From the Shadows (Buckhorn, Montana #2) - B.J. Daniels Page 0,66
like life’s lessons, huh?” he said, lifting his spoon as if in a salute before taking another bite of ice cream.
“You didn’t take over your father’s business.”
“No. It wasn’t what I wanted to do. He took it pretty well. I knew he’d built it up for me, and I appreciated that, but I wanted something else.” He met her gaze. “You enjoy what you do?”
She chuckled. “Most days, I do. After college, getting into hotel management just seemed like the thing to do. It’s all I really knew. There is always something that needs my attention. The days just fly by.”
“I would imagine it was like that here for your grandmother.”
Casey nodded. “She was definitely busy, but she thrived on it.” She looked around the kitchen for a moment before she took another bite of ice cream.
“Are you sad about selling it?”
She nodded without looking up. “I would have loved to keep her legacy alive, but even if I had the resources to keep this old place going, I’m not sure there are enough guests who are looking for this experience in Buckhorn, Montana.” After a moment, she met his gaze across the table. “You haven’t said what you’re going to do with it.”
“I still really don’t know,” he said with a laugh. “But I’m not sorry. And Devlin and his investors are never going to get it.”
Casey smiled at that, their gazes locking across the table. Finn felt his heart expand as if filled with helium. Her cheeks seemed to heat before she glanced down at her ice cream again. “This is good. Thank you.”
“Glad you were up for it. It wouldn’t be half as much fun eating it alone down here.” He glanced around the kitchen. “I can’t say this place has grown on me, although I do have a greater respect for haunted hotels.”
She cocked her head at him, seemingly glad for a change in subject that wasn’t quite so personal. “You aren’t going to start that again, are you?”
He shook his head. “Guess you’ll have to experience the ghosts yourself. Or not. Depends on how long you end up staying.”
“Not long enough for the ghosts to know I’m here, I hope,” she joked.
He watched her finish her ice cream. A lot of it had melted since she was eating it so slowly. Stalling? Because she liked his company as much as he liked hers?
“Did something happen while I was gone?” he asked, eyeing her. He’d heard something in her tone. “What was it? The noises?” He shook his head. “You are probably used to them since it wasn’t that long ago that you stayed here summers. This place was an antique even then. No, I’m guessing it was the footsteps.” There was the slightest flicker in her eyes. He nodded, chuckling as he got up to rinse out his bowl.
“It wasn’t a ghost,” she said to his back. She finished her ice cream and brought her bowl over. He took it from her, washed it, and as he dried his hands, he leaned against the counter, facing her.
“I just know there were nights when I wanted to be anywhere but in this hotel,” he said. “The good news is that whoever, whatever, is walking the hallways, it doesn’t seem to be dangerous.”
“And if you’re wrong about that?” He realized that she was more upset than he’d originally thought.
She started to turn away. He grabbed her arm, turning her to face him. The fear he saw on her face made him catch his breath. “I’m sorry I joked about it. So tell me exactly what happened.”
She looked defiant for a moment but sighed and told him a story that matched his own experience. “Someone is trying awfully hard to convince me Megan’s ghost is in the hotel. Most everyone was down by the fire. So the footsteps I heard outside my door? It had to be Claude or Devlin.”
* * *
“IT HAD TO be one of them,” Casey said again. She could see that Finn didn’t believe it, making her more determined. “Who else knew about the perfume except one of the staff?”
“You think Claude and Devlin knew the kind of perfume Megan wore?”
“Maybe not, but Jason did. Also, Megan had the general store here order more of her so-called signature perfume when her bottle got broken. It’s really expensive, so someone at the store would have remembered, if either of them had asked.”
He looked at her as if he wanted to argue the point, which only