Chapter 16
CHAPTER 16
“Brody!”
Nash’s voice interrupted his dark thoughts. “What?” He looked over his shoulder.
“The gate!” Nash pointed to the open gate where two heifers had already meandered through.
“Shit.” Urging Chaos forward, he rode through the opening, only to cause the two cows to split. “Shit!” Herding one back in, he then went to round up the other. When they were both safely inside again, he jumped from his horse like any good trick-rider and slammed the gate shut hard, letting out his frustration and anger, which broke the latch.
“Goddamn it!” He kicked the gate against the latch, jamming it in.
“Whoa, Brody, take it easy on that thing.” Nash rode over and dismounted. “What’s up with you?”
He kept staring at the latch, mentally daring it to let go. “Damn ranch.” Finally, he glanced up to find Nash looking at him as if he’d turned into a burro. He rubbed the back of his neck before climbing up on the fence and jumping down on the other side to gather his horse. He walked Chaos back to where Nash stood patiently waiting for an explanation.
He didn’t have one. Not a good one. “What?”
Nash crossed his arms over his chest. “Come on. I know you. I know when you’re pissed off about something. What’s going on?”
He leaned back against the fence. “Everything’s gone to shit.”
“Okay. Why?” Nash calmly expected an answer. The man was always calm. It was irritating.
“It must be me. I must be cursed.”
Nash’s lips quirked up. “Now that’s a new one. Usually, the world is against you or you suck.”
His gut tightened, a sinking feeling that it may very well be the second. “I asked Dad if he’d release me from my promise since Jackson is home and helping out again.”
“He said ‘no,’ right?”
“He did. He said he’d already told me if I got Hannah to sell then I could be released, and not until then.”
“Hmm, and I’m guessing you didn’t tell him that you were accepted into the training and it only happens once a year?”
Brody stared at Nash as if he was a mind reader. “How did you know? Did you talk to Dad?”
Nash laughed. “Hardly. I just know you.”
He shrugged. “I told him I’d been accepted for the next training. Same thing. It’s not like it would matter. Dad’s hell-bent on getting that land. Suddenly, he’s having second thoughts about the dude ranch saving Rocky Road. He was doing finance stuff on the computer and not happy with the numbers, so it was probably just my luck, or should I say my curse, that I walked in just then.”
“So ask again at another time. He’s turned you down before, but I know you can get him to come around. You can convince anyone to agree with you eventually.”
“Not Hannah.” He clenched his jaw, not meaning to say the words out loud.
But Nash was too damn observant. “What about Hannah? No, wait. You went to Hannah and tried to talk her into selling her land now, so you could leave your ranch duties in time for the wildlife manager training. Was she impervious to your persuasion?”
He ignored the exaggerated look of surprise on Nash’s face. “There was no persuading. The curse was at work again. I was so furious with Dad, I just told her she needed to sell now.”
Nash’s brows lowered, all hints of humor gone. “You didn’t say that.”
Brody turned and started to walk Chaos away from the gate.
Nash grabbed his arm as he passed. “Brody, you’re a great guy, but sometimes you can be so damn immature. What did she say?”
He pulled his arm away. “The same thing as Dad. So I’m stuck here for another year.” He kept walking, his gut feeling like one of the Four Peaks boulders had come to rest inside it.
“Brody, what did you say?”
At Nash’s question, he stopped, but he couldn’t face his friend. “I told her she could have a better life in a nice house with the money she’d have.” Even as he said the words out loud, he cringed. Hannah wasn’t about money. Even in his anger, he’d known all she wanted was a place to belong, with people who cared about her.
Nash let out a low whistle. “She loves that casita.”
He finally turned around. “I know. I knew that. I was angry.”
“So go apologize.” Nash shrugged his shoulders as if it was that simple.
But that was the crux of his pain. “I tried.”
“She wouldn’t listen?”
“No, she’s not there. As in, not in her casita anymore. I’ve been checking for the last three days now. She’s left. No new tire tracks and the door hasn’t been opened. She’s…gone.” He swallowed the lump in his throat as he said the word. Voicing it made it so final.
“But where would she go? A friend’s place?”
He shook his head. “She didn’t have any close friends in Phoenix. I know she’s not at Sheila’s or Stacy’s or even Ava’s hotel. That’s the problem. She doesn’t have anyone. And now I’ve scared her off.” He was twelve times a fool and he knew it, which just made everything harder to bear. He had no one to blame but himself.
How had he not known how much he cared about her? Was his Dad right? Was she more important than his career? The tightness in his chest said she was. When did she become the most important part of his life? When did he fall in love with her?
The truth hit him like a charging bull. Shit. He loved Hannah Kingsley and had just run her off. He was an idiot, who didn’t deserve her.
Nash chuckled before mounting up again.
The sound grated on his nerves. “What are you laughing at?”
Nash turned his horse to face him. “Hannah may be nice and pretty and kind, but you didn’t scare her off. That lady has a backbone, and I guarantee you, she’ll be back.” He chuckled again. “And I wouldn’t want to be you when she does come back. Come on, Mr. Heartbreak.”
For the first time since he’d stormed into Hannah’s casita, hope filled his head. Nash was right. Hannah was sweet and sexy, but she didn’t let anyone steamroll over her, not even him.
He swung up on Chaos to follow Nash. “Come on, boy. You don’t want Harmony to think she’s better than you.”
If Nash was right, which he probably was, that meant it was only a matter of time before Hannah returned. Brody wasn’t sure how much time he had to figure out what he was going to say then. He’d have to convince her he was sorry. He’d have to admit she was more important than even his future career, though he wasn’t sure how that had happened. It must have been when he’d fallen for her. Even as he acknowledged that fact, his gut loosened.
He loved Hannah Kingsley. The admission lifted an invisible weight from his back. He loved her. It was both a freeing and terrifying feeling. He had to win her back. When he set his mind to something, he always found a way. Yet a whisper of doubt swept through his head.
Part of him hoped she didn’t come home soon because he needed to think. But the other part of him wished her back tomorrow because he didn’t want to spend another day without her.
Shit. He just hoped she’d forgive him. His biggest fear was that he killed her feelings for him. It scared the hell out of him to tell her he loved her. He’d never said those words to a woman before and these were not the best circumstances.
He straightened his shoulders and turned Chaos toward a wandering cow. Somehow, he would convince Hannah he was worth taking back, not with his proven methods of persuasion, but with his honesty. That, and a truckful of luck.
“I have concerns about the development office completing this campaign. Could you take a look at what it could mean to our budget if we don’t reach our goals and e-mail me?”
At Travis Ingram’s question, Hannah pulled her sweater closer together. The breeze had picked up as he walked her back to the Earp House Bed and Breakfast. “I can tell you right now. The school won’t be able to build the theatre.”
The assistant treasurer for the college halted.
She stopped and looked back at him. He was a pleasant man who rarely showed emotions in the meetings, but whom she found to be quite witty during lunch. He was tall and lean, much thinner than Brody. He also sported a blond mustache that complimented his wavy, short blond hair, the opposite of Brody. Most of all, he didn’t have a confident cowboy’s swagger. “What is it?”
He smiled. “I appreciate how you get right to the point without sugar-coating things.”
She shrugged. “That’s what’s great about numbers. They’re black and white. There’s no gray about them. If you don’t have the money, you can’t buy something, unless you get a loan. That’s when you add red to the equation, but not gray.”
This time he laughed. “Exactly. I’ve been in the red a few years now from buying an old Victorian here in town. ‘Old’ being the key word.”
She grinned. “Actually, I don’t think they are building new Victorian houses these days.”
“Good point. Bringing an old house back to its original glory while adding modern electricity and plumbing is far more complex than any balance sheet.”
As much as she liked talking with him, it was getting rather cold for a desert dweller and she was anxious to get back to the fireplace in the sitting area. She shivered as the breeze from a passing truck hit her.
Travis appeared oblivious, but at least he started forward again. “Have you ever thought about buying an old house?”
A pang hit her chest as she pictured her casita. “Actually, I inherited my family’s home.”
His brows raised. “Really? How nice that you don’t need a mortgage. That debt hanging over my head is like sleeping on sandpaper.”
She did have house debt of sorts, which is why she continued to work and had recently contemplated the offer of a full-time position with her company. After moving to the casita, she hadn’t given it a second thought, but now, what else did she have?
Travis pointed. “My house is a bit like this one.”
She turned to politely to look at the Victorian that had been completely restored. It now was a lawyers’ office. “Is yours this size?”
He practically grew an inch with pride. “Mine is five-hundred square feet larger.”
She frowned, a bit puzzled. “And you’re the only occupant?”
“Yes. I’m hoping to restore it and sell it, maybe to a firm like this one.”
“So it’s actually an investment, not a home.”
He nodded. “If I wanted a home, I would have bought one of the new houses that went up on Sunset Peak Road. But what’s the fun in that?”
He really was a black-and-white type of guy. Were there only two types of men, black-and-white, or gray? Brody was definitely in the gray area.
They finally reached the Earp House, and she halted at the start of the walkway. “It’s been a pleasure helping Verde Canyon College. I do hope your school will call upon our company again.”
He looked toward the bed and breakfast as if he expected her to invite him in. “I’m sure we will. I don’t have much say in that yet, but I know my boss was very happy with your insights on our budget. Next time I’m in Phoenix, I’ll be sure to stop in and say hello.”
She wasn’t about to tell him she worked from home. Besides, she didn’t much want someone showing up at her door saying ‘Howdy.’ “It was nice working with you. I wish you luck on your house.”
He chuckled. “Thank you. I appreciate it. It feels like a never-ending project.”
She gave him a quick nod and headed down the walkway, not interested in talking in the cold any longer, and definitely not interested in inviting him in. When she reached the door, she looked back to see he still stood there.
Mr. Travis Ingram waved.
She waved with one hand as she opened the door with the other. Once inside, she made a beeline for the fireplace in the sitting room. The house had a Victorian feel and reminded her of her grandmother for some reason. Most likely it was the flowered drapes and the tiny leaf-print on the couch. Two items her grandmother would have liked.
Holding her hands out to the warmth, she hoped that Mr. Ingram had continued on to his house. His interest in her hadn’t been obvious until just that afternoon. She’d might have contemplated dating him if she’d met him while her grandparents were alive, but now that she’d fallen in love with Brody, she wasn’t sure any man would live up to her new expectations.
How was she going to continue to live in the same town with him? How long would it take to fall out of love with him? If she told him she never planned to sell, his reaction might help that process. Would his father then never release him from his promise, forcing him to break it or be trapped?
Even at the idea, she felt herself softening toward him, but then she straightened her shoulders. No. She wouldn’t feel bad for him. There were worse fates than helping one’s family. She’d helped her grandparents her whole life. How would he feel if he lost his whole family in a couple of years?
She shivered despite the warmth of the fire. She sincerely hoped that wouldn’t be the case. No doubt his father would come around in the next year and release Brody from his promise, when the dude ranch was successful. If it was successful.
In the meantime, she’d have to live with Brody being angry with her, and her hopelessly in love with him. If she took the full-time position, she would be out of town more, so that might make things a bit easier. She wasn’t ready to see him in person yet. Maybe?—
Her phone vibrated in her sweater pocket. Pulling it out, she looked at the caller. “Hello, Sheila.”
“Hey, lady. Where are you? I haven’t seen you around.”
Pleased to hear a familiar voice, she moved to the couch and sat. “I’ve been up in Prescott for work, but I’m coming home tomorrow.”
“Really? And you didn’t tell me? Honey, you need to let me know when you’re leaving town. Everyone’s been asking me where you are. Amanda and Tanner stopped in yesterday wanting to know if I’d heard from you. Nash came by the day before, and Mr. Hardy was wondering why you hadn’t been by for popcorn.”
Her eyes started to water. “They were all asking about me?” She couldn’t say any more as her throat closed with emotion. Why would they ask about her? She’d only been in Four Peaks for a few months before she’d left for Prescott.
“Of course they were. We’re a small town and we look after our own. You need to promise me that you’ll tell me if you have to leave again.”
She sniffed, swallowing hard at the same time, her heart filling. “I promise.”
“Good. Now tell me what’s going on with Brody. Brody hasn’t been in town at all, which in itself is odd. Nash let slip that Brody was moping. You wouldn’t know something about that, would you?” Sheila’s voice was filled with curiosity.
Brody wasn’t in town? Did that mean something? “I’m not sure. Last I saw him I told him to get out. Not the most polite thing to say, but he was being an ass.”
Sheila laughed. “All men are asses at one time or another. And women are bitches at one time or another. It’s just human nature. Is it anything you’d like to talk about?”
Did she? She’d always talked to her grandmother about important things in her life. She’d never had a good friend to share confidences with because she’d never needed one. “I don’t know.”
Sheila laughed again. “Lady, we need to go to dinner and have a long chat.”
“I’d like that.” Though Sheila was a bit older than she was, and much brassier, the woman’s big personality made her feel comfortable.
“Good. In the meantime, you need to get your ass back down here ASAP.”
“I do?” She rose. “I was planning to leave tomorrow.”
“Oh good.” Sheila sounded relieved. “You have to come to Boots n’ Brew tomorrow night with me. Roadhouse Tricksters are playing and they are the best. They only come once a year because the lead singer has a sister in town. Everyone goes.”
That must mean Brody would be there. “I don’t know.”
“Why not?” Sheila got quiet for a moment. “If you’re worried about running into the ass, don’t. Like I said, he’s staying on the ranch these days. Besides, everyone has been looking for you. You have to make an appearance.”
She couldn’t hide forever, and if others in town were wondering about her…
“Hannah, you still there?”
“Yes, I’m here. Just thinking.”
“Well, don’t think so hard. I’m sure Luke will teach you a new dance, and I could introduce you to the base guitarist. He’s pretty hot.”
Hannah laughed. “Please don’t. Now that I have a home, the last thing I want is to hang out with someone who travels.”
“Okay, then. If you promise to swing by my house and be my designated driver, I promise not to introduce you to the guitarist.”
“Hmm, why do I think you’re getting the better deal?”
Sheila hummed. “Because I am, honey. See you tomorrow. Oh, and wear that cute white skirt you bought in my shop.”
Before she could ask why, Sheila hung up. She set the phone down next to her and looked at the fire, feeling much happier than fifteen minutes ago. People had missed her. Her! She shook her head, still having a hard time believing it. It seemed like she not only had a home of her own now, but she also had a hometown.
Tears of happiness filled her eyes. She really did have a place she belonged now. Which meant she couldn’t let her failed relationship with Brody or his father’s need for her land to keep her away. Even if she couldn’t have the man her heart had fallen for, she’d gained a home.
She rose and headed up the narrow staircase to her room with a Blue Heron on the door. She stepped inside and looked around. There really was no reason to stay another night. Four Peaks was only three-and-a-half hours away. If she packed and checked out, she could be home before midnight.
She wanted to go home. She missed her casita and her open desert, and now that she was a part of the community, she couldn’t wait to return. Quickly, she threw her suitcase on the bed and opened it. In no time, she was packed and on the road.
It grew dark before she was halfway through her trip. She was navigating the descent and switchbacks of Route 87 after Payson when her headlights flashed across eyes in the dark. Slamming on the brakes on the curve, her Jeep tilted as her passenger-side tires left the road. It seemed like she hung there forever as the vehicle continued its forward motion. Finally, it righted itself and she came to a stop before a large male elk.
With her heart beating her breath away, she struggled to take in air, her fingers locked around the steering wheel in a death grip. The bull elk continued across the road and she followed it with her eyes, though she couldn’t seem to move. It lifted its head and let out a loud bugle sound before continuing into the wood.
She glanced in her rearview mirror for headlights, but thankfully there were none. With sheer will, she managed to let her foot off the brake, and gravity rolled the Jeep forward as she steered it to the side of the road onto a narrow strip of underbrush against the mountain wall.
Her body started to shake even as she gulped in air. Leaning her head against the steering wheel, she focused on her heartbeat, trying to get it to slow. Just as she thought she’d made progress, tears started to flow. Releasing the steering wheel with one hand, she wiped away the wetness.
If she had hit that elk, she’d be dead. The reality of that thought made her shake harder, but her tears dried. She didn’t even have a will. Who would she leave her casita to?
Brody.
Her heart squeezed at how much she loved him, even if he was an ass on occasion. It sucked to be in love with someone who didn’t feel the same way. If he did, he would have put them first, not his career dreams. But he wasn’t there yet, and now he never would be. Still, she’d give him the property because it meant so much to him. She just wished she meant so much to him, too.
Uncurling her other hand from the steering wheel, she let it drop in her lap as she put the Jeep in park. She still needed a couple more minutes to get her equilibrium back before she could continue home. She’d get a good night’s sleep in her family’s bed and start her new life without Brody tomorrow. It wasn’t perfect, but life rarely was. At least she had friends who cared about her and a hometown to return to. It was far more than she used to have, and she’d treasure it. Hopefully, her feelings for Brody would fade with time.
Her chest squeezed at the thought, but she was determined. As her grandparents had said, she was a peach with a hard pit at her core. If she decided on a plan of action, no one would keep her from it, even if she did feel like mush at the moment.