Chapter Eight
“W as that the sound of thunder?” Tori asked the question as she stepped out to the living room. Cade was standing in front of the fireplace. Black slacks had replaced jeans. A deep burgundy long-sleeved shirt with a shiny large gold belt buckle at the waist denoted his world champion status, and the hand-tooled boots when coupled with the black Stetson on his head was more than enough to capture attention, as he looked like he had just stepped out of an advertisement in a western magazine. If she were in the market for a sexy, drop-dead gorgeous cowboy, then he would have her vote. But she wasn’t in the market for anything but his agreement on his land and springs. Keep your eye on the goal and not anything else.
“In the far distance. There are more storms forecast for after midnight, but they might just skirt around us if we’re lucky.”
“Then we should get to dinner now just in case.”
Tori had chosen a soft cashmere sweater, just a shade lighter than the slacks. She had gathered the long strands of hair upward at the sides of her head and secured them with two gold clips. They complemented the single gold chain with its gold pendant suspended on it and a pair of delicate gold loops for her ears. She had a black suede jacket over her arm and, as she moved to the door, he stepped to join her. She stopped when he reached out and lifted the jacket from her arm.
“There’s a chill settling into the valley. Might be best to put this on now.” He held it for her to turn around and slide her arms into. She did so after a slight hesitation. Tori settled her hair over the cloth.
“Thank you.”
At the bottom of the steps, he offered her his arm and he smiled at her. “The stones are still wet and slippery in spots. We can’t have our mayor trying to do all her duties hampered by crutches. Better to be safe than sorry.”
She smiled and allowed her hand to lightly rest around his offered arm. Walking side by side with him, she couldn’t help noting that the hint of cologne he wore was nice…very nice. These were not things she needed to have on her mind when she needed a clear head for important business matters.
“Good evening. Welcome.” The host smiled the greeting as they stepped into the dining room. It was quite a nice atmosphere, given the growing twilight outside the floor-to-ceiling windows where the sun had already slid behind the distant mountain, and clouds were moving in over the valley. The table they were shown was close to the large stone fireplace and with a view also. The crackling fire and the soft glow of the lanterns on the tables gave the room a warm and intimate feeling. Cade held her chair for her and once seated the host handed their menus to them.
“May I get you something from the bar while you look over the menu?”
“Nothing for me except iced tea please,” she said. It would be best to keep her brain focused on the matters at hand.
“I’ll have the same as the lady.” With drink orders in hand, the host left them alone.
“So, what looks good to you tonight?” she asked, trying to fill any silence.
“Besides my companion?”
Her gaze flew to his face. There definitely was a grin on his face. Was he joking? Why would he say such a thing? “Excuse me?”
“I’m sorry, but not really,” he added. “I just thought things felt a bit awkward for some reason and decided I’d try some levity.”
“A joke—good to know.”
The grin faded. “It wasn’t a joke by any stretch of the imagination. I was trying to get you to relax a bit. But you do look lovely tonight and that is a serious statement of fact.”
It was good that the waiter arrived with their drinks and Tori could keep her mind on the print in front of her and not the man seated across the table. They both chose salads, steak and accompanying vegetables. The menus were gone and a few more diners had joined them in the dining room, but conversations were muted, and a soft piano was playing some jazz in the bar area across the room from them.
“So, what do you think of what you’ve seen here?”
“There’s no rush. A nice meal and pleasant conversation are usually much better for the digestive system. Business is after.”
“If that’s what you prefer,” Tori agreed. “What would you consider pleasant conversation?”
“Let’s see,” he responded. “You get to know your travel companion on trips like this, in most cases. I think it’s always good to know more about the person you’re spending time with. Don’t you agree?”
What was he up to? “In most cases that might be true. But sometimes people doing business with each other might not need to know so much about one another.”
“True, but if I’m willing to consider—and note that I said consider —changing my opinion on the springs, it might make me more willing to cooperate if I knew more about you.”
“Like what exactly? My life is very simple.”
“I know you have a sibling brother, our good sheriff. You are the owner of the Primrose Inn. And you are the secret pie lady for the café. Was your family from this area? I think I vaguely remember that you came to Destiny’s River several years ago?”
Tori never shied away from her past. She realized a while ago that her life experiences had given her the impetus and basic guts to take what life had dealt and use it to build her inner strength. All of her siblings had done the same. But for some reason, she felt more reticence when it came to this man. It wasn’t that she distrusted him with the information, it was something that was harder to explain. But she wasn’t going to change her inner beliefs and truths for anyone. She had made that vow when she had decided to step forward and run for public office.
“Yes, I’m not one of those founding members of the community. I arrived here on a bus about twelve years ago. I hadn’t planned on this as a destination but the signs were there and my gut told me there would be no other place with such a beautiful sunset, and something told me I had found the home I sought. I haven’t once regretted that decision. And my brother felt the same once I talked him into joining me. My other two siblings, a brother and a sister…well I’m still hoping to change their minds one day.”
“Our sunset and your gut instinct…that’s interesting. There’s no doubt that Destiny’s River is a place it is hard to leave when you find it. You mentioned you weren’t adopted. So, your family…”
“My siblings and I grew up in the foster system for the most part. I never knew my father. Our mother tried as best she could to raise four children. But she wasn’t as strong as she wanted to be. We moved in with our grandmother when I was eight and our mother was hit by a drunk driver when she stepped off a bus on the way home from her night job when I was nine. When our grandmother succumbed to cancer, I was thirteen. She had already been in contact with a lawyer who was a neighbor and, long story short, we all went into the foster system with a family ready to help and keep us together. But it can be hard for anyone with two kids of their own and having four added. The caveat had been that we four would either be adopted together or remain together in foster care.
“I don’t think it would work that way in this day and time. But we four stuck it out, and let’s just say that no one wanted to take us on after meeting us. We had planned that when I aged out, I would look for a place for us. That’s why I was on that bus. I saved the money I earned from two jobs as much as possible and I was able to give each sibling a place to call home until they made their own decisions and found their own wings. Many people have much rougher beginnings than we did. Nothing special about our story. No pity needed. It made us who we are today.”
“No pity given,” he spoke softly. “It’s a strength that not many find to use. It does explain some things about you. And I am guilty of misjudging you in my own mind a bit. I own that and apologize.”
His words shocked her. This wasn’t a man that she could imagine apologizing for much in his life. And yet, he had just made the admission quietly and with sincerity in his steady gaze on her. In that moment, something changed. She didn’t know what, but something had sent a ripple through the universe as her younger brother would say. And he was often correct about momentous events in their lives.
“I’m not aware of any need for apologies. But if you feel that is what you need to do, then thank you.”
“I think it explains why you have such a positive outlook and why you always see the good in people. And want to make things better for others.”
“That would be the bleeding heart some have accused me of having.”
“Ah yes…and I might have been one of those when you first announced your campaign.”
“You were,” she responded with forthrightness, but not accusingly. “I had heard it before and never let it bother me… after the first couple of times. But I just let it add to my determination to stay the course.”
“And ‘staying the course’ can often be a nicer way to say someone can be stubborn.”
“Because I hear a bit of humor in your tone, I won’t take that too personally. My brothers are among the few people who can get away with calling me that outright.”
“You’ve had to be someone who takes care of others to a greater degree than most. Makes you overly independent at times so that it becomes a habit.”
She stopped before taking the next bite of her dinner. “Why do you suddenly sound like a therapist of some sort?”
“And not a simple cowhand…as you once called me?”
She felt contrition at her own behavior toward him in the past. “You sparked my Irish temper…my grandmother’s gift to me. We hadn’t gotten off to a good start at our first meeting. I apologize for that reference.”
“Accepted.” He smiled in return. “Maybe some of that high-priced advice I received the few times I went to a professional sunk into my hard head after all.”
“You admit you have a hard head? I am impressed. That seems to be difficult for some males to admit.”
“I’m going to regret telling you that, aren’t I?” He gave her a rueful smile in return.
“Don’t worry. Your secret is safe between you and me,” she said. And marveled at how easy a smile came in return. Were they actually talking like two old friends? Imagine that.
“I suppose I’ll have to trust you on that.”
“Once I give my word, I keep it.”
“That’s good to know.” He took a long sip from his glass.
“Do I sense a hint of skepticism?”
He shook his head. “Not really. I’ve just come across a few in my time that weren’t so forthcoming.”
“A few?” She sensed she needed to have her own questions answered. “A few as in women?”
Tori sensed a slight change. Gone was the grin of earlier. Had she misread something?
“Not everyone is as forthright as you. I’ve come across one or two of those when I didn’t know better. A single man is catnip, it seems, around these parts. At least one with a fair-sized bank account.”
“I think Matt might agree on part of that.”
“Part?”
“A single man…not in the same ballpark in terms of his pocketbook of course…but he is still a good catch and wishes he could just take care of his daughter and his job and leave the rest to chance as he calls it.”
“Chance? Like love at first sight?”
“Your tone tells me a lot more than your words. You are one of those men who don’t believe in anything so prosaic, evidently.”
“And you do…a romantic at heart? I wouldn’t have thought you would be one of those women. Waiting for that knight on a horse to come by?”
“I’m afraid I didn’t have time for those fairy tales growing up. I just hoped someday a good guy might show up—steady job, family values, patience to put up with me and my work…of course, if he did have a horse in tow, that might seal the deal.” She tried to finish on a note meant to bring a smile back to his face. She had to settle for half of one.
“There is that. You do seem to have a thing for animals…small and large ones. Your brother told me about the neon sign above your head, as he calls it. The one that tells all homeless critters that you might be a soft touch?”
“I admit it. I find the company of animals preferable to some humans.”
“Guess I might be one of those who fall into that category—you find the company of my horse preferable to me.”
She gave it some consideration. “Hmmm…you know, you could be right. Having not met your horse formally though, I will give you the benefit of the doubt.”
“I know I should feel honored. And I do.”
The waiter appeared with dessert menus. Tori had to shake her head. “I’m afraid I’m too full.”
“Well, I should say the same thing, but that double chocolate cake is calling to me. If I can’t have one of those pies of yours, then it will have to do for now.”
The lightness seemed to have returned between them, and she relaxed with a cup of coffee while her companion enjoyed his dessert. “So, turnabout is fair play. Tell me about the Cade Lockwood I don’t know.”
“I should have expected this,” he said, with a shake of his head. “But fair is fair. It’s a simple story. I was born and raised on the Lockwood Ranch, as was my father and his father and his father before him. I think you know that my half sister and I were basically raised by our grandfather. He’s why I came back after rodeo was stomped out of my head, and I agreed to take over the ranch’s running. My half-sister wanted little part of it, but it did manage to get her set up to follow her own dream, so that turned out okay. I promised my grandfather that I would take care of his legacy and his dreams, and I meant it. Will do so until my last breath. That is the sum total of me.”
She shook her head, replacing her coffee cup on the table. “I’m willing to bet there is more, but I do thank you for sharing. And I can hear in your voice and words, your grandfather meant a lot to you.”
“And you are correct,” he said with a nod. “He’s gone, but I still intend to honor his wishes where the ranch is concerned. Do what I believe he would do.”
“Well, from what I have seen and heard around the community, you’ve done that in spades. Which brings an interesting question.” She took the gamble. “What would have been his response to my request for use of the hot springs?”
Cade was quiet for a few long moments. His gaze settled on the crackling fire in the fireplace a few feet away, arms folded on the tabletop. He finally turned to fix his gaze upon her.
“I tend to think he would have tanned my hide if he were around to see how bad my manners were the day you arrived at our gate. And I owe you an apology for that behavior. But as far as the springs? I think what he would say needs to stay with me for the time being.” The roll of thunder edging closer to their location brought the period to that conversation. He stood.
“We better get a move on, by the sounds of it. Don’t want you to have to walk in the rain.”
*
The walk back to the cabin was more relaxed than the one they’d taken to dinner earlier. She hadn’t hesitated when he’d offered his arm on the return trip. Tori had to smile to herself. It felt almost normal…or it would have in other circumstances. Once inside the cabin, the agenda was back front and center—at least on her mind.
“We still need to discuss the reason we came here. What did you think about the way they’ve incorporated the springs here?”
He slowly shook his head, as he replaced the fire poker after stoking the fire. “You are most determined. But I’m reserving my opinion until we get back to Destiny’s River. And I’d like you to come back to the ranch and for us to take a trip to the springs. I listened to you and your ideas. But now I think you need to listen to me on some things. The best way to do that is to be present on the land. Wouldn’t you agree that all sides must be considered?”
Tori hadn’t counted on this turn of events. She was disappointed but she shouldn’t have been surprised.
“Very well. I see your point.”
He gave a slow smile. “I think negotiations are always good. Who knows? You might change your mind.”
“And who knows? You might see it in a more positive light after this visit.”
He had advanced to stand just in front of her. And she stood her ground. Not sure why she felt she had to do so but backing down had never been her strong suit. She met his gaze, which took a bit of looking upward.
“Or you could see things in a different light,” he countered. “I can be persuasive too.”
Why did she have a sudden desire to ask how persuasive? That would be crazy. He wasn’t a man to push her luck with. That thought was very clear in her brain. But her brain didn’t seem to be listening too well. His gaze moved slowly to rest upon her mouth. Did her breathing forget to kick in?
“Negotiating might be very informative in more ways than one.” The words were low. Was the fire warming the room too quickly? One of the logs broke, sparks flying about behind the screen. A reminder that a person could get burned if that screen wasn’t in place. And her brain kicked in.
“Hold that thought.” She stepped away and went to her room. She found what she needed and returned to find him in the same spot. There was an air of expectancy in his stance.
“I have something for you. To help you relax and get a good night’s sleep.”
An eyebrow raised and the glitter in those blue depths threatened to override her intentions again.
“Here.”
He looked down at where she had placed something against his chest.
“What is this?”
“Something you need to give your attention to before we meet again at your ranch. It’s some results of my earlier research into this place and two others also, in comparison. To make the best-informed decision, you need facts. So, you can settle in and begin reading. I’ll see you bright and early in the morning for the trip home. I have meetings in the afternoon that I cannot miss so we need to get moving as soon as the sun comes up. Have a good evening.”
As her door closed behind her, she allowed the breath she had been holding inside to slowly escape. Escape…had she done just that? Well, he might think she ran away. Either way, she remembered just in time why they had come to begin with and what was most important. Let him think what he wanted. She might want him to release the springs to the town but she wasn’t going to use any means necessary to obtain his compliance. And if he thought she would, then he would have a long night ahead…with figures of a totally different kind.