Tangled Up (Bachelors of Buttermilk Falls #2) by Robyn Neeley Page B

windows, suddenly remembering the abandoned inn Abby had mentioned last night. Since this was the tip of the lake, this might be the place. “Can I take a look?”
    “Sure, come on in.” He opened the wooden door. “We put in new flooring but left the wall fixtures and staircase intact.”
    Brandon stepped into a small foyer. It was completely bare and opened up to a larger room with dusty oak accents. “So, is this the place that was actually an inn at one time?”
    “Sure was. There weren’t many rooms back in its glory day, but I hear it was a nice alternative to staying in town. The first floor held a restaurant and the second and third had sleeping rooms.” He wiped his brow.
    “I bet it was gorgeous.” Brandon’s mind went to work immediately. Where he stood could be a dining area, directly in front of him would be the perfect place for a bar.
    “There’s even a full kitchen over there. The buyer had a company completely remodel it.”
    “The kitchen’s ready for use?”
    “Yep. Not that it’ll be used any time soon. I’ve been trying to convince the town to hold an open house, but they haven’t wanted to on account of the incident.”
    “Incident?”
    Adam’s phone buzzed. “Hold on a second.”
    While Adam took his call, Brandon snapped a couple pictures to text over to Jason. His friend always had good sense when it came to business. He started to scroll through his contact list but paused at the second name. Why was Abby in his phone?
    They hadn’t traded numbers last night. Maybe she’d given it to him one of the times they had hung out with Jason and Emma. “Weird.”
    What was even more strange was his sudden need to show her the pictures. He pulled her name up and attached the photos to a short text. Since it was her idea to check out the place, maybe she could give him some ideas on what to do with the second and third floors. She seemed to be full of good ones lately.
    Adam ended his call, shoving his phone in his back pocket. “So, yeah. This place has been on sale for years. It’s kind of sad for an inn that had so much life in it back in its day to sit here empty. It would make a great spot for a restaurant.”
    “What happened to the buyer?”
    Chuckling, Adam nodded to the second floor. “He spent one night alone upstairs last April. That did it. He hightailed it out of town and put it on the market.”
    “Why? Did he think the work needed would be too expensive?”
    “Not exactly. Apparently there are some guests upstairs that won’t leave.”
    Brandon studied the chipped staircase. “What? Termites? Mice?”
    “Well, maybe those, too.” Adam tilted his head up. “Legend has it, it’s haunted.”
----
    A bby wiped down the countertop for the umpteenth time. Her only mission at this very moment was to make the bright pink countertop shine. That she’d achieved it a couple of hours ago didn’t really matter. It kept her thoughts from drifting too far into dangerous “Brandon Swift” territory.
    Sliding up next to her, Emma snatched the rag and set it aside. “I think the counter is officially the cleanest it has been all fall.”
    “Just trying to keep busy.” She reached for her water bottle.
    “Well, it sparkles.” Emma leaned on the counter, giving Abby her familiar concerned look.
    “Are you feeling any better?”
    Emma was referring to the stomach bug Abby contracted over the weekend. Saturday morning she woke up with the worst case of the flu and had stayed in bed all weekend. “Yeah, much better. I think it was a twenty-four-hour thing.”
    “So, how was Sugar and Spice Night?”
    “Fine.”
    “Just fine?”
    “What do you want to know?” Abby reached in the cupcake display and pulled out two pumpkin cupcakes. They may as well have a treat for this conversation because Emma would no doubt ask a ton of questions once she heard that Brandon had won Abby’s dessert. She handed a cupcake to her cousin.
    “Thanks.” Emma bit down. “Well? How did it