“Are you kidding? Never in the history of weddings will anyone complain about people showing up on time. This is cosmic balance for the fact that my cousins will definitely be late.” Helene looped her arm through Cha-Cha’s and brought her back over to the group. Sam didn’t miss the way her eyes flashed wide when she saw him. A second later though, the shock or maybe the horror that had registered at seeing him vanished. She fixed her face with a sweet, friendly smile and seemed to focus her attention on Zach.

“Everyone, this is my friend Amanda.” Helene went around and reintroduced everyone.

“Thank you so much for having us. You have such a beautiful place here,” Amanda said.

Zach replied, giving Amanda his usual brief run-down of the ranch, but Sam wasn’t listening. He was too busy focusing on how hard Amanda was trying not to focus on him. She looked over at Helene and then Delfi.

“I can just hang around here for a bit. I think I might be too early for my check-in,” she said, like she was terrified to impose or break the rules. This Amanda was different from the Cha-Cha he’d been with at the start of the week. The woman he’d met on the dance floor had been brash and assertive. Amanda seemed almost shy and reserved. Or maybe she was just going out of her way to be polite. Either way, Sam was even more intrigued and pleasantly surprised. He’d made up his mind to track her down. He never thought the universe would drop her right into his lap.

“Nonsense. We can get you set up right now,” Sam heard himself say. He knew Delfi was silently punching him in her mind, but she was on the clock. She’d give him an earful about how he might be a Pleasant, but he didn’t work at the ranch and he didn’t run shit around these parts. She’d also probably try to get him in a headlock and threaten to tell Miss Leona if he overstepped again. All in good fun, of course. But for now, she smiled wider and did her best to set Amanda’s worries to the side.

“Absolutely. Amanda McQueen?” Of course Delfi had the whole guest list memorized; most of the staff would. It was just how they did things at Big Rock Ranch.

“That’s me.”

“Wonderful. You’ll be staying right here in the lodge. Come with me. We’ll have Laura here get you your key.” Delfi gently touched Amanda’s shoulder and guided her back to the desk where one of the newer guest clerks Sam didn’t know very well was waiting.

“Your friends are rolling in so I’m heading back to work, but it was great to meet you,” Jesse said to Helene.