Every Perfect Gift by Dorothy Love Page B

notes and talking to people I won’t have time for much else. It is exciting, though. When I lived in Hickory Ridge as a child, I never dreamed I’d be back here one day running this paper, or that there would be anything as fancy as Blue Smoke in this little town.”
    “Ma’s real excited about Blue Smoke. She says a fancy place like that adds to the quality of our town. But I reckon it’s the people of a place that make it quality. Don’t you?”
    “I sure do.” She headed for the door. “See you next week.”
    “Yep.” Caleb rolled his eyes. “Give my regards to Prince Charming.”
    She crossed the street and headed for the hotel. Lucy Partridge had promised to have a warm bath waiting for her. The new dress she’d purchased from Jeanne Pruitt’s shop, a cream-colored silk with a matching jacket trimmed in white braid, waited in a nest of tissue paper. It was too bad she couldn’t afford a new gown for tomorrow night’s ball. The dress she’d brought from Texas wasn’t her fanciest, but it was nearly new, the silk fabric was of the best quality, and it fit her like a dream. And it had seemed more important to have a new dress for meeting her colleagues.
    She hurried to the Verandah, eager for the evening to begin. After the difficulties of her childhood, she did feel a bit like a fairytale princess.
    Not that Ethan Heyward would ever turn out to be her Prince Charming.

    Ethan picked up his hat and gloves and sent O’Brien in search of his driver and carriage. The conveyance was nearly too wide to negotiate the narrow, bumpy mountain road, but tonight calledfor the best he had to offer. Waiting outside in the portico as the carriage arrived, imagining the glittering night ahead, he felt a jolt of anticipation and a sense of pride.
    Every member of the press he’d invited to this evening’s reception had accepted, eager to sample the food and admire the sumptuous rooms and the resort’s breathtaking mountain setting. Already, to Horace’s delight, some had begun calling Hickory Ridge the Saratoga of the South. Perhaps the comparison to New York’s famous resort town was a bit too ambitious just now. But with time and the right management, the resort’s reputation would grow until Blue Smoke became as impressive a destination as anything the country had to offer.
    This afternoon, after a week in Baltimore attending to his interests there, Horace had returned for the summer with his wife and three lively daughters. Now, thank goodness, they were napping in their rooms, a small army of chambermaids at the ready to answer to their every whim. Despite disagreements over developing Blue Smoke, Horace was thrilled with the results. He’d pronounced Ethan’s efforts nothing short of miraculous and proffered a generous bonus check. A check that had somehow failed to cheer him as much as he’d imagined.
    Money was useful, of course. No Southerner who had lived through the years of privation during and after the war would ever dispute that. But now the job was done, and Ethan had no idea what would come next. He could stay on here and run Blue Smoke. But the prospect of continuing to work for Blakely, despite their long association, seemed vaguely depressing.
    And Sophie Caldwell had more than a little to do with his feelings. He couldn’t forget the sharp look of disapproval in her eyes when he refused her request to rehire the Stanhope boy. He didn’t really blame her. He didn’t like himself very much for giving in to Horace’s iron will and rigid policies. On the other hand, he owedhis boss some loyalty. Had he not met the man all those years ago, who knew how his life might have turned out?
    “Your carriage, Mr. Heyward.” The gray-haired driver halted beneath the portico, jumped down, and opened the door with a flourish. “Big night for you tonight.”
    Ethan nodded. “And for everyone at Blue Smoke. It’s been a long time coming.”
    “Yes, sir, but I don’t imagine there’s anybody in