Chapter Fifteen
S am dropped Madison off at their place after dinner so she could study for something at school tomorrow, then drove Natalie back to the Bramble House.
It’d been a good day, and Natalie seemed to have enjoyed her time with them again.
That made him happy, too. Almost as happy as when she’d laid to rest his family’s worries about her upcoming meeting with Chuck Banyard.
But Sam had been selfishly looking forward to some alone time with her since the moment she’d opened her hotel door, looking all studious with her hair pulled into a messy bun and wearing comfy, mismatched clothes.
That she hadn’t been flustered at being caught dressed that way made her all the more endearing.
Of course, he preferred her wearing nothing at all—a sentiment he made sure to express without words before heading back to the ranch.
Eventually, though, he kissed her good night and apologized for needing to get back.
“Don’t ever apologize for needing to take care of your family, Sam,” was her response, followed by a sweet kiss goodbye. “Family should come first. Always.”
He loved that she understood and hated that their time together was growing shorter by the day.
Sam lay in bed that night for a long while, wishing she was here beside him, and wondering what the next few weeks would bring.
Would Neil catch the ferrets on camera his first trip out, or would he have to make a second trip?
That wouldn’t be so bad for Sam; it would guarantee more time with Natalie.
Although he was starting to notice a touch of melancholy in her voice when she talked about home these past few days. Maybe she was starting to get homesick. Lord knew, if he was gone from the ranch as long as she’d been away, he sure as hell would be.
If only he could convince her to pick up and move out here. Not necessarily in with him and Madison right away, but at least to Marietta. Then he could take the time to court her properly.
It didn’t work last time.
Sam rolled to his side, not wanting to listen to that still, small voice.
Last time had been different. She had been different.
But deep down, he feared getting hurt again.
No, staying would need to be her idea, not his.
Though, that didn’t mean he couldn’t make suggestions to get her thinking about it.
That idea finally allowed him the peace to fall asleep.
He spent his Monday indoors. One day, running the business side of the ranch would fall into Sam’s hands. Until then, he was more than content to let his father do the number crunching. Unfortunately, those chores were tough to do when his father and mother were cruising around the Caribbean.
His parents’ vacation had been a surprise gift from Sam and his siblings last Christmas.
Technically, the cruise was from Jaxon, who seemed to have more money than he knew what to do with these days.
But for their parents to be able to go on such an extensive cruise, someone had to cover for them while they were gone.
So Norah had agreed to absorb their mother’s daily tasks of scheduling and coordinating guided tours and overseeing ordering and menu planning for the lodge’s kitchen.
That left Sam to handle his father’s financial duties, which meant he was doing his least favorite tasks: reviewing payroll, paying vendors, and responding to bull inquiries.
The Flying J had a reputation for high-quality steer and cows, which sometimes led to inquiries. Great for supplementing the ranch’s income but tedious as hell to Sam. Jaxon must have sensed his irritation from across the miles; he called midmorning to rub it in.
“How goes the bean counting, Sammy?”
Sam tossed his pencil aside and leaned back on a groan. “How about you come home and I’ll show you. Better yet, I’ll let you take a crack at it yourself so I can get back in a saddle.”
Jaxon laughed. “Nah, I’m good. Besides, you’ve gotta learn eventually. Maybe sooner than later if Ma and Pa enjoy this cruise as much as we all hope they will.”
Sam grimaced. Of course he wanted his parents to have an amazing time. What he didn’t want was this to become a regular occurrence.
“I’m starting to think maybe you need to come run the place when you’re done lassoing cattle in front of all those admiring fans,” he said. “Leave me to tend to the herd.”
Jaxon snorted. “Can you really see me sitting behind a desk all day long?”
Sam chuckled. Jaxon had never been able to sit still. The rodeo trail had been calling him since the day he learned how to crawl.
“Let’s just say if you have a sudden hankering to settle down, I won’t fight you for this chair.”
“Fair enough,” Jaxon said. “So, what’s this I hear about you going and getting yourself a girl?”
It shouldn’t have surprised Sam that the news had reached his little brother. But then, he’d met Natalie only a week ago tomorrow. Wait—they’d only known each other for a week? As easy as she was to be around, it felt like months.
“Eh, we’ll see,” he said, trying to downplay the news. “Still pretty early on, and she doesn’t live around here.”
“Gramps said she’s a looker.”
Sam smirked. He should have known that’s who spilled the beans.
“Also said she has a heart of gold and is trying to help us protect the ranch,” Jaxon added. “I didn’t realize the resort we heard rumors about when I was home over Christmas would move along that fast.”
“I think Hank Nelson’s passing sped things up. Poor guy was barely in the ground before Jack started looking for buyers.”
“Hank’s probably rolling over in his grave about it,” said Jaxon, contempt in his voice. “He’d hoped to leave that land to his grandkids. At least they would have appreciated it, even if their slimy father didn’t.”
“A tragedy, for sure.”
“Call me crazy, but I swear when I was little, I heard old Hank and Gramps talking about what would happen to the land when he passed. Only reason I remember is because they were playing poker and Hank tossed me the chip he was carrying. It’s a token from the old Golden Nugget casino in Vegas.
Still carry it today—it’s my good luck charm. ”
Sam shook his head. Jaxon might be the most athletic member of their family, but he’d also always been the most superstitious. “Well, if Natalie can’t convince her company to back off the Nelson property, we might need you to bring your lucky coin home.”
He talked with his brother a while longer, then returned his attention to their cattle inquiries.
By noon, his eyes were tired of squinting and his fingers were cramping from all that hunting and pecking on the keyboard.
In dire need of some fresh air, he walked the short way from his parents’ home to the main lodge.
Hopefully, Norah and Gran were cooking up something good for lunch.
“From that look on your face, I’d guess someone’s been working on the computer all morning,” Norah said as he stepped into the main kitchen. She was loading plates of food on a large serving tray, presumably lunch for the three families gathered in the dining room.
And was that a fresh batch of Gran’s new bison stew? His mouth began to water. The meal had been a hit with their family. Hopefully, their guests would love it, too.
“I don’t know how Dad does it, sitting in front of that computer all day,” Sam admitted. “My back is killing me.”
Norah offered him a wink as she lifted the food tray. Sam held open the door leading into the dining room until she passed by.
“Teddy knows better than to sit in the same place for too long.” Gran ladled stew into a bowl and handed it to him. “You’ll figure that out, too, when it’s your turn.”
He nodded, knowing better than to complain about his future responsibilities. For now, he would continue to enjoy his regular daily role and help his father as needed. All of it was still better than working for anyone else; hearing Natalie’s experiences had reaffirmed that.
“Is Natalie joining us for dinner tonight?”
Sam grinned. She was becoming a staple around here. “Not sure, but I can ask. Was going to pop into town in a bit and see how her meeting with Chuck went.”
“Oh, I’m sure he was all ears. That man has been keyed up on expanding Marietta since he got nominated for the board of works, always saying how he and the mayor have big plans for the town.
” Gran shook her head. “If he spent half that energy finding ways to reinvest in our town instead of trying to lure new companies here, we’d already have more money in our reserves. ”
“Agreed. Hopefully, he didn’t pressure Natalie too much.”
“And hopefully she didn’t promise too much, either.
I don’t envy her, having to play both sides of this project.
Appreciate what she’s doing to help, just don’t envy her.
” Gran held up a freshly filled to-go container.
“Here, take her some stew when you go into town. She can always heat it up for lunch tomorrow. Just make sure she tells everyone where they can come to get more when the aroma has all their mouths waterin’. ”
That was Gran, always looking to make an impression—or steal a customer.
Their lodge played nice with the Bramble House most days, but come the main tourist season, it was game on.
The Bramble House had a fancy dining room and close proximity to downtown; the Flying J had hearty meals and immersive experiences in Big Sky country.
Neither was a bad option, in his opinion.
Sam finished his lunch, then made a quick stop at his place to shower and freshen up.
He was halfway down the Flying J’s main drive before remembering her habit of calling or texting before coming to visit him.
It’d take some practice, trying to remember to do the same for her.
Grinning at the idea of this old dog learning new tricks, he paused at the main road, looked both ways, and froze.
“What the hell?”