They pulled off the frontage road a few minutes later, drawing closer to the barn on a snowy side road, and soon they were in a surprisingly large parking lot. Two other cars were here—Stuart’s and one other. Stuart and a much older, much shorter man appeared, coming from inside the barn as she and Maddie climbed out of the car. The older man stayed by the door, and Stuart walked directly over to meet them.

“So, what do you think?” he asked, waving at the barn.

She held her tongue, trying not to let her thoughts reflect on her face, but she obviously failed. Stuart laughed.

“I know, I know—it’s not the Ritz, but wait until you see the inside.”

“It’s not just the inside I’m worried about,” she said. “I mean, look at where we are.” She gestured at the nothing around them.

“Don’t be such a snob,” Stuart said.

Both Maddie and Stuart were basically glaring at her now. She took a deep breath and pressed on. “I mean, don’t get me wrong—it’s gorgeous out here. Really very pretty. But we’re so far outside of town. It took forever to get here from downtown. If you have the wedding at the festival, and the reception way the heck out here, how will people get back and forth?”

“I was planning to hire buses,” Stuart said, still frowning. Maddie still seemed put out, and Ryann finally held up her hands.

“Okay, okay—I’m sorry. Let’s see the inside.”

Stuart brightened at once, dragging her forward, and Ryann threw a quick glance over her shoulder. Maddie had stayed where she was, still obviously upset, and she followed the two of them more slowly.

The inside was bright and spare, and the space had been insulated nicely so that it was very warm once they were inside. She and Maddie took a moment to hand the proprietor their coats and other winter wear. He excused himself to give them all some privacy, and Stuart walked to the middle of the wide-open floor, raising his hands.

“Look how open it is!” he said, his voice echoing.

“Yes.” She agreed. “It’s very open.”

He laughed and gestured her forward. It seemed to take a long time to get to him. She walked through several bright spots of sunshine, and when she peered upward, she saw that several skylights had been installed above. The rafters were high and dark, a pretty contrast with the lighter wood of the ceiling. The floors were also made of polished pinewood, and she slid a little walking in wet shoes.