Taco-Truck Tryst (Quinn Valley Ranch Book 1)

  Prologue

  Gertrude Quinn sat at her kitchen table at Quinn Valley Ranch, serving tea and cookies to her friends. The six women had gotten together every Wednesday for as long as any of them could remember, and they had always met at the ranch.

  “Betty, how did you get your granddaughter to finally marry? I’m sure my grandkids are never going to marry. Mostly I’m worried about Roxie. I’m not sure why, but she has seemed unsettled lately. I think Bob saw it, too, and that’s why he promoted her to event coordinator.”

  “Are you sure it didn’t have anything to do with that silly Shalayne Rigley, who got herself knocked up unexpectedly and then refused to do her job? Her new husband sure is happy to have her home, but I don’t think they’re ever going to make it on his salary. Isn’t he still just doing the lawns for different businesses in town?” Ruby asked.

  Maude shook her head. “At least he had the guts to marry her and stand up to that old man of his. I think Justin Rigley showed more backbone in the past year than he had in his entire life before that.”

  “Of course, he did,” Nellie said. “He’s more afraid of her daddy than his own. Sometimes I wonder what’s wrong with the younger generation.” She looked back at Gertrude, who had started the entire conversation. “Who do you think Roxane should marry? My grandson Ciran always had a crush on her in school, and he’s back in town now. He went to the big city to be a lawyer for a while, but he hated that life so much. He said something about opening a taco stand, but I hope he’s kidding.”

  “Ciran is a good kid. He was captain of the football team, and I always liked him. What do we have to do to get the two of them together?”

  Nellie grinned. “I have an idea. I own that little spot of land right next to the hotel . . .”

  Chapter One

  Roxane Quinn moved things around on her desk for the fourth time. She had worked for her father’s hotel in Quinn Valley, Idaho since she was a teenager, but she’d finally reached the position she’d been working toward for the past ten years. She was the new events manager of the resort, and she was so excited she couldn’t control herself.

  The resort mostly dealt with healing, and her mother was the resident redneck witch doctor, who did her best to heal people with homeopathic remedies. All of Quinn Valley was built around a natural hot springs, and people came from far away for the healing properties of the springs and for the different forms of natural medicine they offered there at The Quinn Hotel and Spa.

  Roxie had been expected to go into natural medicine like her mother, but she hadn’t been drawn to it the way her sisters were. Her older brother, Bobling—named after their father and called Bobling by everyone who knew him—had run off to join the Marines as soon as he was old enough, but she and her sisters had all done online courses for their schooling as they worked their way up through the ranks at the hotel. Well, she’d worked her way through the ranks. Her sisters had gone to the spa after spending some time cleaning while they went to school.

  Her parents had thought they were brilliant giving all five of their children R names, but it annoyed Roxane to just be one of the R Quinns. For some reason, each generation of her family had five children. And then each of those children had five children—and each of—well, it should be plain how it worked after that. There were so many Quinns around Quinn Valley now that you couldn’t swing a dead cat without hitting at least one of them. Not that Roxane would ever swing a dead cat. She was an animal lover, and it was going to stay that way.

  She glanced up at a knock on her door, happy to be drawn out of her thoughts. They were getting a little too wackadoodle even for her. “Hi,” she said brightly, smiling at the woman in front of her. “How can I help you?”

  “I want to tour the property. I’m considering having my vow renewal on your property. It’ll be fifty years since I married the love of my life, and our whole family is coming to celebrate. Our three kids, eight grandkids, and four great-grandkids.” The woman was positively beaming as she mentioned her progeny.

  “I would be happy to help you with that, Mrs.?”

  “Mrs. Bronson. I wanted to do it on River’s End Ranch, but they were all booked up for the weekend we needed, so Lily sent me here.”

  “Lily’s a good friend of mine. I’m glad she sent you on. I’m Roxane Quinn, and my father owns the hotel. I’d be happy to show you around the grounds and talk about what it is you’re looking for.”

  “Good. That’s what I need. I love the little event barn at the ranch. Do you have something like that here?” Mrs. Bronson asked, staying on her feet while she waited for Roxane to show her around.

  “We don’t, but we do have a ballroom that should work for your event. Do you anticipate guests wanting to stay here?”

  “Oh, yes. We’ll have people coming in from all over the country.”

  “Part of what we do here is give you passes to sit in the healing hot springs here at the hotel and spa. I think you’ll find anyone who stays here will enjoy that privilege. The hot springs were used by the Native Americans of the area for healing, and the white men who settled the area have found that they enjoy the healing properties as well.” Roxane deliberately started with the spa, so she could talk about the healing work done there at the resort. It was the main addition her family had made when they’d purchased the property in 2006. “April Lynn Quinn is the local homeopath on duty here. You’ll find that she can tell you exactly what ails you, and fix you up quickly. We also have foot zoning and ionic foot detoxes here in the spa, done by Renae. I’m not sure if you’re familiar with foot zoning, but it’s a more complete form of reflexology that puts the body into a state of balance.”

  Mrs. Bronson shrugged. “I’ve never tried it, but I’m game! I love that you have a spa here. Is there a massage therapist?”

  “Yes, my sister, Raina is the massage therapist here on the property. She is amazing at what she does!”

  “That sounds wonderful. I may come a week early just to check out your spa.”

  “I hope you will.” Roxie led her down the stairs and through the lobby on their journey toward the ballroom. “What month will your event be taking place?”

  “October. We would like the event the weekend of the fifth. The fifth is a Friday this year, and we want to have the vow renewal on the sixth and a huge party after. Are those dates available?”

  “I was just going over dates before you arrived, and I can tell you we have no events booked for that weekend.” Or any other weekend in October. The previous event coordinator had just quit to raise her baby. She didn’t seem to have done any work at all since she’d found out she was pregnant, so their schedule was wide open.

  “Oh, I’m so glad. If you can accommodate us, then I’m sure this will work out well.”

  The hotel had been built in 1922, but it had been completely renovated and added onto in 2010. Her mother and father had run a healing shop before then, with a little bit of everything. There had been massages and foot zones, and her mother had done her biomeridian work there as well. They’d sold everything from essential oils to souvenirs. The ballroom was in the new part of the hotel, and Roxie had no doubt Mrs. Bronson would be pleased with it. “We could use the same room for the wedding and quickly change the seating after the vows are exchanged.”

  Mrs. Bronson frowned. “I don’t like that idea much. Is there another place we could have the wedding and then move on to the ballroom?”

  Roxie thought for a second. “The lobby of the hotel would be a beautiful place for a wedding. We have the fountain in the middle, and you could exchange vows in front of that, and then the ballroom would be set up already f
or the reception.”

  “Oh, yes! That sounds beautiful! Will you decorate the lobby in the colors I want?”

  Roxie was almost afraid to agree. What if she wanted black and orange for Halloween? Well, whatever it was, she’d make it work. “Yes, absolutely. What colors would you like?”

  “Rose red and Pepto Bismol pink.”

  Roxie felt her lips twitch, so she quickly turned away to walk toward the ballroom. “That sounds lovely, Mrs. Bronson. Were those your colors when you married?”

  “They were. My mother told me those colors would cause everyone to be nauseated, and there would be mass vomiting at my wedding, but it never happened.”

  “I’m happy to hear that. Having everyone vomit at your wedding might put a damper on your big day.”

  Mrs. Bronson laughed. “It sure would have! But it didn’t happen, which proves my mother was just a worrywart after all.”

  “Sounds like she was.” Roxane flung open the doors to the ballroom and smiled at what she saw. Her father had allowed her to pick out the color scheme for the room, and it was done beautifully in midnight blue and mauve. She had always been fond of the two colors together. The paintings on the walls were done by local Idaho artist, Tony Morales, and she adored them. It was her favorite room in the entire hotel, and she certainly hoped that Mrs. Bronson liked it as much as she did.

  Mrs. Bronson stepped into the room and sighed. “I love this place. It feels so peaceful. How many people can we fit in here?”

  “We can put twenty-five tables, each with the ability to accommodate ten. So easily two hundred fifty people. We also have another area beyond that divider we can open up if you need more seating. What do you think?”

  “I think I love it. We can have tables on one half, and the other half can be a dance floor. Do you have any local bands you’d recommend? Or a DJ?”

  “There’s a DJ in town we sometimes use for events, and there is a country western band that’s pretty good. It’s up to you which you’d prefer. If you go with the band, the cost will be more, but it will be more personable as well.”

  Mrs. Bronson made a face. “I can listen to the band and maybe talk to the DJ? I’m definitely going to rent your venue. It’s exactly what I’m looking for. Can you accommodate one hundred guests at the hotel?”

  “We can. I can also make certain that we have a block of rooms at other hotels in town available if you decide you want them. By October, the summer crowd will be gone, and the winter people won’t be here yet. Fall isn’t exactly our busy season. We do still have a lot of people coming to soak in the springs.”

  “But there’s stuff to do here in the fall? If we want to go for a hike? Or if we want to soak in the springs?”

  “Absolutely. We’d be happy to accommodate either of those things. I can even send someone to guide a hike to keep everyone on safe trails. They could float down the river if they don’t mind doing it in the cold. There are four-wheelers to rent, or people could even rent snowmobiles if we’re unfortunate enough to have that much snow in early October, which is not unheard of.”

  “Oh, I know. I live in Lewiston, so I’m familiar with the weather here.”

  “Why don’t you do something in Lewiston instead of driving all the way here?” Roxane asked. She wasn’t trying to push the business away, but she was downright curious. Lewiston was a big city compared to tiny little Quinn Valley, and she couldn’t imagine anyone driving so far for an event.

  “My family has visited River’s End Ranch many times over the years, so we were hoping to have it there. When Lily suggested I come see you, I figured it would be just as nice. This place is lovely. It’s different than the ranch certainly, but it’s beautiful in its own way. I can’t wait to get my husband into the hot springs. It would do his heart a lot of good!”

  “We are delighted to have you, Mrs. Bronson. Why don’t we go back to my office, and we can talk numbers and start getting everything ready for your big event.” Inside, Roxane was ready to squeal. It had been an easy sell, but it was her first. And Shalayne had gone months with no sales, saying it was too hard to sell events in a backwater place like Quinn Valley.

  As they walked through the lobby to get to her office, Roxie glanced outside to see a small construction crew working on something just off the hotel’s parking lot. She knew the property didn’t belong to the hotel, but that eyesore was going to make it hard for their guests to get in and out until the construction was complete. And who would build there?

  *****

  By the time Roxane had finished up with Mrs. Bronson and had the older woman’s signature on the bottom of her form along with a nice-sized check for the hotel in her desk drawer, it was past her lunch time. She thought about going to one of the restaurants in their hotel to eat, but she had to know what the construction crew was doing. There was little she didn’t know about Quinn Valley, and that thing being constructed was definitely an unknown!

  She marched straight to the construction site, wishing she’d worn more sensible shoes, but she looked good in her heels. For her first day in her new job, she had definitely dressed to impress.

  When she stopped in front of the construction crew, one of the men lowered the hammer he was yielding. “What can I do for you?”

  “I’m wondering exactly what you’re building here. I wasn’t aware of another business in town receiving a license.”

  “I don’t know about a license, but we’re here to build a pavilion big enough for six picnic tables. Someone is going to be bringing his taco truck here every day starting July first.”

  “July first? That’s only two weeks away. And a taco truck? Surely you jest!”

  “No, ma’am. And I’m willing to tell you, they were the best tacos I’ve ever eaten in my life. He brought the truck out here to feed us lunch. We worked lunch every day into our contract with him.”

  “Him? Does he have a name?” Roxane couldn’t think of a single person in town who would feel the need to park a taco truck next to her family’s hotel and spa. It would ruin the atmosphere entirely.

  “Oh, sure. Ciran Benedict. He seems like a great guy.”

  Roxane stood staring at him for just a moment. “Ciran?” The last she’d heard he’d moved to San Antonio to be a lawyer, and now he was back in town with a taco truck? Surely there was some wrong information, but she didn’t know another man named Ciran. What on earth was happening in Quinn Valley? “Thank you for the information.”

  With that, she turned to go back into the hotel. She’d eat the lunch she’d brought from home after all. She had to think about what they were going to do. Ciran couldn’t be allowed to ruin their business with his taco truck, no matter how handsome and good at football he had been in high school.

  *****

  Ciran stood in his taco truck, a pot of pinto beans on the stove in front of him. He made all his dishes from scratch. His beans were cooked and blended every evening for the next day. His meat was marinated every night to get it ready to cook the next morning. He made his own hot sauce, and it was to die for. He’d been taught by a former neighbor in San Antonio.

  The whole time he’d tried to be a lawyer, all he could think about was how much people would love Tex-Mex tacos back home in Idaho. He’d hated every minute of his life as a lawyer, so he’d given up. He’d sold everything and moved back home, and now he was going to make his living selling street tacos to the tourists. There would be at least one place to buy good tacos in Idaho.

  His food truck was parked in his driveway at the moment, but it wouldn’t always be. He was excited that his grandmother was allowing him to use a prime location in town right next to the Quinn Hotel and Spa. He was having picnic pavilions put in for the tourists that wanted to eat right there. He could also cater, and he was looking forward to that the most, catering tacos, burritos, and the occasional enchilada as well as making Spanish rice and refried beans. And he couldn’t forget the cinnamon sugar–covered sopapillas he was making for dessert.

&n
bsp; He’d worked into his contract with the construction company that he’d take them lunch every day, and he was driving around town, stopping in the local parks and selling his wares. It would be better when he had a permanent place, but for now, all was good with his plan to take over the taco market in Quinn Valley, Idaho. Of course, no one else would want it.

  There was a guy who sold corn dogs, burgers, and fries from a food truck that traveled through town, but he knew that guy wouldn’t be any real competition. Ciran’s food was much better. His life was shaping up to be just what he wanted. It was a good thing for him to be back in his hometown.

  He just dreaded the first time he ran into Roxane Quinn, granddaughter of town royalty. She’d broken his heart more times than he could imagine, and he wasn’t sure he was ready to see her again. It was a small town, though, and there was no way to avoid everyone. He would have to make it work.

  Chapter Two

  As soon as Roxane got home that night, she called Grandma Quinn. “Have you heard that Ciran is back in town?”

  There was a brief pause before her grandmother answered. “I have. He’s got a taco truck or something.”

  “Do you know where he’s staying while he’s here?”

  “Well, Nellie said he bought the old Reed place. He got sick of lawyering down in Texas and came back home where he belongs.”

  Roxane had to wonder just how much her grandmother knew about her history with the man in question. They’d been completely devoted to one another all through high school. How could anyone’s kisses compare to Ciran’s? “I see. Did you know he’s got some land he’s building a pavilion on just beside the hotel?” She knew she didn’t have to mention which hotel. Her father only owned one, and everyone in the family—everyone in all of Quinn Valley for that matter—knew she worked there.

  “I did know that. His grandmother owned the land and has for many years. She never bothered to get rid of it, and when he needed a place to park his truck, she offered it to him.”