Chapter Two

“O h, good grief,” said Malorie as Izzy unpacked her suitcase and stowed her clothes in the dresser at the end of the bed. “They were fighting?”

“Well, they weren’t having a knockdown drag out, but they were arguing.” Izzy paused and rolled her eyes. “Loudly.”

Glancing around the room, she checked to make sure she’d gotten everything put away. Malorie’s spare room was charmingly decked out in pale greens, pinks, and tans, and was exactly what she needed while she figured out what it would take to convince Nathan Lohmen she wasn’t his worst nightmare.

Usually, her history of recovering failing businesses was enough to make her clients feel comfortable when they welcomed her on board. Not the case this time. Malorie had given her the rundown, but she needed to hear the details of the ranch’s real problems from someone who had intimate experience with those details. After walking into the middle of a Lohmen brothers’ free-for-all, she guessed that person was Nathan.

Oh man, he was a good-looking guy. And shaking his hand? The spike of awareness that traveled up her arm? It was... um... yum!

“Is that what you walked into the first day you came to the Triple L?” she asked her friend, an intentional distraction from the image of Nathan Lohmen taking on both his brothers like a gladiator in one of those old-time movies she loved to watch.

Izzy shook herself free. She would not fall for the handsome, incredibly grumpy rancher. No sir. Love was off her to-do list. One broken heart in a lifetime was enough.

Malorie sat on the side of the bed. “Yeah. When I arrived, I thought Nathan was going to fall out of his hospital bed when he tried to punch Blake in the nose.”

Izzy followed Malorie to the kitchen. “Their tempers don’t seem to have improved.”

“The Lohmen brothers have a complicated relationship, but underneath all that cowboy bluster are hearts of gold.”

“Huh.”

“Really.” Malorie gave her a knowing look. “Coffee?”

Ever since she’d been left at the altar by what’s his name, Izzy was all business and nothing else. A good-looking cowboy who knew what he wanted would not pull her off course no matter what his heart was made of.

Mal watched her, eyebrows raised in question.

“I believe you,” Izzy reassured her best friend. “Sort of.” Then she laughed. “Decaf, if you’ve got it.”

After grabbing a bag of ground coffee from the pantry, Malorie put out creamer from the fridge. “Just because Jim turned out to be a rotten egg, doesn’t mean all men are bad.”

“I hear the words you’re saying, but my heart believes something else.” Izzy took a turn around the kitchen while her friend got the coffeemaker going.

The rest of the rental was as adorable as Malorie’s spare bedroom. The single-story, brick ranch house sat on a quiet tree-lined cul-de-sac. A bank of windows that looked out over the backyard lined the exterior walls of the creamy white and pale green kitchen. If she wasn’t always on the move, Izzy would seriously consider taking over her friend’s lease when she left to marry Blake.

Malorie joined her, handing Izzy a steaming cup. “After Mark, I didn’t think I could ever fall in love again. And then Blake came along—”

“You’re a lucky girl, my friend.” Izzy raised her cup to toast Malorie. “Me? I don’t want to be so lucky.”

Before Malorie could dispute her claim, Izzy headed in the direction of voices she could hear in another part of the house and found Andee, Reece, and a boy Izzy didn’t know watching a movie in the den. “Hi, guys.”

The twins jumped up and threw their arms around her. Andee gushed, “Aunt Izzy! You made it! Are you hungry? We can make you a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”

“Thank you, but I’m good. I ate along the way.” Just managing not to spill her coffee, she hugged the twins back and watched the boy with them slowly stand. “Who is this young man?”

Reece grabbed the boy’s arm and pulled until he came into their circle. “This is Timmy Wallace. He’s B.J.’s son, and when mom and B.J. get married, he’ll be our brother and we’ll live on the Triple L.”

That was a lot of words for Reece to say all at once since usually, he let his sister do the talking for them both. Colorado clearly agreed with Mal and her kids.

She held out her hand. “It’s very nice to meet you, Timmy. My name is Izzy Payton. Malorie is my best friend.”

It took a moment of careful study, but finally, Timmy shook her hand, then asked, “We’re watching Princess Bride . You want to watch it with us?”

Izzy would bet Andee picked out the movie. Malorie made the twins take turns and Andee tended toward the more family-oriented with a dash of romance shows.

“You go ahead. I’m going to visit with Mal.” She shooed the kids back to the couch. “I’ll see you guys in the morning, okay?”

“Timmy too. He’s spending the night,” Reece said as he returned to watching the movie. “His dad is staying at the ranch.”

The Princess Bride was a classic story about adventure and true love. Izzy loved it, but the truth was that even though Malorie had gotten a second chance at love, she was no longer a believer. Being left at the altar by the man she’d thought was her Wesley had taught her a hard lesson. She was glad Malorie and Blake had found each other, but she wasn’t interested in dipping her toes in the icy water of love again.

She wished she could forget the sight of Nathan leaning on his cane while he jubilantly held up the playing card that indicated he’d just won whatever argument they were having. She wouldn’t mind being a fly on the wall during the conversation that followed her departure.

When she was a kid, she and her mom used to play War all the time, so she was familiar with the concept of high card winning, except the Lohmen brothers weren’t playing a friendly card game. And Nathan didn’t look like the kind of guy who gave up easily. But then why did they need her to work her magic for them?

“How’s your mom doing?”

Izzy leaned on the kitchen island. “Better. Her rheumatoid arthritis symptoms are under control for the time being, but it turns out her blood sugar was too high. The doctor put her on some medicine and a diabetic diet, which hopefully she’ll follow. She’s a woman on her own course and doesn’t like to be distracted by something as trivial as watching what she eats—her words, not mine. I’ll have to keep an eye on her to make sure she follows the doctor’s orders.”

“I’m glad it wasn’t something worse. So, what are you going to do next? The Triple L is right up your alley, but I’m not surprised Nathan won’t give you a chance. He’s not an easy one to persuade if his mind is already made up.” Malorie sat down at the table in the corner of the attached dining space. “What do you think of the ranch?”

“Oh, I love it. A person could do worse than spend a lifetime living there and keeping it running smoothly.” Not that hanging around was her plan. Izzy smothered a yawn.

It’d been a long, few days, capped off by her encounter with the Lohmen brothers. She’d turned down several jobs while getting her mom settled into a new health routine, but she hadn’t gotten her nomad gene from her father, who’d died when she was a baby. Her mom kept a house in Portland as her base and was already chafing at the bit, ready to go on her next adventure. As soon as her doctor’s appointment was over, she started planning a Mississippi River cruise with her best friends.

“So, what’s next?” Malorie took her half-empty cup to the sink.

Izzy followed. “The owner of a string of retail stores in Denver wants me to come as soon as possible. If he doesn’t turn the store around soon, he’ll have to file bankruptcy.” She frowned. She frequently had more than one request to restore a business at the same time. “But I’d like to stay and help the Triple L if I can get on Nathan’s good side, so I gave Denver a name of someone else who can steer him in the right direction.”

“I could talk to Nathan,” Malorie offered as she swabbed out the mugs.

Grabbing a towel, Izzy dried them after Malorie put them in the drying rack. “I appreciate the offer, but I’ll try again in the morning.”

“There is one good thing. While he’s still healing, he can’t run away from you.”

“Mal! What a terrible thing to say.”

“I know. Sorry. That was bad,” she agreed, her eyes sparkling. “But it’s the truth.”

Izzy couldn’t help but smile at her friend’s sick sense of humor. “He could tell me to go away and shut the door in my face.”

“He won’t do that,” Malorie said with a wink.

“We’ll see.” Izzy shook her head. Folding the towel, she laid it on the counter and realized how tired she must be when chasing Nathan Lohmen down the Triple L’s long drive, trying to get him to listen to her ideas, seemed like a good idea. “I’m going to bed.”

*

When Izzy surfaced the next morning, the house was quiet. She showered, dressed, and finally made it to the kitchen where she found a note and the coffeemaker ready to turn on.

We would have woken you up, but you were sleeping so soundly we decided to let you rest. Blake is taking us fishing. I know that’s not your favorite sport. I’ll text you when we’re on our way back. Think about where you want to go for dinner—my treat.

Love, Mal

PS. Nathan is at the ranch. Alone. Might be a good time to have that talk with him, girl, and convince him you’re the best one for the job.

She put the note back on the counter, started the coffee machine, and enjoying the view of the back garden out the window, clasped her hands, lifted them over her head, then bent slowly from side to side. Izzy considered her friend’s advice. Her reputation for getting the job done was well-earned. Her plan from the beginning when she’d first decided what she wanted to do with her degree and had developed her business model was that she would get in, work some magic, get out, and move on to the next job. And she’d been doing just that ever since she graduated. This was the first time she’d had a potential client practically turn her away at the door.

Maybe Nathan was right, and she and the Triple L weren’t a good fit, but Izzy wanted the chance to prove him wrong. Sure, this was the first time she had a ranch for a client, a second-generation horse ranch at that. The brothers needed her to do her best to get the Triple L back on its feet. She could do it if given the chance.

If she could pull it off, not only would she bring back a long-established community member. It would also be a real feather in her cap and look great on her résumé.

Whatever she could do would help Malorie and Blake too. Mal had been a lifesaver in college when Izzy had decided she didn’t want to be a nurse but instead, a business major focusing on failing businesses and how they’d gotten into that predicament in the first place. Her first client had been the local coffee shop on the university grounds that was about to close its doors, and it’d worked. Coffee and More was still thriving.

She’d had to take a diverse course load and more credits a term than she had time for, but it was Mal, who’d encouraged her and kept her going until the resurging university icon had thrown a reopening celebration. Coffee on the house.

She owed Mal one and there was no time like the present to return the favor.

Since presentation was everything, she dressed to impress the rancher in her best blue jeans and a rust-colored tank with a sharp-looking button-down, stylish overshirt. After pulling her thick hair into a ponytail, she added lip gloss and stood back, looking in the full-length mirror in her temporary bedroom.

This wasn’t a date, she reminded the girl inside who had no time to go out with a nice guy, much less one who was as cranky as a bear. She just wanted to make a good impression that telegraphed she could and would pull his ranch out of the financial hole it had fallen into. Better add her half-boots, so she looked like a girl who understood ranch life.

Grabbing her purse, she hopped into her Range Rover and headed to town. She’d bought the shockingly bright yellow car for herself as a graduation present. Her mom might have a house in Portland as her base. For Izzy, it was this car that made her heart feel like it was home.

She stopped at a pastry shop on Main on the way to the Triple L, hoping that an offering of sticky donuts would appeal to Nathan’s better nature. She was betting somewhere under all his gruff he had one.

When she drove up to the house, horses were in the pasture. One was very pregnant. The sky was blue. The July sun was warm. When she got out of the Rover, carrying the box of donuts with her, she could hear the birds and understood why the brothers loved the place. She would, too, if she hadn’t grown up all over the country.

Nathan sat on a bench on the front porch and stoically watched her approach. She ignored the flip in her belly. He didn’t seem surprised to see her, which startled Izzy. Maybe he intuitively knew she didn’t give up easily. Or maybe Malorie told him her friend was like a dog with a bone once she set her mind to taking on a new project.

Thanks, Mal.

Izzy stopped at the bottom step. “Hi. Blake took Mal and the kids fishing today”—she held out the box—“so, I thought I’d bring you donuts. I had to guess which ones you might like, so I’m afraid I picked out the ones I like most.”

Curiosity peeked through his dark eyes, then quickly disappeared. “Isn’t there an adage about being wary of strangers bearing gifts?”

She couldn’t help it. Izzy laughed. “Something like that.” His caution triggered the innate carefulness that usually had her taking her time when getting to know a potential client. “Should we take these inside or do you want to eat them out here?”

“I’m not going to change my mind. Even if you are a good friend of Malorie’s. We don’t need a stranger poking into our business.” The man was direct. Izzy liked that. It meant she didn’t always have to pretty up her language. Grabbing his cane, he stood and watched closely for her response.

She didn’t disappoint him. “So, you’d rather lose the Triple L rather than let your guard down for a stranger’s helping hand?” Three steps took her up to the covered porch. If Nathan Lohmen thought he could scare her off with another refusal, he had a surprise coming. “The longer we stand out here discussing whether you are going to invite me in, the more chance these delicious donuts will get stale.”

His eyes narrowed at her sass, but the corner of his lips twitched. He held the door open. “The kitchen’s to the left.”

“Thank you, kind sir,” she couldn’t help it. He was so dang resistant. To donuts. There had to be more to this Lohmen brother than the cranky dude who did not want to welcome her into his home.

Behind her, as if he was reading her mind, Lohmen grunted. Izzy wanted to hug him just to see the shocked look on his face, but of course, she wouldn’t. Though she thought he was cute and just a little over the top in his refusal to consider his options, she was too professional to let her guard down in that way.

Looking around at the house as she proceeded to the kitchen, she was surprised to see how weary the house appeared, and how much she wanted to bring the charming home back to life—against her better judgment and for the sake of this down-on-his-luck rancher.

She put the donuts on the island and flipped open the lid. First, she had to talk Nathan into giving her a chance to prove she could do what she said she could. “Do you have napkins?”

“In the pantry.” He pointed to a side cabinet as he leaned over and took a deep breath.

Finding the napkins easy enough, she plopped a pile next to the box. “So, not a bad idea, right?”

“We’ll see.” He straightened and eyed her as if trying to figure out her game plan. “I’m sorry about last night and that you walked into one of our famous brotherly discussions.”

“No worries. How about this—” She chose two old-fashioned donuts—her favorite, wrapped them in napkins, and shooed him toward the small breakfast table with banquet seating. “While you enjoy this scrumptious donut, I’ll tell you what I do.”

He frowned at her but sat down. One point to the visiting team. She put a mark on her imaginary scoreboard.

Taking the wrapped donut she held out, he huffed out a resigned breath. “Okay. Make your pitch.”

“First, do I interpret the scene I walked into last night correctly as you winning whatever wager you had with your brothers?”

He slowly nodded. “Dad taught us to play poker when Blake and I turned thirteen. We had more disagreements than he wanted to referee, so he would have all three of us draw cards. Whoever got high card won that round.”

“Even if you were wrong?” She had to give his dad high marks. It was a creative solution. And sad that according to Mal, the senior Lohmen had passed when his boys were so young.

His donut was already half gone she was glad to see. His lips twisted. “It does blow your mind, doesn’t it? I guess he figured it was easier to ramrod one of us than all three.”

“I can see that. Who’s ramrodding now?” Izzy waved the last bite of her donut at Nathan. “Don’t answer that. Tell me instead... you have the final say on whether you give me a chance to help restore the Triple L or not?”

His brows arched as challenge lit up his steady gaze. “Yup.”

“I see.” She popped the last bit in her mouth. She loved a challenge—her mother said it was one of her biggest flaws, but Izzy thought of it as one of her greatest strengths. It wasn’t that she didn’t have a fear or two, like falling in love again or planting roots in one place—that almost gave her the hives—but the challenge Nathan represented? Well, she couldn’t walk away. Not voluntarily, anyway. “You’re the one I have to impress, then.”

That got the rancher’s attention. He leaned forward in his chair, forearms resting on the table, the light in his dark eyes brightening.

She quickly stood and went to close the top of the donut box she’d left open. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”

He stood and slowly limped toward Izzy. For the first time, he smiled. “I’ll have to take your word for that.”

“You should. I won’t steer you wrong. Besides, you need me.” His brows shot up, sending her pulse into overdrive. Good grief. She didn’t have time to be tempted by an attraction she had no intention of satisfying. “What I mean is, you and your brothers need to save this ranch. I can help you do that.”

“I’ll have to think about it.”

“You do that, Nathan Lohmen. And while you’re thinking, I’ll put together a proposal that will knock your socks off.”

Tripping over an unexpected attraction was not at the top of her bucket list. Been there, done that, never again.

“I sincerely doubt that, but you’re welcome to try.” A grin spread across his handsome face.

Izzy decided he was kidding, and if he was, she could work with that. Giving him a confident, I-can-do-this nod, she dug her business card out of her back pocket and slipped it onto the table by the door. “Here’s my number, in case you have any questions before I get your proposal done.”

Nathan Lohmen would be a challenge, but she would do whatever she could to bring the ranch back into the black. The one thing she couldn’t do was get excited about a grumpy cowboy who, if she could convince him, would soon be her next client.