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Whispering Pines, he wouldn’t be standing in this spacious guest house without the help of his family. Kevin and Alex had donated their time and talent on the lodge construction, Elizabeth and her husband, Kirk, had offered not only financial backing, but business insight, as well. Susan and Mike had donated manual labor to the project each weekend. And without his mother’s encouragement, Adam never would have had the courage to tackle the project at all.
    “Why don’t we have some muffins and juice?” Millie suggested. “I see Adam has coffee made.”
    The conversation eventually drifted away from the article, but not before Liz made arrangements to come back later in the day to visit with Lisa and show her around the ranch. After serving refreshments, Adam’s mom and sisters left, leaving only Lisa’s family.
    While the women visited, Adam, Alex and Kevin discussed unfinished details on the lodge. When they returned, Emily and Katarina had already bundled the little ones in their coats and were ready to leave. “We’ll see you both tomorrow, right?”
    Adam looked directly at Lisa, waiting for her response.
    Before Lisa could reply, Katarina waddled over to give Adam a hug. “It’s settled, then. Sunday dinner will be at our house this week. Emily’s on call. We’ll see you at church, then eat dinner afterward.”
    Lisa took her coat from the hook and followed them out the door. He watched her hug everyone goodbye, then walk around the side of the lodge with Toby.
    Standing alone in the foyer, Adam wondered what twist of fate had gotten him into this mess.

CHAPTER FIVE
    W HEN L ISA RETURNED to the lodge after saying goodbye to her sisters and playing with Toby, the huge log house was empty. Adam had cleaned up and disappeared.
    Without Adam to distract her, she had the chance to study the lodge and understand Adam’s claim that there was a lot to be done before the grand opening. There was a lot of potential. Had Adam hired a decorator to add those final touches, or did he have a girlfriend who was going to help?
    The mantel clock chimed. Elizabeth wouldn’t be back for another hour.
    She wondered if Adam had taken pictures of the entire process from beginning to finish, and retrieved her camera. She started upstairs in the guest suites. As Adam had claimed, none of the other rooms were ready for guests.
    Antique furniture stood against bare walls, gathered by color and style. Furnishings for the two-bedroom suites were all rustic mission-style, like in her own suite. One furniture set included a matching marble-top dresser and washstand, yet another was a massive darker collection with a bed so high off the ground, she would need a step stool to climb in. On the far side such a stool stood next to the bed frame. All looked as if they had been refinished recently and were beautifully matched.
    Pillow-top mattresses and goose-down pillows still wore their plastic coverings and Do Not Remove Under Penalty Of The Law tags. On each antique table or desk was a clock radio still in the box. On one library table stood a dozen lamps, some old, some new, some matching and many unique designs.
    Windows were stark frames to the beautiful backdrop of Colorado scenery. Ceiling fans waited anxiously for the summer heat.
    Each bathroom was different. Some had oversize walk-in showers, while others replica clawfoot tubs, and pedestal sinks. The largest suite had a double-size jetted tub.
    She snapped photos, hoping Adam wouldn’t mind. They weren’t for professional purposes, but for him, just for fun. This had to have been a huge undertaking to oversee the design, plans, purchases and building. She could see now why the cowboy was stressed.
    Lisa continued taking pictures in the great room and kitchen, again, enthralled with the impressive collection of antiques—Hoosier cupboards, iceboxes of varied sizes and one intriguing massive oak chest with a dozen shallow drawers and at least another half-dozen cupboards, not