Allen raised his eyebrows, clearly curious. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the shining wood. This place wasstill new enough that it hadn’t yet accumulated the scars of the places Liam had frequented in his hometown back in New York.
“I have an opportunity that will interest you,” Liam began. He wanted to leave no room for doubt. “If you might remember, I had plans to build a hotel to cater to the regular folks coming to Crest Stone.”
“I do.” Allen leaned on his elbows against the bar. “And if I recall, you ran into some trouble with those plans.”
Liam forced himself not to cringe. If he was going to secure a final investor, he couldn’t cower from his mistakes. “I did, and it made me start anew. I’m aiming to build that hotel, and this time I have good, trustworthy men on board.” He rattled off the names, and Allen nodded in recognition. “I’ve got a plot of land picked out, a prime spot in the middle of town, just off the main road.” He pointed in the correct direction.
Allen smiled. “I’m glad you pulled it together, Hannan. It’s a smart idea, and something the town needs.”
“I need one more investor,” Liam said. This was the hardest part, going from selling them on the idea to selling them on putting money behind it. “And I’d like that person to be you. You’re a successful businessman yourself, and you’re already invested in the good of this town. You’re well-known, and people trust you. What do you say?”
Allen looked appropriately pleased at the flattery. All of it was true, even if not everyone approved of the man’s line of work. But in asking around about Allen, Liam had discovered the man was behind more than one charitable gift to folks who needed it, and he even took a spot in a back pew at church on an occasional Sunday.
“How much are you looking for?” Allen asked.
Liam bit back a smile and named the remaining amount needed.
Allen whistled. “I’ll be honest with you. It’s more than I can part with. I appreciate the ask, though. I’m sure you won’t have trouble finding another man.” With a nod, he grabbed a bottle and made his way down the bar.
Liam schooled the disappointment from his expression as he mentally went through the remaining men he could ask. There weren’t many, and each was less likely than Allen. Perhaps if he could convince each to invest a smaller amount, and then Allen might go in with them—
“I didn’t mean to overhear, but were you speaking about building a hotel?”
Liam turned to find a neatly-dressed man with close-cropped dark hair standing next to him. The fellow held a glass and looked to be about Liam’s age. He smiled and held out a hand. “Paul Morris.”
“Liam Hannan. And yes, I was.” Liam shook the man’s hand.
“Just last night, I was telling my business partner about how badly this end-of-the-line place needs a hotel to cater to men who are conscious about spending their coin.” Morris leaned on the stool next to Liam.
Liam nodded as he ignored the irritation that raced through him by the fellow calling Crest Stone an “end-of-the-line place”—particularly when it wasn’t at all.
“We’ve had to take rooms in a boardinghouse that isn’t to our taste,” Morris said as he set his empty glass on the bar.
“Fred Polson’s?” Liam wrinkled his forehead, wondering why in the world the man had chosen that hovel instead of Darby’s. “You ought to see if Darby has any rooms available. It’s no hotel, but a sight nicer than Polson’s.”
“Darby’s.” Morris turned the word around in his mouth as if he was unfamiliar with the place. And Liam supposed he just might be, if he hadn’t been in town for long. “Thanks. I’ll seeabout it. Tell me more about this hotel idea of yours. As a fellow man of business, you’ve got me curious.”
There wasn’t much Liam liked talking about more, so he described his grand vision. He was so very close to reaching it, and every time he spoke about it, the plan felt as if it were that much closer to happening.
“I admit, it’s an intriguing idea.” Morris withdrew a few coins from his pocket and set them on the bar as he nodded toward Allen. The bar owner refilled his glass.
Liam tried not to raise an eyebrow. It was still mid-morning. Morris clearly had a constitution made of steel.
“I apologize. Can I buy you a drink?” Morris asked him.
Liam held up a hand. “Thank you, but I’m expected at the office.” He paused, curious now. “What brings you and your partner to town?”
“Opportunity,” Morris said after a swallow of whiskey. He threw out a hand to the side, gesturing toward the door. “This town—this entire valley—is rife with opportunity. We’re meeting a man later today about a theater.”
“A theater?” Liam hadn’t heard the slightest mention of anyone wanting to start a theater in town.
“Indeed.” Morris smiled. “Yesterday, we walked a plot of land west of town with a fellow looking to bring in goats.”
“Goats,” Liam repeated in disbelief. How was it that Morris, a newcomer, seemed to know more of what was new in town than he did? Morris and his partner were people to know, it appeared. And Liam was always one to befriend the people everyone needed to know. “How long are you in town?”
“We’re hoping to stay. If one or two of these opportunities pans out, that is. We’re also looking to help with existing businesses that are struggling.”
So they wanted to be part of Crest Stone. That was a good sign. And Liam certainly had a much better idea than goats or atheater. “Why don’t you meet me for supper tonight, up at the hotel? My treat.”
