Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“You can’t say something like that and not explain.”
“But I just did. And I’m not.”
Tate groaned, a gloved hand to his face. “Jason, you know I’m smarter than that. I can tell you’re hiding something and it’s not going to fly.”
“I’m not hiding anything. I said that I was thinking about going into business doing something else then I changed my mind.” Jason wasn’t looking him in the eye, and he only avoided a man’s eye when he’d already decided not to answer him. He wouldn’t even flick a glance in Tate’s direction.
Tate took him by the shoulders to get him to stop walking away. “It’s okay, Jason. I’m not going to tell you that it’s a dumb idea. I want to hear more. Maybe I can help.”
This time his twin cut him a quick look.
And in that split second, Tate could almost believe that Jason would confide in him.
But there was more in that second that Tate noticed.
He couldn’t put his finger on what it was, exactly, but Jason had been carrying this idea a lot longer than he was letting on.
Tate’s eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth to ask, but then the sound of a car door shutting caught his attention and he swiveled to find Rylee heading for them. She waved, her face bright. The familiar warmth and happiness he got just from seeing her replaced the knot in his chest.
Jason slipped away from him, mumbling something about needing to clean out the horse stalls. Tate glanced in his direction, knowing without a doubt his chance to get any information had been lost.
The frustration that would have normally come with that realization was short-lived as Rylee’s arms wrapped around his waist and she pulled him close.
“Hey, stud,” she murmured. Her hand lifted and her fingers feathered through the hair at his temple.
He’d tossed his hat aside earlier and hadn’t retrieved it, but now he was glad he hadn’t.
Rylee’s touch invigorated him. She made him feel as though everything would work out. She was the missing piece his life had needed all this time.
He couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face as everything narrowed in on the woman in his arms. “This is a nice surprise.”
“I thought after everything you were dealing with…” Her eyes darted in the direction Jason had slipped off to.
“Perhaps you’d want to head to town. If you’re done with work, we should do something fun.
I know I need to get out of my head sometimes.
And by the looks of it, you could use the break, too. ”
“You have no idea how nice that sounds, but—”
She pressed two fingers to his lips and whispered, “No buts. You work too hard. You’re always worrying about everyone else. Sometimes you need to take time to worry about yourself. The thing with Jason will still be there this evening, right?” Rylee withdrew her hand.
He nodded slowly. “I suppose so.”
“Then let’s go get dinner. Maybe see if there is anything fun going on in the town square.
I heard that farmers’ market is supposed to go on for most of the summer.
But there’s also a community yard sale that’s going on this weekend.
We could see what that’s all about. And then I wanted to stop by Horseshoe Antiques.
Wendy said there’s a gorgeous console table that would be perfect in my entry way. ”
He arched a brow. “Painting? Buying furniture?” He dropped his voice, husky and low. “Why does it sound like you might be considering staying longer than you originally thought?”
Rylee lifted one shoulder, her grin both teasing and flirtatious. “Maybe I realized there’s more to Rocky Ridge than I was expecting.”
“More? In what way?”
She laughed and tapped him on the nose. “Stick around and maybe you’ll find out.” With that, she slipped her hand into his. “Now, where’s your hat? I need my big strong cowboy to help me with retrieving that table.”
Tate chuckled. Rylee had a way of helping him to remember it was okay to enjoy life. To have fun. To take care of his own needs. He hadn’t realized how important that was until now.
Strange that it had taken so long for that realization to finally take root. Or maybe it wasn’t strange at all, and this had everything to do with the person who was insisting rather than the act itself.
They drove to town, and just as Rylee had anticipated, they were able to wander through the tail end of the farmers’ market.
There were a few different booths set up along with all the regulars. And the one that drew Rylee’s attention was the chocolatier who sold handmade truffles. Her eyes widened comically and if gravity wasn’t an issue, Tate wouldn’t doubt Rylee would be floating right now.
Her vivaciousness was intoxicating. He couldn’t drag his own eyes off her. And when she turned toward him with a sample in hand, all he could do was open his mouth to share in her joy.
This was what he’d been missing from his life. All this time and he hadn’t realized it. The moment Rylee had returned to his life the color started to seep back into his soul. Tate allowed the chocolate to melt in his mouth, its mild sweet flavor with just a hint of salt tickling his taste buds.
“It’s good, isn’t it?” Rylee cooed.
He nodded. “It’s delicious.”
She whirled around until she reached the edge of the booth again. “We’ll take half a dozen.”
Tate bit back a chuckle as he waited for Rylee to make her purchase. Then they were off again. This time, they wandered slower. He couldn’t tell if it was his doing or hers but at this point, he didn’t care. Rylee had been right. He’d needed a break from everything that was pressing in on him.
Being here with her, like this, was doing wonders for his mental health.
Rylee leaned in on him as they walked. The chatter of the people in town was a low murmur that added to the peace that draped around him. But it was never going to last.
When they approached a booth selling watercolor paintings of western landscape, the conversation to his right dragged him from his happy place.
“That developer isn’t letting up so easy.”
“The company that wants to turn that land into a resort?”
There were two men deep in discussion, neither sounding pleased.
“Yeah. From what I’ve heard, the CEO has set up shop at the lodge.”
“You’re kidding.”
The man shook his head. “Heard it from one of the housekeeping staff. The guy is as bad as you think. Entitled. Disrespectful. She heard him yelling at some poor girl who didn’t bring him enough toilet paper.”
His companion shook his head in disgust. “There should be a way to get the guy to leave, right?”
Rylee tugged on Tate’s arm, her face lined with worry. He shot one more glance at the men. “Did you hear them?”
She nodded.
“Have you heard anything about that?”
This time she slowed enough to face him. She chewed on her lower lip for a moment. “Wendy said that she’d heard a few things. The developer is staying at the lodge with his assistant. And they’ve been seen around town a little bit. Seems like his assistant is pretty nice, though.”
He huffed. “It doesn’t matter if any of them are nice. They’re trying to encroach on our town.” Tate made his way toward the men again but Rylee’s hand closed on his arm. He cut her a sharp look. “What?”
“What are you going to do?”
“I just wanted to know more about that hearing they were talking about. I haven’t seen anything about it. No signs. It’s almost like the mayor wants to keep it secret so the developer doesn’t get voted out.”
Rylee sighed and that sound alone was enough to make him stop in his tracks.
“You can’t honestly be telling me that you’re okay with any of this.” Tate would have felt bad about how he said it, but right then he couldn’t bring himself to worry about anything other than the plans the developer had for Rocky Ridge.
“Of course not!” Rylee released him, her arms folded. Irritation took the place of the happy smile she’d worn only moments ago. “But there comes a time when you have to accept that you can’t solve every problem.”
He stiffened. “What? That’s not what I’m trying to do. This is important to me—”
“I know it is. But you’re still allowing everything else around you to become a priority.”
“And what am I supposed to prioritize? Because the future of our town seems pretty important to me,” he snapped.
“You! I want you to worry about you. About your happiness. About what brings you joy. I want you to wake up in the morning thrilled with the prospect of… living.” Rylee’s cheeks were flushed and her eyes were bright.
The way she stared at him made him feel almost naked.
It was like she was seeing him differently than everyone else.
He’d always been the stronghold for everyone in his life.
He was the fixer. The problem solver. Whenever someone needed him, he was there.
Tate knew that role forward and backward.
He was comfortable with it. Which was why he couldn’t agree with her.
“What that company has planned for this town will affect my happiness and joy. It will change my life and not for the better.” His voice was low, almost threatening.
“You probably don’t understand because you’re not a local. ”
Rylee flinched. It was small and if he hadn’t been so close to her, he might not have noticed.
He’d struck a nerve but before he could apologize and backtrack, her expression tightened into something unreadable.
“I guess you’re right. I don’t understand what you’re dealing with because this isn’t my home.
” With that, she turned on her heel and stormed away.
He groaned, his eyes shutting tight as he focused on calming his angry heart. “Rylee, that’s not what I meant.” He started walking toward her, but she was moving too quickly through the crowds. Tate watched her go, hating that he’d been the one to hurt her.
This wasn’t how today was supposed to end. They were doing so well.
His steps slowed when he realized she wasn’t going to let him catch up with her. She was understandably upset and right now, she didn’t want to talk.
That was probably for the best. He was still dealing with his own fury over what they’d heard at that booth.
If the developer was in town trying to sway some of the vote, he had bigger problems. He needed to alert the people in town he knew were dead against the changes being proposed. But how was he supposed to do that when he didn’t even know when the meeting would be held?
Everything he’d had control over was slipping through his fingers. Jason was pulling away. He’d just hurt the only woman he’d ever loved. And now the state of his home was at deeper risk. It was more than he could carry.
Heaving a sigh, he turned to head for his truck. He could wait for Rylee there. She’d need a ride back, right? But just as the thought came to him, a message buzzed on his phone.
Rylee: Wendy will take me home. She has a delivery truck.
Dang it! The console table. That was one of the main reasons for coming to town.
He slapped a palm to his face and contemplated heading for the antique shop but then reconsidered.
Based on that message, Rylee wasn’t interested in seeing him right now.
She’d made sure to inform him of her plans without leaving anything else open.
He’d messed up. Right now, he’d let her cool down. And he’d do the same. Then they could talk about why it had been so important for him to deal with this developer problem once and for all.
Tate reached his truck and tossed the few bags he had across the seat where Rylee usually sat. Then he turned the key in the ignition and started for home. One way or another, everything would work out.
Because he’d fix it. Like he always did. Except he couldn’t fix what he didn’t understand.