Passions in the North Country (Siren Publishing Classic) by Summer Newman Page A

not in tune with that part of it. If he had any vision at all, he could have filled the hotel a long time ago by holding a convention for local women interested in meeting him.”
    Jenny forced a laugh but actually felt a tinge of jealousy, though she would never have admitted to anyone else or even to herself that she was the slightest bit interested.
    “Devon,” Miriam continued, “would rather spend his time alone than with other people. That concerns me. The other owners, even the ones who let the place fall apart, genuinely enjoyed people. That’s the only thing that saved them. I’m afraid that if people believe Devon is a sullen, moody affair, no one at all will come to the hotel.”
    “I know what you mean,” Jenny agreed. “But why did he bother buying a hotel in the first place? With his temperament, he would have been better off breeding rattlesnakes. He would have made a wonderful role model for them.”
    “Oh, come now,” Miriam objected, “I really think you’re being too harsh on the man.”
    “With that man, no one could be too harsh.”
    Miriam shrugged off Jenny’s comments. “I think he wants to earn a living with the hotel and he’s willing to work very hard, it’s just that some people are not naturally outgoing.”
    “You’re always sticking up for him. You really like him, don’t you?”
    “I do,” Miriam said sincerely and with genuine affection. “That man has character.” She paused, then decided to continue. “When Devon first came, the west wing of the hotel was in terrible shape. Renovating was out of the question. It made much better business sense to tear it down, and that’s what the bank advised him to do. A few days before the demolition was scheduled, I mentioned to him that the west wing was where my husband and I spent our honeymoon. The next day, without so much as a word, he changed plans and began restoring the west wing.”
    Jenny’s expression softened.
    “If that isn’t character, I don’t know what is.”
    Jenny noticed Devon carrying lumber across the yard. “I guess he’s not one hundred percent bad.”
    “He has made a world of difference here, but even with all his work, the business has to be promoted somehow.”
    “The restoration of the hotel has some legs. I noticed Henry reading the local newspaper yesterday and I’m sure you could get some coverage with them.”
    “I don’t think Devon has any money for advertising.”
    “You don’t need to advertise. A small paper like that is always searching for interesting local stories. You could have them do a story on how the owner is restoring the building and maintaining the town’s heritage.”
    “I never thought of that.”
    “There must be a local historical society,” Jenny said. “They love to get involved in projects like this, and I’m sure you could enlist their support.”
    “There is a historical society,” Miriam noted. “I’ve got a friend who has been in it for years. Maybe you could talk to her.”
    Jenny had planned on not getting “too involved” with the hotel, doing just enough to justify her free room while not exposing herself any more than absolutely necessary, but she found herself being drawn into the world of the Riverview Hotel.
    “Will you talk to her?” Miriam asked again.
    “I’d love to,” Jenny responded with feigned enthusiasm.
    “Good! I can set up a meeting right now.”
    Oh, God, Jenny thought, what have I gotten myself into?
    Miriam put on her jacket. “She only lives a couple blocks away, so I’ll walk over and arrange a time.”
    Jenny tried to think of an excuse for not continuing with the scheme, but she couldn’t come up with anything. She would have to follow through with the idea, probably suffering abuse from Devon for doing so, then, once she had made a small contribution, she would shrink back into her hiding place and remain as nondescript as possible. As a girl she used to watch reruns of David Jansen trying to stay one step