White Wings of the Owl Bar

She desperately needed a break. How long can her parents keep asking about a man in her life when there was nobody. Nobody on the horizon… nobody on the side… nobody from the past… Dating is hard especially when you spend your youth with a laser focus on your career. There just was not time to waste on socializing. How many of her friends gave up their careers because of an unexpected pregnancy? How many with depression from a failed relationship?

Mindlessly sifting through her mail, a pamphlet caught her eye.

Nestled at the base of 12,000-foot Mt. Timpanogos, Sundance is a 6,000-acre community destination resort, dedicated to maintaining the balance of art, nature and community. Created by Robert Redford, Sundance is a haven for discovery and inspiration that offers diverse mountain recreation experiences year round. Only an hour's drive from Salt Lake City and 45 minutes from Park City, Sundance is the resort you've dreamed about.

Was this really the resort she dreamed about? Has she ever dreamed of an actual resort? She didn’t care. This was her sign to just get up and go. She needed that haven for discovery. She wanted those diverse mountain recreation experiences. And there was a spa. She definitely wanted the spa.

Calling up her travel advisor, she decided to just go all in and get that private flight from San Diego and that Canyon View mountain home with unobstructed views of Provo Canyon. Her next call was to her very few close friends. They have been with her through every step of her career and knew that if she called with an emergency like this, they would drop everything to join. One by one though, they said that they couldn’t make it that weekend. It was just too short of a notice. One had baseball carpool, one had a family reunion and the other couldn’t find a sitter for her youngest.

With the short time frame of booking, everything was non-refundable. Was she really going to go all the way to Utah in a private plane to a private house by herself? It was just too much of her hard earned money to throw away. She had to do it. She had to grow the courage to make these types of steps by herself, especially if her future was going to be as desolate as her outlook of it.

The black sedan pulled up to her townhouse at 8 am sharp. She wrapped her scarf around her neck and took a deep breath. Making sure to lock the door behind her, she took her first step towards the car with a positive outlook on this already disaster of a trip.

After boarding the jet, she took a long sip of her Champaign as she settled into the tan leather of her captain’s chair. With her eyes glued to the window, she felt the thrill of the takeoff as they circled the airport heading to Utah. She loved watching the changing scenery from the air. Cities slowly turned to unexplored mountain trails and the heat of the summer was long forgotten when looking at the snow-capped mountains below.

The chirp of the landing wheels on the runway woke her from a daze. They taxied to a waiting Land Rover as she unbuckled her seat belt. The flight attendant opened the cabin door and a fresh breeze filled the plane with a slight scent of pine. Taking another deep breath, she walked down the stairs to the waiting vehicle. She settled into the back seat as her luggage was loaded into the back and they were off.

The winding roads of Sundance mesmerized her with each and every turn. The edges of the green leaves were already starting to turn to their fall colors with hints of yellow, orange and red. Mountain pass after hairpin turn, they finally pulled up to a beautiful mountain home with the most stunning views. Every direction she looked, there were mountains, trees and canyons. The landscape literally took her breath away as she stepped out of the car to smell that sweet air.

After the housekeeper showed her the space and unpacked her bags, she was left to herself holding a glass of chilled chardonnay on the balcony overlooking the mountains. Maybe she did need this time to herself to reflect on her life and where it would lead her. Her first plan of action was to call the receptionist at the resort and make a spa appointment for the next day. A full body massage would be just the thing to get this trip off to a good start. Unfortunately, the spa was completely booked for the weekend but they would give her a call if there were any cancellations.

Feeling defeated, she decided to explore the resort and find something else to do for the next day. If anything, she could just stay in her house with the deep soaking tub. She called for the on-site transportation to take her to the main resort area and find a good place for dinner. The sun was beginning to set and the colors of the mountains began to radiate a glow around the peaks. This trip was turning into highs and lows the size of this location.

Walking into the restaurant, the dining room was completely full. She was added to the wait-list but was told it could be a couple hours. Turning to leave, she decided to explore more of what this resort had to offer. Along her route, she found an old building with a sign The Owl Bar. The old wooden planks of the walls were perfectly restored and the Rosewood of the door was warm and inviting. She made her way over to the bar and ordered from the Craft Drink Menu. Deciding that she was going to be happy this trip, she ordered a Smiley Gimlet to at least try to match her mood to the drink.

She took her first sip and glanced around the room. It was very eclectic and filled with history. The bartender told her that this bar was used by Butch Cassidy back in the 1890’s and then was moved from Thermopolis, Wyoming to the Sundance Resort. If only those walls could speak. What secrets did it hold?

From the other end of the bar, a pair of deep brown eyes caught her gaze. They held her attention for what felt like hours. She smiled and looked back down at her drink. What do people do in situations like these? Does the man just come up and talk to her? What if she feels uncomfortable?

She looked back up at the man and her breath caught in her throat. Behind him was a stuffed barn owl with its white wings stretched out. It looked like he was an angel. She flashed back to that scene in her favorite movie Twilight where Bella and Edward were in Biology class. He had the same wings behind his back in that oh so memorable moment. Was this her Edward sitting at the other end of the bar?

Oh no. He was standing. He was walking over. He was sitting.

“Hello. My name is Dylan.”

Well, he wasn’t Edward but she decided to see where this conversation would take her. She opened her mouth and started talking. He was very gracious listening to her. It was if words just poured out of her mouth. She told him every detail of her vacation saga as he sat there listening to her voice. Every so often he would nod his head of auburn curls in acknowledgement or smile while taking a sip of his drink.

She finally came to an end. Realizing that she monopolized the entire conversation, she quickly apologized, paid for her drink and left the bar to return back to the house. Just wanting the night to end, she wiped off her makeup, pulled on her most comfortable pajamas and crawled into the master bed. Maybe a good night’s sleep will help with a better day in the morning. As she drifted off to sleep, all she could see were those deep brown eyes gazing into hers. How would she ever be able to forget them?

She awoke to a knocking at her door. Throwing on a robe she went downstairs to answer it. A staff member handed her a plane white envelope and left. Taking out the letter, she read the short inscription.

You need this more than me.

-Dylan

The attached card was a spa appointment for 11:00 am. Looking at her watch she realized that she would have to hurry if she was going to make it on time. She threw on a tee shirt & pair of jeans, pulled up her boots and grabbed her day bag. A car was already pulling up the driveway and delivered her to the entrance of the beautiful building. After changing into slippers and a robe, she was escorted to a treatment room for a Gemstone Aromatherapy Energy-Balancing Massage. The stones and herbs relaxed her down to the core. After it was finished, she received a foot reflexology session followed by a delicious lunch of a pear & kale salad sprinkled with dried cranberries.

Finally feeling relaxed from last night’s episode, she just had to see Dylan again to thank him for such a generous gift. Maybe he would be back at the bar. She finished dressing and headed towards the main area of the resort to find out. As she walked into the dimly lit building, she quickly saw that she was the only guest there. Looking up, the bartender smiled and waved for her to come over. He handed her another white envelope and walked away to restock the beer cooler.

She opened her next letter.

Will you meet me at the stables?

-Dylan

She smiled. Exiting the bar, she turned towards the pastures blooming with bright yellow flowers and walked over to the stables. Dylan waved to her as he was brushing down a white and brown pinto horse in the meadow. She laughed and waved back. Walking over she grabbed another brush from his bucket and helped out on the other side. She let him talk about stuff this time and made sure to keep her responses short but attentive.

After they finished, they walked over to the horse stables to see which were prepped for a trail ride. Although she hadn’t been on a horse in years, she was hoping it was like riding a bike. She found a brown quarter horse that seemed to be the calmest of her choices as he mounted a black mustang. He looked so natural on top of his horse. It was if they were one being as he cantered around the arena. Carefully, she put her boot in the stirrup and hoisted herself onto her horse. It took a few minutes but she quickly began to remember her training and felt more comfortable on the magnificent creature.

After a few more laps around their circle, she followed him to a trail that headed into the mountain range. It was a slow ride but she saw spectacular views of the Wasatch Mountains and Mount Timpanogos. She heard a soft noise ahead of a bend and then came to the beautiful cascading water of Stewart Falls. Hopping off their horses, they tied them to a post and explored the area. Hiking up to see a better view of the falls, she felt as if her heart would explode with joy. The beauty of this location was almost more than she could handle. Soft spray from the falls glistened on her eyelashes as they sat down, breathing in the cool mountain air. It was a perfect vantage point to watch the sun begin to set on a much better day.

Dylan slowly got up and they walked back to their horses before it got too dark. There were no lights along the trail and who knows what wild animals would be coming out in the darkness of night. Safely making their way back to the stables, Dylan invited her to the Tree House restaurant for dinner. She quickly accepted his offer and went back to her house to change.

As she stood under the rainfall shower head, she noticed herself smiling. What a strange sensation. Normally she would have to force herself to smile in the mirror before she left for an event. Now, the anticipation of seeing Dylan again was exhilarating. She quickly dried off and put on a slinky black satin dress. She loved the way it hugged the curves of her body when she walked through a room.

A house car pulled up just as she was strapping on her heels. She grabbed her beaded clutch and slid into the back seat. The driver turned and handed her a red rose before driving to the restaurant. As they made their way down the twists and turns of the mountain road, the sun finally set behind the peaks. Watching the colors fade to black calmed her nerves as they pulled up to the wooden frame of the Tree House.

As she entered, she felt like all eyes were on her. The hostess immediately approached through the small crowd.

“Mr. Redford is waiting for your arrival.”

She was escorted to a private table in the back room. Dylan was waiting for her with a glass of wine in hand. As they sat at their little table, something finally clicked.

“Wait, your last name is Redford?”

“Yes. My grandfather built this place years ago and I’ve always loved coming out here growing up. I’ve been going through a rough patch recently and decided to come back out here to clear my head.”

She smiled as she took a sip from her glass knowing that this resort was just the beginning of a new phase in her life.

*****

Thank you for reading! Click here to check out the resort that was my inspiration for this story.

If you would like to see some of my other work, please check out https://vocal.media/authors/vicky-di-michele