“Okay.” Hannah dragged out the single word. She wasn’t exactly moved by the story. “What can I do for you, Ms. Sanders?”
“Yes, well ... I don’t like this place.” She gestured around the saloon. “It sucks the energy out of the property, and since we have a variety of different events planned in the days going forward, it’s not going to do anybody any good to have a black hole such as this in existence.”
Hannah’s expression never changed — something Maddie marveled at — but there was a crackle of energy around her.
“Uh-oh,” Cooper muttered, finally getting to his feet. He cleared his throat to garner the attention of everybody involved. “Maybe we should take this outside, huh?”
Hannah furrowed her brow when she saw him. “I didn’t realize you were in here. I ... you usually stop and say hello.”
“I’m sorry.” Cooper shot her a flirty smile. “I was with guests.” He gestured toward Maddie and Nick. “I happened upon them helping Tyler with a few out-of-control animals and offered to buy them a drink for their efforts.”
Hannah turned sheepish. “Jinx?”
“He might’ve been a contributing factor.” Cooper smirked. “It’s not a big deal. He likes the hose and the goats hate it. He might’ve been terrorizing them a little bit. It’s not as if they won’t pay him back. They always pay him back.”
“You’ve got a point there.” Hannah glanced over Cooper’s shoulder and met Maddie’s eyes. The connection was almost immediate. It was as if the atmosphere between them sparkled ... although not in a sexual way. It was something else entirely. “Who are you?” She blurted out the question before she thought better of it.
Maddie wriggled on her seat. She was obviously as surprised at the shift in the room temperature as Hannah. She was out of her element, though, and didn’t know how to react. “Um ... Maddie.”
“Maddie Winters,” Cooper volunteered. “She’s here for the psychic stuff.”
“Oh.” Hannah wasn’t certain what she was supposed to say.
Because she was uncomfortable with the silence, Maddie filled it with the most inane statement she could muster. “It’s Maddie Graves-Winters. I kept my maiden name and hyphenated.”
Nick’s hand automatically went to her back as he bit back a smile. “That’s a very smart clarification, Mad.”
Maddie shot her husband a dirty look. “I was just saying ... in case anybody decides to repeat it during introductions or anything.”
“It wasn’t a slap or anything,” Nick offered quickly.
“Whatever.” Maddie dragged a restless hand through her hair. She hated feeling out of her element. “Um ... I really like your town, by the way. It’s cool.”
Hannah’s smile was legitimate. She appreciated how awkward Maddie obviously felt. “Thank you. I’m a big fan as well. In fact ... .” Before she could finish, Velma interrupted the conversation with the most obnoxious throat-clearing sound Hannah had ever heard.
“You guys can finish this ... whatever it is ... on your own time,” she announced. “We’re here to talk about my needs right now, and I’m saying this saloon is all wrong for what we have planned.”
Hannah knew a little bit about customer service. She was good at her job, had a pleasing personality, and people genuinely liked her. She was already at the end of her rope with Velma, though, and she wasn’t even certain how it had happened because she’d barely spent any time with the woman.
“And what do you expect us to do about your dislike of the saloon?” Hannah asked blandly. “I’m pretty sure it was here before you.”
“Yes, but it’s messing up the vibes,” Velma persisted. “I think ... is there a way ... .” She hemmed and hawed around the subject for a few beats and then straightened her shoulders. “I think we should tear down the building.”
Whatever she was expecting, that wasn’t it. Hannah was practically floored by the suggestion. “Excuse me?”
Sensing trouble, Cooper extended his hand and shuffled closer. He made sure to keep Hannah to his right in case she decided that attacking the troublesome psychic was a better solution than offering up competent customer service. “I’m sure Ms. Sanders didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”
“Oh, I meant it.” Velma wrinkled her nose as she studied the open rafters of the saloon. “Alcohol can have a negative effect on psychic vibes. I think this place is a detriment to what we have planned.”
Cooper immediately started shaking his head. “Well, then don’t drink any alcohol.”
“Can you guarantee other guests won’t do the same?”
“No, and it’s not my job to police people.” Cooper found he was suddenly fired up. “It’s not your job to police them either. This is an open event. If you don’t like the saloon, then my suggestion is to stay out of it.”
Velma was obviously miffed. “Well ... that’s just rude.”
“No, it’s simply the way things work. The saloon isn’t going anywhere. You don’t have to be part of any group outings that involve the saloon. It’s pretty simple.”
Velma flicked her attention to Hannah, perhaps gauging if the woman was going to step in and argue. When it became apparent Cooper and Hannah were in lockstep together, she held up her hands. “Fine. It was just a suggestion.”
“No problem.” Hannah’s expression was blasé. “You made your suggestion and it has been vetoed. No harm, no foul.”
“Yes, well ... .” Velma plastered a fake smile on her face. There was nothing even remotely friendly about it. In fact, she looked downright annoyed not to be kowtowed to. She didn’t say another word, though, and instead turned on her heel and disappeared through the swinging doors.
“That was ... fun,” Cooper commented, his hand automatically going to Hannah’s back.
“She’s supposed to be important to the event, right?” Now that the verbal spat was behind them, Hannah was starting to rethink her stance. Not about demolishing the saloon on a whim, of course, but she’d been more abrupt than might have been warranted. “Maybe I should talk to the organizer.”
“Give it a second,” Cooper intoned, watching as Velma
