The Country Guesthouse Read online

  A summer rental, a new beginning...

  Hannah Russell’s carefully crafted plans for her life have been upended without warning. When her best friend died suddenly, Hannah became guardian to a five-year-old named Noah. With no experience at motherhood, she’s terrified she’s not up to the challenge. She and Noah need time to get to know each other, so she decides to rent a country house with stunning views on a lake in rural Colorado.

  When they arrive at the house, they are greeted by the owner, a handsome man who promises to stay out of their way. But his clumsy Great Dane, Romeo, has other ideas and Noah immediately bonds with the lovable dog. As Hannah learns to become a mother, Owen Abrams, who is recovering from his own grief, can’t help but be drawn out of his solitude by his guests.

  But life throws more challenges at this unlikely trio and they are tested in ways they never thought possible. All three will discover their strengths and, despite their differences, they will fight to become a family. And the people of Sullivan’s Crossing will rally around them to offer all of the support they need.

  #1 New York Times bestselling author Robyn Carr delivers an emotional and triumphant novel about the fierce power of a mother’s love.

  Praise for Robyn Carr

  and Sullivan’s Crossing

  “The Best of Us is a charming novel containing well-defined characters... The small town camaraderie, the colorful mountain locale, and straightforward prose highlight the down-to-earth players making this a fun and delightful tale.”

  —New York Journal of Books

  “A beautifully crafted plot with...relatable characters, and a setting that makes readers want to head for the Rockies.”

  —Library Journal on The Family Gathering

  “A moving tale about the power of love, familial bonds and finding a safe and loving place to call home.”

  —The National Examiner on The Family Gathering

  “Carr addresses serious problems realistically and sympathetically while seamlessly weaving them into the fabric of her engrossing story.”

  —Booklist, starred review, on Any Day Now

  “Robyn Carr has done it again... What We Find is complex, inspirational, and well-written. A romance that truly inspires readers as life hits them the hardest.”

  —San Francisco Review Journal

  “The well-paced plot, engaging and well-defined characters, and an inviting setting make Carr’s latest an enhancement... to any fiction collection.”

  —Booklist, starred review, on What We Find

  Also available from Robyn Carr and MIRA

  Sullivan’s Crossing

  THE BEST OF US

  THE FAMILY GATHERING

  ANY DAY NOW

  WHAT WE FIND

  Thunder Point

  WILDEST DREAMS

  A NEW HOPE

  ONE WISH

  THE HOMECOMING

  THE PROMISE

  THE CHANCE

  THE HERO

  THE NEWCOMER

  THE WANDERER

  Virgin River

  MY KIND OF CHRISTMAS

  SUNRISE POINT

  REDWOOD BEND

  HIDDEN SUMMIT

  BRING ME HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

  HARVEST MOON

  WILD MAN CREEK

  PROMISE CANYON

  MOONLIGHT ROAD

  ANGEL’S PEAK

  FORBIDDEN FALLS

  PARADISE VALLEY

  TEMPTATION RIDGE

  SECOND CHANCE PASS

  A VIRGIN RIVER CHRISTMAS

  WHISPERING ROCK

  SHELTER MOUNTAIN

  VIRGIN RIVER

  Grace Valley

  DEEP IN THE VALLEY

  JUST OVER THE MOUNTAIN

  DOWN BY THE RIVER

  Novels

  THE VIEW FROM ALAMEDA ISLAND

  THE SUMMER THAT MADE US

  THE LIFE SHE WANTS

  FOUR FRIENDS

  A SUMMER IN SONOMA

  NEVER TOO LATE

  SWEPT AWAY (formerly titled RUNAWAY MISTRESS)

  BLUE SKIE

  THE WEDDING PARTY

  THE HOUSE ON OLIVE STREET

  Look for Robyn Carr’s next novel

  SUNRISE ON HALF MOON BAY

  available soon from MIRA.

  ROBYN CARR

  A SULLIVAN’S CROSSING NOVEL

  THE COUNTRY

  GUESTHOUSE

  Robyn Carr is an award-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than sixty novels, including the critically acclaimed Virgin River, Thunder Point and Sullivan’s Crossing series, as well as highly praised women’s fiction such as Four Friends and The View from Alameda Island. Robyn lives in Las Vegas, Nevada.

  For Mariah Stewart, who is always ready with a fortifying, insightful, funny and powerful pep talk. Thank you, my friend.

  Contents

  Quote 1

  Prologue

  Quote 2

  Chapter 1

  Quote 3

  Chapter 2

  Quote 4

  Chapter 3

  Quote 5

  Chapter 4

  Quote 6

  Chapter 5

  Quote 7

  Chapter 6

  Quote 8

  Chapter 7

  Quote 9

  Chapter 8

  Quote 10

  Chapter 9

  Quote 11

  Chapter 10

  Quote 12

  Chapter 11

  Quote 13

  Chapter 12

  Quote 14

  Chapter 13

  Quote 15

  Chapter 14

  Quote 16

  Chapter 15

  Quote 17

  Chapter 16

  Quote 18

  Epilogue

  Forever—is composed of nows.

  —Emily Dickinson

  PROLOGUE

  Hannah Russell loved the rented cabin she and her colleagues were staying in—it was exquisite. The upscale, relatively new five bedroom/five bath house was in the woods on a lake and had a huge deck from which there was an amazing view of the Rockies. Well, during the day when the sun was out. Just now it was raining. Make that sleeting. By morning there might be nothing but a sheet of ice covering everything. For tonight, there was a blazing fire, and a mixture of rain and ice pelting against the roof and windows.

  The cabin was the only part of this retreat she loved. It was her company’s leadership training and team building retreat. Her third one. And she was over it.

  Hannah’s boss was really into organizing these professional growth retreats off campus, far away from their daily grind. Of course, he didn’t attend—but he sent his executives and their teams. Their cell phones and laptops were collected upon arrival, the TVs were not turned on, no radios allowed, no contact with the outside world. They were forced to communicate face-to-face and leave their workaday worlds behind. Dave, director of marketing, said, “I had less withdrawal in drug treatment.” Then there were a series of group sessions and exercises. Hannah, you’re going to fold your hands over your chest and let yourself fall backward, trusting Tim to catch you. This was quite challenging as she didn’t trust Tim to respond to an email in a timely manner. And when he finally did, it would lack accurate information. The only thing about Tim she was sure of was that he would take her job if he had an opportunity.

  Of course, Tim didn’t catch Hannah. “I think I broke my tailbone,�
�� she said, rubbing her behind. “I’ll need an ambulance. Someone call an ambulance.”

  “We’re not allowed to use our phones,” Tim said.

  There had been a time or two she had to admit she actually got something out of one of the retreats, but it was usually no more than she could get out of a book, blog or TED Talk. It usually depended on the effectiveness of the moderator. If the moderator was motivating, inventive, experienced and encouraging, there could be some bonding and a few principles to take back to the job, helping them work together more efficiently. That was almost a bad thing—if their sales numbers went up, Peter, the CEO, thought the retreat made the difference and would instruct HR to schedule another one. But if their moderator was a thirty-year-old former beauty contestant in tight jeans who flirted with all of the male employees, like this one did, it was doomed.

  This particular retreat was scheduled to last five nights. Hannah and the moderator, the only women, each had their own bedrooms while the men doubled up. The large two-story house with a loft also had a library, a bar and a wine cellar. The bar and wine cellar were locked. On the second night, Todd, Wayne and Dave were in one of the bedrooms passing around a couple of joints while Tim quite noisily banged the moderator in the master suite.

  The timing of this retreat wasn’t good. Not only did Hannah have a lot of work she’d like to catch up on, her relationship with her fiancé had been strained lately. Wyatt was a little prickly for unknown reasons. They were planning a wedding that would take place in six months and seemed to disagree on everything. She was starting to wonder how couples survived wedding planning. But right now if she had a free weekend, she should spend it with Wyatt, injecting their relationship with a little love and attention, see if she could find out what was irritating him so much. If she had to travel for work, which she frequently did, she would at least be able to talk to Wyatt on the phone. This trip pissed her off. She’d told Peter it was a bad time. Peter told her to take one for the team.

  The team appeared to be getting high and getting laid while Hannah was becoming increasingly annoyed.

  She decided to pick the lock on the hall closet door to find her laptop and phone. She packed up her things. Now would come the challenging part—aside from some hiking they had planned that the weather had ruined, they weren’t going on outings. A van had brought them from the Denver airport and would return to pick them up at the end of the retreat. She wasn’t going to be walking anywhere. But she now had a phone. And a computer, though no Wi-Fi password. Tim and the moderator were still going at it and the other guys were killing the Doritos and potato chips, after which they would sleep the sleep of the stoned. She looked at her old itinerary on her cell phone, called the car service that had provided the van and arranged to be picked up at 6:00 a.m.

  She didn’t leave a note. Let them think a bear had gotten her.

  She sighed a big sigh as she made her escape. She instructed the driver to take her straight to the airport. A few miles into the drive she saw a campground with a store, on the other side of the big lake. The campground looked vacant but there was a light on in the general store. She said to the driver, “Stop over there and if they have coffee, I’ll buy you a cup.”

  “You’ll be charged for a stop,” he said pleasantly.

  “It’ll be worth it,” she said. “How do you like your coffee?”

  “Just black, ma’am.”

  The sign on the door said the hours of operation were from nine to five, but the door was unlocked and a bell jingled when she swung it open. “Hello? Anybody home?” she called out.

  “Well, what have we here?” a man said. “Only the ducks are out in this weather.”

  She walked toward the back. “It seems to have stopped raining,” Hannah said. “Are you open? The sign says...”

  “Barely, but I lit the stove and I have the coffee ready. I was worried about the trees—that was some ice storm last night. If they’re covered with freezing rain they can break off in big chunks—it’s awful. Where you coming from at the crack of dawn?”

  “Oh, I was at an Airbnb on the other side of the lake and I’m running away, but I won’t get far without coffee. I hired a car to take me back to the Denver airport.”

  “What’s the matter, girl? Didn’t that air thing work out?”

  She laughed and said, “The place is beautiful and comfortable and the views are stunning, but I was with a bunch of men at a corporate retreat. They confiscated our laptops and phones and forced us to play psychological games aimed at making us better corporate team members. A worthy thought, but next time I think some of my staff should have a retreat teaching them how to get their work done. That would be so much more helpful.”

  “Cream or sugar?”

  “I think both. I’m celebrating my escape. And one black for my driver.”

  “If you’re celebrating, you should have a sweet roll or muffin,” he said.

  The door opened and a woman rushed in. “Sully! There’s a big black SUV parked out—Oh,” she said. She patted down her hair and pulled her hoodie closed. She seemed to be wearing her pajamas and boots.

  “We were just getting acquainted, sweetheart. I’m Sully,” he said, sticking out a hand to Hannah. “This here is Helen, who I left asleep when I snuck out.”

  “I’m Hannah. I was telling your husband, I was at an Airbnb on the other side of the lake for a corporate retreat—me and a flirty female moderator and a bunch of men. And I decided last night, I’ve had enough.”

  “Was it dreadful?” Helen asked.

  “Yes,” she said. “Plus, I have a fiancé at home. I’d rather spend my time with him than four men who all think they should have my job.”

  “And if you don’t mind—what is your job?” Helen asked, pouring herself a cup of coffee.

  “Don’t take offense at Helen, girl. She’s particularly nosy. If you’d rather not—”

  “I sell hospital equipment for a major distributor. Not bandages or bedpans—more like everything from MRIs to prosthetic joints. I’m a sales manager, which means I have a team working for me.”

  “I bet you were at Owen’s place,” Helen said. “He must be traveling again.”

  “I honestly don’t know whose house it is. But I’d love to stay in that place when there aren’t any work-related people on the premises. What a great place it would be to recharge.”

  “Let me ask you—were there a lot of stunning, artsy photographs and lithographs on display?” Helen said.

  “Yes! You know the owner?”

  “Well, he’s a neighbor. A well-known photographer. He’s won awards for his work, but he travels so often he finally found a way to make his trips slightly less economically painful—he rents out the house. Look him up sometime—his name is Owen Abrams and he does astonishing work.”

  “The house is stunning,” Hannah said.

  Sully provided two coffees in to-go cups. “Now, you want a little pastry to go with that?” he asked.

  “A couple of muffins, please. It was very nice meeting you both. What do I owe you?”

  “Consider it a treat, it’s so nice to meet you. Come back and see us in your leisure time,” Helen said. “Sully has cabins for people not inclined to camp or rent a big house.”

  But Hannah was thinking about that house—that lovely, large, beautiful house. The best thing in the world would be to convince Wyatt to take some time off and rent that house for a couple of weeks. It might help mend their relationship. Or failing that, she had girlfriends... Hannah had been working so hard the last several years. Wyatt had as well, but his job as a pharmaceutical sales rep was considerably less stressful than hers as a sales manager. He had only himself and his accounts to worry about while Hannah had to worry about her entire team. He made less money, but he seemed more carefree. Maybe because he was living in Hannah’s house, rent-free.

  Hannah had
been climbing the corporate ladder for years and was a little burned-out, yet she made too much money to quit. Wyatt’s suggestion was that she see someone about her depression. She hadn’t thought of herself as depressed just because she wished they could be alone together and talk the way they used to.

  Then she got home. She hadn’t called Wyatt. She expected him to be home—it was Saturday and it was still early. She heard voices and scuffling. She left her bag and purse near the door from the garage and walked down the hall to the master bedroom. And in her bedroom she found Wyatt and Stephanie frantically scrambling to grab their clothes.

  “Seriously?” was all Hannah could say.

  Wyatt was sleeping with Hannah’s assistant while Hannah was at a retreat with her colleagues. Rich.

  Stephanie looked at Wyatt in a panic and burst into tears. “How am I going to get home? Are you going to take me home?”

  “Get an Uber,” Hannah said. “Oh, and you’re fired.”

  To climb steep hills

  requires slow pace at first.

  —William Shakespeare

  1

  Owen and his Great Dane, Romeo, walked around the lake and up the road to Sully’s store. Sully was sitting on the porch with his son-in-law, Cal Jones. His little granddaughter was sitting on the porch steps. The moment three-year-old Elizabeth saw them, she clapped her hands and yelled, “Womeo!” The Great Dane paused, turned his big head to look up at Owen. “Okay,” Owen said. Romeo took off at a gallop, looking like a pony, loping across the yard to his welcome party. Sully’s yellow Lab, Beau, met Romeo at the porch steps and the two dogs treated themselves to a trot around the yard.

  Owen leaned his walking stick against the porch, doffed his backpack and ruffled Elizabeth’s hair as he took the steps.

  “Hey, neighbor,” Sully said. “How’s the shootin’ today?”

  “I only see the good stuff if I leave the camera at home,” Owen said. He shook Sully’s hand, then Cal’s. “Looks like the campground’s filling up.”

  “It’s always spring break somewhere,” Sully said. “At least I get the outdoorsy types instead of the drink-till-you-puke types.”