Chapter Five

W hat in the world was he thinking? And what was she thinking, determined to pay rent when if he hired her to rescue the ranch, providing her with a place to stay would be part of the deal?

Izzy Payton was too danged stubborn—wasn’t that the pot calling the kettle black, if he believed his brothers? And she way too cute. That was the problem.

Before he’d gone to bed last night, Nathan had gotten online and researched her company, Payton Business Restoration Solutions. She was who she said she was and had stellar reviews.

Finished cleaning up from breakfast, he tossed the dish towel on the counter. A restless night’s sleep hadn’t helped the ache in his hips.

Gingerly sitting at the desk in the office that Blake had confiscated while Nathan was convalescing, he opened an envelope from the veterinary office. It was a bill and not a small amount either. Maybe rent money would come in handy after all.

Just on principle, he wished he could tear up her check when she gave it to him, but Payton was right. He couldn’t afford to turn down potential customers and didn’t have the luxury of being picky about what activities he added to the Triple L’s daily routine, either, though he still didn’t want to give up what was best about living on the ranch.

Nathan tapped the envelope on the desk. He loved his home more than anything in the world. He may have let his parents and the Triple L down, but now was time to get his head out of the hay pile and cooperate with Izzy Payton. If that meant getting along better with Jonas and Blake, then he’d have to do that too.

Getting to his feet, he went to stare out the window at the land he loved. Too much time had passed to register Duke the easy way. He’d have to go online, find the association’s web page, and see what the rules were about getting papers for an unregistered Rangerbred horse.

One more time he searched every inch of the office and like he knew he would, came up empty-handed.

About to drown his discouragement in a hot cup of coffee, glimpsed Izzy out the window patting Rosie’s neck. Grabbing two bottles of water instead, he went to see what the resourceful woman was up to. He might even offer her an apology and let her press him a little about what to do next for the ranch.

Did he believe she could work magic when it came to saving failing businesses? Maybe she could and maybe she couldn’t. It was time to find out.

“Hi there.” Okay, he could do better than that. Holding out one of the bottles as Duke ambled closer from his side of the pasture, he smoothed the rough edges out of his tone. “I brought you some water.”

“I’m making friends.” She took the water he offered, then pulled an envelope from her pocket.

The disputed rent payment, he guessed. He folded the envelope in half and tucked it away in his shirt pocket, liking how her brows arched in disbelief. He’d surprised Izzy Payton. That was good because he intended to surprise her again. And he was going to mean it.

“I’m sorry I’ve been a pain to work with. I would try to come up with a good excuse, but I have none.” He twisted the cap off the bottle. “If you’re willing, I’m hoping to put that behind us.”

“And move forward on our joint effort to save the ranch?” She appeared more curious than anything. “What changed your mind?”

“You.” It was the simple truth. When a spike of concern flooded her expressive sky-blue eyes, Nathan hastened to explain. “Not because I think we have something personal going on—” He took a breath and started over. “I researched your company, and you’ve done some good work—”

Her brows shot up. “Just good?”

“Alright, great. I’ve given it a lot of thought and your reputation is what the Triple L needs. You may have fresh insight and some ideas my brothers and I haven’t thought of. You want to partner up. I’ve decided to take you up on your offer.”

The tension left her shoulders. Her lips stretched into a smile. Nathan forced himself to stop staring. He scratched Duke’s neck. “It’s win-win. If we pull this off, you get a new notch on your résumé, and we get to keep the ranch.”

“Okay. Good.” She slipped her hands into her back pockets. “On the chance that you might change your mind, I started a business plan for the Triple L last night. But before I send it to you, I’d like to have a look around the place so I can get an understanding of your goals. The ranch isn’t just your home, it’s your business too. You have a hundred acres, right?”

His home and his business? That was a new one on Nathan. He’d only ever thought of the Triple L as home.

“My only goal is to keep the ranch and operations as simple as possible,” he said firmly. “Originally the folks had double the land the ranch has now. They sold half to invest in Dad’s passion for Rangerbred horses. He wanted to leave a legacy for his children. That’s how I plan to keep it. As natural as the day they bought the property.”

“Got it,” she said, understanding lighting her eyes.

For the first time since his accident, Nathan decided to roll with the punches. “Okay, well, do you have anything going on today? I can take you on a tour now if you’re free.”

“Nope. I’m all yours.” Pink sprouted on her cheeks. “I mean—”

“Of course,” he reassured the lady as he ignored the blast of awareness that rushed his don’t-need-anyone armor.

Not for a second did he think anything serious could happen between him and Payton. He had the ranch to think of, and when she was done with her part, she would go on her way. But holy Hannah, was he in trouble. Izzy’s enthusiasm was contagious and more than he knew what to do with. Her thick red hair hung in a ponytail down her back. His fingers itched to bury themselves in the heavy curls. When her eyes sparkled with excitement like they did now... oh man...

Suddenly, he could see red-haired girls who looked just like their mother.

He took a mental step back. Izzy Payton was too much of... everything. He headed for the barn.

“Where are we going?” She kept up with his long strides as he made himself concentrate on the Triple L.

“I thought we’d start with the barn. You’ve seen it, but you haven’t experienced the whole thing or the arena we use for training. After that, I think we should make lunch and take the utility vehicle and explore the rest of the ranch.” Izzy wanted the tour . He would give her one, even if he had to make it up as he went along.

“A picnic sounds like just the thing.” She followed closely and took notes on her phone as he showed her through the barn, arena, and close by sheds.

His dad’s classic truck that Blake had recently restored with Andee, Reece, and Timmy’s help was in the garage near the house, along with the utility vehicle. He showed her those next. Not that he thought they would help much since there was no way he’d sell his dad’s truck.

While they packed the picnic basket, Izzy hummed a song under her breath that Nathan didn’t quite catch. He did his best to ignore the cheery tune but after seven weeks of recovery, it felt good to spend time with someone who wasn’t one of his brothers or his nurse.

He had no complaints about Malorie, her twins, or Timmy. All of them falling in love with the ranch had finally gotten his attention and brought home that if he wasn’t careful he could lose the one thing he had left of his parents.

After adding drinks, he closed the basket. “Ready?”

“Is it okay if I take some pictures along the way?” She pulled out her phone as they went out to the front porch.

“Sure.” He set the basket at her feet. “Wait here. I’ll get the UTV.”

She took his picture when he pulled up. He was going to regret letting her snap photos, wasn’t he? At the end of the main ranch grounds, he made a quick U-turn and stopped so she could see the barn, guesthouse, and outbuildings surrounding the main house. The sun was warm overhead and painted a pretty picture of the main part of the ranch. There was birdsong in the background. It was one of his favorite views.

She raised her phone to take the shot. When she was done, he took the packed dirt road that circumvented the property.

“Why all the pictures?”

She looked at him clearly organizing her thoughts before saying, He liked that about her. “Depending on what you decide to do, we may need them for promotional materials.” Her gaze sliding over the acres stretching ahead of them, she sighed. “It’s so beautiful.”

Realizing where he’d brought them, he parked next to the tree where his parents had carved their initials inside a big, floppy heart.

He turned to face Izzy. “It will take a lot of work to keep the ranch going.”

“I don’t doubt it.” She waved her hand indicating the acres surrounding them. “That’s why I think it’s good that the two of us are putting our heads together so we can come up with a plan that won’t fail. I’m sure your brothers will help wherever and whenever you need them to.”

Nathan broke away from her expectant gaze and scanned the pasture that ran right up to the mountain. Once upon a time, his parents had pastured horses here. It felt like a long time ago now. He missed the herd that had dwindled over the years. When he had decided to have goats, brief though it was, he’d kept them close to the main part of the ranch.

He huffed out a breath. He wasn’t one to sit on the sidelines while someone else, no matter how pretty she was, got her hands dirty. “Ready for lunch?”

“I’m starving,” she said and was out of the truck before he could scoot around the cab and help her out.

He handed her the blanket. “Somehow I’m not surprised.”

“What do you mean?” she asked a little too innocently. The sparkle had returned lifting the corners of her very tempting lips.

Nathan stared at the woman making inroads into his chest where he didn’t want her to be. “You never slow down, do you? You probably burn up every calorie you eat within an hour. You wouldn’t be so hungry if you took your time and ate three meals a day.”

“I eat three meals a day.” She led the way to a flat spot under his parents’ tree where she laid out the blanket. Right away, she noticed the heart and stepped close to run her fingertips over the carving of AlovesZ , before she came back. “I just have a fast metabolism. Which means you’d better feed me right away.”

Nathan swallowed familiar grief past the lump in his throat, though it seemed a little easier this time, and put the basket in the middle of the blanket. They’d packed meat and cheese sandwiches, chips, apples, and bottled drinks. He passed her a sandwich.

She looked back at the heart. “Is that your parents?”

He nodded. “Adam and Zelda. They met in college and fell instantly in love. Dad was in vet school. After they graduated, they bought this ranch. Dad wanted to raise horses. Mom wanted to raise a family. They used to come here when they needed time to themselves and to get away from three rambunctious boys.”

“Did you ever think about being a veterinarian like your dad?” She was too astute, which was probably what made Izzy so good at her job.

He snorted. “When did I have time?” When her brows went up, he took a breath. Izzy didn’t appear to be a woman who tolerated half-answers. “Maybe I did, but after Dad died, and then Mom two years later, someone had to run the ranch. Jonas came back from law school long enough to settle Mom’s affairs, then went back to Denver. Blake only came back to run things after I had my accident.”

Genuine interest darkened the clear blue of her eyes. “Both your brothers are here. Why don’t you go to vet school now?”

“The Triple L comes first. It always will, which means I don’t have time to go to college. Besides, it’s too late.”

“What do you mean?” Her brows knit together.

“I’m thirty-three. I’ve never been to college, so I’d have to start at the beginning. It takes eight years to get through vet school. That will make me in my forties when I finish.” He shook his head. “Eight years is too long to be away from the Triple L.”

Compassion filled her gaze as she said softly, “Maybe it’s your turn to do something you want to do.”

“I am. I’m right where I want to be.” When it looked like she had more questions, he said, “Honest. Besides, I don’t want the Triple L to just limp along while I’m off at veterinarian school. There’s been enough of that over the last sixteen years.”

“I get it.” She hesitated for a moment, then true to form said, “I know I planned to finish the proposal before I send it to you, but I have a list in my head of easy money-producing activities if you want to hear it.”

Nathan almost laughed. He should be upset she couldn’t go more than fifteen minutes without pursuing her vision for the Triple L, but surprisingly, he wasn’t. They both wanted the same thing.

“Give me the list.” He was very interested in what she had to say. Still, he reminded Izzy, “I don’t want to turn the Triple L into a dude ranch.”

“Neither do I.” She grabbed the phone that she’d left on the blanket beside her and scrolled. “Here’s a partial list. Trail riding, hiking, weekend camping, glamping, Jeep tours into the mountains. The Jeep tours might be more of a challenge to get started quickly enough.”

Nathan crossed his arms over his chest. Being a businesswoman herself, Izzy would understand logistics and permits and things. “A Jeep tour sounds like fun, but we’d have to buy the vehicles, get insurance, and probably a permit to go off the ranch and into the mountains. That would take time. Right?”

“That’s what I was thinking.” She sounded disappointed, but her dismay quickly disappeared. “How about the others?”

He held out his hand for her phone and when she gave it to him, he analyzed her list. “Trail riding and hiking excursions are probably doable. I don’t know about glamping, but maybe weekend camping?”

She took her phone back. A smile chased away the caution from the look she gave him. She’d been afraid he would nix all her ideas. Nathan didn’t blame her. He was afraid too that he would. “Good. I’ll do some research and put together cost estimates and time frames for making these happen.”

“Alright.” He started loading up the picnic basket with the remains of their lunch. “We’d better head back. I need to take care of the horses.”

“I’ll help. I’d like to talk to you some more about the barrel-racing lessons you promised.”

Nathan shook his head. She never quit, did she? “I don’t think I promised, did I?”

It was appealing to tease Izzy.

She didn’t notice. She was staring at a building just across a small creek. It was tiny, old, and hadn’t been used in a long time.

“What’s that building over there?” she asked, putting the blanket next to the basket in the back of the utility vehicle.

Reluctantly, he said, “That was my mom’s she-shed.”

“Really? Can we look inside?”

He wished he could say no . No one but him had been in the tiny cabin in years, not even Jonas or Blake.

She noticed his hesitation. “Never mind. I can see it’s a special place for you. The horses are waiting.”

As Izzy started to get into the UTV, Nathan shook his head. There was no reason why she couldn’t see his mom’s place except for his stubborn refusal to share his memories with anyone, even his brothers. “We can go inside.”

“Are you sure?” Izzy asked, one boot on the running board, the other on the ground.

He shrugged. She wanted to see the whole ranch. His mom’s cabin was part of it. “Yup.”

Izzy grabbed his hand and marched them over. Taken by surprise, he decided he could keep dragging his feet or just go with the gutsy woman.

Her palm pressed against his. A buzz of rare excitement raced up his arm. Any opposition that might have sprouted withered away, leaving Nathan to wonder, was there more going on here than fixing his beloved ranch?