Surely there must be somewhere to stop around here, she said to herself. It seemed like she had been driving forever. She had friends who loved to drive, but she never understood it. Driving was only a method of getting from point A to point B. She knew where point A was, but had no idea where point B was.
She left Los Angeles in a fit of frustration. Nothing was going right. If one more person told her that she was lucky to have a job in this shitty economy she would scream at the top of her lungs. Yeah, I have a job, she thought. A job where I'm absolutely bored out of mind, with people that I don't care the least bit about. Her boss rebuffed her requests for more responsibility at every turn. Every hour, of every day, sitting at that desk, she thought about how much more she could contribute...somewhere else. But where?
And, let's not even talk about dating. There was no "Mr. Right" on any horizon. She signed up for the online dating services. Knew that there were scammers out there, but thought she'd be able to see one coming a mile away. Not so! Right out of the gate, scammed!!! To clarify, she's failed every relationship she's been in and can't even get lucky with online dating. Where is that knight in shining armor when you need him?
The pouring rain was getting worse. Pretty soon driving on the highway could be far too treacherous.
Around the next corner she came upon an older building that resembled an old fashioned saloon. Fitting for these hills of Colorado. There were several pickup trucks in the parking lot. She had to stop now. It had been at least 30 to 40 minutes since she passed the last restaurant/gas station.
There wasn't an "Open" sign anywhere, but she had to take the chance. Would they turn her away in such weather? The front door was unlocked. Once she entered it took her eyes a few seconds to adjust to the gloomy interior. A wave of apprehension washed over her. She was able to make out the silhouette of a very large man at one end of a very long bar. In the air was the smell of sawdust and fresh paint. A renovation was in progress.
He leisurely walked toward her. "Can I help you?" he asked.
"Ah, I didn't think it was wise to be driving in this weather. I hope you don't mind that I came in. If you could direct me somewhere else that is close by I will go."
"What's the rush? You're welcome to stay here. We won't bite," he said with a sly smile. He continued walking toward her until he was about a foot away. In a soft whisper he said, "Or, at least I don't think we'll bite."
He introduced himself as John, who was about 6'2" and menacing looking -- especially with the tattoos running up the side of his neck. He was dressed in dirty overalls over a long-sleeved T-shirt.
"What's your name, sweetheart?" John asked.
"Samantha."
Can we call you 'Sam'?" John asked as he extended his right hand. She grasped it firmly as she always did. Limp female handshakes were pathetic. Hopefully it sent a message to John that she was a strong, independent woman -- or was it clear that she was a little hesitant about staying?
John was very cordial, but Sam was still apprehensive. She asked if he had any coffee. She didn't really want coffee, but it seemed like a good ice breaker. John went around the far side of the bar where a large coffee maker was set up. He put a steaming cup of coffee on the bar for her. As she walked toward the bar she asked if he knew what the weather forecast was. John said 'we' had decided not to tempt fate and try to drive home as the weather service was predicting snow. Sam wasn't certain who 'we' were.
Snow? Great, now she would really be stranded. Her car was suited for LA traffic. Not Rocky Mountain snow conditions.
As John was trying to convince Samantha to play it safe and stay put, an incredibly handsome man emerged from the back of the building. He had what looked like rolled up floor plans in his hands. He stopped when he saw Samantha.
Samantha caught her breath. He was one of the most handsome men she'd ever seen. She was certain that her panties were now soaked.
"Trent, we have a visitor. Say 'hello' to Samantha," John stated as he sat down at the bar.
"Sam. You can call me Sam, not Samantha", she said to the handsome man who was slowly approaching her.
"I'm Trent. Welcome." He reached out and she shook his hand. He definitely appreciated the firm handshake. (Why are men always surprised when a woman actually shakes their hand?) "I heard John suggesting that you stay. I agree. The weather is getting much worse. We don't have a lot of amenities, but we do have lots of coffee."
"The owner wouldn't mind?" she asked.
Trent smiled, "I'm the owner and I wouldn't mind at all. Please, let me take your coat. It's on the cold side in here, but it's better than keeping that wet coat on."
That prompted John to grab his coat and run out to their trucks. He came back with various things to make a long night more comfortable. There were blankets, a few lanterns, a portable radio and some snack food.
John handed Sam an extra sweater as he went past her. It was far too large for her, but it was chilly inside the building. It was a very kind gesture on his part.
"What do you say? Do you think it's time to get this old fireplace going?" Trent was starting to pile kindling and logs onto the grate. The chimney sweep had been in the week before, so he was confident that the chimney was clear and wouldn't cause any problems. John went out back and carried in some more wood. Trent moved a round table to a spot between the bar and the fireplace, nudged an old sofa closer to the fireplace, and added some more chairs between the table and the sofa. Trent covered the old sofa with a blanket and encouraged Sam to take a seat. John was busy rounding up all of the food they had and laid everything out on the bar. Bundled up in John's sweater, with a cup of coffee in her hand she quietly watched as the two men worked together.
"So, what's your story, Sam?" John asked.
"Not much of a story to tell. How about you guys? You seem to work well together. Have you known each other long?" Sam evaded the question. They explained that John was helping Trent renovate the restaurant/bar. John had a white collar job for years and finally decided to take Trent up on the offer to help him with the renovation and John declared he was the happiest he'd ever been. Building and creating with your own hands was something he couldn't do sitting behind a desk all day. It seemed that Trent had a real knack for reading people and he was glad he finally got John working with a hammer in hand. No doubt Trent was trying to get a read on Sam as he leaned against the fireplace mantle, all the while looking directly at Sam. She was starting to become uncomfortable under his scrutiny. To break the tension, she asked if they ever used the poker set that was sitting at the farthest end of the bar. They had found it in the storage room and thought it they might use it as decoration. So with little else to do, they dusted it off and took a seat at the table.
She knew some of the basics of poker and thought she'd give it a go. Hmmm...should she let on that she was a novice, or convince them that she knew nothing about poker? Trent got up and walked down the hallway to the back of the building. He returned quickly with a full bottle of whiskey. John got up and came back with some red Solo cups that were near the coffee machine. "Nothing but the best," John joked as he passed the cups around.
"None for me," Sam smiled. The guys tried to encourage her to change her mind, but she never acquired a taste for whiskey. Trent got up again and walked down the hallway. This time he returned with a bottle of Veuve Clicquot. Sam's favorite. How did he know? He smiled when he saw Sam's eye light up when she saw the orange label on the green bottle.
"Unfortunately it's not chilled and we don't have any ice," Trent warned. "If you'd like some warm champagne I'll open it for you." Sam responded by raising her red Solo cup in the air. "I was saving this for opening day, but now seems to be completely appropriate."