Chapter 6
Six
THE MOMENT she sat down, Ben shot Gideon a frown and Maya figured her insistence that she wasn’t there for romance went in one ear and out the other. He was jealous of Gideon and wasn’t even being subtle about it.
The truth was, if she hadn’t run into Gideon and resurrected old feelings, then maybe she would have been interested in getting to know the single dad a little better.
But Gideon was here and his presence was the only one she wanted.
Which made her frown, because she hadn’t been lying when she said romance wasn’t a good idea with her issues—or her plans for the future.
What if Gideon was interested in her but not in how she wanted to spend the rest of her life?
Or if not her life, at least the next several years.
Getting involved with him would be setting herself up for a world of hurt.
Assuming he was even interested. Which she thought he might be.
Maya set her bag in the chair next to her and paused. It was a table for six. A kernel of an idea wormed its way into her mind. Lila had stationed herself discreetly near an exit, and Maya waved at her to join them. The officer walked over. “Yes?”
“Would you like to sit with us? Ben, would that be all right?”
He smiled. “Of course. The more the merrier.”
His smile reached his eyes and Maya relaxed a fraction. He met her gaze and gave a slight good-humored shrug. Lila sat and immediately started talking to the boys, who wanted to know all about being a police officer and if she’d ever put her handcuffs on a bad guy.
She had and they were thrilled.
“So, what brings you to Silver Pines?” Ben asked Maya.
“I used to vacation here as a teen and decided it would be a great spot to do some thinking.”
“About?”
“Life.” She smiled. “What about you?”
He shrugged. “Like you, we’ve had good times coming here.
It’s been a year since I lost my wife to brain cancer and didn’t want to spend that anniversary at home.
Mom suggested we come here, make some new memories as a new kind of family.
” He sipped his cocoa. “It was a good idea. We’ve had a good time in spite of the avalanche excitement. ”
Lila helped Owen, the oldest boy, put a straw in his cup. She looked up at Ben. “I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine how hard that was.”
“One of the hardest things I’ve ever been through.” He cleared his throat. “But we’re making it.”
A small silence fell until little Mitch walked around to Lila’s chair and smiled up at her. “I like you.”
Lila laughed and brushed his bangs from his eyes. “I like you too, honey.”
From there, the atmosphere lightened and talk turned to Ben’s career.
“A genetic genealogist?” Gideon asked. “Now, that sounds like an interesting job.”
Lila leaned forward. “What exactly does that entail?”
“You really want to know?” Ben asked with a one-sided grin.
“Yes.”
He laughed a little self-consciously, but before he could launch into his explanation, Maya placed her hand on his.
“I’m sorry, Ben, but Gideon and I have some work we need to do before we have dinner with some friends.
Then I need to stop by the clinic to check on a few patients.
I hope you won’t be offended if we go get started on that? ”
He hesitated and frowned, but said, “No, of course not.”
“Thank you.” Maya looked at Lila. “Feel free to stay here, we’ll be within sight.”
Lila shot her a grateful look. “Thanks, because I really am interested in hearing what Ben has to say.”
Ben looked like he wasn’t sure whether to be perturbed or amused. Maya prayed he’d go with amused.
She grabbed her bag, said her goodbyes to everyone, and headed for a larger table in the back corner. She needed the space to spread out.
Gideon followed.
Maya took a seat, then glanced at Lila, Ben, and his boys. They seemed to be happy enough, and she hoped they wouldn’t think her rude, but she really did need to figure some stuff out and she was running out of time to do it.
Gideon took a seat opposite her. “I don’t think Ben’s too happy about this arrangement.”
“He’ll be fine. Lila likes him.”
“I was kind of curious about what a genetic genealogist does.”
She scoffed. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. A bit.”
She motioned to her computer. “Would you like me to google it for you?” She grimaced. “Oh wait. I can’t. No Wi-Fi.”
“I’m kidding. I know what one does. It’s a cool job. They can work with families, finding lost members, or sometimes work with law enforcement, analyzing DNA and other stuff. It’s interesting.”
“How do you know all that?”
“I read.”
“You read, huh?”
“I do.”
“Well, read this.” She pulled some papers from her bag and pushed them across the table in front of him. “What do you think about that?”
He looked down and Maya waited. When he finished, he frowned and met her gaze. “It’s an offer to buy the ranch.”
“Yes.”
“A very good offer.”
“I know. As soon as Gramps passed, the vultures started circling.”
“Yeah. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I’m thinking about how to make it work to my advantage. There are three more of those offers. All different amounts, but good ones. That one is the best.”
“Wow. But there’s no way you want to sell, so how do you plan to work with this?”
“That’s the big question. The fact is, I need money to fund this new adventure.
” She pulled another document from her bag and spread it over the table.
“This is a map of the ranch. From border to border.” She patted the stack of papers to her left.
“These are the offers. If I were to sell off a portion of it, which portion would you pick and who would you offer to sell it to? The one who wants to set up a smaller ranch, the one who wants to create a touristy getaway with a horse farm, or the one who wants to turn it into a wildlife sanctuary and rehabilitation center for injured animals?”
He studied her for a moment, then lowered his gaze to the map.
Minutes ticked past as he read each offer, going back and forth between them and the map.
“Okay, if I were going to sell, it would be this area and to the wildlife sanctuary and rehabilitation center. It’s probably enough land to generate the funds you need, but the business will keep it relatively untouched.
” He tapped the third offer she’d gotten and pointed to the area on the map that was one hundred acres at the edge of her property line. Without the water source.
She blew out a relieved breath. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For confirming what I was thinking. It’s the best deal for the least amount of land, but it will give me the capital I need to start the nonprofit part of the business.
If I sell those hundred acres, it will give me almost a million and a half to start with—to build another bunkhouse, enclose pastures, plant a hayfield, a garden, and more.
The ranch itself will be a for-profit business.
Vets who come to stay will help with the planting and harvesting of the garden, and we’ll dig some wells, run cattle, train and board horses, and so on. ”
“It all sounds amazing, Maya.”
She smiled. “It’s exciting, isn’t it? And a real answer to prayer.” She bit her lip. “But overwhelming too.”
“You’re going to need good help for sure.”
“I have people in mind and I’ve already put out feelers.” She shook her head. “You know, it’s wild how my family came to own that land. Years ago, Gramps won the ranch in a poker game.”
“Poker? Your grandfather? I didn’t take him for a gambler.”
“Oh yeah. He was a bit of a scoundrel in his younger days. Before he decided to let the Lord lead him.”
“Well, that’s the way some people used to do business back then. Over a game of cards.”
“Exactly. And he said he never felt right about it. That he had to make it right. He said he went to the man he won the land from a couple of years later and tried to pay him for it.”
Gideon blinked. “He did?”
“Yeah. Said he got so he couldn’t sleep at night, and every time he tried to pray, he felt like the Lord was impressing it on him to do the right thing.”
“So he did.”
“He did. Although, he didn’t say it was easy. It was a lot of money, and it was more than he had in the bank.”
“But he did it anyway,” Gideon murmured with a strange look on his face. A look that disappeared so fast she almost wondered if she’d dreamed it. “What happened as a result?”
“Well, he said the man had come to know the Lord by that point as well and told him he’d been foolish and deserved what he’d gotten. But he’d take half the money if my grandfather felt so inclined. Gramps wound up giving it to him over a period of five years so he didn’t go broke.”
“No way.”
“I’m not kidding. Gramps said after the deal was worked out and shook on, that night was the best night’s sleep he’d had since the game.”
“Because he did the right thing.”
“Because he obeyed what the Lord was telling him to do. Which was the right thing, so yes.”
Gideon nodded, but he had a faraway look in his eye.
“Gideon?”
He blinked. “Sorry, I was just thinking.”
“About what?”
He shot her a small smile. “About what doing the right thing looks like sometimes.”
“What do you mean?”
He rubbed his hands together and shook his head. “Never mind. It’s not important.”
“Okay, well, what about this, then? You’re in construction, right?”
“I . . . uh . . . yes. Why?”
“Could you take care of building everything that needs to be built at the ranch?”
He gaped at her a moment and then snapped his lips shut. “Me?”
“Yes. You. I’d sign a contract and so on.”
“I . . . I mean . . . why me?”
“Why not you? I need a builder and you’re a builder. There’s no one I would trust more.”
His eyes darkened and he turned away from her. “Excuse me a minute. I’ll be right back.” He slid out of his chair and headed for the restroom.
Maya watched him go, then snapped her swinging jaw shut. What in the world had just happened?