Cooper shook his head. “No. They should all come at us differently. I’m not sure how we’re going to deal with it. In fact ... .” He trailed off when he heard footsteps at the saloon door. Upon lifting his head, he expected to find the FBI agent watching them. Instead, he found two of the bartender candidates standing there expectantly. Ray Simon and Nikki Dobbs. He remembered their names from the interviews ... which seemed like a very long time ago given everything that had happened over the past few days.
“Hello.” Ray’s smile was open and friendly, although he looked as if he felt out of place. “I ... um ... is this a bad time?”
Hannah’s expression was blank as she regarded the two individuals. “I don’t know. I guess that depends on what you’re doing here.”
“We’re here for the orientation,” Nikki replied. “I mean ... this is the date and time you emailed us, right?”
Hannah was at a genuine loss. “I ... .” She looked to Cooper, confused, and found him staring back with a sheepish look on his face. “Do you know something I don’t?”
“Actually, I do.” He felt like a complete and total idiot. Given everything that had happened over the past few days, though, it was no surprise that he’d forgotten. “Um ... I hired Nikki and Ray.”
“You did?” Hannah tried to keep her face neutral even though she was dumbfounded. “No offense, but I wish you would’ve told me.”
“Right. Um ... the thing is, it happened right before we went outside to see what the ruckus was the other day.” He held out his hands in a placating manner even though, if their roles were reversed and she’d forgotten to tell him she’d hired two people, he would’ve been annoyed ... to say the least.
“We were talking about who we liked,” he explained, feeling awkward. “You liked Ray and Nikki and since you’re the boss, I thought it would be faster if I just gave you your way and emailed them to come for orientation and a bit of training today.”
“Oh.” Hannah wasn’t sure what she was supposed to say. “I can’t help but feel I should be angry,” she admitted after a beat.
“I planned on telling you right away, and then letting you kiss me as thanks for readily agreeing to your people, but then things ... got weird outside.”
Amusement flitted across Hannah’s face. “That’s a nice way of putting it.”
“I’m sorry.” He moved to stand. “I’ll have them come back ... once this all is settled.”
At first, Hannah thought that was probably the best idea. Then she thought better about it. “Wait ... .” She reached out and grabbed his wrist before he could move more than a foot away. “Maybe they should stay.”
“I can’t help but feel we’ve come at a bad time,” Ray hedged. He was a gregarious guy, chiseled cheekbones and perfect hair. In truth, Cooper had been annoyed with the man’s good looks and the way he flirted with Hannah from the moment he set foot in the saloon. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t be a good worker, and he had an impressive resume.
“It’s not that,” Hannah reassured him. “Well, actually it is that ... but not the way you think. It’s been a rather interesting few days.”
“I heard.” Nikki was solemn, her youth serving to make her look naive. “You guys have been on the news, although no one has information about how that guy died. People are saying there was no bullet ... but how can that be?”
“It’s a mystery,” Cooper replied. “We’re still trying to figure it out. That’s why we weren’t ready for you today. I honestly forgot I sent the emails because we’ve been ... just dealing with stuff.”
“It’s okay,” Nikki reassured him quickly. “We understand. Um ... do you just want us to wait until you contact us again or what?”
“That would probably be best,” Cooper answered.
“Actually, I think we should start the training today,” Hannah countered, catching Cooper by surprise.
“You do?” He was incredulous.
“I do.” Hannah managed to keep her smile in place, although it felt odd given the way everyone was looking at one another. “We’re technically shut down but that means it’s the best time to teach you guys the ropes. We won’t have to worry about tourists coming in, which means things will go fast. You can learn the basics today and then come back on the first day we’re open again. I mean ... if that’s okay with you.”
“I happen to think that’s a great idea,” Nikki enthused. “I’m dying to get a tour of this place.”
“I’m honestly looking forward to being able to wander around, too,” Ray admitted. “This place is ... amazing. I used to come here all the time with my parents years ago. Now I get to work here. It’s like a dream come true.”
In Hannah’s mind, Ray was trying a bit too hard. Of course, he’d basically interrupted a private breakfast and was left to awkwardly stand there for a good five minutes before things were sorted out. She couldn’t blame him for feeling out of sorts.
“Well, why don’t you join us for breakfast?” She inclined her head toward the takeout containers. “I’m sure Sheriff Boone brought plenty.”
“I did,” Boone confirmed with a smile, although he didn’t look altogether thrilled at the thought of eating with virtual strangers. “I always get two meals for everybody because Cooper and Tyler eat like horses ... and Jinx enjoys his scraps because he’s a good boy.”
Hannah smirked as Boone handed Jinx another sausage link. “Once we’re finished eating and you guys have loaded up on caffeine, we’ll get to work. Honestly, it will be ten times easier teaching you guys what’s necessary when there are no customers to slow us down. I think it will be good.”
“It sounds good to me.” Nikki smiled shyly as she took the seat next to Tyler. “This all
