Chapter 10
Emberly was more than a little irritated again at her family’s interference. But as she stepped into the great room with Max, she tamped down the frustration.
“There’s my girl!” Dad called from his recliner near the wall of windows and sliding glass doors. The lamp on the barrel-style end table cast a soft glow over him, taking away some of the pallor and haggardness that had been plaguing him for months.
“Hi, Dad.” She made her way toward him. “Where’s Mom?” The spacious kitchen to the side of the great room was tidy but empty, the dinner pans already washed and drying in a rack on the counter.
Dad had his feet up with his laptop open in front of him. His dark hair had more silver than it ever had before, but he was still a handsome McQuaid man. “Anson has the night off, so your mom took Wyatt to Cub Scouts.”
That accounted for why the old cowboy-turned-housekeeper was nowhere in sight, and why Tyler’s miniature-lookalike son was also not racing around the house like he usually was.
Emberly leaned down and gave her dad a hug, trying to ignore how bony his shoulders felt.
Several Excel spreadsheets were open on his screen, which meant he was going over the ranch’s budget.
Was he trying to figure out if they had enough yet to purchase the new land and expand the ranch’s operations?
“Don’t worry,” came Kinsey’s voice from down the hallway near Dad’s bedroom. “T.W.’s not alone. I’m here.”
Dad expelled a sigh. “I told her she didn’t have to come over, but she insisted.”
Tyler’s fiancée, Kinsey, was a nurse and had moved into her own apartment last fall.
It was in Healing Springs so that she could oversee the new clinic she’d recently opened, giving their small town its own medical center.
Their wedding was planned for July, and Tyler hoped to have their house finished by then.
He was building it on a parcel of land only a mile or so away from the family home.
Of course, Dad had offered to move out so that Tyler, Kinsey, and Wyatt could have the big home for themselves.
But Tyler had wanted to give Kinsey a home of their own.
“I promise I won’t bother you guys,” Kinsey called.
“We don’t mind.” Emberly liked her future sister-in-law. She was not only the perfect match for Tyler, but she fit well into their family with her direct and no-nonsense personality.
Dad was peering over the rim of his reading glasses at Max, who’d stepped up beside Emberly. “And you must be Max.”
“I am.” Max held out a hand, looking as suave and gentlemanly as usual, even though he was decked out in Western gear. “I am pleased to meet you, sir.”
“Same here.” Dad accepted Max’s hand and exchanged a hearty handshake. “I’ve been hearing a lot about you this week.”
“I do hope it was not all bad.”
“Course not.” Dad leaned back and closed his laptop. “Besides, I know better than to believe everything my sons tell me when it comes to the men Emberly dates.”
“I’m not dating Max.”
“Darlin’, if what you’ve been doing this week isn’t dating, I don’t know what is.”
Emberly rolled her eyes. “Da-ad.”
“According to both Tyler and Kade, you’ve spent hours every day with your new man—”
“He’s also not my new man.” Dad’s insinuations were mortifying. She should have listened to her internal warning that he would end up embarrassing her one way or another. “I’ve been Max’s concierge this week. That’s all.”
“That’s all?” Dad smiled up at her, his eyes twinkling. “I think I know what falling in love looks and sounds like.”
“Oh my.” Emberly buried her face in her hands, wishing the floor would swallow her up. If she protested, her dad would say something about how her objections only supported his claim. “You’re impossible. You know that, don’t you?”
Her dad chuckled.
She dropped her hands, but she didn’t dare look at Max and gauge his reaction to the conversation.
“Your daughter has been wonderful, Mr. McQuaid—”
“Call me T.W.”
“T.W.,” Max said smoothly. “Emberly is truly a special woman, and I am afraid I did monopolize her time.”
Wonderful? Special? Emberly wanted to savor his words, but now was not the time. Not with Dad watching her and assuming she was in love with Max.
“From what I’ve heard, Emberly enjoyed her time with you.”
Emberly shook her head. “I showed Max my favorite activities, so of course I enjoyed the time with him.”
Max arched a brow at her as though asking her to be honest if he’d been too demanding of her.
Of course he hadn’t been. She was strong enough to stand up for herself and wouldn’t have done anything she didn’t want to. Hopefully he knew that by now. She bumped her shoulder against his arm. “He’s tried to keep up with me, but he has a lot yet to learn.”
“That’s why I called you both here.” Dad’s gaze bounced back and forth between them. “I wanted to see if Max would like to stay longer, maybe for another week.”
“What?” Emberly’s mouth nearly dropped open. What was her dad doing? If she didn’t know better, she’d almost think he was trying to set her up with Max. But why would he do that when he didn’t know anything about Max other than what her nosy brothers had said?
“I don’t know what your schedule is like, Max,” Dad continued, “but maybe you can work remotely or rearrange your schedule to free up your workload.”
After the past week of taking so much time away from work, Max was probably feeling the pressure to get back to business. But instead of a polite refusal, he slid his hands into his pockets and didn’t immediately respond.
Her heart thudded an extra beat. Did she want him to stay? If she was completely honest, thoughts of him driving away from the ranch had flooded her mind with a strange sadness that he would walk out of her life forever.
She’d known all along that the time with him was temporary and would soon be over. Maybe because of that, she’d allowed herself to let go of reservations and just have fun with him. She’d had nothing to lose in being herself and making the most of the time.
Or maybe she had more to lose than she’d realized . . . like maybe her heart.
Max met her gaze, his silvery-green eyes turning serious. “What do you think?”
Was he really considering her dad’s idea? That was ludicrous, wasn’t it? Why would he want to stay here when he had a busy life waiting for him? And there was Sarah. Wasn’t he planning to go home and attempt to repair his relationship with the duchess?
“Would you be open to the idea?” Max’s gaze seemed to probe deeper.
“You’ve told me how much work you’ve put off this week—”
“I can delegate it. I have already had to do that with some of the newest portfolios, and I shall do it again.”
Was he admitting he wanted to take up her dad’s offer? If so, was it because he wanted to spend more time with her?
The prospect of getting to be with him a little longer was really appealing.
She’d grown to admire and respect him as a person and as a prince.
Not only was he personable, kind, and enjoyable to be with, but he was intelligent, compassionate, and determined and would make a great king of his nation one day.
But what would his staying at the ranch longer accomplish?
It wasn’t as if anything could happen between them.
Not when he was a prince and far out of her league.
Even if he hadn’t been a prince and had simply been a wealthy man, they were two different people from two different walks of life and two different parts of the world.
“I can tell you want to stay.” Dad was studying Max’s face. “So why not just say yes?”
“Your offer is very kind, to be sure.” Max’s mannerisms set him apart from the ordinary man. Could her dad see that, and was he wondering more about Max’s story? “But I do not wish to annoy Emberly if she prefers to have me leave.”
“Of course I don’t.”
“So you would like me to stay?”
Did she dare say so? A part of the truth was that she didn’t want him to leave at all, ever. A part of her wanted to go on spending her afternoons and evenings with him indefinitely.
There had been a few times where an attraction had seemed to flare to life between them.
The key word was seemed. She’d caught him looking at her a time or two with something more in his eyes than friendship—or so she thought.
And she’d felt a magnetic tug toward him once in a while, especially when he’d pulled her down on his lap.
He’d only been practicing, but it had felt charged, making her want to linger there against him.
As tempting as it had been to let herself get carried away with a man as handsome as Max, she’d kept good boundaries.
Max was still waiting for her response, his expression growing more serious. “If you would like me to go tomorrow, just say so.”
“That’s not it.” With her dad staring up at her expectantly, she suddenly felt on display. “Maybe we can have a private word out on the deck.” Away from her dad’s pressure.
“Now, darlin’,” Dad started, “you don’t need to overthink this. I was just hoping Max would stay so I could get to know him better.”
She leveled a look at her dad. Why did he want to get to know Max better?
Dad only smiled. “Tyler already told me the Antelope is booked up, as are all the other cabins. So Max and his staff can stay here in the house.”
“That may not be private enough—”
“Thank you for the kind offer.” Max smiled back at her dad. “I would enjoy the chance to get to know you better too.”
“Then it’s settled.” Dad relaxed against his chair, looking way too smug.
Emberly huffed, then started toward the sliding glass door that led to the deck.
Max followed her without any prompting. As they stepped out, the darkness of the early evening enveloped them, along with the chill of the mountain temperatures.
Thankfully, she was still wearing her coat, and so was Max.
She closed the door and then crossed to the railing. She leaned against it and stared at the western range, where a golden line from the sun’s last rays outlined the rugged peaks.
After a moment, she felt Max beside her.
“You do not seem sure if you would like me to extend my visit.”
She blew out a tight breath. “What would be the point, Max?” She may as well be as blunt as always. “We can spend more time together, but it won’t change the outcome of your visit.”
“What outcome is that?”
“We’ll be parting ways tomorrow or in a few days. Either way, we’ll say our goodbyes and likely never see each other again. So why drag things out?”
“We have become friends, have we not?”
“I think so, yes.”
“Then perhaps we can remain friends, stay in contact, send each other advice, good or bad . . .” His voice hinted at humor.
She couldn’t hold back a smile. What was it about him that made her smile so easily? “My advice is always good. Remember that.”
“You have not led me astray yet.”
“And I won’t.”
He was silent a beat. “This time together, you, your ranch, it has given me the space away from my life that I have needed.”
“I’m so glad.” She really was happy he’d benefited from the ranch experience. She couldn’t fathom what his normal life was like as the CEO of the world’s wealthiest bank and heir to the throne of his country. The pressure had to be heavy and the duties unending.
“I should like to spend a few more days here . . . with you. If you are agreeable.”
“With me?”
“Yes. With you.”
“And what if I tell you I’m busy and assigning you a new concierge?”
“Then I shall demand that I have only you.”
Was his voice slightly husky, or was she only imagining it? “Demand?”
“I will not ask this time.” His voice was low and definitely husky.
Her stomach flipped with an anticipation she didn’t want to feel.
“Take the time off too.”
“You’re bossy, you know that?”
“When I know what I want, why bother with niceties?”
Had he really just said he wanted her? No, he didn’t mean it in a romantic way.
He meant he wanted her to remain his personal tour guide.
And she knew she was going to take the time off—not just because he’d suggested it but because she wanted to be with him.
In fact, she wanted to be with him much more than she dared to admit.