Love In The Wild West

“Well,” said Lila, “we talked about the hotel. He asked me how I liked my stay here so far and I told him…”

“What?” asked Louise after Lila had not spoken for some time.

“Well I told him that I was not having a really great time,” said Lila. “I mean, it’s a nice place but I was not having the time of my life or anything.”

“What do you mean?” said Louise, her brow furrowed in confusion. “I thought you really liked ranches, that was the whole reason I picked this place.”

“I do really like ranches,” said Lila, “and I thought that this place was going to be really great as well but… when I got here I was really disappointed. This place used the whole cowboy ambiance as more of a publicity stunt than anything else. There was nothing really… ranch like about this place if you know what I mean. I know what real ranches are like, and this place has none of the things that you would expect from a real ranch.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” said Louise. “I could have canceled my booking and we could have gone somewhere else.”

“Well you really liked it here, I didn’t want to disappoint you, especially after you put so much effort into picking this place for me,” said Lila. “I didn’t want you to feel like I did not appreciate your gesture because I really do. Besides, this place is nice even though it’s not a real ranch. It’s a fantastic hotel, and I felt like we could have a great time here. But then when I bumped into the owner, whose name is Kurt by the way, and he asked me how I liked this place I couldn’t help but tell him the truth.”

“Okay,” said Louise, “so what did he say when you told him? He probably didn’t like it very much that you were criticizing his business.”

“Oh no!” said Lila. “He was actually really open to it. I told him that I thought that this place lacked authenticity, and then I just started giving him a few suggestions. He actually listened! He took me to this bar at the back of the hotel, a bar with a much more realistic vibe than the rest of the hotel mind you, and he told me that he really wanted to give his businesses a more authentic vibe as well, but that he always felt like it would limit the mass appeal of his hotels. He told me that his investors put a lot of pressure on him as well to deliver a hotel that a mass audience would prefer. I told him that he could provide an experience fit for a mass audience but that did not mean that he had to turn the ranch into a gimmick. He could provide people with a kind of experience that they would enjoy without having to compromise on his cowboy background. He is a real cowboy, you see, the kind of cowboy that you see in movies. His family was rich so he invested in the hotel business, but in his heart he still lives in the same old wild west that people talk about.”

“So you found a kindred spirit in Kurt,” said Louise, “that is really cool.”

The food got there and the two of them ate for a few minutes before resuming the conversation while finishing their meal.

“Yeah,” said Lila. “he really is a kindred spirit, there is no other way to put it. And when I spoke to him about the whole thing he listened to me so intently, he really thinks that I have a lot of valuable things to say. It’s so sweet, really, that he values my opinion so much. It makes me feel so much better about myself, and you know that I have a real problem when it comes to self esteem. Anyway, he told me that he wanted my suggestions and I suggested that he give horse riding lessons. These lessons would be a way to get the guests at the hotel acquainted with the idea of a more ranch style hotel, something that would allow them to get a feel of what it’s like to really stay at a ranch. We know that a lot of people would not be interested in this but we felt like a lot of people would actually want to experience this and we owe it to them to give them that experience. This morning he got two dozen riding horses and we are going to start promoting the lessons right after lunch!”

“That is so wonderful!” said Louise. “You really hit it off with this guy, huh? So… is there anything else there? Anything… more?”

Lila laughed and said, “Yes, well… I think there is something there. I definitely feel something for him, and I really feel like he feels the same way. He wanted to have lunch with me and I wanted to have lunch with him too but I am here with you and I wanted to spend a bit of time with you as well. But he asked me out to dinner when I told him I can not have lunch and I said yes!”

“Oh, dinner?” said Louise with a sly smile across her face. “That sounds naughtier.”

Lila laughed some more and said, “It’s not like that! Well, I mean it might be like that but I do not think he is that kind of person. He seems too sweet to try anything like that. But, I mean, who knows right? We are definitely going to be drinking tonight, especially if the horse riding lessons end up being successful!”

“I really hope that they do end up being successful,” said Louise. “You seem to really like this guy, and he really seems to like you. I’d like to meet him, see what he is like. He is going to be dating my best friend from what I hear, and I really want to know if he is worthy of you!”

“Sure!” said Lila. “I am going to be meeting him right after lunch in the main annex of the hotel. You should come with me and see what he is like. I am sure that he would love to meet you as well. What do you say? Let’s finish up our lunch here and head to the main annex of the hotel. I do not think we are going to have to wait for him long, he is not the kind of person that would be late to an appointment.”

“Sure,” said Louise. They finished off the rest of their lunch talking about a lot of different things and when they were finally done they headed to the annex of the hotel where they found Kurt waiting for Lila.

“Hey!” said Lila, trying very hard to resist the urge to run up to him and hug him. “What’s up? I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long.”