Halfway There (Fool's Gold #9.75)

The two women left.

When the front door closed, Ryan shook his head. “That was the most surreal experience of my life. When they first came in, I told myself it was all a misunderstanding.”

Fayrene didn’t bother hiding her amusement. “Not if they were talking about seeing you naked and asking if you liked older women in a sexual way. They’re legendary. Mostly they’re harmless, but you have to be willing to stand up to them. I’m going to guess you weren’t raised to talk back to grandmother types.”

“It’s not a skill set I thought I was missing. Anything else I need to know about the town?”

“How much time do you have?”

Something flashed in his eyes. A flash of male admiration with a hint of stalking predator thrown in for fun. But as quickly as it had shown up, it was gone, leaving behind the mild-mannered Ryan she knew and liked.

Fayrene’s breath quickened a little. She’d been avoiding him for very sensible reasons. This proved that. Yet she also found herself wanting to throw caution to the wind and pick up where Eddie and Gladys had left off.

“Thanks for the rescue,” he said, moving back to his desk. “Your arrival was well timed. I’ll do my best to be more surly the next time I run into those two.”

He was backing off because she’d made it clear that was what she wanted. The downside of being sensible, she thought.

But after nearly a week with Ryan, she knew he was both sweet and funny. Polite, smart and possibly interested in her. Did it get better than that?

“You’re arguing with yourself about something,” he said.

She nodded. “You.”

He’d reached for his chair, but now he let his arm fall to his side as his eyebrows rose. “What about me?”

“I’m torn. I have a plan, and I’m clear on my goals. Getting involved would mess up everything.”

“It would.”

She appreciated that he didn’t point out he hadn’t actually said he was interested in her.

“But you’re leaving,” she continued. “In a way, that makes things safer. There’s a time limit, so even if we did get involved, it wouldn’t be for very long.”

“Lessening the distraction factor.”

“Are you making fun of me?” she asked.

One corner of his mouth curved up. “Maybe a little.”

“I suppose I deserve it. You’re right. It doesn’t have to be that complex. There’s an Easter Egg Drop tomorrow. Want to go?”

“An Easter egg what?”

She laughed. “People decorate raw eggs and bring them to city hall. Then we drop them.”

“Raw eggs?”

“It’s fun and strangely satisfying.”

“It’s a little disgusting.”

“Maybe. You in?”

“Absolutely. What time?”

“I’ll pick you up at ten. You’re at the Lodge, right?”

He nodded. “I’ll be waiting in the lobby.”

* * *

THE LUCKY LADY Casino Resort was north of Fool’s Gold, nestled on over a hundred acres at the foot of the mountains. Through time and rain and probably a few earthquakes, a pass had been created a couple of miles due east of the land where the casino sat. On the other side of the mountain were more mountains, each with its own unique shape.

With changing temperatures and perfectly placed canyons and valleys, there was a constant difference in barometric pressure, otherwise known to the layperson as what created wind.

For Ryan the unique placement of the casino and the land meant a sweet two-acre spot that was always blustery. It was the perfect place for wind turbines.

He stood with Ethan at the foot of the massive machines. Ethan downloaded the most recent readings onto his tablet, then tapped to get them in chart form.

His boss shook his head. “Well, damn. You were right. We’ve increased efficiency by three percent just this week.”

“A small sampling of what’s happening,” Ryan pointed out. “We need more data over time to be sure the modifications are working, but it looks promising.”

“Modest?” Ethan asked.

Ryan shrugged. “I like to be sure.”

He was confident about his calculations, but he had learned that what worked on a computer program didn’t always translate to the real world.

“Caution is good,” Ethan told him. “What about the blades themselves?”

“I’m still working on that. I should have new designs ready in the time we agreed on.”

He was tasked with modifying the existing blades for the turbines. The steady high wind by the casino meant more electricity could be generated with a higher degree of certainty. Maximizing that was why he was here. First with program tweaks, then with the physical blades.

“I have a lot of customers who are interested in what we’re doing here,” Ethan told him. “It’s going to be difficult to get them all in to talk to you before you leave.”