“That’s exactly the sort of person we’re looking for,” Cooper confirmed.
“I should think so,” Lindy agreed. “Your last worker — that Becky chick I saw on the news — lost her cool and actually killed that tourist you had up here. I can’t remember his name. You got a lot of bad press for it, though.”
Hannah’s heart sank. That was one of her least favorite aspects about what happened to Becky, which was saying something. To keep Casper Creek’s reputation intact, the local sheriff James Boone had concocted a tale blaming Becky for the town’s woes. They couldn’t very well publicly blame furies for what happened, which meant they had to come up with another story, and in that narrative Becky got all the blame.
It was still a bitter pill to swallow.
“That’s why we want a self-starter,” Cooper agreed, rubbing Hannah’s knee under the table. He didn’t want her exploding and making her opinion regarding Becky’s guilt known. “Hannah wants to get out of the saloon once things are settled. We want someone who is motivated and competent.”
“Then I’m your woman.” Lindy’s smile was self-assured rather than smug. “I’m a heckuva worker and I happen to think this place is really cool. I definitely think I’ll be a good fit.”
Cooper hesitated before focusing on Hannah, who was already nodding.
“How about we give it a try?” he prodded. “You seem straight-forward, which is exactly what we want. There’s been a lot of upheaval recently. We need someone who is going to tell it like it is and not cause a lot of drama.”
“I have no interest in drama. I figure I’m too old for high school shenanigans.”
“I think we can all agree there.” Cooper was relieved to find Hannah smiling. If she wasn’t okay with hiring Lindy, she wouldn’t be able to hide her emotions. As it stood, she seemed comfortable with the decision. “We have some paperwork for you to fill out and then we need to get you a uniform.”
“Yeah, I’ve seen the uniforms up here. I bet they help with the tips.”
Hannah’s cheeks colored. “I want to change them, but I was informed it would be bad for business.”
“It totally would,” Lindy agreed, unruffled. “As much as I would like to live in a world where sex appeal doesn’t matter, that’s not how things are for us. I’m fine with the uniform. I happen to love big tips.”
Cooper smiled. “Then I think you’re going to fit in really well here.”
“That’s the plan. I need to give a few days’ notice for my current job, though.”
“That’s fine. We’re actually shut down for a few days as we get things ready to reopen again. It should work out fine, but we’ll start with the formalities.” Cooper pushed himself to a standing position. “I’ll get the paperwork and Hannah will get the uniform.”
“Thank you.” Lindy’s expression was sincere. “I really appreciate you guys taking a chance on me. You must be leery after recent events.”
“We are,” Cooper agreed. “I have a good feeling about this, though.”
“I won’t let you down.”
“That’s exactly what I want to hear.”
2
Two
Hannah found she felt surprisingly good about the hire. She’d used her newfound magic to feel out the woman — at least to the best of her ability — and couldn’t detect evil undercurrents. Of course, she had no idea what that would look like, so she was basically going on instinct. Still, it was nice to have one decision off her plate.
Cooper had been right about moving forward. One simple decision was enough to loosen the hold of the invisible fist that had been gripping her heart.
Up next was a night on the town with Cooper, away from Casper Creek and the memories of Becky that continued to haunt her. She needed a dog sitter before she could entertain the thought, though.
“Are you sure you’re okay with this?”
Tyler James, the longtime animal wrangler and veterinarian at Casper Creek, smirked at her fearful expression. “I have nine goats, six horses, fifteen chickens, and a duck who thinks he’s a chicken,” he pointed out. “Jinx is the best behaved out of them all.”
Hannah didn’t believe that for a second. “He terrorizes the goats.”
“They like it, and when they get tired of being barked at and chased, they terrorize him right back. He climbs up on the picnic table to get away from them and everything.”
“Does that mean you’re sure?”
Tyler let loose an exaggerated sigh. In addition to being Cooper’s best friend, he’d become something of a confidant for Hannah. He enjoyed her companionship very much, but there were times she drove him crazy ... and this was one of them. “Jinx is fine. He has his own bed in the barn. I’ll take him in with me at bedtime. I’ll make sure nothing happens to him.”
“I wasn’t worried about that. It’s just ... he’s a lot of work.”
“Kids always are.” Tyler winked at her and then took a moment to drink in her outfit. She’d changed into a pretty dress, floral patterned with thin spaghetti straps that showed off her sculpted shoulders. Her long blond hair was pulled up in a loose bun and she wore a pair of comfortable chunky sandals. “You look really nice.”
Hannah’s cheeks burned under the praise. “Thank you. I ... um ... thank you.”
That had him chuckling. “You are the absolute worst when it comes to taking a compliment. Cooper is bad, too, don’t get me wrong, but you act as if you’re about to die of embarrassment whenever I give you a compliment.”
“That’s not true. I happen to like a good compliment.”
“You could’ve fooled me.” Tyler stared at her for a beat longer and then shook his head. “Where
