Chapter Eight

T wo days later, Izzy silently scolded herself as she stepped into the shower to wash off the barn smells before getting ready to meet with the Lohmen brothers. She shouldn’t enjoy poking at Nathan so much but cleaning the stalls and helping him groom the horses was almost more fun than putting together the package she was about to present.

That’s not why you’re here , she reminded the woman in the full-length mirror. Staring back at her was an accomplished businesswoman. Her thick, red hair was pulled back into a French braid. She’d combined her black skinny jeans with a white, buttoned-down blouse that had a stiff, standup collar and long sleeves.

She’d worked hard to make her business a success. Izzy straightened her shoulders, then twisted to check her braid. Every hair was in place.

The whole reason she’d come to Colorado was to fix the Triple L’s financial situation. The meeting would help her accomplish that goal. If she couldn’t do that, then her reputation for being able to work a little magic could be flushed down the toilet.

The problem was she liked living on the ranch. She liked the sounds and smells she woke up to and even the sounds and smells of the barn and horses and the kittens. And dang it, she was starting to like Nathan Lohmen.

Don’t be crazy, girl.

What if she ended up liking the rancher so much that when she was done with this job, she didn’t want to leave? She was thinking about the Strawberry Ridge Rodeo in September too much, but she already had a couple of requests for her business restoration services in her inbox, for when she completed her contract with the Lohmens. Any one of them would take her far away from Strawberry Ridge and the ranch that was starting to mean more to her than it should.

Right after Nathan had told her he trained riders and horses for barrel racing, spurred on with the idea of participating in something new, she’d researched and found out everything she could about the fall rodeo. If she had to, she could take a break from whatever job she took and come back for the event. But would she? There probably wasn’t enough time for her to get ready to compete.

Pulling down on her shirt, she glanced at the clock. It was time. Grabbing her flowery satchel, Izzy made her way through the garden to the main house. She wasn’t normally nervous during her presentations but for some reason, this time...

She cleared her mind, listened to the soothing sound of summer, and thought of something else more fun. Maybe she ought to find an outrageous bird penthouse that she could add to the garden. A big one she could leave behind as a reminder that she’d once been here.

She knocked. Nathan opened the door and stood aside to let her in. More determined than ever to put the Triple L and the silent man allowing her entry back on the Strawberry Ridge horse community map, she smiled at him and stepped into his home.

Jonas and Blake’s voices came from the dining room. Malorie had told her they’d turned the room back to its original purpose when Nathan no longer needed the space for a convalescence room. The brothers were already seated at the table with a tray of water and glasses between them.

“Hi, Blake. How was your trip?” Izzy asked as she sat in the chair Nathan, in a surprising gesture, pulled out for her.

“It was good,” he said. He poured her a glass of water. “Very productive business-wise. And a blast taking Malorie and the kids to see the sights.”

Facing all three brothers was a bit more intimidating than she’d anticipated. Now that she knew more about the Triple L and the cowboys that owned it, she had to get this contract. After taking a sip of the water, she shook off the rare nerves before opening her satchel to pull out the folders she’d put together for each of the brothers. “Let’s get started. As you can see, I’ve divided my recommendations into four parts: The Wedding Cottage; Riders and Horse Training; Riding Lessons—we might include trail riding with this one; and Stud Services as a long-term goal. I’ve included costs and potential earnings.” Izzy went over each page, clarifying any questions they might have.

Nathan looked to be listening carefully, which was pleasantly unexpected after he had objected to hiring her in the first place. When he glanced at her, his speculating gaze lingered. A flush warmed her inside.

“I like the idea of turning Mom’s she-shed into a wedding location,” Blake said. “The figures look good, and I think Malorie would love to be involved with that too. And the kids.”

“Mom would have approved,” Jonas added, then flipped through the other pages. He stopped at the last one outlining her stud services proposal and frowned.

Izzy wondered what his hesitation meant but since that wasn’t the most urgent of her suggestions, she let his reaction rest for a moment.

Nathan remained quiet as he looked over her proposal. She’d tailored her proposal to each brother’s apparent interests and skills. The Wedding Cottage for Jonas—because through his law firm, he already had experience running a business. The rider and horse training for Nathan—he’d admitted he was thinking about getting back into that saddle, so to speak. Riding lessons for Blake who was currently giving weekly lessons. And the breeding program for down the road. Even though Nathan had mentioned it was a no-go because of the lack of Duke’s registration papers, Izzy wasn’t ready to give up on the idea as an eventual possibility. She couldn’t imagine that all three brothers wouldn’t have some contribution to offer to that project.

A niggle of worry surfaced in her mind. Had Nathan recovered enough from his injury to get back on a horse and fill the spot of primary trainer? Was it too soon after his accident for him to bounce around on a horse’s back? Was she pushing him too far, too fast?

“This all looks good.” He laid her report on the table and said gruffly, “We should start with The Wedding Cottage. Mom’s she-shed would be the easiest to turn around into a viable business and would do the least harm to the environment of the ranch. We can start working on the landscape tomorrow.”

“I’ll design a flyer and an ad for the Strawberry Ridge Journal and social media, tonight,” Izzy said. “If you come for breakfast, that’ll give each of you a chance to make any changes you want.”

She didn’t dare let her gaze stray beyond the report in her hand to Nathan. Already she was having trouble keeping her eye on the task at hand, especially when it came to stepping back from one very handsome cowboy who had no idea how attractive his defense of the memories of his mother was.

Izzy would bet anything he’d been a good son.

“You come here for breakfast instead,” Nathan said firmly. “Jonas will fix breakfast.”

Jonas’ brows shot up. Izzy was surprised Nathan hadn’t given his older brother much choice.

“But—” she started, only to be stopped in her tracks by Nathan who shook his head.

“He loves to cook.” Nathan stared at Jonas. Blake smothered a laugh with a cough.

Izzy considered putting up a fight, but then—

Hold your horses, girl! You are so in danger of breaking rule number one. Don’t you remember how painful it was the last time you gave away your heart?

That was a big fat yes!

“Fine. I can help, Jonas,” she said to the oldest Lohmen, then grabbed her copy of the plan and shoved it into its folder.

“No, ma’am. An extra mouth to cook for won’t be any trouble at all,” he said with a grin at Nathan.

The Lohmen boys would get no further argument from her. Izzy liked having someone else making her breakfast, not that she’d ever accepted an invitation before today. “If you all agree with the proposal, I’ll get started on a game plan.”

“I’m in,” Jonas said, turning his grin on her as he rose from his chair. “When I get to the office, I’ll register an LLC for the ranch or The Wedding Cottage, whichever I have to do, online. I’ll also contact a friend of mine at the State Land Board about a land use permit and get it fast-tracked.”

Blake was fast to add, “Me too. And I’ll talk to Malorie and the kids. I’m sure they’ll be on board too. Besides, we’ll need all hands on deck if we’re going to pull off this list of yours in the time we have left before the bank manager decides she’s waited long enough.”

Jonas grabbed his file. “I’ll talk to her and see if I can get an extension.”

Izzy glanced at Nathan. She couldn’t help it. He was watching her, smiling for the first time since she’d met the cowboy. A genuine smile that lifted the corners of his lips and crinkled the lines fanning out from his black eyes.

She almost stopped breathing before she took hold of herself and secured her file in the satchel. Waving a hasty goodbye over her shoulder, she fought to walk out the door, head high, shoulders back, an experienced businesswoman who wasn’t running from an attraction that could steer her off course if she let it. Luckily, she made it to the guesthouse without turning back to do what she wanted to do, which was have a lingering coffee and quiet conversation with Nathan, just a boy and girl getting to know each other better.

Once in the guesthouse, she plopped on the couch, stunned at the predicament she’d almost landed herself in. After being left at the altar, she hadn’t once thought she would fall for the illusive myth of love ever again.

Of course, she wasn’t falling in love. That was ridiculous. And risky. But here she was thinking not just the Triple L had possibilities.

Dang it! She jumped up and went to the fridge to grab a bottle of water, pressing the cold plastic to her neck to bring down the heat while she stared out the window at the gloriously colored garden. Butterflies flitted from flower to flower. It was becoming her favorite view. And not because she could get a glimpse of one handsome cowboy as he went back and forth between the house and the barn.

Uncapping the bottle, she gulped down the cool liquid. She was here to save the ranch, not Nathan more-than-a-little-intriguing Lohmen. And she certainly didn’t need to save herself from a lonely, only-living-for-the-job future.

But she wasn’t lonely. No siree. And if they could replicate this beautiful scene at The Wedding Cottage, it would go a long way toward accomplishing her reason for being here. It might be a slow way to grow a clientele, but couples were always looking for an affordable, beautiful, and peaceful venue to get married. That gave The Wedding Cottage a leg up on the competition.

Ignoring the nagging internal voice that hinted she could easily be in over her head, not in the career department, but in the personal arena, Izzy grabbed her satchel and pulled out the proposal. Returning to the couch with her laptop, she got busy. She loved her job and vowed that Mr. Nathan Lohmen would not be the distraction that blew her off course.

*

The next day, Izzy spent the morning tidying up the plan she’d made the previous night. She delivered Jonas and Nathan’s copies to them at breakfast, but after quickly eating and answering questions, she didn’t linger.

She was a big girl. She could stick to the plan and make sure the Triple L survived in a way that the brother’s parents, and Nathan (professionally speaking), would approve of.

“I’ll take this to Blake,” she said, picking up Blake’s copy of her proposal.

Nathan grabbed the edge of the folder before she could put it under her arm. “I thought you were working with me in the barn this morning.”

“Of course.” She’d forgotten that she’d talked him into letting her be his ranch hand.

His phone pinged a notification. He quickly glanced through the message. “Anyhow, Blake, Malorie, and the kids are on their way over.”

Izzy looked down at her good jeans and favorite T-shirt—the green one with the big dandelion on the front, and sandals. “I’d better change into my work clothes then.”

“After we’re done in the barn, we can go to the cottage and decide where to start. Malorie and the kids will enjoy the outing.” He put the paperwork she’d brought over in the office, then waved on his way out. “I’ll meet you in the barn.”

Brows raised, she looked at Jonas. “Will you be coming too?”

“Nope.” He shook his head. “I have things to do in town if you’re going to pull The Wedding Cottage off.” He frowned. “You can tell me later how you and my brothers decide to proceed and what materials you’ll need. Or, you know what? Just text me. I’ll take Dad’s truck and bring the supplies back with me.”

His frown fading, Jonas picked up his cell from the table and pushed it into his back pocket.

“Okay.” She followed him out of the house, suddenly curious and wondering if his frequent visits to Strawberry Ridge had anything to do with his friend, Sloane, whom Nathan had mentioned when they were at Zelda’s shed.

On her way to the guesthouse, she shrugged. It wasn’t any of her business, was it? As she went inside, Jonas drove by, looking like a man on a mission.

It didn’t take her long to get into working clothes. Nathan was letting several of the horses into pasture when she entered the barn. Rosie and Grace were still in their stalls. It felt good to do something completely out of her usual activities. After giving the mares a scratch, she got started.

Mucking out stalls was like making beds in a hospital, at least from what Mal had told her, a sentiment Izzy could suddenly appreciate. For once, she let her mind just wander without a predetermined destination. When Nathan joined her, she was covered in the beginnings of a light sweat and had just finished putting down new straw and shavings on the floor. Fresh water was in the water bucket attached to the front corner.

He startled her when he grabbed the wheelbarrow wagon she’d half-filled and steered it toward the back of the barn.

She rushed to catch up with him. “I can do that.”

“I’m sure you can, but my hands were free, and you’re busy. I can take care of it. It’ll only take a minute,” he said over his shoulder then disappeared through the sliding barn doors in the back.

He wasn’t hearing her. Izzy turned back around only to stop at a stall on this side of the haystack that had rubber mats on the floor. It was like the other stalls only cleaner, and a hose hung on the side wall with a spray nozzle attached.

“What’s this stall for,” she asked when Nathan stopped beside her.

He let go of the handle of the wagon. “It’s a wash bay for the horses.”

“How clever,” she said and retraced her steps to the stalls at the front of the barn. “How many horses can this barn hold?”

“Thirty.” He grabbed a fork from the tack room and began to clean out Duke’s stall while Izzy started on Bella’s. “I have an idea. After we clean out the stalls, what would you say to riding Rosie and Grace out to Mom’s shed instead of taking the utility vehicle?”

“Are you sure you’re up for a horse ride?” She eyed him closely. There was no point in beating around the bush. She’d hate to be the one to tell his doctor that the stubborn cowboy didn’t take to obeying orders to go easy very well.

He scooped soiled straw and shavings into the barrow. “If I’m going to start training horses, it’s probably best that I get back on a horse, don’t you think?”

“Yes, but—”

“We can go slow if that will be easier for you.” Nathan sounded like he didn’t appreciate her concern, but when she caught his eye, there was a twinkle lighting the dark depths.

She paid him back in kind. “I think it would be easier for you.”

An hour later, after finishing the stalls, brushing down Rosie and Grace, and saddling the horses, they were on their way to the back forty and Zelda’s special place. Before they left, Nathan had gone into the house and come out with a folder that he placed in a saddlebag behind Grace’s saddle.

“What made you agree to green light The Wedding Cottage?” Izzy asked when they were halfway there.

Shifting in the saddle, he gave her an assessing look. “Would you believe me if I said you make a compelling argument?”

Meeting his gaze head-on, she shook her head. “Maybe.”

“Well, you do, Izzy Payton. And the bottom line is my brothers trust you, so I guess I should too.” He faced forward. “I can change my mind and we can return to the ranch if that’s what you want.”

The man was a pain in her side. She hadn’t missed the twitch of his lips into a scant smile. “That’s okay. I was curious, is all.”

They rode in silence, accompanied by the sound of hooves on the dirt road. After a while, he said, “The idea of turning Mom’s she-shed into something that will be forever dedicated to her and Dad is a good one.” He shrugged, but this time didn’t look in her direction. “I want to add a plaque with their names to the front of the building.”

They topped a hill that overlooked the shed. He edged Grace closer. “To be honest...” he paused, then, “I don’t want you to save the Triple L without me. I need to be part of bringing the ranch back to life.”

“I would never do anything on the ranch without your involvement,” she promised. It was true. While all three brothers owned the ranch, in her mind the Triple L and Nathan were firmly linked together.

They dismounted and tied the reins to a tree. Reaching into the saddlebag, he grabbed the folder. “I have something to show you.” He pulled out thick pages and handed them to her.

Izzy found herself looking at pencil drawings of the cottage’s transformation they’d discussed the previous day. Her breath caught. “Nathan! These are wonderful.” There were three drawings. One of Zelda’s hideaway turned into a cute, magical cottage with a covered, enclosed front porch. The second was a shed that matched the cottage in design. The third was a riotous garden on either side of a path that led to a rose-covered arch. Seats with ribbons were set out for guests. When she looked up, his gaze was off in the distance. “You’re so talented. Where did you learn to draw like this?”

He shrugged and came back from where his thoughts had taken him. “My mom. She bought me books on how to draw from the time I was in grade school. Before she passed, she would let me come here with her and while she made dresses, I drew pictures.”

“Well, these are so good. Do you mind if I keep them for a little while?”

Not unexpectedly, his brows drew together. “What for?”

“I have to think about it some more, but they would be perfect for the flyers and maybe some online marketing.” She held the drawings close to her chest, hoping he wouldn’t take them away. To distract him, she told Nathan, “Jonas said he’d bring out the supplies we need if we text him a list.”

“I’ll take care of it.” He pulled out his cell and began making what she presumed was a list to send to his brother.

Izzy nearly twirled on her toes. Already, she had ideas about what to do with his drawings. No one would ever guess the sweet pictures came from a grouchy cowboy. Her heart melted ever so slightly. How in the world was she going to keep her distance when Nathan Lohmen surprised her at every turn?

She’d put the pictures back in the folder and moved the saddlebags to Rosie. Just in case Nathan changed his mind about letting her keep his artwork, she would have them close at hand.

Blake and Malorie drove up. They had barely parked when the kids poured out of the back seat of Mal’s Bronco.

Andee and Reece raced up to her and hugged Izzy around the waist. “Hi, Aunt Izzy. We have a surprise for you.”

“A surprise? I love surprises.” She hugged them back and said to the boy watching her warily. “Hi, Timmy. Are you my surprise?”

The youngster shook his head.

Izzy looked up to see her mother emerge from Malorie’s Bronco. “Mom, what are you doing here? You look tired. Are you okay?”

Sylvia placed one arm around Izzy’s shoulders. “Can’t a mom pay her only daughter a visit?”

“Sure, if one’s mother was in the habit of popping in unannounced.” That wasn’t Sylvia Payton’s way. Her mom couldn’t have had any time at all to unpack from her riverboat trip. And she didn’t trust Sylvia to be honest with her about her health. “But since you’re here, I’d like you to meet Blake’s brother, Nathan.”

“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Payton.”

“You can call me Sylvia.” Her mom shook the hand Nathan held out and said, “Well, aren’t you handsome.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he agreed, winking at Sylvia.

“Mother!”

Fortunately, Nathan didn’t seem to mind. He smiled at Sylvia with a mischievous grin that Izzy could imagine he used to his advantage when he was a kid—or more recently when he went on dates.

The rancher and her mom were going to get along fine. Probably too well. Izzy just rolled her eyes.