Page 32 of A Whiskey River Princess

Dirk thought for a moment as a smile lit his lips. “Well, Daxton is the sheriff. He stops by the livery stable, keeps an eye on Billy for me, and checks on things when I can’t.”

“Who is Billy, anyway?”

“Billy Griffin,” Dirk continued. “As you know, he runs the livery stables for me.”

“Is there a chance that he’ll be snowed in, too?”

Dirk shook his head. “No, he stays in a small house in the back. So, even if it snows, he’ll be able to take care of things. I opened the livery stables when I first moved to Whiskey River. Owning the ranch and the livery stables became too much to handle, so I hired Billy to work the livery stables for me.” He letout a deep breath. “But since my supply of horses for sale are low, I brought them with me to the ranch just before the blizzard hit.”

Gabriella nodded, understanding. “Is Daxton a good sheriff?”

“The best.”

“And the other people in town?”

Dirk shrugged. “Wyatt owns the saloon. He and his wife Madison married not long ago. She’s the new schoolteacher I was telling you about.”

“Saloon?”

Dirk smiled. “Yes, but it’s respectable. If anyone comes in stirring trouble, Wyatt and his men quickly disperse it. It’s really a different place since he took it over.”

Dirk continued to tell her about the town and its inhabitants. But the closer they came toward town, the harder the snow fell. Soon, Dirk worried that they wouldn’t be able to get back to the ranch by nightfall.

“Does it usually snow this hard in Wyoming?” Gabriella asked as she pulled the blanket up to her face, wrapping her hands in it for warmth.

“It’s a bit early in the year to get this much, but yes, it snows like this every year.” Dirk looked out over the road, covered with the white puffy substance. With all the markings covered, someone could easily get lost… or run off the road or into a ditch.

“Are we almost there?” A crease formed between her eyes.

Dirk smiled. “Don’t worry. I could navigate these woods with my eyes closed.”

Gabriella burst out laughing. “Please, don’t.”

One corner of Dirk’s lips curled into a smile as he made a show of closing his eyes and raising the reins. “Oh? Like this?”

“No, don’t!” Gabriella laughed. “I want to get to Whiskey River in one piece.”

Dirk laughed. “Well, it’s a good thing, because we’re here.” Dirk pointed to the livery stables as they passed. “See that? That’s my livery stables.”

Gabriella smiled her approval. “Looks nice.”

A young man was standing in the hallway, brushing a solid black horse. When he saw Dirk, he lifted his brush and waved.”

“Is that Billy?” she asked as she waved, and Dirk nodded.

“Yes, that’s him,” Dirk replied as he drove past. “I’ll tell you what. Let me take you to the hotel first so you can warm up and I’ll come back to take care of Angel.” Dirk smiled with pride, pleased with Gabriella’s reaction. A moment later, Angel pulled into town. He looked around and the town was covered in white from the tops of the wooden walkways to the rooftops of the hotel, bank, sheriff’s office and more.

Gabriella’s lips curved into a frown. “What do you mean ‘take me to the hotel’?”

“There’s a restaurant downstairs and the hotel is upstairs. We can eat something first and then we’ll go to the general store.” Unable to resist, he persisted. “But if the snow falls any harder, we’ll probably have to stay at the hotel tonight.”

“What?” Gabriella clenched her fists at her side. “Was this your plan all along? To get me to a hotel? I have you know that I have enough money for my own room, thank you very much.”

Dirk laughed. “Yes, that was my plan. I asked Mother Nature to dump some more snow onto the town in an effort to get you into my bed.”

Gabriella stared at him in disbelief for a moment and then burst out laughing. “I guess you could hardly take credit for the weather.”

Dirk pulled Angel to a stop in front of the hotel and restaurant and folded his arms over his leg. “Gabriella, you’re a beautiful woman, but you really have to learn how to control your temper.”

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