Pleased, his features softened. “Thanks. We’re all working hard to make that happen.”
He led her to one of the new elevators that had been installed. “All the rooms and suites on the third floor are the same as the second, so we’ll skip that.” Cain pushed the button for the fourth floor.
“This is where things get interesting.” The elevator door slid open. “We’ve turned a number of rooms on this level into a spacious apartment for my grandmother.”
“Nell, right?”
One of his dark eyebrows went up. “You did some digging, I see?”
“That’s right. If I’m going to work for someone, I want to know as much as I can about them.”
“I can usually say the same, but in your case, I’ve resisted. I wanted the pleasure of getting to know you myself.”
Jenny paused in the hallway in front of a set of double doors. “Why?”
“I’m not sure yet,” Cain said honestly. “I’ll let you know when I figure it out.” He opened the door into a living room with a fireplace. French doors led out to a balcony with views of the mountains. The bathroom was spectacular, but fully handicap-equipped.
“My grandmother is ailing,” he said. “She wants to spend her last years here in Jerome. I want that for her. The adjoining room is for her caregiver, who’s also her good friend. Another room is for any equipment necessary to see she’s taken care of properly if something were to happen.”
“I assume you have someone else handling the medical aspect of the setup.”
He nodded. “You don’t have to worry about any of that.”
“And the rest of the floor?”
“More rooms, some with balconies, and my suite. I won’t be here all that much, but when I am, I’ll want to spend time with my grandmother, and I’ll want to be comfortable.”
Men were at work in the suite, so they skipped it, finished the tour, and returned downstairs.
“You said you won’t be here that often. Your company offices are in Scottsdale. Is that where you live?”
“I have a house there. The place I call home is my ranch out in Kirkland. It’s about an hour away. The Cross Bar raises championship cutting horses.” He smiled. “If you take the job and you want to see it, I’ll show it to you sometime.”
She was going to take the job. She’d had no doubt from the moment she had opened the front door. She loved the Copper Star, loved running the hotel and saloon. But aside from the money problems her uncle had left her when she’d inherited the property—and the ghosts that had been troubling guests in the new wing—the challenge had been gone for some time.
Jenny looked up at him. “As I said, I like what you’ve done. But the finishing touches could make the difference between success and failure. I’d like to help with that.”
He smiled, definitely pleased he was getting his way. Jenny wasn’t sure how she felt about that.
“So you’re accepting my offer,” he said just to be clear.
“That’s right.”
“When can you start?”
“I need a day or two to make arrangements. I want to operate on my own schedule—that isn’t negotiable.”
He nodded.
“We’re busiest on the weekends. It’s Friday night. I could start . . . say, next Tuesday? That should give me time to hire an extra part-time employee and set up the scheduling.”
“Tuesday works fine. I’ll walk you out to your car.”
Jenny glanced at him over her shoulder as he reached down to open the door leading outside. She could feel the size of him, the heat of him, and her heart beat a little faster.
“I didn’t drive,” she said. “It’s less than a ten-minute walk up the hill from the Star.”
Cain frowned. “Coming up isn’t the problem. It’s pitch-black out there now. The town is full of tourists, and you never really know who you might encounter.” The wind blew a big gust of cold fall air through the open door. “The temperature has dropped. I’ll drive you back.”
