Chapter Six #2
They were who she should be with, not him. And definitely not here. That was the thinking he needed to hold onto this evening. Because as fun as their conversation and lighthearted sparring had been, it wasn’t meant to last.
*
Natalie turned off I-89 and onto Meridian Road, drinking in the scenery.
The drive out to the Miles’s ranch had been filled with sparse traffic and breathtaking views of Copper Mountain in the foreground and another mountain range beyond.
Prairie grasses filled the landscape on either side of the road, dotted with wildflowers and thistles, all swaying gently in the evening breeze.
She couldn’t help but smile at the difference between this view and the ones she’d grown up with in Indiana of corn and soybean fields.
The buildings out west were different from back home, too.
Less modern-looking and cookie-cutter. And the yard decorations were…
interesting to say the least. Some had flower beds, some had rusted old farm equipment.
Though, as she passed one such arrangement involving a dilapidated riding mower at the center of a goat pen, she began to wonder if some of these structures weren’t decorations after all.
Natalie passed the goats and shook her head.
Truth be told, she wasn’t sure what to expect out here tonight.
Eli had made it sound like she’d be their dinner guest, not here to discuss the resort.
Fine by her—she wanted to stay on the Miles family’s good side.
The better their relationship was, the easier this entire approval process would be.
Plus, if she could convince Sunnie that this project was best for the community, Mrs. Miles could sway her peers on the board of works.
A tall order but doable. It had to be if Natalie wanted a chance at this promotion.
And oh, how she wanted that new position! The Bramble House’s lovely accommodations had Natalie itching to do some interior design transformations in her own house. It was high time she made the place feel more like home and less like a place to visit between assignments.
Natalie brushed off her nostalgia as she turned onto the Flying J’s main drive fifteen minutes ahead of Eli’s six o’clock invite.
It felt like stepping back in time as she passed under the ranch’s wooden arch, which looked just like it had on the website.
Up ahead, a giant log cabin stood with Copper Mountain in the backdrop.
Two stone chimneys rose from the roofline, hinting at rustic fireplaces housed within.
As she drew closer, Natalie found its broad front porch inviting, with porch swings and wooden rockers, flower planters, and galvanized buckets.
Two large, fluffy dogs lounged on the porch’s far end, each lifting its head at her approach but neither bothering to rise and greet her.
Fine by her—animals made her nervous. She wanted to like them but had watched too many news stories of animal encounters gone wrong.
Then there was that scary, white beast that’d lived in the house behind her childhood home.
The one that lunged at her from behind its fence every time she’d gone outside.
The neighbors had insisted he was just friendly and wanted to play; Natalie had insisted he was part Cujo and wanted to tear her limb from limb.
Fresh off the unwanted memory, she sat in her rental car, debating what to do.
Sure, the dogs looked harmless enough, but would they come at her if she got out and headed for the door?
With no one in sight, fear tightened its hold on her.
If the dogs attacked, would anyone even hear her calling for help?
Movement in her rearview mirror drew her attention away from Thing One and Thing Two.
She breathed a sigh of relief. Sam’s oversized truck.
Surely, he could help her make it inside safely.
Natalie rolled her window down as he stepped out and rounded the truck’s engine, and allowed herself a moment to enjoy the view.
Sam appeared fresh out of the shower, his dark hair still damp, giving him a slightly boyish look.
Tonight’s jeans were lighter than what he usually wore, faded to perfection in all the right places.
His dark shirt was simple but fit like it was made for him, hugging his biceps nicely.
It was too bad they didn’t make guys like that back home.
As his gaze met hers, she tipped her head toward the giant canines. “Will they bite?”
He angled for her car, an amused look on his face. “CC and Larwill? Heck no, they wouldn’t hurt a fly. Worst guard dogs in the world. That’s why we keep them at the lodge. Only thing they’re good at is keeping our guests’ feet warm.”
He opened her door, and that sandalwood cologne of his tickled her senses.
After a moment’s hesitation, Natalie grabbed her crossbody purse and stepped from her rental.
She peered around Sam and was relieved to see neither dog rise from their place on the porch.
Hopefully, they would do the same when it was time for her to leave.
“See? Nothing to worry about.”
He closed her door and started for the lodge. Natalie followed, her shorter steps sounding hurried compared to his long, easy stride. Had she ever been around a man so sure of himself, so comfortable in his own skin?
“Besides, Gramps would be disappointed if you left before he got a chance to see you.”
“Well, I certainly wouldn’t want to let poor Eli down.”
They exchanged a grin.
“Come on,” Sam said, tipping his head toward the door. “We don’t have enough time before dinner for me to show you the grounds, so let’s head inside and I can at least show you the lodge.”
Natalie cast one last wary glance at the oversized dogs. They’d lowered their heads but had their eyes trained on her still. “Uh, great. Thanks.”
Natalie followed him up the front porch steps.
No ring on his finger again today, which still surprised her.
A guy like this? Single? He’d mentioned being divorced, but not his current relationship status.
Maybe he was the kind of guy who didn’t wear a wedding band.
She could only imagine the wear and tear those strong hands of his went through each day.
Those hands that’d caught her as she’d gone tumbling into him that first night and held her steady like she weighed nothing.
“This is our main lodge, in case you hadn’t pieced that together,” he said, bringing her back to the here and now. Sam held the front door open for her to pass through then took the lead once more inside. A small reception area sat to the right, a small office to the left.
“We try to keep things simple here. Guest check-in. Main office.” Sam led her past each and down a short hall then into the room beyond. “And this is the parlor where guests come to relax or congregate. Norah updated the interior last spring. I think it turned out pretty nice.”
The space before them was two stories tall, with walls, floor, and ceiling all cut from the same reddish-golden timber.
Twice the size of the parlor at the Bramble House, the space held several sitting areas each with their own dedicated end tables and coffee tables.
The furniture fabrics were durable, their turquoise, yellow, and rust colors and patterns common for the western region.
Windows all along each side of the room kept the space feeling open and bright, and provided spectacular views of Big Sky country.
But it was the mammoth floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace that quickly caught her eye.
“Wow—that fireplace is amazing.”
Sam nodded in agreement. “In the cooler months, Norah likes to keep the fireplace lit. During the summer, we use LED inserts to give the illusion of flames.”
“I can imagine how cozy it would be to sit in front of this fire with a good book.” She dropped onto a love seat nearby. It was as comfortable as she imagined. “So, your sister does interior design?”
“Among other things. Norah runs the hospitality side of our ranch. While we still have one, anyway.” He winked.
Shot fired across the starboard bow. She was surprised it’d taken him this long to get a jab in. “That does make sense.”
“What, Norah doing interior design?”
She grinned. “No, her running the hospitality side instead of you.”
Sam pursed his lips. Natalie knew she shouldn’t poke the bear, but she’d be lying if she didn’t admit it was kind of fun. Also, he’d started it. But rather than fire back, Sam simply shrugged.
“You’ll be disappointed to know that I do help run the lodge when she’s on vacation. And I haven’t run any guests off yet.”
“The key word being yet .” She should have let that go but couldn’t help herself. He had that effect on her.
Sam’s right brow rose. “Fair warning. Lodging guests and dinner guests are not one and the same.”
“Touché.”
They continued onward, down a short hall that opened into a large dining room. Another beautiful stone fireplace stood in the corner, opposite an opening she guessed led toward the kitchen.
“Are both fireplaces original to the lodge?”
He nodded. “My great-grandfather set those stones by hand. Found them while clearing land for the cattle and hauled them here by cart and oxen. We don’t keep those animals anymore—too much work and they could sure be mean.”
She ran her hand across the stony structure, trying to imagine how difficult it must have been to do that work before modern equipment was available. “So much history…”
“Yeah, if those stones could talk.” Sam came to stand beside her, hands in his pocket as he cast a fond look at the fireplace. “You can see why it means so much to us to keep our lodge open.”
His voice was softer now, the teasing edge gone.
In that moment, she didn’t feel like opponents vying for control over what happened on the property next door.
Her mind went back to when they were at the café earlier, just two adults sharing a conversation.
It surprised her again at how easy he could be to talk to when they weren’t talking business.
And yet, their conversations seemed to always circle back to it.
“I can’t imagine that your lodge wouldn’t remain open,” she said truthfully. “I mean, look at the character encapsulated by every stone. Our resort is going to look night and day from this, Sam. Surely, guests wanting a more rustic experience will still choose the Flying J.”
“Maybe. But—”
“Sam! Natalie girl! We were just coming to look for you!”
The serious tone left Sam’s voice as he turned toward his grandfather. “Perfect timing as always, Gramps. We just finished our tour.”
“Well, then, follow me.” Eli started down another side hall. “The stew is ready and my Sunshine doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”
Natalie looked from Eli to his grandson.
Her company was causing them anxiety. She’d never worked on a project that had overlooked one conflict, let alone two.
And both affecting the same landowners! All she could hope was that tonight’s dinner went well and that everyone kept an open mind when it came to mutually agreeable solutions.
Because back in Indiana, her boss was doing all he could to find them.
She just hoped it wouldn’t take a miracle for that to happen.