A Cowboy Comes Home (7 page)

“She’s fine. Now.”

“Give me the bad news.”

Travis confirmed Caleb’s fears. “She couldn’t recover from the slide, missed the turn. Got stuck at the edge of the pond. She wasn’t hurt, but evidently, there’s no cell service at that particular spot.”

Caleb groaned and thudded his head on the steering wheel. Mandy spared him a glance of confusion.

“How long was she stuck?” he asked Travis.

“A few hours. I have to give the girl points for moxie. She spotted the Eldridge barn and decided they might be able to help her.”

“That barn’s seventy years old. And it’s half a mile from the road.”

“Hard to judge, I guess. Miss Danielle may want to have her distance vision checked. She climbed through the barbed-wire fence and started hiking.”

Caleb groaned again.

“Didn’t go well,” Travis confirmed. “Apparently you owe her for a designer blazer that got torn. Oh, also the shoes that weren’t made for hiking.”

“Did she make it to the barn?”

“Barely. By the time she realized it was a derelict, a herd of cattle had cut her off from her car. I guess a bull made some threatening moves, and she ended up climbing into the loft. It’s dusty up there and, apparently, there are quite a few spiders.”

Caleb shouldn’t laugh. He really shouldn’t. “I’m in a lot of trouble, aren’t I?”

“Hell, yeah. You and me both.”

“Why you? I assume you rescued her.”

“By the time I got there, she’d been trapped for a few hours.”

“Do I by any chance need a new lawyer?”

“She was pretty desperate for a restroom.”

Caleb rewhacked his head. Anything less than marble fixtures was considered slumming it for Danielle.

“I told her to go behind the barn,” said Travis with an obviously suppressed chuckle.

“Are you laughing?”

“You also owe her for a pair of designer undies. There were nettles.”

“Could you just shoot me?”

Mandy had finished her call, twisted her body in the passenger seat and was now staring unabashedly at Caleb.

Caleb met her curious gaze.

“We had to tow her car back with a tractor,” said Travis. “Scooter says it needs parts. Hey, can you stop by the auto-parts store while you’re in Lyndon?”

“Sure,” Caleb agreed fatalistically.

“We’ll text you a list.”

Caleb braced himself. “She doing okay?”

“She’s been in the upstairs bathroom for two hours. I don’t know what women do in there, but hopefully it’ll improve her disposition.”

“Hopefully,” Caleb agreed, but he wasn’t holding his breath. “Thanks, Travis.”

“No need to thank me. That was the best entertainment I’ve had all month.”

“Don’t tell her that.”

“Already did. See you, Caleb.”

Caleb signed off, pocketing his phone.

“Were you talking to Abigail?” he asked Mandy.

She nodded. “The news on Dad just gets better and better. I’m
so
relieved.”

“Good to hear,” Caleb agreed.

“You were talking to Travis?” she asked him in return, raising her brows in a prompt.

“Danielle had some car trouble.”

“She’s still in Colorado?” Mandy was obviously surprised by the news. “I got the impression she was going to be on the first flight out.”

“They’re sending us a list of parts for the car.” Caleb turned the ignition key and started the Escalade.

“Is she okay?”

“She’s fine. Travis helped her out. But she’s frustrated to be stuck in Lyndon.”

His phone rang again, but he didn’t recognize the number. He flipped it open. “Caleb Terrell.”

“Mr. Terrell? It’s Frank Cummings here, Mountain Real Estate. I have some good news for you.”

“Hello, Frank.”

“We have an interested buyer.”

“This soon?” Caleb was surprised. It had been less than twenty-four hours since he’d listed the ranch.

“The gentleman has been watching for opportunities in the area, and he’ll be in Lyndon tonight. I’m meeting him for dinner. I was wondering if we might touch base with you by phone in a couple of hours? If all goes well, we’ll want to arrange a viewing.”

“I’m in Lyndon.”

“Right now?”

“Right now.”

“Then you should join us for dinner.” Frank sounded excited at the prospect.

“Sure.” Why not? If it was a serious buyer, Caleb would like to look him in the eye and make his pitch. “I’m with someone,” he told Frank, his glance going to Mandy.

“Up to you, but feel free to bring them along.”

“Where and when?”

“Riverfront Grill at six.”

“We’ll be there.” He ended the call.

Mandy arched a brown. “We’ll be where?”

He pocketed his phone and pulled the shifter into Reverse. “Is there any chance I can trust you?”

Mandy buckled up. “To do what?”

“To behave yourself—”

She sputtered an unintelligible protest.

“Frank Cummings has a buyer,” he finished.

She froze, jaw dropping. “For the ranch?”

He reversed the SUV out of the parking spot, tires slipping to a stop on the gravel scattered on top of the pavement. Then he shifted into Drive. “Only thing I’m selling.”

“But… You… That’s too fast!”

“I don’t think there are any speed regulations.”

“Who’s the buyer? What does he want? Is he going to keep it as a working ranch?”

Caleb shot her a look of annoyance. “You can’t ask him questions like that. It’s none of our business.”

She clenched her jaw.

“I mean it, Mandy. If you come to dinner, you have to behave yourself.”

“You make me sound like a child.”

“You’re about as emotional as one.”

“Can you blame me? Really, Caleb. Can you blame me for trying to protect your land and your family—”

“It’s not yours to protect.”

“—from someone so determined to make such a stupid mistake?”

“You’re referring to me?”

“If the shoe fits.”

He glanced sternly at her one more time. “You want to come to this dinner, or not? I’m serious, Mandy. I don’t want to dump you off on the side of the road, but I’m not taking a lit stick of dynamite into a business meeting.”

She seemed to have to think about it for a moment.

He waited.

“I won’t ask him his plans for the ranch,” she finally promised, folding her hands primly on her lap, staring straight ahead and looking for all the world like a mischievous young girl.

He squelched an urge to waggle his finger at her. “You are to say nothing but cheerful, positive things about Terrell Ranch and the Lyndon Valley.”

She turned to him, tone dripping with sarcasm. “I
love
the Lyndon Valley.”

“And if you could do that little pouty thing with your mouth, make the guy think he’ll have a sexy, farmer’s daughter living next door—”

Mandy socked Caleb soundly in the shoulder. “Watch your mouth.”

“I’d rather watch yours.”

“And you’re worried about
my
behavior?”

He cracked a grin. “I’ll be good if you will.”

And then he found himself second-guessing the wisdom of that particular promise. Honestly, it might be worth letting her blow the sale if it meant they could flirt instead.

Five

A
t a window table at the Riverfront Grill, Mandy plucked the cherry from the top of her hot-fudge sundae. She considered it consolation food, since Caleb’s sales meeting was going so well. Frank Cummings had come prepared with everything from surveyors’ drawings to photographs and climate charts. Nathan Brooks, a fifty-something man from Colorado Springs, was enthusiastic and obviously interested in the ranch.

She licked the whipped cream from the cherry and popped the fruit into her mouth, catching Caleb’s gaze as she chewed contemplatively and swallowed.

“I’m sorry?” Caleb turned his attention back to Nathan. “Can you repeat the question?”

“The upkeep of the house?”

“Has been regular, thorough maintenance, from paint and fixtures to plumbing and electrical.”

Mandy selected one of the dessert spoons. The waiter had provided four and set them in the middle of the table. She assumed it was to make her feel less self-conscious about being the only person at the table to order dessert. Not that she cared. It was only a chocolate sundae. Caleb was about to sell his birthright.

She scooped up a mound of whipped cream.

“The house is on a separate well?” asked Nathan.

“A well for the house. One for the outbuildings, and a third for the staff quarters.”

“Those cabins are all less than five years old,” Frank put in. “They’re a great draw for couples or families who are interested in working at the ranch.”

“What about irrigation?” asked Nathan.

“Two-hundred acres are irrigated and seeded to hay,” Caleb answered.

“Four-hundred,” Mandy put in.

Everyone looked her way.

“They doubled it,” she explained, seeing no reason to leave the man with a misconception.

“Thanks,” said Caleb.

She waved her spoon in acknowledgment, then dug into the ice cream and warm fudge.

“There are water rights on the river.” Frank produced a sheaf of papers. “Spelled out in the agreement with the state.”

Mandy swallowed her smooth, cool mouthful. “You might want to tell him about the review.”

Both Caleb’s and Frank’s eyes went wide. Nathan turned to look at her. “Review?”

“The water rights are up for review.” She dug her spoon in again, going for a big glob of the thick, cooling fudge. “It’s a provision under the regulations. The first stakeholders meeting is this weekend. Here. In Lyndon. You must have seen the notices.”

“Well,” Frank put in heartily. “I don’t think it’s so much a review of existing—”

Nathan’s eyes narrowed across the table at Frank. “You knew about this?”

Mandy stopped midbite, taking in the men’s expressions. Nathan looked angry. Frank looked like a deer in the headlights. While Caleb was glaring at her in obvious frustration.

Okay, can of worms, she’d own up to that. But surely they hadn’t expected to keep the review a secret. The man deserved to know what he was getting into.

Nathan pushed back his chair and threw his napkin down on the table. “Thank you for your time, gentlemen. Ms. Jacobs.”

Frank quickly hopped up. “It’s not what you might think. If you’d like, I can email a link to the Colorado information site.”

Nathan headed for the exit, with Frank hustling along behind.

Mandy finished the bite of fudge sauce.

“You did that on purpose,” Caleb accused, as he waved a waiter over to the table.

“I did not.” She brandished her spoon. “But I hope you’re not going to sit there and defend a plan to keep Nathan Brooks in the dark about the water review.”

“No one’s officially served notice to the property owners.”

“You
were
going to keep him in the dark,” Mandy accused. She couldn’t believe it. She never would have expected it of Caleb.

“And
you
were going to behave yourself at this meeting,” he countered.

The waiter stopped beside their table.

“Glen Klavitt, on the rocks. A double,” said Caleb.

“I can’t believe you would intentionally keep a buyer in the dark.”

“Hey, I’m not his nursemaid.”

“But you know the water rights are under review.”

“I also know it’s a routine review. And we’re talking about preliminary discussions to determine if there should even be an official review.”

“You’ve been doing your homework.” Despite her disappointment in his principles, Mandy had to admire that.

“Which is what Nathan Brooks ought to have done. And what he likely would have done,
after
he’d seen the ranch and maybe fallen in love with it. And at that point, he would have been far more interested in making a compromise and listening to reason.”

Okay. Mandy had to admit, when you looked at it like that, Caleb wasn’t completely amoral.

“You don’t lead with your flaws, Mandy.”

The waiter set Caleb’s drink down on the table.

Caleb nodded his thanks. “Marketing 101.”

“I never studied marketing,” she told him, scooping up another bite of ice cream, feeling a little like celebrating now. The sale was dead. She had some more time to find Reed.

“Did you study manipulation?” Caleb asked.

“They didn’t have it as an elective at Metro State.”

“Too bad. You’re a natural.”

“Do you really think I did that on purpose?” She hadn’t meant to scare Nathan off. Then again, her heart wasn’t exactly on the side of selling, either.

“I think you were very effective.”

She made a show of shaking her head. “You must have studied paranoia.”

He took a swig of the scotch. “Are you trying to tell me, you had no idea telling him about the review might scare him off? None at all? It never occurred to you? Not for one second?”

Okay, so as the words were coming out of her mouth, particularly when she saw Caleb’s expression, of course it had occurred to her. But it didn’t seem prudent to admit that now. “I was simply providing information.” She stuck to her original story.

“Serves me right,” said Caleb, polishing off the drink. “I never should have brought you along.”

Mandy battled a twinge of guilt, setting down her dessert spoon, deciding she’d had enough of the sweet concoction.

Frank returned to the table. “I’m afraid we lost him. Permanently.” Then his affable expression hardened as he focused on Mandy. “And you. I trust you learned a valuable lesson—”

“Leave her out of it,” Caleb immediately put in, tone dark.

“But—” Frank began. The he took in Caleb’s expression and cut himself off.

“Win some, you lose some.” Caleb tossed his credit card on the table. “Thank you for your time, Frank.”

“I…” Frank snapped his mouth shut. “Right. I’ll be in touch.”

Caleb nodded a dismissal, and Frank deliberately straightened his suit jacket, tugged at the sleeves and headed for the exit.

“You didn’t need to defend me,” Mandy felt compelled to point out. Caleb standing up for her made her feel even guiltier than she had a few moments ago.

The waiter came by and smoothly accepted Caleb’s credit card.

“It’s none of his business what you do or do not say.” Caleb swirled the ice cubes in his glass. “But it is my business. And it’s my responsibility to make sure you’re never in a position to do anything like that again.”

The intensity of his expression made a shiver run through her. “That sounded like a threat.”

He tapped his fingertips against the white tablecloth. “I don’t threaten. It’s a waste of time. I just deliver.”

“In this instance—” she couldn’t seem to stop herself from asking “—what exactly are you going to deliver?”

While she waited on his answer, he helped himself to one of the extra dessert spoons and took a scoop of the sundae. “You, Mandy Jacobs, are off the list.”

Okay, that didn’t sound too dire. “There’s a list?”

He took his time savoring the mouthful of ice cream. “The list of people who are invited to my meetings with perspective buyers.”

She took his lead and retrieved her own dessert spoon. “I thought I added value to the conversation. I was the one who knew about the four-hundred acres.”

“I’ll give you that,” he allowed, scooping into a swirl of whipped cream. “You were doing great, right up until you blew the entire deal.”

“There’s another way of looking at this, you know.”

“And, how is that?”

“A second chance.”

“Didn’t you hear Frank? That buyer is gone for good.”

She concentrated on mining a vein of the gooey fudge. “I didn’t mean a second chance with the buyer. I meant, a chance to make the right decision.”

“The right decision?”

“To change your mind about selling the ranch.”

He rolled each of his shirtsleeves two folds up his forearms. “I can’t wait to see how you try to sell this.”

She licked her spoon, gathering her thoughts. “I don’t think you can discount the possibility that this was fate.”

“You telling Nathan Brooks he might not be able to water his cattle was fate?”

“Exactly.”

“Please tell me that’s not the end of your argument.”

“First,” she counted, “Nathan asks for a meeting with Frank. Second, you and I happen to be in Lyndon. Third, I happen to be free for dinner. And fourth, the subject of the water rights came up in conversation. Those are either four separate coincidences, or it’s fate.”

Caleb waggled his spoon. “Wow. You really had to reach for it, but that was a pretty good spin.”

“Thank you.” She took a bite.

“I’m not changing my mind.”

“I’m only asking for a few more days, maybe a couple of weeks.”

“I don’t have a couple of weeks.”

“Sure, you do. You’ve put this false sense of urgency on a situation that doesn’t—”

“The Brazilian government is the one with the sense of urgency.”

“I’ll look after the ranch,” she offered. “I can do it. You know I can. And then it’ll be waiting when Reed—”

“Reed made his choice. And you have your own ranch to run.”

“Travis’s there to run—”

But Caleb was shaking his head. “Your family needs you, Mandy. And I’m not chasing after Reed like some preschool nanny. I’ve made my decision.”

She set down her spoon, struggling to hold her temper, and struggling to stay calm. “Your decision is wrong.”

He set aside his own spoon. “You might not like it, but it is the right thing to do. And there’s nothing to be gained by prolonging it.”

“Caleb—”

“No. I’ve listened. I’ve considered your perspective—”

“You’re joking, right?”

The man hadn’t considered anything. He was being closed-minded and reactionary. And he was going to destroy what was left of his family.

But Caleb’s jaw went hard. “I’ve considered your perspective, Mandy. And I disagree. And that’s that.”

Now her temper was taking a firm hold. “And that’s the end of the discussion?”

“That’s the end of the discussion.”

“I see.” Mandy rose to her feet, and Caleb instantly followed suit.

She drew a sharp breath, looking him square in the eyes. “Then, thank you for dinner. I can find my own way back to the ranch.”

“Is this your version of a temper tantrum?”

Mandy clamped her jaw tight.

“It’s dark outside, Mandy. And it’s starting to rain.”

She didn’t respond. She was an intelligent, capable, functioning adult. She didn’t need a man to escort her home on a rainy night.

Before he could say anything else, she turned on her heel and headed for the exit. At the very least, there were buses. She’d hop on a bus, and Travis or one of the hands could meet her at the end of the ranch road. They wouldn’t mind.

“I’m getting us cottages at the Rose Inn,” Caleb’s deep voice came from behind her. “We’ll drive back to the ranch tomorrow.”

“Go away.” He might be a sexy, intelligent, compelling man, but he was a stubborn jerk, and she didn’t want anything more to do with him.

Mandy was still scowling when Caleb swung back into the driver’s seat and handed her the key to cottage number six. He slammed the door shut behind him. The rain was now pounding down on the roof, and the wind was lashing the trees around them. Caleb’s clothes and hair were soaked from the sprint to the small office building and back again.

“I’m in seven,” he offered amicably. “We’re down at the end of the river road.” He pulled ahead, carefully maneuvering the SUV through the muddy ruts and around the deepest of the puddles.

“Thank you,” she offered stiffly, eyes straight ahead.

“We should probably try to get away early in the morning,” he continued, while the bright headlights bounced against the dripping, undulating aspen branches.

Mandy gripped the armrest and braced her feet against the floor.