Chapter Six
I t was no surprise to Sam that his grandmother came walking into the Java Café mere minutes after Natalie had left.
The minute Gramps had walked in and spied them at the back of the shop, he’d realized this entire trip had been a setup to get him and Natalie alone for coffee.
What made him even more irritated was how much he’d enjoyed her company.
Gran stopped beside their table and arched a brow at her husband. “Looks like someone found his teeth.”
“Don’t bother with trying to keep up the charade,” Sam said, leveraging a dark look at the both of them. “There never was a meeting scheduled with the mayor today, was there?”
Gran looked away on a shrug. “Patty tried to make it happen. My guess is his schedule filled up.”
“Or it was never open today to begin with. That wasn’t fair to Natalie,” he said. “And I don’t appreciate the two of you meddling in my affairs, either.”
“It’s hardly meddling when you have no affairs,” Gramps said, then chuckled at Sam’s scowl. “Oh, stop with the pissy act, boy. I saw how much you were enjoying her company.”
“That’s beside the point, Gramps. If I’m going to find a woman, I can do that on my own, thank you very much.”
“So, is she coming for dinner or not?” Gran asked.
Sam looked to her—the question ironclad proof that this entire afternoon had been the two of them meddling in his affairs—and shook his head. The woman had no shame. Maybe that was why Sam’s uncle Frank had chosen a college on the East Coast and grew roots in Virginia instead of coming back.
“She sure is. Will be to the lodge by six. Won’t leave us much time for a tour before sunset, but these two were a’gabbing and I didn’t want to interrupt.
Besides, that’ll just mean she has to come back again when there’s more daylight.
Then Samuel can give her the full, grand tour. ” Gramps waggled his brows.
Sam rose from his seat on a groan. “You two are incorrigible.”
“And you wouldn’t have us any other way.” Gran tipped her head toward the door. “Come on, Eli, we’ve got a stop at the grocery store to make.”
“Wait—I thought you said Ren Fletcher would be ready for us this afternoon.” At his grandmother’s look of mock innocence, Sam sighed. “You made that up, too?”
“He was ready for us,” she said as they all stepped out into the afternoon heat. “Unfortunately, it seems he had another kidney stone episode midday. His secretary assured me that she will call us to reschedule as soon as he’s back in the office.”
Sam’s irritation burned brighter. Another fib or the real deal? He wanted to know where their lease stood and whether or not they should be shopping around for more land or digging into their reserves for more money to spend on someone else’s crops.
And just like that, the good mood he’d been in when Natalie was here evaporated.
“Dad!”
He turned to find Madison and her friends walking toward them.
Now that she had friends with driver’s licenses, she rarely rode the bus home after school.
Because he knew these girls and their families, Sam was fine letting the kids be kids while they could.
And right now, seeing his baby girl was about the only thing that could pull him out of this sour mood with a single glance.
“Hey, punkin. How was school?”
She stepped away from the others to come give him a quick hug—he loved that she hadn’t outgrown that yet. “Boring. All our teachers are trying to cram in a few more lessons before finals, and it’s so annoying.”
“Annoying or not, you’ve gotta keep working hard and finish the semester strong.”
She gave him the duh look. “I know . So, what are you all doing here?”
“Your grandmother needed a ride into town, and—”
“Oh! So, her plan worked? Hang on, I wanna ride home with you and hear all the deets.”
Sam frowned as he got behind the wheel of his Ram. Even Madison knew about this?
She trotted back to her friends, exchanged a few words, then rushed back and climbed into the front passenger seat. “Now spill!”
Sam shook his head. Once that girl had her mind made up, there wasn’t much he could do to change it; since she got that from him, he couldn’t much blame her. He backed carefully out of his parking space and steered for home.
“Well, since you already know about your grandmother’s deceit, I guess I can skip that part.”
Madison patted his arm. “She did it because she loves you.”
“People who love each other shouldn’t lie to one another.
And now I’ll have more work left to do on the fence tomorrow because today’s work got interrupted.
” He hated how that complaint came out sounding like a whine.
But, dammit, he had been making good progress.
“Anyway, yes, I ended up having coffee with Natalie, and yes, Gramps came in pretending it was completely by coincidence.”
Madison giggled. “So? Is she coming to dinner?”
He leveled a dark look her way. How was it that she’d been let in on this crazy ploy but he hadn’t? “Six o’clock.”
“That’s awesome.” She looked to the windshield. “I’ll help you pick something out to wear for dinner.”
“Wha—Madison, this is not a date, honey. This is your grandparents trying to help save our ranch.”
“Why can’t it be both?”
“Because. Dates don’t generally involve having your entire family there.” He reached to up the AC. Why was it so hot in here? “And, also, this woman works for our archnemesis.”
“You don’t trust her.”
A statement, not a question from his daughter with the old soul. “She hasn’t given me reason to yet.”
Madison’s brows furrowed. “Has she given you reason not to?”
Sam looked from his daughter to the road ahead, picturing the home they were headed to.
His grandparents had gifted him that plot of land when he’d turned twenty-five; they’d done the same for his father at the same age, as well as for Norah and Jaxon.
Uncle Frank, of course, declined. Still, three generations were spread out across the frontage of five hundred acres at the foot of Copper Mountain, each of their homes surrounded by picture-perfect views.
His heart ached at the idea of ever losing that place, of losing their ranch.
It was as much a part of him as his DNA; he wouldn’t know how to survive anywhere else.
Wouldn’t want to. The answer to his daughter’s question wasn’t a simple one.
“It’s more that I don’t know how much say she has in the future of this project. Even if she agreed to help us block the project, that doesn’t mean her company would listen. This all might be a big waste of time.”
Madison nodded. “So, you want to like her, but you’re afraid of getting burned in the end.”
By her, and every other woman on the planet. “Who said I want to like her?”
“Great-Gramps told me about the meeting the other night. Said your face was as red as the punch Natalie spilled on your shirt.”
“It was more about me being surprised, is all. That punch was cold!”
His daughter threw him a not-buying-it look. Sam sighed. When had his little girl gotten so good at reading past his BS?
“Sweetheart, my world is you and the ranch, and that’s all I really need.
” Although, having a pretty little lady by his side had felt nice once upon a time.
Too bad he and Sasha were apparently doomed from the start.
“Besides, Natalie has a life and family back in Indiana. Ain’t no way I’m moving out there. ”
Madison turned in her seat. “But, Dad, what if she’s the one ? What if you two totally hit it off and fall madly in love? Who says she can’t move out here?”
Old soul or not, now she was just talking nonsense. He’d already been heartbroken by one failed transplant. There was no sense in setting himself up for another heartbreak.
“Because outsiders don’t tend to last around here.”
Madison rolled her eyes. “Not everyone is like Mom. And she lasted longer than Gramps thought she would.”
But she still left. Sam looked away on a grunt. He didn’t want to live through that a second time.
“Gramps thinks this one is different, though.”
It was Sam’s turn to roll his eyes. How could Gramps possibly know that after meeting her one day ago?
“Your grandfather’s been spending too much time watching the Hallmark Channel—it’s starting to rot his brain. Heck, he’s been losing his dentures at least twice a week lately.” He slowed to turn up the Flying J’s main drive and made a funny face. “Brain. Rot.”
“You think he loses them, but if you ask me, he does it on purpose.” Madison winked. She remained quiet the rest of the drive to their place, not speaking again until he pulled to a stop. “Just promise you’ll keep an open mind tonight, okay? She could be good for you.”
His daughter pecked a kiss on his forehead then disappeared inside, leaving Sam with his thoughts.
Keep an open mind? A soft snort escaped him.
He’d tried that once, long ago, and look where it’d gotten him—alone, having to rely on his family to help raise a daughter more or less on his own.
Why risk putting himself through another heartbreak?
So, you want to like her…
Did he? Sam struggled with that question as he climbed from the truck.
Natalie was fun to talk to. And she didn’t back down when he pushed her for answers, which was irritating but admirable.
But in truth, he didn’t really know her.
And she worked for a company that was trying to swoop in and undermine their ranch, so what did that say about Little Miss Megawatt Smile from Indiana?
For all he knew, she went around bulldozing houses and kicking puppies.
Except, he couldn’t picture her doing that. What he could picture, however, was her having a boyfriend back east. He’d be surprised if she didn’t. A beauty like her? And if not, the guys back east were probably lining up to take her out.