Addie debated then jogged into the house and relayed the message. She grabbed her purse and hurried back out to Mel's car. "Okay." She buckled in. "Where're we going?"

"You'll see." Mel smiled mysteriously.

Addie watched her drive, realising more and more, each day, how attached she was becoming. It felt wonderful and scary at the same time. Mel stopped in front of an antique store and Addie looked at her. "What's going on?"

"Come on." Mel motioned towards the store, and they both got out, heading inside.

The front door tinkled, and a man poked his head out from the back room. "Hi, Mel."

"Hi, Ryan. I'd like you to meet Addie Murphy, the new proprietor of the Apple Valley Inn. Addie, this is Ryan Bronwyn. He owns this place."

"Hi," Addie nodded to him.

71.

He set a plate on the counter in front of him, and she realised it was the one from her newly-discovered attic collection.

"Mel brought this in yesterday, and I've been going crazy trying to track it down. I finally did. It's fairly rare and produced by a fine, French company."

"Really?" Addie blinked in surprise. "That's nice. I guess it'll make the inn look good, then. I'm going to bring the boxes down and start washing everything before we use it."

Ryan smiled at her. "I don't think you understand. This is rare, old, French china. It's not the most expensive stuff I've ever seen, but it's up there. I don't think you'll want to use it at the inn."

She glanced from him to Mel and back. Both of them wore huge grins. His words were just sinking in when Mel said, "Don't you get it? Ryan can sell this for big bucks. You can buy practical dishes, something that can go in the dishwasher. Something you won't mind getting broken."

"Ah. That makes sense." She didn't plan on spending her time hand-washing dishes every day. She looked at the plate then back at Ryan. "How much do you think they're worth?"

"Therein lies the problem. What they're worth, and what I can get for them, are two different things. I'm sure they're worth thousands, but there's not much call for fine china in rural Wyoming. If I took my time and found a buyer, I could probably get a better price for you, less a modest commission, of course."

Addie's heart sank. "Time and money, two things I'm short on, Mr. Bronwyn. Could you give me anything for the china?"

Mel touched her arm. "I had a better idea. Ryan has a warehouse full of furniture. I'll let him tell you."

He nodded. "I acquire all kinds of stuff at auctions and flea markets. Sometimes it comes in lots, and I get more than what I really wanted. I only put the antiques in here. I store the other stuff until I can barter it off sometime."

Addie's interest was piqued. "What kind of stuff?"

"Beds, dressers, night stands, everything except mattresses. I probably have six or eight of each."

She smiled. "I only need six."

72.

Squeezing her arm, Mel agreed. "That's what I thought!"

Ryan raised a hand. "I'll tell you up front, they won't match. But they're in good condition. I don't have room to store junk. I toss it. I also have some sofas and living room furniture."

"Any dining room chairs?" Addie crossed her fingers hopefully.

"Yeah, a bunch. I can't promise they'll match, either, but I might have several groups of four that do."

"Her dining room tables seat four," Mel said excitedly and looked at Addie. "You could have similar chairs at each table. The whole room doesn't have to match."

Addie shrugged. "Eclectic isn't bad."

"Eclectic is in, right now." Ryan patted the counter. "If you're interested, I'll give you whatever furniture you want from my warehouse in exchange for the china. "We'll go over there together some evening after I've closed, and you can take your pick. We'll mark it, and I'll have it delivered."

"Oh my G.o.d!" Addie couldn't believe what he offered. "That's incredible! Thank you so much." She hugged Mel, laughing, then reached across the counter and hugged Ryan.

"Thank you," she murmured in his ear.

He returned the hug affably, and they parted. "It's a great deal for me, too. I'll be glad to free up some storage s.p.a.ce."

Mel touched her shoulder. "I need to get back to work. Why don't you take my car and pick me up later?"

"I can walk. It's a beautiful day. Not sure my feet will touch the ground the whole way home."

With a grin and a quick kiss on the cheek, Mel returned to work.

Ryan rewrapped the plate and set it aside. "I understand Jason is redoing your floors.

Why don't you call me when they're done, and we'll get together then? I know you want the stuff as soon as you can get it."

Addie chuckled. Small town. Everyone knows everything. At that moment, she wouldn't have chosen to be anywhere else.

73.

Restoring the floors took the rest of the week. Addie spent several nights at Mel's apartment to get away from the sanding dust. But when Jason had finished, she was amazed at how clean he left the place and was thrilled with the job he'd done.

Ryan Bronwyn had been true to his word. As soon as she'd called him, he'd arranged to meet her at his warehouse, so she could choose her furniture. Addie debated, but finally mustered up the nerve to call Mel's friend, Nate, to ask if he'd go with them to pick out the stuff. He'd offered to help her decorate, but she'd secretly wondered if he'd just been being polite.

Nate set those worries aside at once. He sounded genuinely pleased to help out and changed his plans for that evening to meet them at Ryan's.

The furniture was better than Addie had hoped. It took Mel, Nate and her very little time to select what they wanted. Ryan promised to have it delivered.

The next afternoon, standing in the front room as two men carried things in, Addie was excited. Each bedroom received a queen-sized bed, a nightstand and a nice-sized dresser and mirror. She'd also chosen a comfortable armchair for each room, a small writing table and a straight-back chair to sit at it. It was more furniture than the rooms had previously had, but it all fit nicely, and she thought it would be perfect.

"That bedroom stuff looks great." Nate followed the deliverymen down the stairs for the last time and saw them out. "Thanks," he said.

"Yes, thank you!" Addie called to them.

They nodded and left, then Nate closed the door. "The rooms already feel more comfortable than they did. The drapes and blinds are fine, so you'll want to keep their colours in mind when you're choosing linens and a spread. A couple of the rooms are blue, two are mauve and two have interesting, mustard-coloured drapes." He made a face.

Addie grinned. "They'll be fine. I've seen some beautiful fabric using that colour as an accent woven through. If I can find something like that, it'll look fantastic. I'm going with comforters instead of bedspreads."

He nodded. "And mattresses. You'll want some of them, of course."

"Thanks." She screwed up her face at him. "Really, I thought I'd just let people sleep on the floor within the bed frame. Nice and firm for the back, you know."

74.

"You might get a few guests, though I'm not sure they'd be the type of folks you were after." He wandered into the dining room. "These chairs look fine!"

"Hardly any of them are the same." She followed his gaze and chewed her lip nervously.

"Who cares? For all anyone knows, you planned it that way! They're attractive and st.u.r.dy. I'd mix them all up. Instead of having two tables with matching chairs, and the others unmatched, just move them all around. It'll look more natural that way."

"If you say so." Addie and Nate dragged chairs around until all four tables were full.

He touched the carved swear words in the top of one table and shook his head. "Do you have cloths or do you need to get some?"

"I have all those. Apparently, my little houseguests didn't get into the linen closet."

He ran his hand over the top. "Put down a table pad first then the cloth. No one will ever know what's under here."

"That's what I thought," she agreed. "They'll be fine."

He walked into the front room. "This stuff is better than fine. I love the deep-red brocade sofa and the white brocade easy chair. But the red and white striped loveseat really ties it all together."

"Different fabric." She touched the cotton loveseat cushion. It was modern, while the other two were older and more cla.s.sic. But he was right, they looked incredible together.

He started to reply, when a knock sounded on the front door. They glanced up and saw his partner, Ryan, with another man. "Must be official sheriffing business." Nate crossed the room and opened the door. "Hey, there." He smiled at his man.

"Hey, Nate." Ryan Blackfeather looked past him to Addie and nodded. "Addie. This is Taylor Adams. Could we come in for a minute, please?"

"Of course." She moved closer as the men entered.

Nate looked Adams up and down. "You're Vernie's father, aren't you?"

"Yes," the man replied.

He was portly and appeared tightly stuffed into his business suit. Not the typical Cattle Valley resident, as far as Addie could tell. She watched and waited for Ryan to speak.

"Mr. Adams is gone on business several nights a week. His wife pa.s.sed away a while back, which leaves Vernie alone more than is probably prudent."

75.

The man took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his brow. "I a.s.sumed, since the boy was seventeen, he could look out for himself. I wasn't aware of the type of people he socialised with in Sheridan. Everyone in Cattle Valley is so pleasant and open-minded. It's hard to realise, just a few miles down the road, there are people who still don't like gays and think causing them trouble is a fun evening's activity."

Addie blinked. "This was a hate crime?"

Ryan shrugged. "Mainly, this was a group of kids with too much time on their hands and not enough supervision."

"I'd say it was pretty hateful," Nate spoke up.

Ryan raised a hand. "I agree, but I don't think the kids were out to hurt anyone.

Apparently, they hung out here a few nights, and the last time, they filmed themselves trashing the place. Still have the video, right here on Vernie's confiscated cell phone." He held it up.

"Let me see that!" Nate stood next to Ryan as he played the short video.

Addie looked over Nate's shoulder for a second, but when the action started, she realised she didn't want to see it. The whole thing turned her stomach, and she looked away.

"Fool kids!" Nate exclaimed. "I can't believe they filmed it. Makes denying it tough."

Ryan snapped the phone shut. "Vernie isn't naming anyone else, yet. But I suspect he will be after his father is through with him. You see, Mr. Adams has offered to pay for the damages. And Vernie is going to work this summer to pay it back. So, if he doesn't want to be the only one paying, it'd be in his best interest to spill some names."

Addie saw Adams pull out his chequebook.

Ryan looked at her. "He'll cover your insurance deductible, plus a few thousand for lost income and inconvenience. So, if you'll come up with a number, please..."

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. "I, uh, gee. I don't know."

Nate leaned over and whispered, "The kid's going to pay for it. Make it a high enough number to teach him a lesson."

She did some quick figuring in her head.