Chapter Six
Donovan had been headed for the café this morning when he’d seen the man coming out—and with a start, recognized him.
He’d felt a wave of panic, forcing him to look around the quiet main drag of Dry Gulch to see who else from the Mandeville ranch might be around.
He hadn’t expected to see anyone he knew in this town, especially not someone he’d seen recently down in Laramie, Wyoming, at the ranch.
What was Malcolm’s private chef doing here?
It made no sense. He’d told himself he had to be mistaken.
Still, he had ducked into the shadowed alley next to the bank.
As he watched Arnie head for the hotel, he’d known this was no coincidence.
Malcolm must have sent him to Dry Gulch to find him.
Or did Malcolm already know where he was?
His first thought had been to run. Just get in the sports car and get out of this town. His mind had raced. If the crime boss knew where he was and had sent someone here, then Donovan didn’t want to stick around to find out what Arnie had been sent to do.
He’d tried to calm down by thinking rationally.
If Malcolm wanted Donovan dead, he would have sent his second-in-command, Luca Havers, here—not that scrawny little cook.
The cook had done time in prison, but he was no killer.
It had to be a coincidence Arnie was here. Or at least not much of a threat.
After Arnie had disappeared into the hotel, Donovan had gone into the café to take his usual place at the counter.
Goldie had smiled that beautiful smile of hers.
He’d tried to pretend everything was fine by kissing her.
Not that he hadn’t wanted to do that since he’d arrived in Dry Gulch, and he was now glad he had.
Then casually he asked, “Was that a buyer for the café I saw leaving?”
She nodded. “Arnie Adams.” She glanced out the window across the street toward the hotel. “He seems very determined. Said he’ll match any offer.”
It had been Arnie, just as he’d known. But where would the former prison cook get the money to buy the café? And why Dry Gulch of all places? Donovan had no idea why, given how little was here, but what did he know about these things? Nothing.
No, what worried him was that Lolly could show up next—or worse, her father.
Not that he thought she cared enough to bother tracking him down since he now knew the real reason why she’d brought him home to the ranch, and it had nothing to do with desire or love, let alone passion.
Donovan had been nothing more than a smokescreen to hide her secret and the man she was really in love with from her father.
No, something else was up with Arnie showing up, and maybe, if he was lucky, it had nothing to do with him.
Still, his first instinct was to cut and run. But he told himself that this gig was too good to panic and blow the whole thing. Anyway, he had plans for Goldie Shaw, he thought, reminded of the kiss. If he didn’t get to finish what he’d started here, he’d be very disappointed.
That little voice of reason reminded him that the man he’d been brought here to make jealous was the local sheriff. That should have worried him more than it did. But as he looked into Goldie’s blue eyes, he knew he couldn’t leave, at least not until he got this woman into his bed.
GOLDIE FELT AS if she’d set off an avalanche and now it was completely out of control and threatening to drown her.
“I still can’t believe the offers I’m getting for the café,” she told Donovan.
The café was going to sell, there was no doubt about that.
“Arnie’s only one of the buyers really interested.
I had three more potential buyers call earlier.
All made offers, but none as large as the one Arnie made. ”
“He must really want the café,” Donovan said.
“I’m excited for you.” He gave her that heart-stopping smile of his.
“Have you given any thought to what you’re going to do with all that money?
Caribbean cruises? Trips to Europe? Someplace you’ve always wanted to travel to?
What is it you want more than anything, since you’re going to be able to buy it? ”
She shot him a surprised look. “Do you even have to ask?” she said instantly, feeling the smile slip from her face at the thought of Max.
“Sorry.” He looked chagrinned. “Right, the sheriff. Your heart’s desire is right here in Dry Gulch, so why would you leave.” He sounded disappointed about that.
Donovan left after only a cup of coffee and a piece of pie, saying he wanted to check out the area. She was glad he’d reminded her of what was important to her. Mostly she was afraid Donovan was getting too much into his role as her new beau—and she was liking it way too much.
When he’d walked in the café door earlier, she’d felt a shiver of excitement.
She was finally doing something instead of just sitting around waiting for her life to happen.
It terrified her but at the same time it felt freeing—especially after Donovan’s kiss.
Turned out it wasn’t just Max’s kisses that could make her go weak-kneed.
“Keep me informed on more offers for the café,” he said as he left. “Fingers crossed for you.”
Was it possible the café sale could turn into a bidding war with offers going even higher?
She shook her head. She’d never imagined this.
Probably because she’d never imagined selling her café.
But she’d set the wheels in motion, and like a run-away train, it appeared there was no stopping things now.
This was happening!
She felt sick to her stomach. Worse, things seemed to be moving even more quickly with Donovan. That kiss had been confusing because she’d felt a lot more than she should have. Maybe she really could get over the sheriff if these outlandish plans of hers failed.
Except that getting over Max was the last thing she wanted.
Her hope had been simply to cause a stir that would come to Max’s attention.
As it was, the entire town seemed to be talking about her and Donovan after last night and that kiss this morning in the café her three elderly regular women patrons had witnessed.
There was no possible way that Max hadn’t heard about her new…
friend and how their relationship was escalating.
But it still hadn’t brought Max to her door, Stetson in hand, the words she longed to hear on his lips. No, it hadn’t produced the result she had hoped for.
It worried her. She hadn’t seen Max at all.
In fact, he hadn’t even made his usual walk on the opposite side of the street this morning.
Was he trying even harder to avoid her? She told herself that she could have missed seeing the sheriff on his walk since she’d been quite busy with buyers and Donovan.
She felt a shiver remembering the kiss again. She’d never thought her body would react to anyone but Max. She’d been wrong, thinking about the electrical shock of it sparking a desire she’d thought Max had permanently extinguished.
After that, Donovan had taken her hand for a moment, running his thumb pad over her palm and sending goose bumps racing over her.
She’d had to swallow the lump that rose in her throat at the way he looked at her.
He was so good at this! She’d really hired the right man.
But it wasn’t real, she had to remind herself.
Her phone rang, breaking into her thoughts. She saw it was her Realtor and quickly picked up. “I have an offer I think you might want to consider.”
How could she not? she thought after she heard the even larger offer from Arnie. For a moment, she couldn’t speak. She’d thought it would take a while to sell the café. Actually, she’d hoped it might not sell at all. Not everyone wanted a business in a small Montana town.
Now it came down to the the big, life-altering decision. Could she really part with this café and the life she’d built through her hard work? Even if Arnie kept the café’s name, Goldie’s would be no more once she said yes.
“If you’re serious about selling, I’d jump on this offer.”
She cleared her voice. She couldn’t turn it down.
It was more money than she’d ever dreamed of, and if she didn’t accept, she would have wasted everyone’s time.
Hadn’t she realized that this could happen?
Hadn’t she been desperate for change as if even the threat of selling could get her what she truly wanted?
It hadn’t.
Even Donovan’s attention might not work either. Maybe she’d been wasting her time. How much more was she willing to lose in this ridiculous, impetuous scheme of hers? But if Max didn’t love her, how could she stay here in Dry Gulch, running the café and yearning for the man?
Tears burned her eyes as she cleared her throat yet again and said, “I’ll take it.” She instantly heard the relief in her Realtor’s voice. “Some of the others had asked that I stay around for a while after it sold to make the transition easier and I’d agreed to that.”
“Arnie knew that was an option, but he’s declined your offer to stay,” the Realtor said.
“He wants to implement his plans right away and feels it is better if the sale is quick with a clean break. I’ll have everything written up for your signatures.
It will be final by tonight. That should be a relief.
It might have been hard to hang around with a new owner, seeing whatever changes he made. ”
“Yes.” She tried to swallow back the tears, but they ran free down her cheeks.
She brushed at them with the back of her hand, fighting to hold the sobs at bay as she tried to convince herself that this was for the best. Max hadn’t cared that she’d put the café up for sale.
She’d been a fool to think that he would care when she sold it.
THE SHERIFF REALIZED that he’d hoped to find out something incriminating about Donovan Cole.
On the surface, the man looked squeaky clean.
He came from money, which could explain his sketchy employment history.
He’d spent eight years in college, coming away with degrees in theater, art and advertising.
He’d worked odds jobs in all three, but not for long at any one of them.
Nothing that Max could find suggested the man had any experience in food service. Maybe his brother was right. Maybe Donovan wasn’t interested in buying the café. Which made Max even more suspicious about what the man was really after here in Dry Gulch.
Seeing that Donovan’s last address was in Laramie, Wyoming, he decided to do more digging.
He told himself he’d have to be careful.
If Goldie found out, she’d get the wrong impression.
Max didn’t want her thinking that he was butting into her business, let alone that he was jealous.
He just wanted to make sure she was safe. He wanted the best for her.
His gut told him it wasn’t Donovan Cole.
If not to buy the café, then what had brought the man to Dry Gulch?
Had he merely been passing through, happened to stop at Goldie’s for lunch and taken a liking to the café owner?
Not that Max could blame him. Goldie was beautiful, but she was also smart and funny—and about to come into a bunch of money from the sale of her café if the rumors were true.
Which was why Max had to find out everything he could about this man who’d apparently taken an interest in her. He worried she was vulnerable after their breakup. He told himself that as sheriff, it was his duty to make sure this man didn’t take advantage of her.
He thought the answer might be in the time Donovan had spent in Laramie.
That’s how he came across a woman by the name of Lolly Mandeville.
He found several photographs of the two of them together on social media.
The last name rang a bell. Just as he’d feared, Lolly Mandeville was the daughter of Malcolm Mandeville, the head of a large crime family.
That certainly raised red flags. How involved had Donovan Cole been with Lolly and her criminal relatives? It made him even more suspicious about what the man was doing in Dry Gulch.