Page 52 of Black Ice
“Fair enough.” She suspected that veto would come within five minutes of hearing that she was pregnant. But she’d already called the doctor to discuss if and how she should adjust her activities. Right now, the key was rest and she was getting as much of that as possible.
“Smells like more snow,” she murmured as they approached the employee entrance of the casino.
He grunted. “We both know snow happens any time it wants to up here,” Wyatt replied.
“You know what I mean. Fresh snow makes the boys so happy.”
“True.” He smiled at the trio heading for the hot cocoa stand. “When I was a kid, I thrived on fresh ammo for snowball fights.” He pulled her close. “Have you been documenting the snow village progress this year? A couple folks mentioned seeing something on social media.”
“That’s all Dad and Lisa,” Evie replied. Their office manager was like a bonus daughter to Dale and the two of them made a good team. “It’s a good project for him.”
“You know, the boys might have a future in winter architecture.” Wyatt pulled open the door for her.
She stamped snow from her boots and stepped inside. They unzipped coats and peeled off gloves and hats as they headed through the service corridor to the back door of their office. Evie raised her keycard to the reader, but the door swung open and Lisa beamed at them.
“Just the people I’m looking for. Come in!”
Young and bright, she’d returned home to Deadwood after college with her shiny new business degree and limited opportunities. But the timing had worked out perfectly for Wyatt and Evie, and they’d hired Lisa right away. Her inexperience in the office was offset by her knowledge of the area and their overall business.
“Where are the boys?” Lisa asked, as they hooked their coats on the pegs by the door and swapped snow boots for indoor shoes.
“Hot chocolate with Grandpa followed by a sleigh ride home,” Wyatt said. “What’s up? You look excited.”
“I am.” She bounced on her toes. “I know we usually close the week after New Year’s, but we had a guest request to extend their stay up in one of the remote cabins. We don’t have that one booked after their current departure date.”
“They’re in the cabin now? Evie asked, mentally ticking through the listings.
“Not yet.” Lisa shook her head. “Their stay begins on the twenty-third. But they just got word that their original flight back home has been canceled. It sounds like they would rather stay up there than try and find a hotel room in town for the two days they have to wait for the airline’s next flight out.”
“After all that time off the radar, the casino crowds would be a shock.”
Evie agreed with Wyatt’s assessment. “We always close for deep cleaning anyway.” And usually, they had to delay that effort due to a snowfall. “I vote we let them stay.” She looked to her husband. “Don’t you think?”
“Shouldn’t be a problem,” he said. “Go ahead and approve it, Lisa. If I need to go up and poke around when they arrive, I can.”
Evie understood where the caution came from. When plans changed, they were deliberate about double checking. Neither of them wanted to deal with a squatter situation or potential criminal concerns. “Now who’s having flashbacks?” she teased. “We’re not expecting any unusual storms for that week. And we verify the guests that book those remote cabins.”
“And yet, we’re both still thinking about it.” He turned to Lisa. “Did you verify the story about their flight?”
They were all aware that airline schedules could change based on demand and weather conditions. So it was likely the guests were on the up and up.
“I did poke around,” Lisa confirmed. “Just like you taught me.”
“Way to go.” Evie sank into a chair. “Find anything?”
“They didn’t give me the specifics, but I called the airport and got confirmation that a few flights on that day have been canceled and travelers notified.”
“Okay, so that lines up. Good work,” Wyatt said. “You still good with it?” he asked Evie.
“I am. Go ahead and confirm it.” She gave Lisa a nod. “If we have any issues, Sheriff Russell will help us out.”
Thankfully, they hadn’t had any big trouble in the years since the attempted theft of the famous Mae West Solitaire. The few minor issues they’d dealt with were either health crises, injuries, or lost hikers, all of which were handled with much less fanfare.
“Got it.” Lisa turned to her computer. “Oh! Jack swung by,” she said. “He needs to speak with you, Evie.”
While she and Wyatt had been building Cottonwood Adventures with the infusion of capital from the casino, hotel manager Jack Thornton had been promoted through the ranks of the Silver Aces and was now the chief of operations for the entire casino operation. “Did he mention any specifics?”
Lisa couldn’t smother her grin. “A last-minute, special request. Newlyweds.”
