Winning Over The Cowboy

Landry scanned to the reservation on the computer. A family of six—two rooms. “May I reschedule your stay for you?” She copied the reservation, credit info included, ready to paste somewhere else.

“No. I’m sorry, but Horseshoe Trails is running a special. We found a better deal.”

“I hate to hear that.” Should she offer to match the deal? Not without knowing what it was. Not without discussing it with her partner. Her gaze crashed into Chase’s. “Would you like to sign up for our newsletter to keep you informed on when we run specials?”

“That sounds good.” The woman carefully enunciated her email address.

Landry read it back to confirm. “Please keep us in mind for your next stay.”

The line went dead.

“Another cancellation? Let me guess. They’re taking their business to Horseshoe Trails.” Chase set his coffee cup down with a thunk.

“How did you know?”

“It’s the third one. Kind of cancels out the booking you made earlier. What was that about a newsletter and specials?”

“I think we should start one, and we need to discuss specials.” She wrote down the competition’s name on a scratchpad, circled it and underlined it. “Where is Horseshoe Trails?”

“Right down the road. Back when Granny and Gramps opened this place, there were only a few other dude ranches in the area. Now there are at least a dozen, and we all fight for guests.” He nabbed his coffee, stood and then strolled into the office.

She chased after him, stopped at his side in front of the back window. Miles of woods interspersed with pastures. Peaceful, like coming home.

“This place was always hopping when we were kids,” he said. “With trail rides, cattle drives, fishing and camping trips year-round. And the swimming pool in the summer. Never a dull moment, and guests had to book well in advance.”

“I know you want it to stay that way. So do I.” She hated to ask, but it was her business, too. “Is the ranch losing money?”

“Not yet. But business has been down. In the off-seasons, we barely break even.”

“We have to do something.” A hummingbird flitted about the feeder until another dive-bombed him.

“What can we do?” He splayed his free hand. “We can’t force people to stay here.”

“No. But we can find ways to lure them here.” The hummingbirds did a jousting dance in the air before the dominant one won. Much like her and Chase. “Do you know what Horseshoe Trails’s special is?”

“No.”

“We need to find out.” She turned to the desk, settled in the chair, Googled Horseshoe Trails. “Fifteen percent off regular room prices. And their all-inclusive package is ten percent cheaper than ours. Through August.”

“That’s basically giving rooms away.” He paced behind her. “We can’t pay our staff at those rates.”

“Can we pay our staff if we keep losing reservations?”

“Let me guess.” He stopped pacing at the back window. “You think we should match the offer?”

“We beat it. Drop our room prices and inclusive package five percent cheaper than theirs. Only for the rest of the summer.”

“You think that will work?” He claimed the nailhead chair across from her, sipped his coffee.

“Well, it’s not working as-is.”

“What about the guests who already have reservations?”

“We’ll specify that it starts with reservations made this week.” The desk chair made a creaking sound as she leaned back. “It won’t apply to already booked guests. Unless they call to cancel. Or unless they mention it.”

He hooked his leg over the arm of the chair. “We can give it a try. But what if they beat our offer?”

“We’ll cross that bridge if we get there.” She lifted one shoulder. “Give me the password for the website and I’ll set it up.”

He hesitated, gaze locked on hers. “Only members of our family have the password.”

“Fine.” She huffed. “I’ll look away, you type it in, and then I’ll set up the content. You can watch me the whole time.” She stood. Walked off.

Keys clicked behind her. She struggled to hold her temper. He didn’t know her. Had no reason to trust her. But like it or not, he was stuck with her. For at least two months.

Maybe longer if he decided to stick around and run his half of the dude ranch.

“Okay.”

“We’ll need to keep a watch on the other dude ranches.” She strolled back to the desk, reclaimed the chair.

“And match all their offers, too?”

“Not necessarily, but we need to stay ahead of the game. Make sure we compete. Find things to draw guests here instead of the dozen other ranches they could stay at. Maybe add new features and activities.”

“Like what?” He pulled a chair beside her, the legs screeching across the hardwood.

“Pumpkin patches and corn mazes are popular.”

“Maybe next year. We’ve missed the planting season this year.”

“Miniature golf courses are big. Or maybe outdoor bowling lanes. We need things that appeal to everyone, not just horse lovers.”

“You’re good at this stuff.”

A compliment? Was that a nugget of grudging respect she saw in his eyes?

“I minored in marketing.” She turned to the computer. “Wow. How long’s it been since the website has been updated?”

“Eden took care of that.” The muscles along his jaw clenched. His glossy eyes reflected the powdery blue of his shirt. So much like Eden’s, changing from a myriad of green to blue shades, depending on what she’d worn.

“Listen. I know you don’t know me from Adam. But I loved your granny. And your sister.”

“I did, too.” His tone was defensive, as if he’d cornered the market on loving his lost family members.

“Eden left a huge hole in my life. No, we didn’t live close or get to spend time together often, but we were great friends. Whenever I needed to vent about something my family couldn’t handle, I called Eden. She often used me as a sounding board, too. I miss that.” Her voice caught. “Miss her.”

His throat convulsed. “Me, too.”