“Most private.” I felt my cheeks warm. “Dom and Enzo are going to be in the room next to ours at the lodge, and after the whole balcony thing...”
“Enough said.” Lou was trying not to laugh. “You need actual privacy.”
“I’ll handle all the setup,” Elowyn’s smile grew bigger, just like her brother’s did when I caught him scheming. “Fresh linens and towels, start the fireplace, stock the mini-fridge. Do you want me to add anything special?”
“I trust you completely,” I said. “Whatever you think would be nice.”
Lou looked up from Elowyn’s foils. “What about that localwhiskey from Jackson Hole? Snake River Distillery. I could grab a bottle for you. Or champagne? And snacks! For… refueling.”
“Any of those would be amazing,” I smiled, my cheeks warming at the innuendo. “Thank you.”
“Of course,” she smiled.
“This is going to be perfect,” Elowyn was practically glowing. “I’ve been wanting to do a test run before we officially open anyway. You two are the perfect guinea pigs.”
“Happy to help,” I laughed. “Very happy to help.”
The conversation shifted into logistics about the July Fourth celebration, where everyone would be, what time things started, how far back the tradition went.
Lou finished Elowyn’s foils and came back to check my roots, satisfied with how the color was processing. “Let’s give these another ten minutes, then we’ll rinse and El can work her magic with the scissors.”
“And then,” Elowyn added, “we have to see Lou’s garden. Her dahlias are incredible this year.”
“I’d love that,” I caught Lou’s pleased smile.
The garden was behind the house, a riot of color against the Wyoming landscape. Raised beds were organized with rows of massive blooms, some as big as dinner plates.
“Holy cow,” I breathed, stopping at the edge of the beds. “These are stunning. The photos on Instagram didn’t do them justice.”
Lou laughed. “They’ve been happy this year. Good weather, I guess. I’ve been entering a few in the county fair over the years. Been thinkin’ about selling bouquets too.”
“You should do that. Do all those things, Lou.” I grinned, instantly excited by the idea. “I can help you with a website and some branding when you’re ready.” I moved closer, examining flowers. There were deep purple blooms next to blush and soft pink petals, all arranged in perfect natural symmetry. The coral ones caught the light like they were glowing. “These are insane in the best way.”
“I’ll cut you a bouquet.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely” she was already pulling out garden shears from a small outdoor cabinet near the back steps. “They’ll just keep blooming. Might as well share ‘em.”
She moved through the beds with practiced ease, selecting the best blooms. Elowyn found a bucket and filled it with water, and soon we had an armful of dahlias, heavy-headed and gorgeous.
“Thank you,” I said, meaning it for more than just the flowers.
Lou met my eyes and smiled. “You’re welcome. I’m glad we got to meet, Alex. Really glad.”
“Me too.”
We walked back toward the house together, Penny running out to show us her latest coloring masterpiece. I carried the bucket of dahlias like a trophy, my heart full from the entire afternoon.
Later, Elowyn drove us back to the ranch, the dahlias secure in the back seat.
“Good day?” She glanced over at me.
“Really good day,” I smiled.
“Lou likes you a lot, you know. She was nervous you’d hate her.”
“I could never,” I shook my head. “I was worried about the same thing, though. Finn was—”
