Calvin’s smile widened. “What, are they afraid they’ll be in the middle of nowhere?”
Cade managed a chuckle. “This part of Wyoming probably looks like that to a lot of them.”
“Then why would they come?”
Dang, thought Cade. He hadn’t prepped for this exam. “Because it’s new and different. But they still want to know they’ll have a hospital, police, that kind of thing.”
“So they want to be in the middle of nowhere and still have all the conveniences?”
This time Cade’s laugh was genuine. “Apparently so.”
Calvin flashed a grin, then looked over as DeeJay joined them. She carried a tray—where the heck had she found that, Cade wondered—with three mugs, the coffeepot, a small pitcher of milk and some sugar. She set it on the end table.
“Nice to see you again, Calvin,” she said brightly, offering her hand.
He shook it—hanging on a little too long for Cade’s comfort—then spoke. “I was just wondering if we could set something up for you to come take pictures from my ranch. You should see those mountains in the dawn light. Takes your breath away.”
“Help yourself to coffee,” DeeJay said, and came to sit beside Cade on the couch. “We were talking about that, weren’t we, Cade?”
“We were,” he agreed. Although not in the way Calvin probably thought. “Early-morning light?”
“That’s best,” Calvin said. “The air is so clear, the detail so sharp that you can see every little thing. At this time of year, with the sun so far south, there are enough shadows to give you a feeling for the ruggedness. Anyway, I know DeeJay said you’d have a professional come out here, but I thought you guys could give him some ideas.”
Cade’s neck prickled again. He glanced at DeeJay and saw her face was perfectly smooth and pleasant. Oh, man, now he understood why she’d been almost positive that Calvin was their man. He was pushing this jaunt as if he’d get wealthy from it. Or as if his future depended on it.
So he decided to be blunt. “What’s in it for you?” he asked. Then, as Calvin’s face started to darken, he spoke swiftly. “That isn’t meant to be critical. It’s just that most of the helpful people we meet have a horse in the race, if you follow me. Like the resort folks, for example. You’re being very generous.”
Calvin’s face relaxed again. “I just want to be helpful. If that resort will be good for the people around here, then I’ll do what I can to make it a success. There’s a lot of beauty outside of town. That’s all.”
His own little Chamber of Commerce, Cade thought. Not bloody likely. In fact, come to think of it, the area merchants hadn’t put on the dog for the travel writers. This town was still undecided about this resort and whether it would be good for them. And they were certainly more worried about the missing boys.
Cade looked at DeeJay. “What do you think, honey?”
“It won’t hurt to go and snap a few shots,” she said as if she were thinking about it. “I mean, we’re trying to make this sound like a place people should want to come for a variety of reasons. Like hiking and camping as well as the resort. And those mountains are beautiful.”
Calvin smiled happily. “Good. You can at least give your photographer some ideas.”