“Believe what?” Claire murmured as she studied their plan for Holly’s wedding.
“That was Pat McConachie. He wants me to catalog the paintings on his ranch.”
Claire looked up from their workroom table. “Why does he want you to do that?”
“For insurance purposes and for his wife. Ida collected paintings by nineteenth-century American artists for most of her married life. A long time ago, they made a list of the paintings they own, but he can’t find it. He wants me to take a picture of each painting, then add the dimensions and artist’s name to a spreadsheet. Nick Costas will value the paintings. After I’ve finished the spreadsheet, Pat wants me to make an album of all the photos for his wife.”
“It sounds interesting, but do you have the time to help him?”
Hannah sighed. “I like Pat. I don’t want to tell him I can’t do it.”
“How long does he think it will take?”
“A couple of days, but he’s offered to let me stay on the ranch for a week. I could catalog his art collection in the mornings and paint in the afternoons.” A month ago, she wouldn’t have been able to help the McConachies or think about painting. With back-to-back events scheduled, she’d been working seven days a week.
Claire leaned her elbows on the table. “Our last Christmas event is tonight, so you don’t have to worry about that. But what about your vacation? I thought you had things you wanted to do while I was in San Diego?”
“I do, but Mr. and Mrs. McConachie are lovely people. Besides, it would be like old times. It’s been years since I had an art project to work on. Being able to paint is an added bonus.”
A slow smile spread across Claire’s face. “Your decision wouldn’t have anything to do with Brett Forster, would it?”
“Don’t be silly. We’d planned on having a vacation before Christmas. This gives me the best of both worlds. I can enjoy the ranch and immerse myself in the McConachies’ art collection.”
“Working on the catalog won’t be the same as a vacation.”
“It’s half a vacation.”
“It sounds as though you’ve already made up your mind,” Claire said. “You could look at the week as an adventure. And at the end, you might even want to date Brett.”
“Maybe.” Hannah poured herself a cup of coffee. “But for now, we’ve got the rest of the afternoon to work on the plans for Holly and Daniel’s wedding. Did we include everything on their wish list?”
Claire opened a document on her laptop. “I think so. They’re getting married in their barn, so we don’t need to worry about a venue. They want fairy lights and flowers everywhere. I called the man who supplied the lights for Sally Randall’s wedding and he can help us. If we give Becky an idea of what we want, she’ll create all the flower arrangements, table posies, and the bouquet. The only thing I haven’t organized is where Daniel’s alpacas will go. I thought one of his neighbors might babysit them for the day.”
“That’s a good idea.” Hannah looked over her sister’s shoulder at Holly’s wedding file. “What about the bagpipes?”
Holly’s family originally came from Scotland. After her parents divorced, her dad moved back to the Highlands. Instead of a traditional bridal march, she wanted to walk down the aisle with her dad to the sound of the bagpipes.
“All sorted. There’s a Scottish pipe band in Billings. I’ve booked one of their bagpipe players.”
“That’s awesome.” Hannah pointed to the next big item. “I talked to Annie about the catering. She can provide all the food and staff for the wedding. All she needs is the final list of what we want.”
Claire opened her spreadsheet. “Already done. Holly and Daniel signed this off earlier today.”
“That was quick.”
“They don’t have a lot of choice. Daniel’s in the middle of launching a new computer program and Holly is furiously painting.”
Hannah sipped her coffee as she quickly read the next few entries. “We’ve organized a lot in the last couple of days.”
Claire grinned. “We’re not called the dynamic duo for nothing. When are you going to the McConachies’ ranch?”
“Pat wants me to start as soon as possible. If it’s okay with him, I’ll go there after I’ve taken you to the airport.”
“Tomorrow?”
Hannah nodded. “As long as the road isn’t closed, I should be there by three o’clock.”
“It looks as though we’ll both be busy before Christmas.”
