A Moment To Love (2 page)

“Sorry.” She lifted an apologetic smile to the cowboy, but even in her four-inch heels, she still had to crane her neck to gaze directly at him.

He surprised her when his eyes flickered with amusement. With the scowl erased from his face, he looked less intimidating and years younger. Thirtysomething would be her guess—not too old for her—if she were interested, that is. Not that she was in the market for a relationship. Her disastrous engagement had taken care of her foolish dream of finding true love.

“Is this candy really that important to you?” The cowboy’s voice grew thin with exhaustion, making her regret her impulsiveness.

Not sure what to say, she shrugged. Her gaze strayed back to the familiar brown wrapper, but she couldn’t bring herself to push the subject. He must share her preference for the rich chocolate. Something about this cowboy had her liking him already. Not that she “liked” him, but if she were looking for a sexy distraction, he wouldn’t be such a bad choice.

The man crossed his arms. “If I agree to give you the candy bar, will you move aside and let me out the door?”

“Deal.”

He yanked the chocolate from his pocket and held it out to her.

“Want to share?” She wasn’t greedy, after all.

He shook his head. “Just take it.”

“Thank you.” Alexis snatched the bar and stuffed the money in his hand before he could refuse.

The cowboy cleared his throat, reminding her to move aside and let him pass.

He opened the door and muttered, “Women.”

Heart pounding, Alexis grinned like a little kid. She ripped open the plastic wrapper from the bar. Her teeth sank into the thick chocolate layer before reaching the creamy caramel center lined with pecans. Her eyes drooped closed as the rich taste filled her mouth.

She’d pushed. She’d negotiated. And she hadn’t given up. She’d achieved her goal. Tomorrow she would successfully negotiate the sale of a large tract of land encasing something very special—Haggerty, a genuine Wild West ghost town.

Holding her lucky Choconut Bar, she felt confidence well up inside her.

She would succeed.

CHAPTER TWO

C
ord Lawson stepped out of the Hitchin’ Post onto the sidewalk, anxious to head home to the Brazen H. His empty stomach rumbled. The warmth from the late-day sun only added to his discomfort. He’d missed his lunch, and now he’d forfeited his snack.

He didn’t even know Ms. Business Suit’s name, but she’d rubbed him like a burr, thorny and irritating. She might be a looker with her sleek, chin-length blond hair, pert nose, and lush lips, but she was definitely way out of this cowboy’s league.

He stuffed his fingers in his pockets, searching for the keys to the truck. Too bad he couldn’t rid himself of the vultures at the bank as easily as he got rid of her.

“Hey, Cord. Wait up,” a male voice called out.

A quick glance over his shoulder revealed Mr. Forbes, his real estate agent, hustling down the sidewalk. Cord paused and turned. He hoped the man had chased him down to tell him the property had been sold and his troubles were now behind him.

Cord gazed down at the stout man gasping for air. “Do you have good news for me?”

“Well…” The man ran a hand over the short strands of white hair on the top of his head. His gaze lowered, avoiding Cord’s expectant look. “I wish I did. I wanted to apologize for the mix-up and to assure you that everything has been cleared up.”

“What are you talking about?” The muscles in Cord’s neck bunched. The last thing he needed was another problem when he was poised to ask the bank for an extension on his loan. He couldn’t afford for it to all go wrong now.

“Oh. I thought Melanie had kept you on top of everything.” Mr. Forbes’s round face puckered with worry lines. “She’s probably just embarrassed by the whole matter since she’s usually so thorough with her work.”

Cord tapped his boot. He had a windmill to repair, as well as a fence line on the western boundary to inspect. If that wasn’t enough, before he called it a night, there was a pile of bills on the kitchen table with his name on them. He did not have time to chitchat.

“Mr. Forbes, just spit out the problem.”

“A while back, Melanie and I were discussing your account, and I filled her in on the unique aspects of your ranch. You know, about Haggerty. She was intrigued to find out it’s a ghost town.” Mr. Forbes searched his face as though looking for a sign of understanding. “When Melanie went to upload the information online about the couple hundred acres you’re selling off, she misunderstood and included details about Haggerty being for sale too.”

Cord fisted his hands. He knew what was coming next—someone wanted to buy Haggerty. In that moment, his mind strayed to the possibilities that could bring. If he were to forsake his heritage and sell the land, he wouldn’t lose everything to the bank. He’d be able to save the house and barn. Yet he remembered the solemn vow he’d made to his grandfather that when Haggerty became his responsibility he’d respect and protect the land where his family had lived and died.

Cord always maintained he was nothing if not true to his word. Even though his short-lived marriage hadn’t been the best, he’d have stuck it out and kept his vow till death do us part—but his ex-wife had had other plans. And when he hadn’t complied, she’d taken her anger and frustration out on him by painting an ugly picture of him for the townsfolk. She’d claimed with on-demand-tears in her eyes that he was mean and stingy. The worst part was that most of Whistle Stop believed Susan’s tall and malicious tales.

“Cord, you all right?” Mr. Forbes sent him a concerned look.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He couldn’t let himself get distracted. The most important thing was saving the land. “You know I’m in the process of applying to have Haggerty listed with the National Register of Historic Places.”

“I totally understand.” The Realtor patted him on the arm.

“Do you?” Because the history of his family’s land wasn’t something people talked about, but Cord’s grandfather had spent years teaching him about his ancestors. “As long as I’m alive and kicking, no one but a Lawson will own Haggerty.”

Mr. Forbes’s round face grew red like an heirloom tomato. “We have solid interest in the ghost town.”

This news struck Cord like a sharp blow to the solar plexus. He didn’t need this complication. What if the bank got wind of this and twisted his arm to force the sale? Those bankers wouldn’t care about his heritage so long as they got their money. The thought soured his stomach.

Just then, Ms. Business Suit strolled out of the store. When their gazes connected, he noticed the deep-blue depths of her eyes. Okay, maybe she wasn’t so bad. In fact, she was pretty hot. She flashed him a broad smile, and he forced himself not to smile back. He didn’t have time to waste with flirting—that was a thing of his past.

He and Mr. Forbes moved aside to let her pass. Cord turned his head, allowing his gaze to linger on her, catching the sway of her rounded hips. It didn’t hurt to look. And, oh boy, was Ms. Business Suit a fine sight.

Mr. Forbes cleared his throat. “About the ghost town—”

Cord turned back to find amusement in the man’s eyes. “Yes…how far did this inquiry go before it became clear your office had made a mistake?”

“Well…information was forwarded about soil samples and water supplies.”

“So you didn’t bother to inform this person that Haggerty isn’t for sale? You didn’t take the time to tell them the listing is
only
for the two hundred acres on the eastern border of the Brazen H?”

“C'mon, Cord.” Mr. Forbes grabbed a hanky from his pants pocket and dabbed it across his brow. “The property may have been in your family for generations, but selling it would keep you from losing everything. It's perfect.”

Cord gritted his teeth. “Really? What about all those folks buried in the Haggerty family cemetery? Is it good for them? Would you sell out your grandmother's last resting place to earn a buck?”

Mr. Forbes tugged at his shirt collar. His forehead glistened again. “No. I…I’ll have Melanie call the woman back and clarify which property is for sale.”

“Make sure they know your office made the mistake. I want Melanie to convince this person to buy the two hundred acres. Time is running out for both of us to make this sale.”

“I understand.” The man swiped the hanky down his face. “I’m really sorry about this. I don’t want to lose you as a client.”

Cord inhaled a deep, calming breath. He hated being responsible for the pained look on the older man’s weathered face. Not long ago he had made a monumental blunder himself by marrying Susan. His failed marriage had landed him in this difficult financial situation. He shouldn’t be so hard on Mr. Forbes or Melanie. Neither of them would intentionally hurt this deal.

“That won’t happen,” Cord said, checking his anger.

Mr. Forbes rocked back on his heels. A weary smile puffed up his cheeks. “Thanks for understanding. We won’t fail you.”

They couldn’t fail. As of right now, Cord didn’t have a plan B.

Mr. Forbes met his gaze. “Melanie will be in touch as soon as she speaks with the potential buyer.”

Cord yanked his key ring from his jeans pocket.

“Make it sooner rather than later. If I don’t come up with the money for the balloon payment soon, the bank is going to foreclose.”

“We won’t let that happen. Have faith.”

Cord’s faith was really shaky at this point. He didn’t even want to contemplate what he’d do if the worst-case scenario happened. Where would he go? What would he do for a living? Ranching was all he knew. And with his dyslexia, it was the only place he felt comfortable.

Besides, if he sold off half the ranch, it’d fix only part of his problem—paying off the mortgage. But at the same time, he’d lose too much grazing land to sustain his herd. Without enough cattle, he’d never be able to keep the place afloat. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place. Somehow. Some way. He’d find the means to hold on to the only life he’d ever known—the place where he belonged.

♥♥♥

Surely, she hadn’t heard them correctly.

Please say it isn’t so.

Alexis blindly stared at a colorful poster for the area’s high school talent contest taped to the windowpane of Evert Feed Store. Ever since she’d heard the men mention the ghost town, she’d been rooted to this spot on the sidewalk. What they were saying just couldn’t be true—Haggerty had to be for sale.

When the conversation ceased, she turned to see the cowboy’s retreating form. Her worried gaze lingered on his dusty tan Stetson with a brown leather band around the crown. A crop of light brown hair crept out from under it and curled against the nape of his tanned neck.

That was Cord Lawson—the man she’d flown across the country to meet? Her stomach plummeted into her suede heels. Getting on the cowboy’s bad side by making a fuss over the candy definitely qualified in her book as her third piece of bad luck. Oh, what mess had she gotten herself into this time?

Standing around fretting wasn’t going to rectify things. Alexis set off after the cowboy. She raced past the stuccoed storefronts with their brightly painted signs as fast as her high heels would allow. She had to catch up to him. She needed to smooth things over before the man dug his cowboy boots in any deeper about not selling the ghost town.

“Hey! Wait up!”

Cord slowed and turned. “You again. I already gave you my only candy bar.” He pulled at his shirt pocket. “See? Empty.”

She couldn’t help but laugh. “That isn’t why I stopped you. I was wondering if maybe I could repay your kindness by offering you dinner?”

She couldn’t believe she’d just blurted out a dinner invitation to this sexy stranger. She’d written off men after Steven had lied and cheated on her. But then again, this invite was all about business and had absolutely nothing to do with the way his gaze made her stomach feel as though a dozen butterflies were fluttering around inside it.

The cowboy’s brow creased as he considered her offer. “No, thank you.”

“Come on. I just arrived in town, and I don’t know a soul here.” She once again flashed her most radiant smile, hoping to thaw his frosty exterior. If she couldn’t establish friendly terms with him, launching straight into her business proposal could constitute a monumental disaster. “Besides, there’s something I’d like to run past you.”

He shook his head. “You can’t take no for an answer, can you?”

“Not when saying yes can be so easy.”

His warm brown eyes deepened to a shade of dark chocolate, alerting her to the fact that she’d once again chosen the wrong words.

“Are you implying I’m easy, Ms.—”

“Greer. Alexis Greer.” She extended her hand to shake his, but when he didn’t move, she lowered it back to her side. Not about to let his rebuff unnerve her, she lifted her chin and spoke with what she hoped was a confident voice. “And I wasn’t implying anything.”

He arched a disbelieving brow.

“Can we start over?” Why was he being so difficult? Was he always so distrusting? There had to be a way to get on his good side. “Join me for a friendly dinner. My treat.”

“There’s no need to start over, as I doubt we’ll ever meet again. As for dinner, I can’t. I’m not available.” His matter-of-fact tone left no room for persuasion. Without giving her a chance to say another word, Cord turned and strode up the sidewalk past the handful of quaint shops with colorful awnings.

What was up with him? Her shoulders slumped. She’d certainly blown that encounter. Was this a sign of things to come? Was she on the verge of messing up the entire deal? If she failed, her father wouldn’t waste time on words. He’d jump on the first plane westbound. Being a career-driven man, he’d disregard the risks to his life to save this deal for what would be the crowning jewel in his empire.

Alexis nervously fidgeted with one of her diamond stud earrings while worrying her lower lip. It wasn’t so much the thought of HSG going bankrupt that had her body tensing. It was the knowledge of what it’d do to the one person she loved most in this world—her father. Sure, he could be demanding, contrary and stubborn, but he could also be understanding, encouraging, and loving. Howard S. Greer III was a complex man, and she loved him with all of her heart. Without him, she’d be all alone in this world. The thought chilled her to the bone. Life without her father in it was totally inconceivable to her.

She moved her hand to her forehead and rubbed it, hoping to ease the throbbing. Sure, she’d hit a stumbling block with the cowboy, but this wasn’t her first challenge since taking charge of HSG, and it likely wouldn’t be her last.

Determined to take care of her father to the best of her ability, she leveled her shoulders. She couldn’t let this deal fall through. Correction: She wouldn’t let it fall through. This encounter had only been a small defeat. She’d regroup and try again.

Alexis slipped her fingers into her purse, seeking out the remainder of the chocolate bar. After standing on the sidewalk in the hot sun, the chocolate had softened, but that didn’t dampen her anticipation. She pulled back the plastic wrapper and sank her teeth into the now-creamy chocolate. As the rich taste spread on her tongue, her eyes drifted closed.

Tomorrow would be better.

She took another bite of the heavenly chocolate.