The Cowgirl’s Secret Love: The Colemans of Heart Falls, Book 2

by Vivian Arend

  “The second thing on my current to-do list is to get this place up and running as soon as possible.”

  This time she lost it. The controlled expression vanished into one of distrust and confusion. “This place? What’s it going to be, and why aren’t you out east in Manitoba running your family’s spread?”

  It wasn’t time to talk about that issue yet, so Finn pushed down the anger that even thinking about his family home generated and focused on the most important part. “That’s a long story. Levi is running the Marlette homestead, and I’ll explain more later, but here and now, I bought this place to turn it into a dude ranch.”

  This time her mouth hung open for a good ten seconds. “Get out.”

  He raised a hand in the air. “Honest.”

  Her expression was back to slightly amused. “Really. I hope you’ve got good people working with you, because, buttercup? Just being honest, you don’t have the charisma to pull off the ‘hey, city folks, of course I’m happy to help you ride these doggies, yeehaw and yippee-ki-yay’ gig without someone ending up pissed at you.”

  Finn raised a brow. He was, however, charmed that she’d slipped and called him by the old nickname she’d teased him with.

  She adjusted position to match him, her arms crossed and elbows on her thighs as she examined Finn intently. “All right, for the sake of brevity, let’s pretend I totally believe you on the running a dude ranch BS. What’s the next part of your unending plan?”

  “Finish what we started, only the right way.”

  He was jerking her around emotionally, and he knew it. Yet it was the only way to be upfront and honest.

  Karen took a deep breath, focusing on the floor before she lifted her eyes to his and spoke with a great intensity. “We did finish what we started, Finn. When you came to Whiskey Creek ranch and we discovered there was something between us, we said it was a fling. Nothing else. One and done for the summer, and that’s what we did. September came. You went back to Manitoba, and I stayed in Rocky Mountain House, and that was it.”

  “But it shouldn’t have been the end,” Finn insisted.

  “You lived two provinces away. You had work to do. I had work to do, and that was just the way it was.”

  Exasperation rolled for a moment before he decided to take a different tack. “Okay, fine. It was the end—of that summer. But, ma chérie, this is another summer. We’re here in a new place, with new plans. So, I’ve got a couple propositions for you.”

  Karen Coleman was doing her best human imitation of a yo-yo ever. One moment up, unable to hide her amusement because Finn knew exactly how to poke her funny bone. Then he’d turned and tossed a grenade in front of her, and damn if she didn’t want to—

  That was the problem. She didn’t know what she wanted or didn’t want at that point. Her thoughts whirled in confusion.

  No, wait.

  There was one thing that she was positive on. She had to keep Finn Marlette from finding out how much it had hurt when their summer fling had ended.

  Because as much fun as it had been, she’d made a mistake, and her heart had gotten involved.

  She focused on the man across from her, who had the ability to make her body sing with pleasure—or at least he had years ago. She doubted that was a skill set he’d let get rusty, damn him anyway.

  Instead of running and hiding, though, Karen braced herself and pushed forward. “What are these propositions, Finn? Don’t beat around the bush.”

  “I want you to help me get things prepped for the dude ranch. The areas where you’re an expert, like purchasing horses and helping hire the stock crew. I know you’re here for four months before you take off for school. I doubt we’ll be fully operational by the fall, so I don’t expect you to have everything in place. But I’d like to hire you to do what you can.”

  She had not seen that one coming. “Okay. I’ll have to think about it for a little bit because I already made some commitments for my time here.”

  “Working at the grocery store is not really your forte,” Finn drawled.

  “Stalking me?” Karen inquired even as she shook her head. “Forget I said that. I get it. Small town. You probably asked two questions and got all the information you needed.”

  “I’ve been living with Josiah Ryder since March,” Finn confessed. “I pretty much know everything that’s been going on in the Heart Falls area.”

  She was so killing her sister. Sisters, because Lisa was now living with Josiah, but there was no way Tamara wasn’t in on the news as well.

  The only one who would maybe get away without a tongue-lashing was their newly discovered youngest sister, Julia.

  “You are a sneaky devil, aren’t you?” Karen said.

  “Only because I had a reason. I wanted to buy this place, and I needed time.”

  Right. Seemed fair enough. “Give me your number, and I’ll call tomorrow about working for you, June to September.”

  “Number’s the same as it’s always been. You know that.”

  Yeah, she supposed she did. Had stared at it enough times over the years, to boot.

  He rose and closed the short distance between them, grasping her hand and pulling her to vertical. “The other thing I want? While you’re here—we pick up where we left off.”

  Heart pounding. Throat tightening. “Finn.”

  He stared at her with that intense look that sent shivers over her. “We had something special, and it didn’t finish the way it should’ve. I think we should try again, and this time we change it up just enough to give us a real shot.”

  Dear God, temptation was being handed to her on a silver platter.

  But she was finally getting to spread her wings. Not to mention, how would she bear it if after four months of spending time with this man he turned around and walked away, and so did she?

  Having him leave her a second time just might put her six feet under.

  “All the reasons we had before for not being together permanently—none of that has changed, Finn. If anything, it’s gotten more complicated.” Karen had to explain, maybe a little to herself as well. “I’m only here for a short time to visit with my family before I head to school. I’m doing something that’s important to me, plus it’s the first time in my life I get to experience a world outside of Whiskey Creek and the Coleman spread.”

  “We spend the summer together here, and at the end of it, if you want to go to school, then you go. It doesn’t mean we can’t be together.” His grip on her fingers was gentle enough she could pull away if she wanted to, but tight enough to make it clear he didn't want to let her go. “I’m not who I was five years ago, chérie. We have more options, but first we need to get on firm footing.”

  “And what does that look like? Do we start another fling? Fooling around in corners of the barn again and you crawling in my bedroom window?”

  His lips curled upward. “While I’m very willing to crawl in your bedroom window, the hiding part needs to change. We do this the right way. We spend the summer together, but it’s not going to be secret. It will be you and me out there, giving the world hell and doing everything we want. Everything that makes you happy—because you’re right. You’ve had a rough time of it, and you deserve to spread your wings. I’m all for helping you. But not in the dark.” He lowered his tone a notch, the words coming out a deep rumble that caressed her skin. “Except when you want it dark.”

  Dear God. This wasn’t just temptation; this was temptation wrapped in shiny paper with a Godiva chocolate on top, waiting for her to take a bite.

  So she did the only thing she could. Karen pulled her hand free, planted her palms on his shoulders, and turned him on the spot. “Go home, Finn. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  He walked toward his boots with less complaining than she’d expected. It was only after he’d pulled them on and adjusted his hat that he looked her up and down. “Call me early. I want to get started as soon as possible.”

  “Cocky bastard,” Karen called after him
as he slipped out the porch door and disappeared without a backward glance.

  She followed onto the wooden decking, watching his strong body as he paced into the distance.

  What a wild, mixed-up situation.

  It only took a couple minutes to grab a glass of juice and position a chair toward the rolling hills in the hopes that from somewhere out there, wisdom would come fluttering toward her.

  A few butterflies did, maybe, but wisdom seemed to be hiding, because Karen was far too tempted to accept Finn’s proposition.

  It would be a terrible mistake. Broken heart? She’d survived it once, but enough jagged edges remained that stabbed deep at the most inopportune moments.

  Was it worth getting tangled up with the man who was her personal addiction when she had a time limit on staying here? What’s more, at least at this point, unless something major had changed in Finn Marlette’s life recently, she doubted he planned to stay in Heart Falls for any longer than it took to make a success of his latest venture.

  She wanted her education, true, but more than that? She wanted to set roots. Deep and firm, established in family and friends. She couldn’t do that with a man who had temporary written on the soles of his boots.

  The sun moved slowly. Nothing but a few wispy clouds drifted through a blue sky toward the distant mountains. It was beautiful and peaceful and exactly what she needed to make a decision.

  She raised her nearly empty glass toward the fields. “I’m here for my family. I’m here to find me, and that means I don’t have time for a fling. This is the summer of celibacy. More importantly, it means I concentrate on the task at hand.”

  The first of which required getting together with her sisters, and not when there was a horde of others around. Because it was not the time for group discussion; it was time for a gathering of the Whiskey Creek Coleman women where the oldest of them—namely her—explained exactly how this worked.

  Aka, Karen was going to lay down the law and make sure everyone knew exactly where her priorities were. That there would be zero tolerance of any further messing with her personal life.

  She pulled out her phone and sent a couple of text messages to arrange an afternoon meeting of the minds.

  3

  I wasn’t trying to be mysterious when we met at Traders, but honest to God, I was more distracted than I want to admit. Your attitude is sexy as hell.

  * * *

  Please accept this flower as a peace offering. Look forward to getting to know you better this summer.

  ~Note from Finn to Karen, found on her second-storey windowsill the morning after he started work at Whiskey Creek ranch~

  His visit with Karen hadn’t been long enough. While Finn was disappointed she hadn’t immediately jumped to accept his plan, asking for a little time was reasonable.

  He’d also figured her answer to them getting back together would be no, probably for at least a couple of weeks.

  That was pretty much what had happened five years ago. Back then they’d been determined to go as slowly as possible until the fire between them had ignited and become impossible to ignore.

  Still, to anyone looking on, he’d pretty much blown it. Finn was tempted to take the long route back to the ranch house. Maybe if he walked slow enough, Zach would have found something new to entertain himself and left the house.

  No such luck. Not only was the bastard still hanging around, another visitor had joined him in the kitchen.

  Josiah Ryder, local veterinarian and, until recently, Finn’s landlord and roommate, glanced up. A mess of paperwork was spread over the surface of the roughhewn table, and he and Zach had been poking through the pile.

  “I don’t see any missing limbs or severed arteries,” Josiah offered cheerily.

  “Did you really assume a positive feminine response from the lack of mutilated appendages?” Zach asked dryly. “If I didn’t know you managed to land a woman, I’d be worried about your dating techniques.”

  “Hey, I’m just being hopeful here for our man Finn.”

  Finn sauntered to the table and glanced at the papers, discovering blueprints, timelines, and shopping lists all mixed together. “We need to get going on the accommodations sooner than later. Plus, someone needs to overhaul this main house layout because the kitchen and dining area need to feel homey yet still meet health and safety standards. Right now it’s a pit.”

  Zach folded his arms over his chest and nodded slowly as if taking in every single word. Then he dashed Finn’s hopes that they had moved on to the next topic. “Struck out, didn’t you?”

  Josiah checked his watch. “How long was he there?”

  “Twenty minutes, max.”

  A soft whistle escaped Josiah. “Struck out, magnificently.”

  “Jackasses,” Finn muttered. “She’s thinking about it.”

  Two identical expressions stared back. One brow raised in speculation, lips twisted into a smirk. Then Josiah and Zach turned toward each other and completely ignored Finn as they carried on their conversation.

  “Thinking about it isn’t a no,” Josiah pointed out.

  “How long does she get to think before it’s a no? Is this an open-ended thing where she gets to hit start anytime she wants?” Zach asked.

  Josiah considered for a moment. “That’s kind of how women work, Zach. The last time I looked, I wasn’t calling the shots in my relationship with Lisa. Not when it came to where we go, when we go, or what we do.”

  “If you two are finished, I do have an update.” Finn waited until his friends turned back to face him, smirks and all. “One thing I’m sure Karen will say yes to in the morning will be helping to prep this place. Horse purchases and livestock staffing.”

  Zach swore softly. “You offered her a job? I mean, not that she won’t be brilliant at it, but when she says no to dating you, won’t that make things a little complicated?”

  “If she says yes to dating you, that’s gonna make things even more complicated,” Josiah pointed out.

  “Not really. Zach, you’re foreman on the project, so you’d be her boss. Contract work. Means she’ll have a lot of autonomy. You plan to second-guess any of the purchases she makes for this place?”

  “Of course not.” His friend shrugged. “Would’ve been nice to have talked about this before, but it’s a good twist. I approve.”

  “Thanks.” The word dripped with sarcasm.

  Then Zach lit up. He smacked a hand on Finn’s shoulder. “In other news, I tracked down contacts at those restoration sites you mentioned. Got leads on at least a dozen old barns within the radius you were hoping for. You’ll have to work your magic to purchase them for a decent price, but when you do, I know exactly who to bring in to make them into the best guesthouses any dude ranch ever had.”

  Which is why at the end of the day, when the bullshitting was done, Finn appreciated Zach so much.

  They both brought skills to the business they’d been building ever since Finn officially left the homestead where he grew up. Zach had the magic touch when it came to tracking down one-of-a-kind items and the eye to choose the perfect spot for new businesses. He also had freaky good timing.

  Finn knew how to work the numbers.

  While they’d both had some good luck at key moments, like falling in with their mentor, Bruce Travers, they’d worked damn hard as well, and that’s what had made them successful in the end.

  Finn gave Zach an approving nod. “Knew I could count on you.”

  “Of course you can, because I’m so count-on-able.” Zach turned to the other man in the room. “So, the spaces I pointed out for the horses. Approval from the veterinarian, or do we need to make changes?”

  “Looks good on paper. I want to see a few more measurements for your main barn. Also, if you can double the size of the arena now, you’ll appreciate it down the road.” Josiah pulled some of the papers forward, and he and Zach fell into a discussion that Finn only partially listened to.

  He’d come to Heart Falls with one r
eal goal—to get back together with Karen.

  Making a success of the dude ranch was important in a totally different way. Business achievements were a way of keeping track of the progress in one’s life. It was too easy to get stuck in one spot. To watch life pass by as you did the same old thing, time and again.

  Finn’s mentor, Bruce Travers, had been all about attempting the new and reaching beyond what was possible before. It was part of the reason he’d taken Finn and Zach on as apprentices.

  He’d changed their lives in ways they could never have imagined.

  Being in Heart Falls with enough money in his pocket to make dreams come true was very much a legacy Finn had received from the man. But the true gift wasn’t the cash. It was the sense of adventure and the striving for freshness. Those were newer attitudes Finn never wanted to lose.

  He pulled out his phone, intending to check his emails, but his screensaver distracted him, pulling him into the stash of photos he’d gathered of Karen.

  The ones Karen had posed for five years ago once they’d agreed to let the passion between them flare.

  He found himself staring at her face again, a confident woman on horseback. Her hands rested easily on the saddle horn as she stared at him with a bright smile on her face, cool self-assurance shining through in the way she sat.

  If he remembered correctly, that horse had been a hellion, yet for her the beast had all but purred. That was one of the many things he admired about her.

  “Finn.”

  He glanced up, tucking his phone into his back pocket. “What?”

  Once again, the two men before him exchanged amused glances before Zach shrugged. “It’s so much fun to see you besotted. I wanted to remind you we’ve got a meeting at the bank in an hour. If you want to go now, we can grab lunch beforehand.”

  Finn had no idea what his friend was talking about. “Who the fuck uses a word like besotted these days? And why are we meeting at the bank?”