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They drove to the main entrance of the resort, where the stagecoach started. There was a parking area, and a line of the coaches, both horse-pulled and motorized, brand new, emblazoned with the CR of the logo. No one was there except for Tango, going over the cameras that were stationed on both sides of the entrance.
The entrance itself looked like anyone else’s ranch entrance. A thick arch connecting a long pole on each side of the open area of the fence. The fence there had been replaced with long thick boards for a more private entrance.
In the back of the parking lot was a small stable for the horses that would be pulling some of the carriages. “Hey, guys,” Tango said, moving over to them as they exited the SUV.
After giving him a kiss, Roland told him, “Are the cameras working okay?”
“Perfect! I just left the ranch, and Dallas has it running smoothly.”
“And Jet’s barn is all finished?”
Hunter Westmore had helped Roland design a barn for the ranch that was all his. He’d be able to give the animals all the care they’d need, including the birthing cows.
“It’s finished. Jet’s over the moon.”
Sel saw how relieved Roland was. “He’s as nervous as Dante.”
“Maybe less,” Tango teased. “He’s not expecting two babies.”
“That’s true,” Sel gave him.
“Okay, we’re heading to town now. The chapel just got the bell yesterday, and I’m anxious to hear it ringing.”
Another kiss and he watched Roland purr. “I’ll see you tonight, early!”
“I promise,” Tango assured.
Once they were on their way to the little resort town, Sel felt more relaxed. “The big parts are good. The airport, the coaches, they’re all ready.”
“Sel, I’m telling you, this has been so much work, but I’ve never been happier. Even when people kept throwing in new things, it just felt…good.”
“Being trusted with a multi-billion-dollar resort, that says a lot about you.”
“I hope you’re all happy with it.”
Sel couldn’t be happier. As they neared the little town they’d built, it felt as if they were moving back in time. Sel pulled over and stared, waving a hand over the landscape. “Look at it. How could we not be happy? It looks and feels just like an old west town. There won’t be cars running the roads, the people working in each building will be dressed in period clothing, so the illusion will be more real.”
Roland was smiling happily as he looked over the town. “I can’t wait to see the guests enjoying it.”
They parked in the little lot at the end of the road, the lot that had a tall stone fence along one side and a gate where a bouncer would be seated. The other side of the wall was where the adult side of the town laid.
They walked through the family-friendly town, seeing people rushing around with the last minute work. Finishing touches were being made to painting the windows, adding troughs and hay bales in front of parts of the boardwalk on either side of the dirt road.
Binx was out front of the café, animatedly telling the painter how to make his name. “I don’t want it to be so big that people inside can’t see out of the window, you know? But it should be big enough that people know who’s place this is.”
“You mean, like I just had it?” the frustrated painter sighed.
“Well, yeah, I guess, but swirl the B a little better and dot the I at the end with a winky face.”
Sel laughed as they walked over to Binx. “How’s it going?”
“I’m making the poor painter want to throttle me. He can commiserate with my Sirs.”
They walked into the café to see gingham cloths over the tables, old-style oil lamps for the lighting on each centerpiece, and the wood-paneled walls held pictures of the Montana ranch’s landscape.
“It’s so simple, but sophisticated,” Binx said. “Some people wanted it all cluttered with barbed wire and stinky old cowboy boot lamps. No. Candles, cloth and a nice atmosphere. There will be flowers on the tables too, and the lamps are low light, for intimacy.”
“I love it, Binx,” Roland said. “It’s how I saw it.”
