Chapter 34
Dawn must be smiling down on us from the stars, or wherever people go when they die, because this weekend has been a dream.
I only wish she were here to see it. Dawn would’ve loved everything we’ve done—minus a few small decoration changes.
The woman was very stubborn about her attachment to doilies and ugly vases.
She should’ve gotten a chance to see how brilliant her granddaughter is. How Belle manages to put every guest at ease with her friendly, slightly goofy demeanor and her bright smile. How she’s an incredible mix of charm, grit, and wit.
They’re so similar, they would’ve been thick as thieves, and it hurts my heart to know that neither of them got to know that about the other.
But we can’t change what’s passed, and though I’m not a religious cow man, I do think part of Dawn is still here with us. Her lingering energy is the magic Belle so aptly pointed out.
I can only hope that Dawn wouldn’t want to throttle me for all the lecherous thoughts I’m having about her granddaughter.
It’s her fault. She’s the one that pushed us together. Knowing that meddling old woman, she probably figured we’d be a good match. Dawn was always bugging me to find time for dating, so she shoved my best romantic prospect right in front of my face so I couldn’t ignore her.
Head filled with thoughts of Belle, and everything I want to do with her and say to her when our weekend guests depart tomorrow, I don’t notice the ruddy human man approaching me until Astra lets out a loud huff and turns her head toward him.
“Whoa, that’s a gigantic horse!” The human stumbles back a few steps, eyes widening.
Astra reaches her neck toward him, curious, and I pat her nose with a smile. “Need a big horse for someone my size.”
“Oh, right.” The man lets out a nervous laugh.
“You missed the trail ride, if that’s what you’re looking for. But there will be another one later today, so if you come back at two, we can get you on a horse. One more suitable to your size,” I add with a chuckle.
The human shakes his head. “No, I wasn’t…Uh, you’re the owner, right?”
Well, shit. So much for things going perfectly. My anxiety spikes as a list of all the things that could’ve gone wrong and have the potential to ruin everything floods my mind.
Using Astra’s presence to steady me, I force a smile and nod. “I’m one of the owners, yes. Name’s Cal.”
“Oh, good!” The human’s posture relaxes, though he still keeps looking at Astra warily every few seconds. “I’m Jace Nigella. I’m a friend of Belle’s.”
Ah, so this is one of her so-called friends that showed up and expected her to accommodate them with no warning. Belle didn’t bring it up to me, but Marcie spilled all the details of their exchange to August, who passed them on to me.
If I were a betting man, I’d say that he’s one of the ex-boyfriends who left her for one of her friends. Which makes me immediately dislike him, on multiple levels.
I wonder if there’s any part of Belle that misses her ex, eyeing Jace up and down.
He’s good-looking enough, I guess, with a decent head of dark brown hair and big hazel eyes, but there’s something intangible about him that makes him seem smarmy.
Plus, the early summer sun hasn’t been kind to him, turning his cheeks and arms an unhappy-looking red.
Even I know humans that pale need to wear sunscreen, and we provided some in the welcome baskets, but I guess he missed that.
“Nice to meet you, Jace.” I extend a hand to shake his, and get a ridiculous amount of pleasure that it’s clear how easily I could crush him from the size difference of our hands. Not that I would. But now we both know.
“Likewise, Cal. I was hoping I could have a few minutes of your time to discuss some things?”
I frown. Does he know I’m interested in Belle, and he still wants her?
Is he pissed about the state of the honeymoon cabin?
Because even if it’s only half-painted and there are some tarps in there, it’s still a hell of a lot nicer than what I would’ve given to people who were as rude as they were to Belle. “What kind of things?”
Astra must sense my unease, because she nudges me and I exhale some of my tension, leaning in toward her in thanks.
“One sec…” Jace pulls his wallet out of his back pocket, and digs around in it.
Who carries their wallet around on a guest ranch? There’s nothing that needs to be purchased. Any tips and such for the staff are done at checkout, and meals are included.
He lets out a little sound of triumph when he pulls out a matte black business card and passes it to me.
I squint at the tiny gold foiled text.
Jace Nigella, Senior Agent
Grimstone Property Investment Firm
Jace’s expression grows smug, and he puffs up a little when I look back at him, clearly expecting me to be impressed and intrigued.
I level him with a blank stare. “Nice business card. Very…shiny.”
He deflates a little and shakes his head at me when I go to pass it back.
“No, no, that’s for you. I’ve gotta say, Cal, you’ve put together a decent place here.
With a little TLC and the right investors, you could make it even better.
” He misses me bristling at his implication that our renovation efforts were subpar. “Which is why I wanted to talk.”
“Ah.” I reach into my pocket and pull out a treat, holding it out for Astra and making it clear how little I’m interested in this conversation.
Jace barrels forward with what is clearly a speech he prepared.
“I work for Grimstone. You’ve probably heard of us.
It’s a top ten real estate investment firm that specializes in finding properties we can turn around and increase revenue for.
This takes many forms, and our level of investment varies depending on the property, but I think we could make something work for Taurus Ranch. ”
Make something work? Who does this prick think he is, acting like he’d be doing me a favor to swoop in right when things are looking up for the ranch? Does he really think I’m that stupid?
“You’re saying your company wants to buy Taurus Ranch.” I keep my tone and expression neutral so I don’t give him any impression that I’m excited at the prospect.
“Well, to simplify things, yes.” Jace nods, his words dripping with superiority. “We’d still keep you on to manage the property, but we’d be the ones who would pay the bills, so to speak.”
“So you want me and Belle to do all the work, and your company gets the profit from that.”
“N-no, that’s not exactly…you’d still be making money!” Jace laughs awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Let’s schedule a call with you and our team to discuss the details.”
My eyes narrow. “You can’t explain the details to me yourself? You need a whole team for that?”
He sputters, and it takes all my composure not to laugh. “Not usually, no, but I’m in vacation mode so I’m not, uh, as prepared as I normally am.”
I smile and nod, pretending to be sympathetic. I wait a beat, then go in for the kill. “From what I’ve heard, you make a habit of showing up unprepared.”
“That wasn’t—I assumed that there’d be room because—”
“You assumed there’d be room because you thought Belle wasn’t capable of running a successful business.”
His eyes widen. “N-no, that’s not—”
“Just like you’re assuming I’m not smart enough to understand that the only reason your company would be interested in ‘investing’ is because you see we’re doing well and want to reap the benefits of our hard work.”
“Oh, come on, that’s not what I—” Jace’s face is even redder now, his composure failing.
Astra is the one to cut him off this time, snorting. I give her a pat. “Sorry, girl, we’re done talking now.” I glare at Jace, daring him to argue.
At least he has enough sense to know he’s screwed up his proposal, nodding curtly. “I should get back to my girlfriend.”
I give him a sharp grin. “Have a pleasant rest of your stay.”
When he’s gone, I release a heavy sigh. “What an asshole,” I mutter, and Astra agrees with a huff. I chuckle and pat her side. “Alright sweet girl, let’s get you saddled up. We both could use a nice ride after that nonsense.”
By the time I finish my trail check, get Astra untacked, and make it to the dining hall, dinner is already well under way.
My chest squeezes at the lively chatter and clusters of people filling the space.
There’s still enough room that it’s not cramped, but there’s a warm, welcoming energy to the room when it’s occupied by many happy guests.
I load up my plate, hungry after a long day, and scan the room for familiar auburn waves.
I’ve eaten with Belle almost every meal this weekend, and had a delightful time teasing her, squeezing her thigh or letting my tail brush against her calf under the table and seeing if she maintains her composure.
As I approach her, my grin falters. Jace, and a woman who must be his girlfriend, sit across from Belle.
He’s speaking animatedly, his hands flapping to emphasize whatever he’s saying.
Belle’s back is to me so I can’t see her expression, and for a split-second there’s a surge of worry that she might enjoy talking to him.
Then I notice the stiffness in her spine, and the slight grimace on the girlfriend’s face.
They’re so engaged in the conversation that no one notices me approaching, and I linger for a moment to listen in.
“We’re not interested. Please drop it.” Belle’s voice is sharp, but not raised.
Jace scowls. “Oh, come on! You know this would be good, and just because the idiot hornhead doesn’t understand that, doesn’t mean you have to go along with him. You’re part-owner, right? Act like it!”
“Honey, lower your voice,” the woman beside him hisses.
“I would if she’d see reason,” he huffs, sounding like a petulant manchild.
Belle sits up straighter, clasping her hands in front of her. “I was trying to be polite, but I guess that went over your head, so let me make it abundantly clear. I’m. Not. Interested.”
My stomach does a little flip at how strong she sounds. When presented with what would be an easy out for her, a way for her to make some easy cash from the ranch and not have to work so hard, she doesn’t take it.
“Don’t be stubborn—”
“I’m not done,” Belle says icily. My dick perks up at the command in her voice. “As you know, Taurus Ranch has a zero-tolerance policy for harassment and discrimination. Which includes racial slurs. Which means I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
“What, because I called him a hornhead? Oh come off it, Belle. You can’t make us leave because—”
I take that as my cue to step up to the side of the table. “Is there a problem here?”
Jace startles. “N-no, just a misunderstanding. We’re fine, right?” He gives Belle a pointed look.
“They’re just about to leave.” Jace opens his mouth to protest, but Belle glares at him. “Unless you’d like me to check in with my business partner on whether or not what you said was offensive.”
“Oh, no, that’s fine!” the girlfriend squeaks, grabbing Jace’s arm and tugging him up to his feet. “We were planning on leaving tonight, anyway. Not enough for us to do, and not really up to our standards. I’m sure you understand.”
God, she’s as bad as her boyfriend.
She leads her sputtering boyfriend away, and when Belle smiles at me in relief, something rises in my chest, urgent and needy.
I set my tray down on the table and give her a stern look. “I need to speak with you. In private.”
“What? Why?”
“You don’t want to have this conversation out here,” I say, fighting not to betray the affection I feel as she frowns in concern.
“Okay…”
I pretend to storm off, making my steps heavier than usual, and she trails behind me to the kitchen.
Our cook is outside on her break, and Belle levels me with a glare when she sees we’re alone.
“If this is about Jace’s business proposal, you can calm down!
I didn’t take it. How many times do I have to tell you I’m not going anywhere? ”
“I know.”
She frowns, some of her agitation deflating. “I’m also not interested in Jace. I can’t believe I ever dated him, and I’m definitely not getting back with that asshole.”
“I know,” I repeat.
“Then what did I do?” Belle huffs. “If it’s about how I—”
I don’t let her finish. All my admiration and affection and attraction swirl within me, chanting over and over that Belle is perfect.
That she’s the one, and there’s no point in pretending otherwise.
That even if she ends up breaking my heart, it’ll have been worth it to be close to this brilliant woman.
I close the distance between us, grabbing her by the waist and bending down to kiss her.
She blinks at me in surprise as our lips part. “W-what—”
“I love you.”