Deacon looked back to Mr. Snyder but said not a word.

"If I don't get towels for my family," Snyder looked to me, "for free," he looked back to Deacon, "we'll check out and check into a hotel that provides towels."

Deacon watched him speak then his eyes returned to me.

"You're welcome to do that but a cancellation at this late date will mean I'll still charge you for the entire stay." Snyder's eyes sliced to me and they were pissed. "Which is also explained in my terms and conditions," I finished.

"That's unbelievable!" Snyder exclaimed, his voice getting loud.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Mr. Snyder, but that isn't exactly an unusual condition in this business. You've booked a cabin I could not rent to others due to my commitment to it being available to you. You cancel with no notice, you pay the whole week."

"Are you full?"

"Her capacity is not your business," Deacon stated as he took the last step and joined Snyder on the porch. "Ms. Swallow has explained your situation. You can rent towels from her, buy them in town, or go to a hotel but you'll pay for your week. Decide."

"I don't need to be strong-armed by you," Snyder spat.

"Man, I'm five feet away from you reiterating the policies of Glacier Lily. That's hardly strong-arming anything," Deacon returned.

"Okay," I forged in, taking a step through the door to join the men on my porch. I looked to Snyder. "I'm sorry you're unhappy with the situation but even so, I can't make an exception for you. If I did, I'd have to make an exception for everybody and I'm sure you can understand that wear and tear on linens, not to mention laundering, is at a cost to me. Therefore I cannot provide it for free. If you wish to leave Glacier Lily, that'll be disappointing for your family because it's lovely, peaceful, and quiet here. But I'll understand. I'm also happy to run and get you some towels. But we really can't spend more time discussing this. Your choices have been communicated to you and I'm afraid to say, no matter your argument, they won't change."

"I'll buy towels in town," he clipped. "I'm not giving another cent to you. And you can expect a poor review on-line."

That had happened before from people like him. The first one I saw cut deep. The second one didn't feel much better. The third one just stung. Now I was over it, mostly because the way they were written, even an imbecile could read it was about them being assholes, not about Glacier Lily.

"That's your prerogative," I murmured.

"It certainly is," he retorted, turned, and stomped by Deacon and down the steps.

Deacon and I watched him go. When he was out of sight, he turned to me.

"You okay?"

"Not the first or the last time, honey."

He nodded.

"Need a drink?" I asked.

"Yup," he answered.

I grinned and walked into the house.

Deacon followed me, went straight to the glass on the counter, and downed it in one go.

When he put it back to the counter, he gave me his eyes.

"I can deal with that," I said quietly. "I've done it before, I'll do it again. But that doesn't mean it didn't feel super-awesome that you heard it going down, got off the roof, and took my back."

He didn't move toward me, take my hand, cup my jaw, get in my space, but he didn't need to. His eyes said what he needed to say.

"It also feels super-awesome that you make it clear you're at my back but you let me deal and don't catapult us into Badass Zone and take over."

His eyes kept communicating but this time his lips did too.

"Anytime, Cassie."

I nodded.

"Anything, baby," he continued.

God, that felt good, because I believed him, mostly because he was proving it.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"I'd kiss you and feel you up, but I got shit on my hands."

I smiled and bossed, "Right, then go fix my roof."

That was when he moved to me, bent in, brushed just his lips to my forehead, turned, and walked away.

A week later, my roof was fixed. The pots littering my front porch and the steps that led up to it were bursting with flowers and greenery. And Mr. Snyder and his family were gone.

With downtime finally on our hands, I'd found that Deacon did not hike. I'd also found that he did do lunch, something we did in Gnaw Bone at a great place called The Mark. I'd learned he didn't have a motorcycle. I'd also learned when I mentioned it that he wasn't averse to the idea. Thus, we'd also gone to Carnal to look at some restored Harleys a man named Wood had for sale there. We took two for a test drive, me on the back, pressed tight to Deacon, who not surprisingly knew how to ride.

And life got sweeter.

He didn't buy a bike because one was red, the other was silver, and Deacon wanted black. But we did give Wood my number so he could call if they ever had a black one.

Now, I was in the kitchen with my phone to my ear, my mom talking to me, my other hand carefully balancing a big dish with my loaded potato casserole in it that I was trying to shove into the oven at the same time listen to my mother.

I had not yet pulled out that casserole for Deacon because it was a bit of a fiddle. But I knew he was going to love it. I knew this because I'd also learned my man was a meat and potatoes man.

Tomorrow, we were going to the breeder to pick my puppy.

And life would be sweeter.

"You were right," Mom said in my ear. "Titus blew a gasket."

I did not rub it in. For once, I remained silent.

"He says he's coming but he'll be giving you a call. He and Bessie will be staying at the house with you."

"This is good, Mom," I told her. "I had a booking come in for that week that I had to turn down today because I'm full. Now I can e-mail them and they can experience the glory of Glacier Lily."

I heard her chuckle.

Then I heard her say, "You sound good."

I grinned as I successfully settled the casserole dish on the rack in the oven. "I am good."

There was silence for moment before she said, "No, Cassie, you sound good."

I straightened and kicked the oven door closed with my foot then looked to the floor, not knowing how to play this.

I lifted my eyes and turned them to the kitchen windows. Through them, I saw Deacon in his chair, feet up on the railing, eyes to the trees.

And I instantly knew how to play this.

My gaze went back to my feet.

"I've met a man."

Mom said nothing.

"We've known each other awhile. He's...he's a good man, Mom," I told her. "He's, well, no other way to put it, he's incredibly handsome. Very tall. A big guy. I...we, well, we've moved it to the next level."

"And that would be?" Mom asked when I said no more.

"He's staying with me," I shared. "He travels for a living but he has some downtime and he's staying with me."

That received no response.

"He cleaned my gutters," I said softly. She didn't reply so I kept going. "He noticed the rain running over them and he cleaned them. He found they were in a bad state so then he replaced them. After that, he took care of the ones on the cabins. I helped, and he let me, but he did most of the work."

Mom said not a word.

"Doing that, he saw the state of my roof so he fixed that too. His downtime, not working, he spent days working on the house and cabins for me."

She still didn't speak.

"I...I," I stammered then whispered, "Mom, he thinks I'm beautiful."

She said something to that.

"You are beautiful, Cassidy."

"He's the most beautiful man I've ever seen, Mom, and he told me he feels the same about me. He told me I could be in magazines. He told me I'm the finest woman he's ever known. That means a lot since, outside Dad, he's the finest man I've ever met."

"That isn't a surprise either, angelface, because you're you. He'd have to be very thick to miss that."

I felt my face soften, my lips tip up, and I moved to lean a hip to the counter. "I really hope things keep going this well, Mom, because I really want you and Dad to meet him. Dad would love him. He takes care of me like Dad does, letting me be me but being there to support me in being it."

"So you see a future with this man?"

"Yes," I said quietly.

"Does this man have a name?"

I closed my eyes tight as the only darkness on a horizon that included Deacon blackened my mood. "John Priest."

"Strong name," she remarked.

She wasn't wrong.

I liked Deacon better.

"I'm happy for you," Mom continued, now her voice was quiet. "I'm happy because you sound happy. And I hope this works out for you, too, honey, so I'll get to meet him, but so you'll have someone to share your time with amongst the glory of Glacier Lily."

I grinned in the phone. "Love you, Mom."

"Love you a whole lot more, angelface."

"That's debatable."

"Let's not debate it, because knowing my daughter, that could take ten years and I don't have that time. Dinner's nearly done and I need to feed your father."

"Right, I'll let you go."

"Okay, Cassie, talk to you later, see you soon, and again, so happy you found someone you like who likes you."

"Thanks, Mom."

"'Bye, Cassidy."

"'Bye."

We hung up and when we did, I took my phone from my ear and stared at it. Then I set it aside, took in a deep breath, and walked out of the kitchen.

I didn't go to my chair.

I went to Deacon's.

His head tipped back when I did and he put his beer on the arm of the chair when I put a knee into the seat by his hip. I swung my other leg over and settled astride him.

He rested his hands on my ass, his eyes never leaving mine.

"She wants something," he muttered like he was talking to himself.

"Just got off the phone with my mom," I shared.

He made no response, not verbally, not physically, just continued to look at me, waiting for me to go on.

I took this as good. He could have shut down. He could have tensed. He could have given some indication that whatever it was I was going to share about my family that included me getting close was something he wasn't ready to be a part of.

"They're coming out in August. Everyone. Mom, Dad, my sister and her family, my brother and his wife. My aunts and uncle."