Chapter 2
CHAPTER 2
The voice on the other end of the phone niggled at Austin’s brain. He knew that voice, except he couldn’t place how. Wildwood Falls was a small town, so it would have been more surprising if he didn’t know someone. Except he’d been gone for ten years and more had changed in that time than he could ever have imagined.
His siblings had grown into competent adults who could manage the ranching business without assistance from him. After all, they’d been doing it for their whole lives. Austin had taken a different path. Not by choice, exactly, more by circumstance. He couldn’t waste time regretting it because it brought him to where he was now. Plus regret didn’t change the past—he’d learned that lesson all too well.
He wasn’t entirely sure why he’d come back home now. He could have started this business venture anywhere he’d lived the past decade. Something called him back, though. No matter how long you’ve been gone, the siren song of home doesn’t stop.
So when Austin was ready to launch his equine therapy business, there was only one place he considered—the Rolling R Ranch. His siblings were happy to welcome him back, although they thought his idea farfetched. Why would people pay good money to stand around talking to a horse when they could ride one?
Equine therapy wasn’t quite that simple, though it was true that riding wasn’t always included. It required specially trained horses with exactly the right temperament. The typical ranch horse wasn’t necessarily a good fit. Austin needed to scout, purchase, and train horses specifically for this task, in addition to finding a trained equine therapist. He’d saved up enough for a year of living expenses, but needed capital for the business.
Which was why he was renting out a room in the main house. His siblings had all moved into the small cabins dotting the ranch and the main house had been empty since his parents retired to Nevada and turned the ranch over to their children. There was a small in-law suite, which made a perfect rental. His siblings rolled their eyes at the idea, but hadn’t protested, so Austin hoped to find a tenant as soon as possible. He’d had several applicants already, but none of them had been a good fit.
He was feeling hopeless about finding a quiet, reliable tenant when he received the phone call this morning. Based on her youthful voice, he wasn’t sure the woman was mature enough to be a good candidate, but he was getting desperate. He needed to make some purchases and needed the capital to do it. And something about her drew his interest. She wasn’t timid, despite her apparent age. She went toe to toe with him without a second thought. Some might call her rude, challenging him on his assumption she needed her father’s money, but Austin preferred to think of it as spunk.
Austin liked spunk.
The woman was brave. And independent. And much too young for him. At thirty, with his past, he wasn’t an eligible match for anyone, let alone such a young woman. Which is how he preferred it.
As it neared two o’clock, he realized he hadn’t even asked her name. He had no idea who he expected in ten minutes. His earlier appointment hadn’t passed the background check, so he was hoping this one worked out. He was beginning to think there wasn’t one eligible renter in all of Wildwood Falls.
He busied himself in the barn to avoid inevitable worry. He stood in the center of the ranch’s original barn and catalogued repairs needed. It was a sturdy building, thanks to his grandparents hard work, but the roof leaked and needed repair, as did some of the stalls. It had been used as storage in recent years and that had been a huge undertaking to clear it out.
Whenever he stopped to reflect on those who came before him, his own role in his family legacy pricked at him. He wasn’t taking over the ranch as he’d once assumed when he was a kid. That honor fell to his younger brother. Liam did an amazing job so Austin had no regrets there. It was more that he hadn’t felt part of his family for so many years. His own youthful rebellion and foolishness disconnected him and he’d spent the better part of the last decade trying to figure out how to piece the connection back together.
Footsteps crunched on gravel outside the open door and Austin turned in time to see the most gorgeous woman he’d ever met silhouetted in the afternoon sun. She peered in the doorway, her eyes taking a moment to adjust to the dim light. Her blond hair glowed around her like a halo and her eyes were a piercing blue that seemed to see right down into his soul.
“Hello,” she said. “I’m here to look at the room for rent.” She took a hesitant step inside the door, all the while cataloguing him from the tip of his worn cowboy boots to his unruly sandy blond hair. Her pretty mouth was pursed as if she was deep in thought. A flush came over her cheeks as he returned her appraising stare.
That familiar feeling niggled again. He knew this woman, though he had no earthly clue how to place her.
“I’m Austin,” he said as he moved closer and offered his hand to shake.
“I know,” the woman replied. She accepted his handshake and wrapped warm fingers surely around his. They held the handshake moments longer than they should, but Austin couldn’t bring himself to pull away. He’d rather tug her to him and see how well she fit against his hard frame.
“I’m afraid I can’t say the same,” he said and hoped she’d fill him in without him having to come right out and admit he didn’t recognize her.
She tilted her head and a sly grin crossed her expression. “I’m Payton. To be fair, the last time you saw me, you were tugging my pigtails.”
Austin’s gut dropped at the information. This was Payton Walker? Little Payton with the freckles and incessant questions? It was true he’d tugged her pigtails in that playful way big brothers do—because at the time she was practically another sister to him. He had been best friends with her brother, Griffin and spend as much time with her family as he did his own.
Until everything changed.
And he’d just been ogling her and thinking very un-brotherly thoughts.
Griffin was going to kill him.
“This isn’t going to work,” he blurted before he could consider a more tactful way to let her down easily. There was no way he’d rent to her. The two of them, alone in his house, her bedroom so close to his—that was trouble. And Austin had allowed trouble to burn him once before. He’d learned his lesson.
Her face fell and he wished he could call back the words. Say anything to bring that playful smile back. Her mouth was much too pretty to be turned down in disappointment like it was currently.
“Why not? Because of who I am? It’s been ten years, Austin. Surely you can’t still hold a grudge.”
“Me? I don’t hold a grudge. It’s your brother who practically ran me out of town.”
“He did not,” Payton replied and Austin knew then that she didn’t know the whole story. If she did, she would have turned and walked out. Probably slapped him first, then left.
Instead, she stood her ground in front of him—close enough that he could smell her floral shampoo and see that her eyes were an ephemeral blend of bold blue and turquoise green. Not that he should be noticing those things about her. He took a large step back to create enough distance that his brain had a chance of functioning.
She stepped forward to close the distance between them again. He stepped back and and she moved forward. Stubborn girl. If he kept going, he was going to be backed into a beam, then what would she do?
He suspected her bravado was more confidence than she felt, so he couldn’t resist testing the limits-just a bit. Same old Austin who can’t resist playing with fire.
He stepped back. Payton followed. They continued this dance until his back hit the beam and Payton was right in front of him, her breath coming in short bursts. He was so close to calling her bluff.
Austin raised his arms above his head and rested them on the beam. “You’ve got me where you want me, darling What do you plan to do with me?” He deliberately laced the words with innuendo but Payton didn’t back down.
She flushed deeper and her eyes widened with something that looked ike desire. But she held her ground. An impasse, it seemed.
Her breath ghosted over his cheek and he considered the ramifications of reaching for her and giving her the kind of kiss she’d probably never experienced. That would teach her a lesson. Would also get him killed, if she told her brother.
Instead, Austin allowed the moment to unravel between them. Waited for her next move in this chess game they were apparently playing. Queen poised to take the win.
Payton huffed a frustrated sigh then stepped sideways. A Queen can move anyway she wants, after all.
Austin remained where he was and waited. Silence dragged on as they watched each other. He’d lost track of the endgame here. He needed to get her out of his barn and off his property as soon as possible. He was good at running women off, it seemed, but not this one. Payton showed no signs of giving up.
“Are you going to rent me that room or what?” she demanded, turning to face him with her hands on her hips.
“No, I’m not,” he replied.
Payton rolled her eyes and for a moment he saw a glimpse of the familiar Payton he’d known. The one who was in a constant state of aggravation with her older brothers. “I’m not a child. I have the money. I’d be a good tenant.”
“I don’t care. I can’t rent you the room.”
“Ohhh!” she whined and kicked at the dust on the floor with her work boot. “We’re all adults here, Austin. Why do you have to be so stubborn?”
“I’m looking out for you. Griffin will kill you, then me, if he so much as senses we’re having this conversation.”
“Why?” she pierced him with those blue eyes. “Why don’t you two patch things up? You were best friends.”
“That’s a question for your brother.”
Payton kicked at dirt again. He could see the gears turning in that cunning brain of hers. She’d always been smarter than all of them. She glanced around the barn furtively until her eyes landed on a magazine tossed on the nearby workbench. Her eyes lit up and she picked it up. She held it up as she turned to him.
“You read about equine therapy?”
Austin debated whether to disclose his plans. He decided it would be public knowledge soon enough anyway and there was no reason to hold back the information from Payton.
“I’m planning to start a non profit to provide equine therapy to people who need it.” He’d benefited from it himself and wanted to pay it forward.
“You’re going to provide it?! Are you certified?” She looked at him with wide-eyed curiosity and appreciation. Her approval warmed him more than it should.
“Not me. I plan to hire someone once I have everything set up and ready to go.”
“It’s a lot of work to start a new business,” she said as she chewed her lip. “Do you have any experience with this type of therapy?”
Austin nodded. “Yes. I do. I know I need to have the right professional in place before I open the program, but I’m well informed about what is needed.”
Her eyes darted around the old barn, cataloguing the peeling paint, broken stall doors, and leaky roof. “This is a lot of work. Not to mention hiring someone and finding the right horse.”
“It is. I have a horse in mind, already. One of the older ranch horses. Once I hire the equine therapist, I’ll explore whether Mabel is suited for the job. I need the money to hire someone, which is why I’m renting a room.” Dammit, he was trying to avoid that topic because no way was he renting to Payton. He valued his life and had no doubt Griffin would murder him without so much as blinking an eye.
Payton’s eyes sharpened at the reminder of why they were here. “The rental market is competitive, so I’m sure you have a lot of applicants. But I’m the best fit.”
Austin shook his head. “No, you are absolutely the worst fit. It’s not happening, Pay, so forget it.”
Her expression softened at the use of her nickname. He hadn’t meant it—the name had kind of slipped out from a long-forgotten habit.
She held up the magazine. “I know horses. And I know equine therapy. You don’t know it yet, but you need me.” She smacked the magazine into his chest and he reflexively grabbed it and set it down on the workbench.
The word need got stuck in his brain and he couldn’t move past the thoughts that tumbled around of all the ways he might need her—none of them related to horses. She was just so damn pretty and full of life. It had been so long since he’d allowed himself the pleasure of appreciating a woman’s company. Why now and why this woman was a question best left unanswered.
“I don’t need you.” It was more a reminder for him than a statement to her.
Payton was undeterred. “You do. You have a ton of work to do and you need help. I can help.”
Austin knew she worked with her older brothers at the outdoor adventure company which didn’t seem to qualify her to help him with an equine therapy business.
“I’m not sure your experience is what I’m looking for,” he hedged. This conversation had already gone on longer than he planned and he resolved to get her out of his barn—and his life—as quickly as possible. He didn’t like the way his skin felt tight around her and his heart threatened to beat out of his chest with her nearness.
Payton pulled herself up to her full height and advanced on him again. She was at least 5’7’’ he figured, which was much shorter than his 6’2’’ yet she showed no signs of intimidation by their height difference.
“You don’t know anything about my experience,” she said.
Suddenly he wasn’t thinking of equine experience at all, instead wondering about her experience with romance. Was she dating someone? Not that it mattered to him. He’d felt like an older brother to her for so long it was jarring to have these thoughts now. He most certainly did not have any brotherly feelings for Payton anymore.
Undeterred by his silence, she continued on. “I happen to have a degree in Equine Studies. I have credit work toward Equine therapy, as well. My experience is exactly what you’re looking for.”
A silent “you idiot” hung in the air, though she graciously didn’t say it out loud.
Austin hadn’t expected that information. He’d never heard about her college degree or her interest in making a career in horses. Although he’d been gone a decade and hadn’t kept up that closely with happenings. He was an idiot.
“That’s impressive and it would be good to pick your brain about my plans.”
Payton shook her head and her blond hair swung with the movement. “No. If we do this, it’s fair to both of us. I will trade my consultation at ten hours a week in exchange for a discount on rent for the room.”
Austin blew out a breath. “Payton…” He didn’t know how to finish the sentence. He just knew that her moving into his house was a terrible idea.
“Austin…” she returned. “You know I’m right—this is a good deal for both of us.”
“Why do you want to move out so badly? Your family is great.” Austin hoped turning the conversation to her would redirect her from her single-minded intention to win this battle.
Payton blew a wisp of hair out of her eyes. “They are great, but Griffin is constantly breathing down my neck with his oldest brother concern and both his wife and Owen’s girlfriend moved in, so it’s just too couple-y for my taste.”
“Couple-y? Is that even a word?” Austin teased. While he wouldn’t admit it to Payton, he understood exactly what she meant. There was something about seeing other people in love when you weren’t that just got to a person.
“It’s a word. And I’m so glad that my brothers found their partners and I love them, but I’m twenty-two—it’s time I step out on my own.”
Austin understood that, as well. Which is how Payton convinced him to agree to the worst idea ever conceived.
“Fine. I’ll agree to this crazy arrangement—on one condition.”
Payton gave him her rapt attention, her pretty pink lips parted in anticipation. “What is it?”
Austin pinned her with his gaze to communicate how serious he was about this request. “We keep our lives completely separate. No socializing or hanging out. Our only interactions are related to the business.”
She looked hurt and he felt like an asshole, but it had to be said. He knew Griffin would not want him associating with his sister and Austin had enough drama when he’d left Wildwood Falls to last a lifetime. He didn’t need to stir up trouble.
“Fine, if that’s how it needs to be.” She put her hands up in front of her to convey honesty. “I’ll keep to myself and be the perfect tenant. Our only communication will be horse related and I’ll only see you in the barn.”
“Good. Then, we have a deal.” He reached out to shake and swallowed her much smaller hand in his. Her handshake was firm and the warmth travelled from her hand up his arm to warm his chest.
This was the worst idea he’d ever had. Payton was going to be trouble.