Home For Christmas (A Copper Mountain Christmas) (16 page)

Nate motioned to the woman. "Rachel, this is Elinor Styles. She runs the Styles Realty Office here in town. Her son Tod is a realtor. Elinor, meet my friend Rachel Murphy."

Friend.
But Rachel realized this wasn't a disappointment to pout over, either. Nate
was
her friend, and her business adviser, even her inspiration. If she wanted him to be more, that was a separate story. "Always good to meet another friend of Nate's."

Elinor set the sign at her feet, shook Rachel's hand then handed a set of keys to Nate. "He's off showing a property. I know you wanted the keys right away."

Rachel didn't understand. Her gaze bounced from Elinor to Nate.

"I love my gingerbread house," Elinor continued without missing a beat. "The Copper Mountain Gingerbread and Dessert Factory will be a nice addition to Main Street. Merry Christmas."

Rachel's heart pounded in her throat. She tried to speak. Ask the questions hammering her brain. But she couldn't find her voice.

"Thanks, Elinor," Nate said, as if the woman had handed him a candy cane and not the keys to a dream location for a bakery. "Have a Merry Christmas."

With a wave, Elinor jaywalked across Main Street.

Rachel searched Nate's face for answers, but saw only an oh-so-pleased-with-himself smile. "You leased this shop?"

"For you." With his hand at the small of her back, he escorted her into the building. "This is your surprise. Beats a set of towels."

What about more kisses? Those had replaced the towels on her list, but this… She wasn't sure what was going on.

"Christmas is two days away, but I couldn't wait," he continued. "What do you think?"

A part of her wanted to be excited, to throw her arms around Nate and kiss him. Hard. Except he was acting like a business advisor, not a wanna-be boyfriend. Every public moment they'd shared had been business-related, like she was some kind of project. Beyond the mistletoe kiss Ty witnessed, Nate had never let anyone else think they might be involved.

As if he had an agenda.

"I don't know what to say." That was the truth. "I mean, this is so generous. I'm overwhelmed. But why would you lease this space for me? I live in Phoenix, not here."

Not yet anyway. But he didn't know that.

"I know you talked about going back to Phoenix and opening a shop there, but when I took a closer look at this place, I knew it was perfect for the bakery you told me about. Space for your baked goods and an event area." He reminded her of a salesman warming up to give his pitch. "You've made a name for yourself in Marietta. You have a clientele ready to support your new business. Not to mention Ty's here."

Ty.

I accused him of using you to keep me at the Bar V5. The guy has put the ranch before a woman every single time.

Her brother's words from the other night hit Rachel like a cast iron skillet. The air rushed from her lungs. Her knees wobbled. She reached out to grab hold of something, but only Nate was there.

Rachel jerked her arm back. "You leased this place because of Ty."

"I leased this place for you, as a believer and backer of your products, skill and potential. But if you staying makes Ty happy then it's a win-win."

Nate's words sunk in, swirled around her mind, dropped straight to her feet, landing next to where her heart had just crashed, sans parachute. Destruction complete.

She should feel hurt, anger, some awful, icky emotion over what the man she'd fallen in love with had done, not this odd numbness as if she were an outside observer. "Leasing this place. Helping me with my business. It was all so I'd move to Montana and Ty would stay at the Bar V5."

"I told you I wanted to help you so I could repay Ty."

"What you did, you're doing, is not repaying a favor." Everything was so clear to Rachel now. "It's not about Ty. He says you owe him nothing. It's about you wanting to keep your foreman. Your partner. Livestock."

Nate's forehead creased. His mouth slanted. "That's not fair."

"Do you think kissing me was fair, making me think there was more there than friendship between us, making me want to stay in Montana to find out?"

He took a step forward, his gaze intent upon hers. "I want you to stay and figure things out. Don't let this change your mind about anything."

"Oh, it won't." She lifted her chin. "I am staying, but that decision has nothing to do with you. Not now anyway."

"Rachel—"

"Did our kisses mean anything to you?"

"Yes," he replied, without hesitation. "Kissing you wasn't part of this."

"Part of what?"

"The plan," he said after a long pause. "To keep you here. Ty knows about it. Operation: Hansel & Gretel."

She half-laughed, more saddened than amused. "Brother, sister, gingerbread. Clever. So what did you call your plan to keep Marissa here? Project: City Mouse or Operation: Tiffany Cut?"

"Don't say that." Nate reached for her, but she backed away, not wanting him to touch her. "I thought you'd be happy, not upset."

"I'm not upset. I probably should be, but I'm not. I'm more…resigned. This isn't the first time someone let me down." She stared at this perfect space, at the man she'd believed was perfect for her. "But I really thought I could trust you. I wanted to believe I could."

"You can."

Rachel looked at Nate, as if seeing him for the first time. "You're as bad as the Darbys."

He frowned. "Come on, that's not true."

"It is." The realization made the numbness disappear. Her heart split into jagged, raw pieces. "You're willing to do whatever it takes to get what you want. The Darbys are the same. They stole my dream, ripped it right out of my hands. But you tried to change my dream, not because it would be better for me, but to benefit you and the Bar V5. And you did this after knowing what I'd been through."

"Rachel, please…"

"I have to go." A lump burned in her throat. Her eyes stung. She struggled to hold herself together. "I can't accept your gift, but no worries. Ty won't be going anywhere. I'm going to ask him to pack up my things. I'd rather not go back to the ranch."

Nate touched her shoulder, holding her back. "Can I convince you to sit down and talk it through over lunch?"

Her gaze locked on his desperate eyes. "No. You've done too much convincing already."

She walked out of the shop with her shoulders squared and a headache about to erupt. Not that anything could be worse than her aching heart.

You have to step back. Let me fail again if that's what it takes.

Ty had done what she asked. And she'd failed.

Even though her heart had led her to believe she would succeed.

She had no idea what to do. All she knew was she hurt and love sucked and she wished Christmas was already over.

Nate downed the rest of his beer at Grey's Saloon. He caught bartender and owner Jason Grey's eye. "Another, please."

Jason refilled the glass with a local microbrew. "You can't drink away your troubles."

"No, but I can forget them for a while."

"Thought I might find you here." Ty slid onto the next stool. "Let me guess, the present you got her didn't go over well."

Nate raised his pint. "I crashed and burned. Disintegrated into a billion particles. Most of which will never be seen again."

"Ouch."

Nate sipped. Two beers weren't going to be enough. Four might give him a proper buzz. Six might do the trick. "Leave me alone. I have some serious drinking to do."

"Looks like I'll have to stick around to drive you home," Ty said.

Nate set his beer on the bar. He looked over at Ty, at his best friend and his partner. "You'd do that?"

Ty tipped his hat. "That's what friends do for each other."

"Even after I broke Rachel's heart."

Ty's face reddened. His nostrils flared. "You son of a…"

He punched Nate. A right hook that he hadn't seen coming.

Jason grabbed Ty from across the bar. "Take it outside or I call the police."

Ty held up his hands. "No need. I did what I had to do."

Nate rubbed his aching jaw. Nothing felt broken. But man, he hurt. "Feel better?"

Ty flexed his fingers. "Yeah, but my hand doesn't."

"I deserved it."

"Damn straight you did."

"Rachel's staying in Montana."

"I thought she might, but you're certain?"

Nate nodded once. The movement sent a sharp pain through the left side of his face. Maybe he'd spoken too soon about something being broken. "Told me so herself. Right before she walked out of her shop."

"What shop?"

He touched his lips. At least he wasn't bleeding. Good, Jason wouldn't want a mess at the bar. "The one I gave her. Well, tried to give her. I leased the space next to the pharmacy. But she doesn't want it."

Ty shook his head. "You're not only stubborn like your dad, Vaughn, you're as stupid as an ass. And you can't use dementia as an excuse."

"Huh?"

"You can't use bribes to get an easy win."

"I wasn't—"

"You were." Ty grabbed Nate's glass and took a long swig. "You tried it with me and Marissa. Given all that money you spent on degrees from fancy universities, you should have realized that doesn't work and changed your MO."

Nate thought about his offer to Ty four years ago. How he'd proposed to Marissa, purchased
a ring, an SUV and given her a credit card with no spending limit. Those things hadn't been for Ty or for Marissa, but for Nate. "Crap. You're right."

Ty motioned to Jason for another round. "The truth hurts."

"I was focused on the win, getting Rachel to move, but only so that part was out of the way. Then we could move on to more interesting negotiations." Nate put up his hands in surrender. "Don't hit me again. I meant that with due respect to the woman I'm falling in love with."

Beers appeared in front of them. Ty sipped his. "You're such an idiot. Even I know that order would never work. And don't mention love and my sister in the same sentence unless you've fallen and mean it."

"Do you think Rachel would give me a second chance? To switch the order."

"Not if you call it negotiations, buddy. Most women don't appreciate being considered a business transaction. I know my sister. That'll scare her faster than anything."

Fair enough. "I hurt her bad. She said I was no different than the Darbys."

Ty stared over the rim of his beer. "Were you?"

Nate remembered what she'd told him. "Yeah, I was. Worse actually. She'd told me how hurt she'd been, but I didn't let that stop me."

From trying to win.

And now he'd lost.

He was only beginning to realize how much.

Nate pushed his beer aside. "If I were her, I'd never want to see me again."

Ty took a sip from his glass. "So what are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know," Nate admitted. "But I sure as hell don't plan on making the same mistake again."

Would that be enough for Rachel?