Chapter 2

Two

Kaleb Raleigh looked at the bird poop in the big parlor at the house he'd bought, pursing his lips. "Well, guys, I don't think we're going to be able to stay here yet."

His two big Saint Bernards came to him for ear scritches, Neo pushing Trinity out of the way like the big butthead he was. So he turned so each dog had a hand as he surveyed the mess in the house. The roof was still watertight, he thought, but several windows had been broken out, and the plywood the previous owner had put up hadn't kept out the doves or, from the looks of the feathers, the crows.

He'd have to fix the windows and get the furnace up to speed, minimum, before he could move in and start working on the DIY.

The Dewhurst mansion sat on the side of a mountain rising up above Secret Springs, Colorado, a looming monstrosity of a house made of brick and stone on the facade, with a fairy-tale pitched roof and turrets capped with weather vanes and a widow's walk.

It was an old house lover's dream, and it was going to be a freaking money pit, Kaleb could tell. God he loved it.

"Okay. So I guess we need to see if there's somewhere in town to stay a week or two that allows mini mooses, huh?"

Trinity chuffed and bobbed her head like she totally understood, while Neo just drooled on his boots. They were a hoot, those two.

"Come on. Let's see what else we're up against. Watch your step." Hell, Neo weighed almost as much as he did, and could go right through a rotten floorboard. He headed to the kitchen to assess the appliances.

Kaleb had bought the house sight unseen. He loved the old oil and lumber baron houses in Denver, and one of his favorite places on earth had always been Miramont Castle in Manitou Springs. So when the opportunity had come up to buy this place in the San Juan Mountains on the Western Slope, Kaleb had jumped at it.

Wasn't that what crazy techie guys who retired by thirty-five did? Buy hopelessly weird houses and give tons of money to charity?

Sure it was. He…hell, it was going to be fun as anything.

The kitchen was a nightmare, but the huge iron eight-burner stove was magical, and there was a dumbwaiter.

A dumbwaiter.

He thought about all the horror books and movies with a dumbwaiter, and he grabbed his mag light out of his pocket to look at it. It was a hand-crank deal that went both up and down, and it made him so happy he shouted with laughter, which had the dogs sidestepping.

"I know. I know, but that means that whatever room that is at the very top might be magical…or haunted!"

The place had at least one hidden staircase, a set of pocket doors, and now a dumbwaiter that hadn't even been in the seller's description. Bird poop or no, this was paradise.

His stomach rumbled then, and Kaleb sighed. "No way are we going to be able to eat here any more than we're going to sleep. And the stairs might be better left for tomorrow morning when there's more daylight." He would meet his contractor, Kynan Tierney, onsite then.

Stepping back into the parlor, Kaleb called his realtor, a lady named Annette, who lived in Secret Springs.

"Hello?"

"Hi, this is Kaleb Raleigh? I picked up the keys to the Dewhurst mansion from your assistant this afternoon."

There was a pause, then a low, amused chuckle. "Oh, God, please don't tell me you've changed your mind now you've seen it."

"Are you kidding? There's a dumbwaiter. I was just wondering if there was a place to stay in town that allows pets. I don't want to have to drive back to Montrose. Oh, and a good place to eat."

That earned him another soft little laugh. "Well, I can answer both questions with one answer. The Grand Springs hotel. They're pet friendly—they even have a pet walker—and there's a great little restaurant there. If you go outside and look straight down into town? You can't miss it."

"Yeah?"

"Mmm. It's just up the hill from the hot springs pool, and it lives up to its name these days. The renovations have been lovely."

"Okay, I'm in. Thanks, Miss Annette. I appreciate it."

"Of course. I'm glad you're not disappointed. You gave me a moment of panic."

"No. No, I love it. But you know what? I decided I don't have to camp out here for at least another week. Maybe when I get the wiring looked at."

"Of course. If you want, I can see about moving a travel trailer up there, but the hotel is the quickest, most comfortable answer." Annette chuckled softly. "And the restaurant is absolutely to die for."

"If they have room for me, I'm in. I'm much more into room service, and I'm not sure I want to chance plugging in a trailer to the water and electrical up here." He might be retired from the tech trade, but he still needed to check his investments pretty regularly, so he needed Wi-Fi, too.

"Fair enough. I'll call over and make sure they know you're coming."

"Thank you so much."

"Are you kidding? You bought my white whale."

He laughed. "Well, I adore it already, so it's not a hardship. Let me take you to lunch next week."

"Perfect. We can go to Se?or Dragon's and have green chile fried rice."

"Se?or Dragon's? What alchemy is this?"

"Chinese Mexican fusion. You're gonna love it."

"Oh my god." He moaned. "You're on. Thanks again. I'll holler at you."

"If you need anything, just call."

They hung up, and he called the dogs back from sniffing around. "Truck, guys. Come on."

They danced and woofed, heading right out the front door to the truck, the snow not bothering them in the least.