Hannah looked around the ballroom. “I can’t come to the gallery right now. Claire and I are meeting a client at The Baxter Hotel soon.”
“Come after you have finished.”
“I might not arrive until close to eight-thirty. Is that all right?”
“It does not matter,” Nick said. “I am getting ready for another exhibition, and like you, I will be working late.”
Hannah glanced at her sister. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. Thank you for getting the painting authenticated.”
“It is my pleasure. I will see you when you arrive.”
Nick ended the call and all Hannah could do was stare at the phone.A Bierstadt.It was incredibly rare to find any unknown paintings by Bierstadt, let alone one that was in such excellent condition. If Pat and Ida wanted to sell the painting, they would end up with a small fortune.
Claire handed her a broom. “Are you all right? You look as though you’ve seen a ghost.”
Hannah shook her head. “I don’t think I’ll be okay for a long time. Nick Costas has heard back from his friend in New York City. She said the painting I found in Pat’s attic is by Albert Bierstadt.”
Claire rubbed her arm. “That’s amazing. Does Pat know?”
“Not yet. I think he must have switched off his phone. After we’ve finished here, I’ll stop at Nick’s gallery. He has a copy of the report and authentication certificate for Pat.”
Claire lifted her broom off the floor. “In that case, we’d better keep sweeping. Margaret will be here soon, and two of the florists have finished hanging their baskets.”
Hannah walked to the far side of the room and started sweeping. With any luck, they’d have everything ready for Margaret’s grand reveal. After that, she’d call Brett and tell him about the painting. With any luck, the news would make Pat smile. Because right now, he needed all the good news he could find.
***
Brett parked his truck outside The Baxter Hotel. Hannah had called him an hour ago, and he’d offered to drive her to Nick’s gallery. Pat was speechless when Brett told him the painting in the attic was a Bierstadt. Even though the canvas resembled some of the images they’d found on the Internet, Pat had expected it to be a good imitation, not the real thing.
A noisy crowd of teenagers jostled along the sidewalk. Brett looked carefully to make sure Thomas and Dave weren’t in the group. Both boys had been so worried over the last few weeks that he doubted they’d want to party with their friends anytime soon.
It was another busy Friday night in downtown Bozeman. The bars and restaurants would be packed with cowboys, executives, and college students. He thanked his lucky stars that he was taking Hannah to Nick’s gallery. After spending half the day in the Intensive Care Unit, the last thing he needed was to be stuck in a room full of people.
The front doors of the hotel opened and Claire walked onto the sidewalk. “Hi, Brett. Hannah’s still upstairs.”
“Will you be all right going home on your own?”
She smiled and patted his arm. “You’re very thoughtful, but I’m more than capable of looking after myself.”
“You may be capable, but we don’t know if the police have found everyone involved in Dave’s assault.”
“They would have told us if they’d found anything to be worried about.” Claire lifted the strap of her bag onto her shoulder. “My truck is parked across the street. I’ll be fine.”
Brett stuck his hands into his pockets. Claire was as stubborn as her sister. “You might want to call Hannah when you get home.”
“We’ve already talked about that. Good luck at Nick’s gallery.”
“Thanks. I’m looking forward to seeing the report.”
“So is Hannah. I’ll see you later.” And with a quick glance along the sidewalk, she joined the people heading toward the crossing.
Brett stood outside the hotel while Claire walked to her truck. With the roads packed bumper-to-bumper with traffic, the least he could do was make sure she made it safely to her vehicle.
She waved at him before opening the driver’s door and he waved back. With Claire safely on her way home, he headed into the hotel.
He smiled at the fairy-tale entrance. Snow-covered pine trees sheltered the carriage he’d spent more than an hour decorating. Fairy lights wrapped around the white canopy creating a ride fit for a prince and princess.
He climbed the stairs, running his hand along the tulle-wrapped rail. Earlier in the day, he saw the drawings of what the hotel would look like after it had been decorated. But nothing could have prepared him for the sheer beauty of what they’d created. He couldn’t imagine anyone else being able to take a theme and immerse the guests so quickly into their imagination.
