Chapter Ten

F our days after Nathan had shown Izzy his drawings, she was champing at the bit to see how far the brothers had gotten on the cottage project. She hadn’t seen him much and when she did, he didn’t hang around to pass the time of day.

Izzy was determined to ask if he would do more sketches. Maybe add color. Tell a visual story. If he agreed, the results would be perfect for the promotional materials she was putting together. Maybe try to talk him into an online gallery? If she could. Yes, he’d kept his drawings a secret, and she didn’t plan to push him too far, but holy moly, the man had more than one talent that could benefit the ranch’s bottom line.

When she’d first come to the Triple L and assessed the ranch’s possibilities, getting a general idea of what it would take to bring the Lohmen brothers’ property out of financial crisis, Izzy realized part of what she had to do was put the Triple L, and the brothers, specifically Nathan since he was the lone holdout, back on Strawberry Ridge’s map.

Maybe she could find an artist who drew town maps and buy an ad for the Triple L and the Rangerbred horses raised on the ranch. She knew a woman in Kentucky who drew beautiful community maps. If Sally’s schedule wasn’t already booked tight maybe she could squeak Strawberry Ridge in.

Which reminded her that she needed a budget for promo. One more conversation she had to have with the brothers. Sooner, rather than later.

Currently, her initial idea was evolving. It wasn’t enough just to work her magic to save the ranch. What she wanted now was to put a spotlight on the Triple L and Nathan, so folks could see what a modern working horse ranch that leaned into the past looked like. Instead of having to hire hands, maybe a selected number could work on the ranch for a learning experience without turning the place into an overrun tourist spot. If she allowed that to happen Nathan would back out and never speak to her again. That wasn’t something she was willing to risk.

He wanted simple, like when his parents were alive. She completely understood. Whatever she instituted, she had to keep it minimal for the cowboy. Visitors to The Wedding Cottage and those taking horseback-riding lessons from Blake, and barrel-racing training from Nathan, in today’s frantic world, were looking for a moment that reminded them of the forties and fifties, when times, true or not, seemed easier. Sunnier. More serene.

What made Mayberry, well Mayberry? Izzy knew exactly what it was. Her mother had mentioned the old Andy Griffith show a time or two when she was having one of her nostalgic moments. Community. Lazy summers. A time of innocence.

That’s where the Strawberry Ridge Rodeo came into the picture. There was nothing, in Izzy’s opinion anyway, that harkened back to a more memorable time than a good old-fashioned riding contest. Nathan hadn’t had time to give her lessons yet. That was another thing she wanted to talk to him about. In a month and a half, she might not be ready to ride in this year’s rodeo, but she wanted to know the ropes to see how things were done when she watched from the stands.

“How are you guys doing?” she asked Andee, the most focused of the kids when it came to getting her chores done.

Reece and Timmy were more easily distracted. They were playing with the kittens. Luckily, it looked like the stalls were clean and ready for the horses to return to that afternoon.

Andee put her hay fork in the tack room. “We’re all done.”

“What do you think about running out to the cottage and seeing how far the boys have gotten?”

That pulled Reece and Timmy away from the kittens. “Yeah! When can we go,” Timmy asked.

“As soon as you grab snacks and water to take with us,” Izzy laughed.

Malorie had started working at the hospital a few days ago, and Sylvia discovered she had friends who’d just moved to Strawberry Ridge, so Izzy had charge of the kids. A first for her, really, since she hadn’t had a chance to spend much time with the twins and now Timmy. It was all good.

Ten minutes later, they loaded into her sunshine-colored Range Rover, boys in the back seat, girls in the front, and were on their way.

“Did Mom tell you I’m going to be her maid of honor?” Andee asked, a delighted grin lighting up her face.

“Malorie told me. She asked me to be her bridesmaid.” Izzy kept her speed down on the dirt road to avoid uneven ruts. The sun bounced off the hood of the Rover. She felt like she was in paradise and could stay forever. Very odd since she loved going to new places. With her career, it would be impossible to settle in one place, wouldn’t it? “Question. What is your favorite thing about the ranch?”

Andee didn’t hesitate. “I like how quiet it is. I can read. Hear myself think. I love it.” She’d spent a lot of time with her mom and was very articulate for an eleven-year-old, but Izzy loved that about the ranch too. She could hear herself think.

“I like working with horses the best,” Timmy said from the backseat.

She’d noticed how taken he was with Nathan’s animals. And how easy and less anxious he was with them, especially Grace.

Izzy glanced in the rearview mirror. “How about you, Reece? What do you like best?”

“My favorite thing is going to the pond. Did you know there are frogs there? Someday I want to be a scientist who studies amphibians and reptiles.”

Izzy glanced at the boy in the rearview mirror. “That sounds like it will be fun.”

For the first time since she roomed with Mal in college Izzy was a little bit jealous of her best friend’s good fortune. Who took a temp job and found the love of her life? And another child to love, too? Mal did. Of course, she’d had a hard time getting there, but here she was.

“How about you, Aunt Izzy?” Andee asked. The twins had called her aunt practically from the moment they could talk, so that kind of made them her family, didn’t it?

Aside from the challenge of bringing the ranch back to financial health? Or that she got to spend time getting to know Nathan? “I like... hmmm... that’s kind of hard to say but I like the guesthouse garden the best.”

“Is that why we’re planting a garden at Grandma’s shed?” Andee twisted to face Izzy. It hadn’t taken the twins long to adopt Timmy and Blake, and the rest of the Lohmen clan. “Can we grow snapdragons? B.J. says they were Grandma’s favorite. They’re my favorite too.”

There was that twinge of envy again. Izzy nodded as she parked near the cottage. “We’ll put them at the top of our list.”

The brothers had gotten a lot done. There was a new shed behind the cottage. The buildings’ gray color turned almost teal in the bright sunshine. The front porch was closed in and stained wood trim had been added to the eaves and around the door and windows, giving the tiny place a bit of a gingerbread look. The matching flower boxes under the two front windows were stained to match the trim. The arch she’d envisioned was built at the far end of the garden. White pea gravel covered the ground. Long raised garden beds that also matched the trim lined the area where seating could be set up.

Her vision had come to life. It was beautiful, with birds chattering in the background and sunlight adding its special chorus.

Her car door popped open. “Hi. We weren’t expecting you today.”

After not seeing him for days, Nathan was a sight for sore eyes. If she wasn’t so sure she wouldn’t fall in love again—at least not until she figured out what had gone wrong the last time—this cowboy could be the one. The rare smile in his dark eyes took her breath away. His black hair stood on end where he’d pushed the dark waves off his forehead. A probing look took her in from head to the toes of her work boots.

Man oh man, did she have a problem. She’d thought she’d fallen hard for her ex. And look how that had turned out. By the time he didn’t show up on their wedding day, she hardly knew Jim. That was not a mistake she was tempted to repeat. Could she really and truly fall in love again? She wasn’t sure.

Pasting a smile on her face, she eased out of the Rover, making sure she didn’t brush Nathan’s solid abs. His shirt was off and tied around his waist. A tool belt hung low on his hips. Thank goodness he stepped back, leaving room for her to breathe.

The kids were already out of the car and heading for Blake and Jonas, who were adding benches in the shade of the trees between the garden and the cottage.

“We finished our chores and wanted to see what you boys,”— not just Nathan , Izzy told the gal inside herself who couldn’t take her eyes off the rancher—“have done with the place. It’s looking good,” she admitted as casually as she could manage. There was no point in telegraphing her attraction to the man since she had no plan to do anything about it.

He turned toward the cottage. “We’re almost finished. Do you like what we’ve done so far?”

“I do,” She switched her gaze from Nathan to the cottage. The man was more appealing than her favorite brand of ice cream. The whole sexy cowboy vibe he had going was hard to resist. “How’s it looking inside?”

The cabin, not the man, crazy girl.

When she graduated from college, she knew exactly what she wanted to do. And she was doing it. Saving struggling businesses from their financial burdens. The money she earned gave her a certain amount of independence and a cushy savings.

Because of the sense of freedom she’d developed as a kid going from adventure to adventure with Sylvia, Izzy was grateful. Maybe that was also why she hadn’t known the man she’d agreed to marry. She was too busy subconsciously trying to create what she didn’t have as a kid. A mom and dad who loved their daughter.

She hadn’t told her mom any of this. The whole thing was silly. Sylvia loved her. That’s all Izzy needed.

Jim had proved that with his parting words when she’d called to see where he was. You don’t need a husband, Izzy. You’ve got your whole life planned out.

And surprise, her heart wasn’t as broken as it should have been. Was Jim right? Except for worrying about a mother who didn’t want her daughter hovering, was there no room in her life for that perfect long-term relationship?

So, what was her perfect life supposed to look like? She was afraid to admit she didn’t know.

“What do you think?” Nathan stood aside, holding the door open for her after he entered.

What she thought was that she was out of her league when it came to love. Pushing the thought away, she looked around the cottage. The brothers had kept the original footprint, but they’d raised the ceiling and added a small, simple kitchen. New flooring close to the same color as the trim had been laid down. Izzy checked out the bathroom. It was updated and cute in shades of green and blue.

Finally, pushing her regrets about Jim aside, she faced the rancher making her have second thoughts about the direction she’d chosen for her future. “This is wonderful. It’ll be cozy when we add some furniture and decorate.”

Nathan asked, “Do you need help with the landscaping, plants, and things?”

“I’ll get my mom and Mal and the kids to help,” she said, a little desperate to leave behind her attraction for Nathan and think of something else. “How about we make a trade?”

He gave her a speculating look. “What kind of trade?”

“Well, you’ve already agreed to give me barrel-racing lessons. What if in trade, I give you a new brand?” Hoping to escape into the big wide open where only the mountains towered over her, Izzy edged toward the door.

His intense gaze didn’t leave her face. “For the ranch?”

“We could do that if you want.” She shrugged and stepped out onto the porch. “But I was thinking more personal.”

He hitched his thumbs in the buckle of his tool belt. Rare humor twinkled in his eyes. “You don’t like my working cowboy look?”

Izzy swallowed the sudden lump in her throat. Oh yeah. She liked what she was seeing all right.

Leaving the porch that would be designated for the groom and his groomsmen, she tossed over her shoulder. “It works if that’s what you’re going for.”

“We should talk about this some more.” Nathan laughed, a sound that was as rare as spotting a pair of endangered bald eagles high in a nest, which made it all that more special. He teased her, “What’s your hurry?”

That was the moment Izzy knew she’d better come up with a new plan. She didn’t want Nathan to catch on to the fact that she was in full retreat, her non-nesting instincts just as endangered.

She stopped and faced the rancher who was doing his darnedest to keep a serious expression. He wasn’t having much success.

Oh, dear Lord. What was she doing? Izzy let her shoulders relax. “I’m in a hurry because, I don’t know if you’ve heard, but Malorie and Blake want to get married in three weeks. That’s not much time to finish getting the cottage ready.”

His humor evaporated. “Blake mentioned a date. Can you get your part done by then?”

“I think so,” she said, slowly taking a few steps backward.

“How many guests should we expect? I’ll have to order the chairs.”

Izzy couldn’t ignore the play of sunlight and shadow on Nathan’s firm chest. “Malorie wants to keep the number of people invited to just family and close friends. So small. Twenty or Twenty-five?”

Andee, Reece, and Timmy ran up to them. When the three of them were together, Andee was their spokesperson. She grabbed Izzy’s hand. “B.J. and Uncle Jonas say we can pick out the flowers we want to plant. Can we go to the store now?”

Saved by the bell. Izzy took a relieved breath and let the kids drag her toward the Rover. She didn’t want to fall for the cowboy and wasn’t ready for something permanent, even if he was interested. Which she was pretty sure he wasn’t. He certainly hadn’t asked her to go on a date. Anyway, she didn’t have time or a free future to indulge in such a reckless act.

“In the car, then.” Izzy glanced at Nathan. He stood right where she’d left him, a puzzled look on his handsome face. Hesitating, she waved goodbye before climbing behind the wheel. Before she took off, she texted her mom to see if Sylvia wanted to meet them at Lou’s Garden Center. Her GPS said the nursery was on the north side of town on Mesa Ave.

Her mom was quick to respond. “ Was just heading back to the ranch. Will meet you at the garden center. ”

Izzy listened as the kids chatted about which plants they wanted. When she pulled into the parking lot, her mom’s white Rubicon was already parked in the lot, and she could see Sylvia wandering down one of the aisles looking at the plants.

She grabbed a large cart and hugged her mom while the twins and Timmy, after saying hello to Sylvia, started pointing at possible candidates.

“Be selective and remember to get all sizes of plants, short and tall,” she reminded them. “And lots of different colors. The snapdragons are over on the next aisle.” She watched as the kids hurried toward the riot of color on the other side of the long table where she’d stopped beside Sylvia. “Slow down, please.”

Andee slowed to a fast walk.

Izzy turned to her mom. “They have so much energy.”

“And I can’t wait for you to give me grandchildren,” Sylvia said with a huge sigh, slipping her hand inside the crook of Izzy’s elbow.

“Grandkids are a long way off.” Pushing the cart, Izzy slowly followed the pre-teens. “I have to find a husband who will stay first.”

“Jim taking off like he did wasn’t your fault, Iz. You two just weren’t a good match. It’s a shame he wasn’t more honest about his feelings for Catheryn.”

It was too bad she wasn’t honest about her feelings. “Mom?”

“Hmmm?” Sylvia had let go of her arm and was running her fingers along the petals of several petunias. “We should get some of these.”

“Go ahead. They would look pretty in the window planters.” Izzy wasn’t sure how to phrase her next question. “Did you know that I hadn’t fallen completely in love with Jim? That I held part of my heart back?”

Sylvia stopped and looked at Izzy. “What makes you think that?”

“I don’t know. Jim not showing up was upsetting but looking back now, it seems like I wasn’t as heartbroken as I should have been that he chose another woman and a hike around Europe and Asia instead of a future with me.”

“I see. Well, I don’t think a person can grade how broken her heart is. In any case, it seemed to me that maybe you were still trying to figure out what you wanted your marriage to look like. I was as surprised as you that he waited until the last minute to take off with Catheryn. I wish them well, but the man is not dependable husband material. You’re better off without him.”

“Is that why you never married? After Dad died, you couldn’t find a dependable man?” Izzy had always wondered. Her dad died in a car crash, hit by a drunk driver before he even knew Sylvia was pregnant.

Sylvia hesitated for a moment her gaze focused on the profusion of color on the table in front of them. She finally looked at Izzy. “I should have married your father when he asked me, but I was too scared to trust. My parents had a horrible marriage. They fought all the time. If that’s what marriage was supposed to be like, I wanted no part of it. And then your dad died, and I found out I was pregnant. I didn’t want to take any chances that we would end up stuck in the same kind of relationship my parents had. So, I filled my life with adventures instead and took you with me.”

“After Jim, I don’t know if I can trust myself to fall for a man who might or might not stay.” Sylvia pulled Izzy into a tight hug. “How do I get over that, Mom?”

Her mom pulled back and smiled. “I wish I knew. I think it just takes practice. Meet some guys. Go on dates. See what your gut instincts tell you and go from there.”

The image of Nathan Lohmen flashed through her mind. Dark-haired, black eyes, close-trimmed beard, and mustache, all gave him a bad-boy look. Bare-chested as he worked on the cottage that she was counting on bringing a bit of financial life back to his ranch. What did her intuition say about that?

Instead of answering the question, Izzy looked around to catch sight of the kids. “I don’t remember you dating anyone.”

“I had a daughter to raise. You were enough family for me.” Sylvia patted Izzy’s wrist. “And once you went to college, I was too set in my ways to make room for dating.”

“I want you to be happy, not giving up dating because of me.” Izzy spotted the kids several tables over setting aside lupines and lavender.

“I am happy. Sweet girl, I can do anything and go anywhere that inspires me.” Sylvia laughed. “Now don’t worry about me. Take care of your heart instead.” She glanced slyly at Izzy. Not a good sign. “Nathan is a sweetheart, isn’t he?”

Good grief. Izzy couldn’t lie. “Maybe, but I don’t think he will agree with you.” She tried shifting Sylvia’s attention away from Nathan to discourage whatever mischief her mom was thinking of getting into. “I’m not looking for a sweet man, Mom. I have a business to run.”

For a second a sad look shifted over her mom’s face, but then disappeared as Sylvia took over pushing the cart. “We’d better corral those kids before they buy out the whole store.”

“Mom—” Don’t go there , Izzy wanted to say more. But Sylvia wasn’t listening. She’d already caught up with the kids.

Her mom was right. Nathan was a good guy. That wasn’t the point. Izzy thought he just didn’t know it. He’d been too busy fighting with his brothers. Only since she’d suggested turning his mom’s shed into a wedding venue had his lighter side come out.

In Sylvia’s estimation, he was probably good marriage material. Attached to the land. Constant in a determined way. Forged by circumstances to be strong. Her mom understood people who walked the not-so-easy path.

Izzy on the other hand, was not the marrying kind. Just like her mom.

She paid for the flowers. Of course, the kids had picked out too many, but she didn’t put any back. She wouldn’t let them go to waste. Hugging Sylvia and waving goodbye as her mom drove off, she texted Nathan and Blake to let them know she was taking the twins and Timmy back to the guesthouse and would have dinner waiting for the brothers when they finished their work.

While the kids spent the rest of the afternoon putting together a puzzle at the table, she pushed aside her continuing thoughts of one tempting cowboy, retreated to the couch, and went over her plans for the Triple L again. There had to be more that she could do. Her idea of having one or two people come to get experience on the ranch stayed with her.

If she also got Nathan involved with the rodeo, it would be a little over the top, although maybe straightforward enough. He’d agreed to give her barrel-racing lessons. Rebranding the ranch and Nathan would fit right into that. And while sexy cowboy wasn’t what she had in mind—she pushed back on the image burned into her mind of the shirtless, working rancher—she could see him and the ranch carving out a new place of respect in the Colorado Ranger community. Getting them reconnected with the rodeo was one way to elevate them—the ranch, the horses, and Nathan—in the right direction.

She put away her papers. Getting Nathan on board might be a challenge. Thanks to her mom, she had an idea of how to make that happen. She’d done her research. Izzy grinned. Luke’s Grill would fit the bill. She’d read about the eatery’s history in the Strawberry Ridge Journal . Its casual dining and menu included burgers, fries, taco offerings, and beer. That should put him at ease enough to lock in the idea of him showing up at the rodeo in a big way.

She wouldn’t call it a date, but if she could talk him into a business meeting away from the ranch, they could finalize a solid plan for The Wedding Cottage and Blake’s riding lessons and Nathan’s barrel-racing training to at least slow the Triple L’s slip into oblivion.