Monday night. Twenty hours and counting before the Guzzling Grizzly had its shining moment on national news. Michael paused to take stock and check the notes on his tablet. His To Do list was shrinking. Not fast enough to suit him but shrinking, nevertheless.

All five temp servers showed an aptitude for the job, thank God. He, Bryce, Jenny and Ellen had shadowed them Sunday night and were continuing again tonight, leaving Tansy in charge of the bar for most of the time. So far, so good.

Tomorrow he’d be behind the bar with Tansy and Trevor, Bryce’s twin. Trevor was an experienced bartender and had made sure he wouldn’t be on call at the firehouse. Bryce would pitch in when he wasn’t performing with Nicole.

Ryker McGavin and Badger Calhoun, both Air Force vets, had volunteered to handle crowd control. A whole lot of people would show up, but they’d be Eagles Nesters.

The term made him smile but it also gave him comfort. Eagles Nesters wouldn’t suddenly become an unruly mob. They were proud of their town and would want it to look good on national TV.

Nicole’s solo act last night and tonight provided an excellent warmup to foster community spirit and cooperation. Anticipation and excitement ran high, and the boisterous singalongs gave folks a chance to blow off steam.

Michael had joined in on a few of them. A guy couldn’t be depressed about his love life after belting out Alan Jackson’s Chattahoochee.

When Nicole hit the first chords of Tim McGraw’s I Like It, I Love It, Michael sang that one, too. Sure, the lyrics reminded him of passionate moments with Roxanne, but the happy tune still put him in a better mood.

Fortunately, he’d been too busy lately to spend much time in his head. He’d heard nothing from Roxanne. Yes, he was under the gun, but if she’d wanted to talk to him, he would have pried out some time in his packed schedule.

But she hadn’t contacted him, so he was doing the best he could to ignore the ache produced by a ginormous hole in his heart. He added a little dance step as he moved between the tables while singing at the top of his lungs.

The customers seemed to get a charge out of him. That inspired him to ham it up even more. As he danced his way between the maze of tables, he collected several high fives. A few women gave him wolf whistles.

At the end of the song, when he’d worked up a sweat and was out of breath, he came face-to-face with all five members of the Whine and Cheese Club. One of the temps was in the process of leading them to a table.

He stopped in mid-motion, hip cocked to the side, one hand holding the brim of his hat in what passed for a studly pose. Not the moment he would have chosen to bump into the women who’d made the CNN miracle a reality. He’d prefer that they thought of him as a serious-minded businessman.

He braved it out with a cocky grin and a tip of his hat. “Welcome, ladies.”

“Welcome is right, cowboy!” Deidre fanned herself. “Do that routine for the cameras tomorrow and you’ll be flooded with offers.”

“Both proper and improper.” Kendra winked at him.

His cheeks warmed. “Just having fun. It’s good to see you all. You here for dinner?”

“Just drinks and the singalong,” Jo said. “Last-minute strategy meeting. Decided to do it at the GG instead of at Kendra’s house.”

Christine nodded. “That way if we need to consult with you or Bryce about loose ends, you’re available. Didn’t know we’d get the Michael Murphy show as a bonus.”

“It’s a one-night-only sort of deal.”

“Then lucky us,” Deidre said.

“Let me show you to your table.” Michael glanced at the temp. “Which one?”

“I thought maybe ten, in the back. More room since they’ll need to add a chair.”

“Good choice, Paula. I’ll take it from here.”

“Yes, sir.” She seemed to be holding back laughter as she flitted away.

Judy surveyed the room as they wound their way to the empty table. “Looks like you and Bryce have this place humming along like a well-oiled machine, Michael.”

“That’s our hope. Let me fetch another chair.” He brought one over and they squeezed Kendra and Judy together on one side so they’d all fit. “What can I get for you ladies?”

“Two pitchers of margaritas, please,” Deidre said.

“Chips and salsa would be great, too,” Jo added.

“Coming right up.” Michael headed for the bar and passed Bryce going toward their table. “Did you know they’d be here tonight?”

“Mom said they might drop by for a last-minute strategy session. I think that’s an excuse. The truth is, they’re just too excited to sit at home tonight.”

“I know how they feel. I’m wound tight, myself. By the way, I was planning to comp their order.”

“No argument from me.” He grinned. “Customers sure like your dance moves, by the way. I’ve heard several positive comments. You may have to keep that in the mix from now on.”

“Uh, no. I don’t see that happening. Just working off some tension tonight.”

“Okay, but don’t hesitate to keep it up if the spirit moves you.”

“Once this is over, I doubt it will.”

“Understood. In any case, I’m glad to see you’ve perked up. You’ve seemed a little off lately.”

“Yeah, I think I had a slight touch of the flu. I’m fine, now.”

“Good.” Bryce clapped him on the shoulder and set off for the Whine and Cheese Club’s table.

By the time Michael started back carrying a loaded tray of pitchers, glasses, chips and salsa, the table was empty. Bryce stood near it, arms folded, a proud smile on his face. All five women had gathered on stage with Nicole.

Michael set the tray on the table. “What’s going on?”

“Nicole’s idea. Have a listen.”

“Hey, Eagles Nesters!” Nicole tossed her head, causing her mane of red curls to catch the light. “I’ve dragged these ladies up here because without them, we wouldn’t have CNN arriving tomorrow afternoon. Let’s give a whole bunch of Guzzling Grizzly love to Deidre, Christine, Judy, Jo and Kendra!”

The room erupted in applause, whistles and cheers. Michael and Bryce added theirs to the clamor.

When it died down, Nicole spoke again. “Not only are these women talented organizers, they can also sing and dance. They’re gonna join me in Martina McBride’s This One’s for the Girls. I invite every woman in the room to stand and rock out with us. Servers, too. Put down your trays and give it all you’ve got!”

Michael glanced at Bryce. “Brilliant.”

“I know. Can’t tell you how much I love that woman.”

With Nicole’s guitar setting the pace, a chorus of female voices spilled out from the stage and from the audience. The Whine and Cheese Club moved enthusiastically to the beat. Then Ellen and Jenny threw themselves into it, dancing side-by-side. Tansy came out from behind the bar and joined them.

Soon every woman in the place, from the youngest to the oldest, wiggled her hips and waved her arms in the air. When it was over, there was much laughing and hugging.

Michael sighed. Roxanne would have loved it.

He and Bryce welcomed the Whine and Cheese Club back to the table and congratulated everyone on a fine performance. Drinks were poured and toasts were made. Then he and Bryce went back to work supervising the temps.

Sometime later, Michael was behind the bar helping Tansy finish a large order when Kendra showed up.

He glanced at her. “Need another pitcher back there?”

“No, just more chips and salsa, please.”

“Be right with you.” After making a rum and Coke to complete Tansy’s order, he grabbed a tray for the chips and salsa. “I’ll bring it over if you want to head back.” He loaded a large basket with chips and added several small bowls of salsa to the tray.

“Before I do, is there a chance I could talk to you for just a second?”

He evaluated the situation behind the bar. Seemed under control. “Sure.” He picked up the tray. “Come on down to the end where it’s quieter.”

She followed him and perched on the last stool. “Thanks.”

“No problem. What’s up?”

“I’m dying of curiosity and if anyone around here knows about this, it’s you.”

“Okay.”

“Someone told me that Roxanne’s dad arrived in town today and plans to stick around for T-shirt Tuesday. I figured if that was true, logically he and Roxanne would be here tonight. I mean, why not, right? But I haven’t seen them. Do you know if he’s in town?”

“I’m sorry. I don’t.”

Her eyes widened. “You don’t? But I thought—”

“Roxanne and I…things aren’t exactly…”

“Oh, dear. I was afraid something was going on with you two. When Christine told me Roxanne wasn’t willing to be on camera tomorrow, I wondered if you’d had a falling out.”

“Not about that. Her decision not to appear on TV has nothing to do with me. I was fine with it.”

“Oh?”

“Well, not totally fine because she’d miss a great opportunity, but we didn’t argue about it. She said she didn’t want to and I told her okay. Why would I try to talk her into doing something that frightens her?”

“Of course you wouldn’t.” Kendra gazed at him. “You care about her quite a bit, don’t you?”

“Yes.” He cleared his throat. “I do.”

“Is her brother part of the problem? While you and Wes were down with the horses, she mentioned he was a little over-protective.”

“He didn’t help the situation, but I’m the one to blame. I charged ahead when I shouldn’t have.” He glanced down the bar to where Tansy was filling orders as fast as she could. “Let me get this tray over to your table. I need to—”

“I’ll take it.” She picked up the tray. “And for what it’s worth, I think you’re an amazing guy.”

He smiled. “That’s nice to hear.”

“Bryce is impressed with you and so am I. If Roxanne isn’t the right person for you, then some other woman will mosey into your life. You’ll find someone special. I just know it.”

“Except Roxanne’s the one for me.”

She paused and gave him a long look. “Then she’s a very lucky lady.”

“Thank you.” If only she thought so, too.