Recipe for a Homecoming
Page 22
Delicate was supposed to be something her father had groomed out of her early on. In its place, he’d cultivated competitiveness. Drive.
And look where it had gotten her.
She pulled her hand away and splayed her fingers on her hip, pretending she didn’t have a pile of panties from the suitcase scattered at her feet. “I might as well apologize in advance if your name is supposed to mean something to me, Trace Powell.”
He pointed over her shoulder toward the land beyond the thicket of trees growing at the end of the road. “I’m your nearest neighbor.”
That she hadn’t expected.
Which was probably stupid of her.
The man hadn’t driven up with a dog that needed a shampoo. He’d shown up on horseback.
But when the real estate agent had described the rancher next door, she’d expected something different. Though now, she was hard-pressed to figure out why.
“You own the Bar-H Ranch?”
He lifted a finger to the brim of his cowboy hat. “Yes, ma’am. And I might as well apologize in advance for saying that you paid Seamus too much for this heap of lumber.”
“You know how much I paid, too?”
“Doesn’t matter the amount. Seamus got the better end of the deal. Maybe you should’ve found some time in your schedule to see what you were getting into before you signed on the dotted line.”
He was right, of course, but she didn’t welcome him pointing it out to her. “Just what is it that you think you can do for me, Mr. Powell?” She heard a snicker somewhere in the libido corner of her brain.
“Trace.” He smiled slightly. “I’ve got a spare key.”
“Why, exactly, do you have a spare key to my property?” It wasn’t going to be just her workplace, but where she would live.
The words of the online advertisement were permanently imprinted in her mind.
Dog-grooming storefront attached to private living accommodations. Business equipment and home furnishings included. Five acres conveniently located.
“It’s been your property for a whopping twenty-four hours.” Trace’s voice deepened with irony. “And Seamus gave the key to me a long time ago. During better days.” He made a point of stepping back a few paces and looking at the building. “I’m sure it’s apparent to a smart woman like you that he isn’t much for making changes. That definitely includes the locks.”
If she were smart would she have bought Poocheez on a whim and one-too-many bottles of wine?
The only smart thing she’d done had been to make certain that Seamus Shaw was contractually obligated to see her through the transition of the business and help make sure that the part-time groomer—some guy name Drake—stayed on staff.
She’d given up practicing law, but she hadn’t given up her brain.
Despite appearances to the contrary.
“Do you have the key with you?” She held out her palm even though she really didn’t expect the man to produce it right that second.
“Won’t take me long to get it.” He whistled sharply and the horse lifted its head from the creek and obediently clip-clopped back across the road toward him. “Don’t go anywhere.”
Ros hid a grimace.
Where would she go?
She crouched down to scoop her underwear back into the suitcase while he met the horse halfway and swung up into the saddle, looking like he’d been doing it all his life.
She heard him cluck and the horse launched forward.
The only thing missing from the image of him riding off was a sunset.
She rubbed her face and looked back at the building.
Her building.
“It’s you and me now, Poocheez.” She jiggled the doorknob. “So this better not be a sign.”
Copyright © 2021 by Allison Lee Johnson
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ISBN-13: 9780369710307
Recipe for a Homecoming
Copyright © 2021 by Sabrina York
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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