Chapter Fifteen #2
“What have you been up to?” he asked, doing his version of parking lot small talk while waiting to see why exactly she’d hailed him.
“You know, catching up on my accounting.”
Jordan managed a smile at the touché, and she matched it, a gotcha look in her eye.
“I didn’t mind the nickname,” she said. “Kind of liked it, actually.”
“We were in awe, you know. You were pretty damned smart.”
“Well”—she flipped her hair—“I did have my moments.” Her expression grew serious. “I see that you moved off Lil’s ranch.”
He shifted his weight uncomfortably. How much did she know?
“It looks like everything is quiet now that I’ve decided to keep the ranch. There was no need to stay.”
Aubrey glanced at her cowboy, calmly waiting next to a shiny 1980s vintage Chevy truck, then back at Jordan. “Don’t let her buffalo you.”
Jordan dropped his chin, confused. “Buffalo me?”
“Lil’s tough, but it’s at the expense of other things.”
“Okay.” Still a bit muddy.
“I guess I’m trying to say is, be patient.”
“I will.”
“And do not, ever, let her know I stuck my nose into this.”
“Never.”
“I’ve seen Lil sabotage herself.” When he frowned, she explained, “We hung out a lot in Dillon during school, and I witnessed her technique. Maybe because of her past, or whatever, she has a hard time letting herself have big feelings. You know, love? All that.”
“Love?” His heart rate bumped up.
Aubrey made a sweeping gesture with her palms. “Love being an example of big feelings,” she said patiently. “There are lots of big feelings.”
“Right.” She’d just happened to zero in on his.
She put a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t break her heart, Jordan, but also, don’t let her break yours.”
She gave him a long look, as if assessing his understanding, then turned and walked back to the Chevy.
The cowboy opened the door for her and she got inside, then they both waved. He waved back before heading to his truck feeling shell-shocked.
Love was in the picture, on his part anyway, but that was between himself and Lil. So where the hell had this conversation come from? Aubrey being intuitive? Lil spilling her guts?
The bottom line was that he didn’t have any control over whether or not Lil broke his heart, and he wondered if he had the power to break hers.
But he had to admit, Aubrey the accountant had just given him a whisper of hope.
*
Meg clacked away at her laptop, set on the kitchen table while Lil added a few more bits of bacon to the mac and cheese before putting it in the oven.
“I had no idea that teaching involved this much prep work.” Lil set the potholder on the counter next to the stove.
“Yeah. We might have to give Dakota more ranch hours.” Meg barely looked up.
“I want two solid weeks of lessons in all subjects ready to go before the year starts. My mentor says not to set the bar so high. Something about adjusting on the fly, but I can at least have everything outlined and then pivot as needed.”
“Good plan.” Lil had been Meg’s sounding board for the past several evenings and she enjoyed their conversations because they were normal.
Mundane even. A touch boring because she wasn’t that concerned about the best way to introduce fractions. Her phone rang and she picked it up, expecting Aubrey. Instead, she got a shock.
“It’s Jordan.” It rang again in her hand.
Meg lifted her eyebrows politely. “Answer it?”
“Yes.” She slid the bar on the screen and said hello.
“I heard back from Libby Weston.” Jordan’s voice was low and serious.
Lil’s hand came to her chest. “And …”
“She’s been out of the country but will be back in Montana in a matter of days. She’ll call me.”
“Did she address the elephant in the room?”
“No, but before she ended the call, she said she’d looked into things and has no reason to believe that Connery engaged in any illicit—her word—behavior. Then she asked if he’d contacted me recently.”
“Has he?”
“Not a peep. Probably afraid that I’ll sic Burke on him.”
“I don’t get why she’d think he’d contact you. You’ve been pretty clear about keeping the ranch.”
“She wants to talk about that. Said she’s been thinking of compromises.
I think she really wants to build her golf course or resort or whatever.
That’s not happening. I want to know what the deal is with her being married to Carl Jordan.
Why I got the ranch in the first place.” She could picture him running his hand over the back of his neck as he did when frustrated.
“She and I will be neighbors for the foreseeable future, and I have questions.”
After ending the call, Lil filled in Meg on the details.
“Why did he call you about this?” her sister asked reasonably.
Lil bit her lip. “We have a stake in this. We did lose an animal and we’re at the heart of things.”
“But he’s the owner. This is his thing, not ours.”
“I don’t know, Meg,” Lil said, not even trying to keep the edge of frustration out of her voice. She was glad he’d called. She wanted to know how this story ended. “Maybe he wants some moral support from someone who knows all the details.”
“He has his brothers.”
Lil set a hand on her hip. “What are you saying?” Because Meg usually kept her nose out of Lil’s private business.
Maya was the sister who charged in without an invite.
But Meg wasn’t spelling things out for her. “Nothing. Just wondering aloud.”
“Wonder quietly.”
Meg made a face at Lil and she scowled back, then came to sit at the table next to Meg’s pile of textbooks. “When did ranching become so freaking complicated?” Lil asked on a sigh.
“When the landlord turned out to be hot as hell is my guess.”