Page 18 of Reaching Little Robyn

Robyn jumped up, her friends instantly following as she ran to the pantry. Being Littles, they couldn’t help but waste a few precious minutes by sucking down helium and talking like cartoon characters. Still, by the time the first guests arrived, they were greeted by a huge balloon bouquet tied to the sign outside the B&B.

When Derek pulled her into a hug, Robyn finally did let a few tears fall. “Thank you. I couldn’t have done this without you.”

“Sure you could have, but I’m really glad you chose to do it in Montana. We’ve needed to have a place for those less, let’s just say adventurous, people to stay when coming to visit family. Now, dry your eyes and have fun. I have a feeling you’re going to be a pretty busy bee from now on.”

Robyn smiled as she wiped her tears away. “I’m not even half-full this weekend, but I hope that in time, those guests’ reviews help draw others. I want to make you proud.”

“Darlin’, you make me proud just by being you.”

Robyn looked up into Master Derek’s eyes and saw the truth in them. “I think I know your secret Master Derek. Underneath that tough cowboy exterior, you are a big softie, aren’t you?”

Derek grinned. “I’ll let you in on another secret if you’d like?”

“I’d like that very much.”

“It’s about the magic that people find when they come to Rawhide. Having the willingness to look beyond what we might believe is impossible, the courage to cross bridges to walk a new path with a fresh outlook, discovering we have the ability to be strong enough to protect those we care for combined with the softness to allow another to help us discover what it is we need to find happiness that fills us up from head to toe. That is the secret of the magic we all have inside us.”

“That’s beautiful and really profound,” Robyn said. “I’m going to need to embroider that on a pillow so I won’t forget, or did you really mean it’s asecretsecret.”

Derek chuckled. “It’s one of those secrets that should be shared with everyone we know, but I’m afraid your embroidery is going to have to wait. You’ve got guests arriving, little girl. Go welcome them.”

Robyn did just that. She circulated among the guests, thanking them for coming and making sure they had somethingto drink and eat. She lost sight of her friends, but knew they were around by the simple fact people she hadn’t served were holding glasses and their choice of pastry. When a couple asked for a tour, she readily agreed and took a group of people through the house to show them the guest rooms she and Hayleigh had designed. It didn’t matter how many times she repeated the tour throughout the morning, she never once felt anything other than pride and awe combined with disbelief that she’d actually done it.

It was well after three before the last of the well-wishers left, leaving only those guests who had actually made reservations to stay.

“I wanted to thank you,” Ethel said, coming back into the living room after Hayleigh had shown her to her room once she’d checked her in.

“For what?” Robyn asked, a bit confused. “I mean, I should be thanking you for coming to stay.”

Ethel smiled, the almost translucent skin and wrinkles a testament to her age as she laid a small hand on Robyn’s arm. “You already have, my dear, but I meant the basket I found in my room. It is just lovely.”

“Oh, it was my pleasure. I wanted to offer something to commemorate your visit.”

“You did more than that. Anyone can stick a box of cookies in a basket, but going to the trouble of making tigers, elephants, lions and giraffes look so realistic is going to earn me a whole lot of grammie points with my grandson.”

Robyn beamed. When taking reservations, she’d asked her prospective guests if they had any family they were visiting and if there was anything special about their visit. Ethel had told her that she was visiting her daughter’s family and then mentioned that once her five-year-old grandson had discovered books about the curious monkey and the man in the yellow hat,he loved anything that had to do with the jungle. Robyn had fun baking sugar cookies and decorating them, thoughts of the little boy’s face making her smile as she wrapped each one in its own bag before tucking them into Ethel’s basket.

“I was happy to do it, and I hope you have a lovely visit. If there’s anything you need or if I can answer any questions you might have, please don’t hesitate to give me a call. My number is on the card in the basket. And if you need me to arrange transportation, I can do that as well.”

“That’s another thing I’m already loving about your place. I might do that tomorrow but my son-in-law is coming to pick me up in a few minutes. That’s why I have this,” Ethel said, opening her purse where she’d tucked a giraffe cookie inside. “We’re going to dinner in Porter’s Corner, but I’m bringing dessert!”

Robyn smiled. “Have a lovely time.”

She repeated a version of the same welcome to her other guests as well. When she suddenly found herself standing alone in the middle of the room, she was a bit surprised.

“That’s it?”

Wren popped her head out of the kitchen door and laughed. “Says the woman who’s been on her feet for the past several hours.”

“With no sleep, I might add,” Hayleigh said, joining her.

“Or food,” Sadie contributed, holding out a plate. “We saved you some lunch. Come sit down and eat and get some rest. Your supply of baked goods is sort of decimated and you’ll have to get up and make breakfast, so allow yourself a break to take it all in.”

Robyn entered the kitchen and shook her head. “I’ll never be able to pay you three back.”

“For what? Helping a friend?” Sadie asked, waving her hand in the air.

“You did far more than that. I mean, you’ve been here just as long as I have, worked harder and then did all the dishes? Who does that?”

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