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“Maybe we shouldn’t stay for dinner,” I suggested.

“Let’s go back to the house. I think that dinner will help pass some time so maybe the rain will subside a bit. I’ll race you,” he said.

I burst out laughing.

“Right. You’re a foot taller than me. That would be a very unfair race. Unless you give me head start.” And then I darted out of the barn without looking back, securing my hood around my head.

The rain was even colder than before, and my teeth were chattering by the time I reached the main house. I burst in unceremoniously and then stayed put for a few seconds, trying to catch my breath. Zachary came in right after me.

“Good God. It’s terrible out there.”

“I agree,” I said.

I immediately opened my raincoat and shrugged it off. Even though it wasn’t wet on the inside, I felt very cold. Fortunately it was long enough to cover my jeans.

Felicia hurried toward us. “Thank goodness you’re back. I was wondering if something happened. You were out longer than we figured.”

“We’re good,” Zachary said in a confident tone that invited no further questions. “Something smells tasty.”

“Dinner is ready. And you can just leave those in the corner.”

We did as she said. Zachary was right next to me as we followed Felicia through the house. Once we entered the kitchen, I could see the wooden table was full of goodies.

“Felicia, this is a feast,” I said.

The appetizer was a crab salad, which I was dying to taste. The main course was indeed a stew. I spied black beans, sweet potato, and shrimp.

“Come on, you two. Sit down. All went well at the stables?” Gaston asked.

“Yep. Horses are well-fed. Starlight’s hair was thoroughly styled,” Zachary said, winking at me.

I blushed. “I couldn’t help it. He seemed to like being fussed with.”

“You have a knack for horses, Grace,” Felicia exclaimed. “You’re welcome here anytime. The horses will love you. And you can join whatever activities you want, whenever. There’s no need to notify us.”

Her comments humbled me. I was happy she trusted me so much.

The atmosphere at the table changed a bit as conversation shifted to talking shop. Good. I took a look at Zachary, but he seemed very relaxed. He reached for bread as Felicia put crab salad on each plate.

“I’d definitely love that. I wouldn’t want to just be financially invested in this, but also personally. Not to make any decisions, of course,” I added quickly, looking at Gaston and Felicia. “You’re the experts here, but I’d like to be involved.”

“If I’m honest,” Felicia said, “we do need someone with good business sense. We’ve been winging it for thirty years, which is possibly how we ended up in this conundrum in the first place. So any knowledge would be helpful.”

“I’d be more than willing to share.”

Zachary was suspiciously quiet. When I looked at him, he said, “Me, too, of course. There’s no doubt about that. I don’t know as much about horses as Grace, but I’m very good at business.”

“What would each of you suggest we improve?” Felicia asked as I took the first forkful of crab salad.

“You’re a very good cook,” I offered once I’d swallowed. She beamed from ear to ear. “As for changes, well, first things first, I’d say that all the cabins need air-conditioning.”

“Yes, they’ve become quite unbearable in the summer,” Felicia said.

“And I suggest making some of the cabins bigger for groups that want to stay together.”

“I was going to suggest that as well,” Zachary said. “Kids, especially the teenagers, prefer to do things as a group. They want their privacy, too, but not too much.”

“You know, we do get more and more teenagers,” Gaston said. “And that definitely has merit.”