The Inn at Blue Hollow Falls Read online

  “Blue Hollow Falls, Virginia, is even smaller than the Irish village I’m going to. Every single person who lives in your little burg knows you, loves you, respects you. If you tell them to help you help her, they will. You know they will. Yes, she could stay anywhere, but nothing would be as perfect, as completely off the grid, as safe for her as this. I knew she’d be in the best hands possible with you. Please, Seth?” No wheedling or cajoling this time, just straight out, sincerely and honestly asked.

  He shook his head, then rubbed his palm over his face and down his beard, squeezing his eyes shut. He never had been good at saying no to her. “When is this big swap taking place?” He had to hold the phone a foot from his ear to keep her squeal of delight from deafening him.

  “That’s the other part,” she said, sounding breathless with excitement again. “It all kind of came together really fast—and I did try to call you, but I couldn’t get through; the ringtone sounded all weird, and your cell kept going straight to voice mail.”

  “My power got knocked out for a few days. So, you’re saying sooner rather than later.”

  “Wellll . . . you might say that, yes.”

  He felt a nerve twitch in his temple. “As in, when? Exactly?”

  “Well, it was supposed to be this coming weekend, so I’d have enough time to clear it with you and you’d have enough time to make sure your place doesn’t look like a frat house.”

  “My house is tidy, thank you very much.”

  “I just remember your room growing up, and—”

  “Yeah, well, you can thank the U.S. Army for changing my lifestyle habits. And you said this was for six weeks? Moira, that’s not a little favor. I’ve got a million things to do before the sun finally comes back out and we’re back in full swing.”

  He wasn’t at all thrilled with the idea of having a houseguest for the next month and a half. He didn’t mind helping Pippa out, but there were other ways to solve that problem. It didn’t sound like money was an issue, so he’d find his unexpected guest some tidy little rental up in the hills where she could do whatever she wanted and be as private as necessary, and he’d be on call if she needed help with anything. Win-win. And his baby sister didn’t need to know about any of that.

  “She won’t be in your way. And who knows, maybe she could be of some help. I’ve never met her, but Katie says she’s a good sport and not at all spoiled by her success. Totally down to earth. Oh, and Katie said she loves animals, so hey, maybe she can keep your exotic house pet entertained and out of your hair.”

  “Dexter is not a house pet. He’s mostly a pain in my ass.”

  “And yet, you didn’t sell him off when you bought that place.”

  “It was one of the provisions of the purchase.”

  “Didn’t the old woman you bought the place from pass away a few months after you closed on the place? You can’t be legally bound at this point.”

  “I made a promise, Mouse.”

  “Yes, you did, and I know you always keep them,” she said, love and affection in her tone. “One of the many reasons you’re my hero.”

  “Wait,” he said, her earlier statement coming back to him. “You said this Pippa person was ‘supposed to be’ coming this weekend? When is she actually coming?”

  “Like I said, I’ve been trying to call you for the past two days.”

  “We’re on the tail end of a monster snowstorm. Ten inches and counting, and that’s on top of all the white stuff we still have piled up from the last snowpocalypse.”

  “But, it’s March,” Moira said, sounding stunned.

  “Just barely. And I live above two-thousand feet up. Snow happens. I’ve had it all the way into April.”

  “It’s still snowing now?”

  “Supposed to taper off this afternoon.”

  He heard her swear, which didn’t happen often.

  “Moira Aileen?”

  “Stop calling me that. You sound like Ma.”

  “I’m going to sound like Dad here in a minute. When is she coming?” he asked again, enunciating each word.

  Just then he heard the high-pitched grinding sound of a small engine echoing through the air outside the barn.

  “Well, it turns out she was able to charter a flight out this past weekend instead, so she took the opportunity and got on over here. She was going to find someplace to hole up for the week, but that might have blown everything, so I told her I’d get in touch with you, that I was sure you wouldn’t mind her coming in early.” Moira said this all in a rush without taking a breath. “But if it’s storming up there, then she’s probably stuck somewhere.”

  Seth walked over to the sliding panel doors and nudged one open. Shielding his eyes against the sudden, blinding glare of white, he blinked at the tiny, stinging flakes being driven into his face and eyes. He managed to make out what looked like a sleek, two-person snowmobile popping up over the ridge just south of the barn, and then plowing right into the middle of a huge, windblown snowdrift. “Yeah, she’s stuck somewhere all right,” Seth said, listening as the sound of the motor instantly died out. “I gotta go, Mouse.”

  “Seth, wait, I—”

  “I’ll call you back. I think I need to go dig my new houseguest out of a snowbank. Also? You’ve just used up every last one of your favors until you’re thirty.” He saw arms and legs clad in bright aqua blue poking out of the snowbank as someone appeared to be fighting his or her way out of the pile of white stuff. “Make that forty.” He ended the call, already running into the storm.