Hannah was grim as Alicia Clarke entered the building. The woman — Hannah estimated she was in her late twenties — scanned the space until her gaze landed on Casper Creek’s owner.
“There you are.” Alicia stepped forward grimly. “It seems we have a problem.”
“I’m sure we do,” Hannah acknowledged. “The thing is ... we can’t tear down the saloon, no matter what she wants. Believe it or not, it’s a moneymaker and this is a business.”
“Oh, I understand that part.” Alicia let loose a baffled half-laugh. “I don’t know what she expects you to do on that front. We told her that people would be allowed to drink. She can’t control what others do. She doesn’t like hearing that but ... well ... she’s just going to have to get over it.
“The thing is, she has an announcement she wants to make,” she continued. “She says it’s important, something everybody in attendance will be interested in. She doesn’t want to give the announcement in the saloon, though, because she says it has negative vibes.”
Hannah and Cooper exchanged weighted looks. This wasn’t the tack they expected Alicia to take.
“What sort of announcement does she want to make?” Cooper asked finally.
“I’m not sure. She’s a big figure in the psychic world, so if we could make it happen ... .” She trailed off, sheepish. “I’m sure this sounds absolutely ridiculous to you and I don’t blame you for being dubious ... or whatever it is you’re feeling.
“The thing is, we’re trying to do something here,” she continued. “We want to make others realize that psychics aren’t something to be feared, or even revered. They’re real people who just happen to have extraordinary abilities.
“Velma is a big name in certain circles. She’s considered a ‘psychic to the stars’ so to speak. She was a big name for us to get — we thought we were going to have to settle for her daughter at first — and even though I don’t want to put you on the spot because it doesn’t seem fair, if we could somehow accommodate her ... I would really appreciate it.”
That’s all Hannah had to hear. The organizer was apologetic and knew Velma was being a pain. It was still important to her, and if Hannah wanted Casper Creek to be considered for big events in the future, she recognized she would have to learn to cater to people ... even if she didn’t like them.
“What about the brothel?” she asked out of the blue. “Would she be okay with that space?”
Alicia looked so relieved there was a moment Hannah was convinced the woman was going to hug her. She kept it together, though. “I’ll make it work. Thank you so much.”
“Don’t mention it.” Hannah was resigned to figuring things out. “We’re going to need thirty minutes to get it ready, though. Can you give us that?”
“Absolutely.”
4
Four
Maddie and Nick enjoyed their drinks and then exited the saloon. It was obvious Hannah and Cooper were discussing something serious and the Michigan couple wanted to give them their space.
“I’m guessing owning an Old West town is stressful,” Maddie announced when they were on the street.
Nick nodded, his gaze going to the post at the corner of the street. “This is where they tie horses.”
Maddie made a face. “Awesome.”
“Maybe we can ride horses.” He looked intrigued by the suggestion as he flicked his gaze back to her. “That might be fun and romantic, huh?”
“I’ve never really thought about it before, but sure.” Maddie couldn’t get over how excited Nick was to be in the town. Even if it turned out to be a wash for her — a possibility she was internally debating — the trip would obviously be worth it for Nick. She made a mental note not to complain about the hotel room again. There was no reason to be negative when they had so much to be thankful for.
“Horses would definitely be fun.” His hand shifted to her back. “Were you saying something before that?”
She studied his profile and then shook her head. “Just commenting on how cool the town is.”
“Totally cool,” he agreed, tugging her to him so he could give her a hug. “Did I mention that I wanted to be a gunfighter when I was a kid?”
The statement caught Maddie off guard, and yet even as she fought the urge to laugh at what she considered an absurd statement, she realized he was deadly serious ... and it niggled something in the back of her brain. “I remember one summer you made me dress up all in black and had me pretend to be the bad guy. You took some of your father’s cowboy hats for the game and got in trouble.”
Nick smiled at the memory. “Yeah. You hated being the bad guy. Then I did research on the women of the time and decided you should work in a brothel. I had no idea what that meant, but when I told my mother she got really quiet.”
Maddie snorted. “You never told me that.”
“My mother made me promise never to tell you. She said it would get the people in town talking. I never understood any of it until I was older and found out what a brothel really was and then I was really glad I never made you work for one.”
“Yes, we’re probably all glad about that.” Maddie tried to picture her mother’s face if she were to have come home as a child and announced she was working for a brothel. “Yeah, it’s probably best your mother nipped that in the bud.”
Nick chuckled, delighted with her, and slung his arm around her shoulders so he could kiss her temple. “I love you, Maddie. You would’ve made an excellent Madame.”
“Ha, ha.” She pinched his flank but
