Bear wasn’t much of a drinker, perhaps ironically since he’d owned a bar for the past seven years.He grabbed a bottle of Jack Daniels and poured himself a quick shot.He offered one to her, but she waved it off.

“I never drink on an empty stomach.Speaking of which, do you serve food here?”

He reached under the counter for a bowl of peanuts and plopped it in front of her.“You’re looking at it.”

“That would be my first suggestion.”She climbed onto a barstool.She was so petite that she couldn’t slide on the way most people did.“People need to have food in their stomachs if they’re going to drink all night.”

“Who says I want people to drink all night?”

“Don’t you want to make money?It’s a bar, after all.”

He actually had a philosophy about this, which for some reason he felt inspired to share with a total stranger.“It’s a community hub.The alcohol isn’t the point.It’s just the excuse.”

Her face lit up, brighter than the sun rising over Fire Peak.“I knew there was a reason I wanted to work here.But you just gave the perfect reason to serve food.Community and food go hand in hand.How about a soup of the day?Soups are easy.Add some bread and butter and you have the perfect meal.”

“So now I need a baker too?”

“There’s no bakery in town?”she asked, shocked.

He braced his hands on the counter and leaned toward her.“There’s no bakery in town.There’s no a lot of things in town.Everything, including food, has to get flown in most of the year.There are no spare houses that you can just claim on a whim.”

That was the moment when he first realized that the fairy-like blond girl with the purple eyes was not one tiny bit afraid of him.She put her hands on the counter and returned his gaze.“Wanna bet?”

“Huh?”

“Let’s make a bet.If I find a place to live that’s in walking distance, you’ll hire me.”

He knew for a certain fact that there was nowhere to live in a five-mile radius.So it didn’t seem like much of a bet.“And if you don’t?”

“Then I won’t bug you for a job.”

“How about if you can’t find a place, you go somewhere with more employment opportunities?”he said dryly.

“No, I won’t be leaving.”

Her certainty confused him.“Why not?”

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