Chapter Two #2
He’d grown up naively believing their cozy resort was the best around.
The front of the oversized, two-story log cabin that served as their main lodge was cast in shadows but still felt welcoming with the warm, soft glow of lights coming from their six guest rooms and large cozy common room with its massive stone fireplace—lit this time of year with LEDs for effect only.
Across the pond were four roomy outbuildings for guests looking for a little more room to spread their wings, each also with muted light spilling out.
Their family pitched this place to visitors as a little slice of heaven, somewhere they could go to escape the noise and business of civilization.
But what would it look like a year from now?
Sam’s heart clenched at the thought of losing the lodge his family had poured so much blood, sweat, and tears into for generations.
Of how crushed his sister, Norah, would be if their resort went under just when they were finally poised to begin her proposed expansion next spring.
He parked his Dodge Ram behind the lodge and helped his grandparents out.
He’d find a way to protect them all.
Gramps led the way inside, the same, ridiculous grin on his face he’d worn when Natalie had spilled her punch all over him.
But Sam wasn’t in the mood to be poked at tonight.
They had a lodge and farmland to save, and that should be a far higher priority than teasing Sam about his prolonged bachelor-again status.
“Well?” Norah asked as they filed into the kitchen from their back, private entrance.
While his parents, Norah, and Sam all had their own homes spaced out across the ranch, the lodge had a spacious living area behind the kitchen that housed his grandparents.
Over time, this kitchen had been expanded to include a family dining area and was where the Miles family often congregated.
Tonight, Norah had the coffeepot full and mugs at the ready.
Coffee was a staple at the Flying J, morning, noon, and night.
“We should have left Sam here to do the dishes and brought you instead,” Gran said with a wink.
Norah’s shoulders sank. “You didn’t blow your top again, did you?”
“No.” He shrugged, frowning. “I think I behaved pretty well, all things considered.”
“Could have been worse, that’s for sure. And you sparring with the pretty spokeswoman was kind of fun to watch.” Gramp’s brows waggled. “Almost as fun as watching her fall into you.”
“Pretty spokeswoman?” echoed a voice from the hall.
Sam cringed as his fifteen-year-old daughter, Madison, stepped into the room.
“And why are you in your emergency backup shirt?” she asked, her eyes bright with interest.
Of course she was—the girl had been hounding him all summer about getting back out there and finding his soulmate .
Like he had either the time or the patience for that.
Besides, he’d already gone on a few dates with the handful of eligible ladies in Marietta that were his age.
After zero sparks, he’d tried the online thing a time or two.
But there just weren’t that many women within driving distance of here on those sites, and he wasn’t going to jump on some damned airborne deathtrap to go meet them.
If God wanted man to fly, he would have given everyone wings. No wings meant he was keeping his feet planted solidly on the ground… and that maybe married life wasn’t meant to be in his future.
Unfortunately, deep down, he missed being married.
Missed having someone to come home to after a long day on the range and share stories with.
Missed holding someone in his arms when they were having a rough day or being held when he’d lost a calf or had to put down an injured cow.
Missed sharing his home, his life, his bed.
Though he didn’t say as much, he knew his family sensed his loneliness, which was probably why they felt the need to meddle.
Sam gave his grandfather a warning glance before answering Madison’s question.
“Spilled something on it. And that spokeswoman spent the evening trying to get us to drink her company’s Kool-Aid on this new development.”
“Kool-Aid?” Madison asked. “Did they have cake, too?”
Norah chuckled. “It’s an expression, sweetheart. It means the lady Gramps is sweet on was trying to convince everyone to support her proposal.”
“She was a looker,” Gran added with a nod.
Yep. Brilliant smile. Alluring curves. Subtle perfume…
“Can we all please try to focus on the issue at hand?” he said to himself as much as to the others. “This is our livelihood at stake here.”
Gramps poured a cup of coffee, the mug shaking in his grip as he walked it to where Gran was seated.
He went back for a second mug, the steaming stream precariously close to missing its target for a brief moment.
The shakes were just a part of old age, he kept insisting, but the sight worried Sam nonetheless.
Hell, everything worried him right now. Maybe when his folks got back from their cruise safe and sound, he could relax a little.
Maybe, but not likely.
“Fine, we’ll come back to Natalie later,” Gramps said, setting his mug down before easing into a seat beside his wife. “Sunnie, you know this political baloney best. What was your take on tonight’s meeting?”
Everyone settled in at the table, gazes shifting to the family matriarch. Gran was focused on the mug cradled between her hands, brows lowered in concentration. Unlike Sam, she was a master at thinking before speaking.
“We need to tread carefully with this one,” she said. “Terakion Enterprises has certainly piqued the mayor’s interest, with their ninety-ten split proposal for area road improvements. If Marietta can come up with our 10 percent, then he’ll be chomping at the bit to see this deal go through.”
“But at what expense?” Sam asked. “Would he and the commissioners really sacrifice our lodge and farmland to pave a few roads? The roads around here aren’t even that bad.”
“I hate to admit it, but some of them are, Sam,” Norah countered. “There was a pothole over on East River Road that jarred my teeth last week. It’s been filled, but who knows how long it will last.”
“Or how long it will be before another hole forms nearby,” Madison added.
Sam frowned. His daughter was sharp as a whip, which her grades reflected. He just wished that tonight her sharpness would be more on his side.
Gran shrugged. “Money doesn’t grow on trees, Sam, especially around here.
The town’s got to take advantage of opportunities when it can.
And we’ve got to remember—it wasn’t Marietta or even Crawford County who went looking for this trouble.
We have Jack Nelson to thank, since he’s in such a hurry to cash out his inheritance.
Either way, there’s a lot of money at stake for both Jack and Marietta.
“That being said, I think this project as it stands is far from being a done deal.” Gran paused and met Sam’s gaze. “If we’re going to have any chance at mitigating our losses, we need to play nice with Miss Natalie. She seems like an honest, hard-working young woman with good intentions.”
If anyone could get a read on someone in a short amount of time, good, bad, or indifferent, it was his grandmother. She had a knack for such things. So, while Sam wanted to steer the conversation away from Natalie yet again, he opted this time to hear Gran out.
“Okay, so, what did you have in mind?”
“We need to talk to her. Nicely. ” Gran cut a warning look his way. “Show her Marietta living so she can better understand the impact this development could have on the ranches nearest the proposed resort.”
“Okay,” Norah said, leaning her elbows onto the table. “So, you’re thinking what—invite her to the ranch? Have us take her on a guided tour?”
The devious look that blossomed on his grandmother’s face broke Sam into a sweat.
What was she planning to do, invite the woman to dinner or something?
Good Lord, he couldn’t have that happen.
Because if Madison met her and they hit it off, he’d never hear the end of it.
In fact, the farther he kept Madison—and his grandfather, for that matter—away from Natalie, the better.
And the only way he knew to do that was bite the bullet himself.
“I’ll talk to her.”
“Actually, I overheard the mayor saying he’d have his secretary check the planning commission’s calendar to see when they can schedule the hearing’s continuation.
All I have to do is convince Patty to make sure nothing’s available until at least next week.
That should give us time to accidentally bump into her in town and invite her out for a tour. ”
Gramps nodded. “We’ll let the townies keep an eye out for her, and then we can conveniently show up at the same places. I love it.”
Norah chuckled. “You’re a sneaky one, Gran.”
“Thank you, dear. I do what I can.”
Everyone seemed to relax then. Everyone but Sam. There were still too many unknowns and an attractive out-of-towner who was sticking around longer than he preferred. And that had him worried.
“What if it’s already a done deal?” he asked.
“It’s not. You were there tonight—no vote means this decision is yet to be decided.”
Sam’s anxiety eased a notch. Having his grandmother on the board did come in handy from time to time. Even so, he didn’t like sitting around and waiting for decisions to be made that could lead to the end of his family’s lodge. Or, even worse, their entire ranch.
He’d let his grandparents play their little spy games for now, but if they didn’t connect with Natalie by the end of the week, he’d take matters into his own hands.
Though, he really hoped that wouldn’t be needed.
The less he saw her going forward, the easier it would be to pretend she wasn’t here at all.