Once Upon A Texas Christmas. Winnie Griggs

with just the books my brother and I owned.

      “Over the years I’ve taken the money I earned through the subscriptions and purchased new titles to add to it,” she continued. “And from time to time Judge Madison sends me some of his books as well.”

      She gave a sharing-an-insight smile. “He always says he’s just getting rid of some of his older books to make room for new ones, but I suspect he’s just being generous.”

      Seth suspected she was right. The judge obviously had a soft spot for Miss Fulton. But he’d noticed the man often enjoyed championing lost causes.

      She waved her fork, obviously unable to keep her hands still while she talked. “Anyway, it’s not as large as the libraries you’d find in big cities, but now I’ll have the space to expand it the way I want to.”

      What did she know of big-city libraries? “A worthy goal. And I suppose having the library here in the hotel could be viewed as a bonus for our guests.”

      She beamed at him. “Oh, I hadn’t thought of that. What a wonderful idea. I could even waive my subscription fee for guests, at least for their first book.”

      Being the focus of that wide-eyed, admiring smile took him aback. He wasn’t used to such attention. Scrambling to get his thoughts back under control, Seth brought the discussion back around to the job ahead of them. “The food here seems passable, but not memorable.”

      Miss Fulton grimaced agreement. “It was better when Norma ran the kitchen. But Della is trying. With some direction, and help with menu planning, she could be an excellent cook.”

      “You said you’ve worked in your sister-in-law’s restaurant. Do you feel qualified to help in that arena?” Having the chatty Miss Fulton in charge of the kitchen might keep her busy enough to stay out of his way.

      “Of course.” She pointed her fork at him. “In fact, I’ve already been thinking about this.” She leaned forward, her expression warming with enthusiasm. “Since we have so few guests while we’re under construction, it makes sense to get their food orders the day before and then we can plan all meals first thing in the morning. It will make the best use of Della’s time and our money.”

      That was a surprisingly good plan. “Doesn’t the hotel dining room get outside customers?”

      “Occasionally. I thought of that, too. One of our offerings could be a soup or stew, which can be easily stretched to serve additional people.”

      The woman continued to surprise him. Perhaps there was more to her than he’d first thought.

      She lowered her fork. “But we have a more pressing staffing issue. Did Mr. Crandall tell you he’s leaving tomorrow?”

      So she knew about that. “Yes. And that’s a key position that needs to be filled immediately, at least on a temporary basis.” He would let his future hotel manager take care of hiring key positions like the permanent desk clerk.

      “But don’t worry,” he assured her, “I can handle the job for a day or two. That should give me time to interview candidates and make certain I get the right person for the job.” Though it would delay his efforts to inspect the property in the detail he needed to.

      “We.”

      Her tone and expression were equally determined.

      “I beg your pardon.”

      She met his gaze without flinching. “We will interview candidates. Judge Madison asked us to handle the staffing together, remember?”

      What did this barely-out-of-the-schoolroom miss know about interviewing job candidates? “Of course. I’m sure your insights will be most helpful.” But he planned to establish from the outset that the final decisions would be his. His whole future rested on him ultimately hiring Bartholomew Michelson as the hotel manager.

      Miss Fulton’s face took on a suspiciously casual expression. “You know, you’re going to be quite busy familiarizing yourself with the hotel and town for the next few days. Rather than you also assuming the manager duties, perhaps I could handle that piece for now.”

      He sensed there was more going on here than her being helpful. “You misunderstand. The position we’ll be hiring for is desk clerk. I’ll assume the role of hotel manager myself while the construction is ongoing, and fill it permanently once we’re closer to the completion date.”

      “I see.” She frowned, then seemed to rally. “Then, since we are sharing the responsibilities for the renovation, I think we should also share the responsibilities of the hotel-manager position.”

      Why ever would she want such a responsibility? Did she think it would give her some sort of prestige? “That’s a generous offer but I think I should take care of this myself.”

      She stiffened. “Are you saying you don’t think I can handle the job?”

      “Do you have any experience in doing so?”

      “I studied the work Mr. Crandall did, and even relieved him on occasion at the front desk when he had to tend to Norma.”

      “It was inappropriate for Mr. Crandall to leave you in charge when you’re not employed here.”

      “But I am employed here. Did you forget already?”

      He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “That’s for an altogether different function. I’m sure Judge Madison intended to have you work in a more behind-the-scenes capacity—certainly not to do actual hotel work.”

      Her eyes narrowed and her chin came up. “Judge Madison didn’t tell you any such thing. And this partnership between us will only work if we respect each other.”

      He tried a different approach. “To be blunt, you admit to having very little experience. And being hotel manager involves much more than working the front desk. In fact, in many larger establishments, the manager never works the front desk. And if I have to train you on those finer points, I might as well do the job myself.”

      “But this is the perfect time for me to learn. There are only three rooms occupied and the staff has been reduced to one maid, one cook and the night clerk. So supervision won’t be as demanding.”

      “Which shows how inexperienced you are. With such a small staff, the hotel manager will not only need to help work the desk, but also see that all the smaller tasks get done, like tending to guest luggage, providing concierge duties and handling complaints.”

      Her gaze didn’t falter. “All of which I’ll absolutely be able to manage.”

      Stubborn woman. She obviously had a very high estimation of her abilities. “Do you honestly see yourself carting luggage and trunks up and down the stairs as required?” His conscience twinged as he admitted to himself that he would have trouble managing that himself with his injured leg. Too bad this place didn’t have elevators.

      Her expression tightened. “I’d find a way to manage.”

      He could see he’d need to act quickly in hiring a new desk clerk. “Perhaps a compromise is in order. We can divide up the front desk work between us—you take a portion of the hours and I take a portion.” He could make certain she was on duty during the less busy time, and he could keep an eye on her as well.

      She studied him, and for a moment he thought she’d dig in her heels. Then her expression shifted.

      “Very well. You obviously want me to prove myself and I can understand that. But in return, will you give me your word that this is just a first step. When a suitable time has elapsed, and I’ve proven myself capable, you will train me on the responsibilities of a hotel manager.”

      “Agreed,” he said without hesitation. If she could handle the desk job—and he wasn’t convinced she could—then he’d humor her with the additional training.

      And if she could eventually take care of some tasks, like managing small grievances that might pop up with