I Love You Again Read Online Free PDF Page B

if I recall. It got a little hazy after the bananas Foster. But what a marvelous meal. That woman got me drunk. How is the old gal?” She raised her head. “Am I the first one up?”
    “Sadly, no. She’s been up since seven.”
    “I hate that woman.”
    “But she did drop a carton of eggs earlier. If that’s any consolation.” Roz set a tall glass in front of her.
    “What are you doing?” Bess asked, her voice full of trepidation.
    “The hair of the dog that bit ya . Don’t worry. No alcohol.” She put ice in the glass, tomato juice, and all the fixings for a bloody Mary sans the Mary. “This is the magic.” Roz put an asparagus spear in the glass, then pushed it in front of Bess.
    “That’s it?” she asked, eyeing the glass. “That’s your magic elixir—asparagus?”
    “Just drink it.”
    Bess shrugged and picked up the glass. As she took a drink, a bell rang. “Oh, God, I’m hearing bells.”
    Roz laughed. “It’s the front desk. Eat that asparagus.”
    She was still chuckling when she neared the front desk. A tall, very good-looking man stood there, taking in his surroundings. He wore a tan sports coat with a black T-shirt and blue jeans. His one piece of luggage looked expensive. When he saw Roz, he took off his sunglasses and grinned.
    Wow, she thought, his teeth are so white. He looked like an ad for a toothpaste commercial. He may have a good chance with Bess.
    “Mr. Hutchins?”
    He continued to smile as he stuck out his hand. “Yes. I hope I’m not too early. Traffic from Boulder was lighter than I anticipated.”
    “Not at all.” Roz presented the register. “Just need a signature and a credit card. We’ll get you all checked in.”
    “Great.” He recoiled slightly when Roz offered a pen. “No offense. It’s just a thing…”
    “None taken,” Roz said with a smile.
    He filled out the information, signed with a flourish, and handed Roz an American Express card.
    When she finished, she handed him a key. “I’ll show you to your room.”
    “Wonderful, thanks.” He picked up his luggage and followed Roz up the staircase. “You have a very nice place here. Very cozy, typical Colorado.”
    “Thanks,” she said, wincing as her knee started to ache. That’s all I need right now, she thought, collapse on top of my first guest of the season. “Here ya go.” She opened the door, then handed him his key. “Breakfast is between seven and nine. The kitchen is closed till eleven for lunch. But the bar is open all day.” She thought that sounded a tad alcoholic, but explaining herself would probably only make it worse.
    Nate Hutchins looked around the room. “It’s great, thanks.” He tossed his bag on the bed.
    “Do you fly fish?”
    “No. Not really. I honestly came up here just to relax and take in a little fresh air for a few days.”
    “Well, if you need anything at all, you just let me know. I’m always around. Or Stella, she’s my chef and right hand.”
    “Not a problem, thanks.”
    Roz found Bess right where she left her. At least she ate the asparagus. “How are you feeling?”
    “Much better. What was in that asparagus?”
    Roz put her fingers to her lips. “Trade secret.”
    “So who has arrived?”
    “Nate Hutchins, and he’s dreamy.”
    Bess raised an eyebrow. “Dreamy?”
    “That got those eyes open.”
    As Roz described him, Bess raised the other eyebrow. “That does sound dreamy. You say he doesn’t fish? I like him already.”
    “Down, girl.” Roz shook her finger at Bess. “Don’t scare away my customers. I already had a cancellation last week.”
    “What happened?”
    Roz laughed. “I had a family come in on Monday. They were from England. Nice folks, with a pretty teenage girl who had Mark tripping over himself while they were here. Sumner, I think their names were. They were very affable, very chatty, and very English. I was excited. They were my first international customers. He was a bird-watcher…”
    “Oh, dear.”
    Roz laughed.