She seethed, biting her lip.
“I’m sorry. But it had to be said,” he told her, putting an arm around her. “I’m only telling you for your own good. I’d hate to see you lose your job because the management suspected that your heart wasn’t in it.”
Her whole body stiffened with indignant anger. “I didn’t say that,” she protested. “All I said was that people should be able to have Christmas Day off work. I know there are lots of professions where that’s not possible, but where it is I think it’s important to uphold that tradition.”
A nagging thought was calling to her from the back of her mind – and my heart isn’t in that horrid job.
He nodded. “Right.”
She managed to pull from his grip and quickly wiped the pot he’d brought the food over in. “Here.” She handed it to him. “Thanks again for the food. I’m going to get an early night now, if you don’t mind. I’ve got lots to think about.”
“And packing to do,” he added quickly. “Right, I’ll be off then. I’ll pick you up in the morning. Make sure you’re ready on time, we don’t want anything to jeopardize you keeping that job, now, do we?”
A familiar lump settled in her stomach. “I’ll let you know about that,” she told him quickly. “I’ll call you in the morning if I need a ride.”
He sneered. “I don’t see how else you’re going to get there,” he told her. “Brannagh’s old truck sure won’t make it down the mountain. It’s nothing but a heap of rust. I saw it outside earlier; looks like it couldn’t even make it across the yard and over to his place. What use is that?” He scowled, pulling on his coat. “That pile of junk’s just like the guy himself – no good to anyone.”
* * * *
Tyler was pleased to see that Adam had ensured that all the horses had enough feed and water, and plenty of hay to keep them warm. He’d put thick blankets on them all and they seemed quite settled in the heated, but well-ventilated stalls.
Adam was a good worker and Tyler was determined to keep him and Darrel employed as long as he possibly could.
It was going to cost a small fortune to rent the land to keep the cattle and horses here, but he really couldn’t see himself anywhere other than Mile End. This had been his home for over ten years, and he’d do anything to keep it that way.
He sighed, recalling the conversations he’d had today at the bank. Mr. Hendrickson had been sure that the ranch would survive as long as he continued to run things the way he had, and he reckoned it would yield an even better income in time.
Mr. Brown, the deputy manager, had spent a lot of time frowning at his computer screen, though, when they went to another room to discuss Tyler’s ability to pay for everything. He’d eventually agreed to a hefty loan which would tide Tyler over until the ranch’s income increased.
It wasn’t just the cost of renting the land from Chloé; he had to consider staff wages, veterinary bills, the cost of feed and hay, as well as heating for this place, which was only going to rise at this time of year. He’d also need to discuss with Chloé the use of the large trucks to transport the animals; something he hadn’t really considered before.
Would she want to keep the extra horse-boxes and wagons when she had no need of them? The sensible solution would be for him to buy them off her, but he just couldn’t afford to do that right now.
He looked over to the ranch house, wondering if it would be a good time to go back and ask Chloé about her plans, but noticed Bill Simmons walking up the steps to her front door. He held something in his arms, which looked like a large cooking pot. Damn! The fucker was taking her supper again.
From this distance he couldn’t hear their conversation, but he watched Chloé open the door and invite him inside. He seethed. Bill was clearly going to try to encourage Chloé to go back to Atlanta, but that was the last thing Tyler wanted. And what about Chloé? From what she’d told Maisie earlier it seemed she might not be quite as keen on the idea of returning as they’d all assumed.
He made himself busy polishing tack and tidying the feed-store while he waited impatiently for Bill to leave again. Luckily, he didn’t have to wait too long; the guy was there less than an hour. At first he hoped that it was a sign that they’d had a row; perhaps he should go over and make sure Chloé was okay? They both seemed quite friendly as he left, though, and he’d swear the bastard tried to kiss Chloé as he passed her in the doorway. He was glad to see that she’d moved quickly, though, and thwarted his chance.
Although it seemed churlish for him to go back and see Chloé right now – she’d think he’d been spying on her – he badly wanted to find out what was going on. He watched Bill reach the gate that joined the two ranches, and followed him. Perhaps it was time they had a proper talk, man to man?
The lights were on in Bill’s home and Tyler frowned when he saw the front door open as Bill headed up the path. A young woman stood on the doorstep waiting for him.
“Did it work?” she asked, excitedly as Bill got nearer.
“Like a dream.” Bill sounded pleased. “She’s over there right now packing her stuff. She’s heading home to Atlanta first thing in the morning and I’ll be taking over her affairs back here. I’ve got her eating out of the palm of my hand.”
The snow deadened the sound of Tyler’s footprints and the dark bushes hid him from view as he followed Bill up to the house, being careful to avoid the light that streamed from the open door.
“You’re getting the ranch?” The woman seemed ecstatic.
“Not yet, but I’ll soon convince her it’s her best option. Then Brannagh will be forced to sell to me, too – at a rock-down price, of course. I’ll soon own more than half the land in Marville County. People will have to sit up and take notice of me then.”
They both laughed as Bill reached her, put his arm around the woman and gave her a long kiss before closing the door.
Tyler’s mind raced. Bill Simmons had always been full of his own self-importance, which was why he’d never had anything to do with the fucker. He’d be unbearable if he owned even more land – especially if that included Mile End Ranch.
He made his way home, becoming more despondent with every footstep. Simmons had this all planned out, and there seemed nothing he could do to stop it.
Looking up at the ranch house as he passed it, he noticed the bedroom light on. Chloé would be up there packing right now. She’d be leaving again in the morning and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. He had nothing to offer her, not that she’d want him anyway.
His stomach lurched. He had wanted her for so long and had blown the only chance he’d had. He’d never know the reason why she agreed to their date that night, but the fact remained that she hadn’t wanted him. Her university friends clearly had more to offer. It was a sobering thought that haunted him all night.
CHAPTER NINE
After a restless night, Tyler got up early. The snow was falling heavily again and he was eager to check that the horses were all right. Thunder was munching happily on some oats when he opened the stall, and his stomach roiled as he watched him. The last time Chloé had left the ranch Lightning had just died, and it became the worst day of Tyler’s life.
He knew that Uncle John had tried to spare Chloé from the heartache of seeing her lifeless horse, but he also understood that the poor girl might have needed the chance to say goodbye to her.
Lightning had been her pride and joy; the love of her life. It must have been unbearable to learn that she had gone like that. Just like it was heartbreaking for Tyler to learn of Chloé leaving the way she did; angry and upset. He had always wondered whether he should have tried harder to convince John to delay disposing of the horse.
He patted Thunder’s nose. Although Chloé wasn’t quite as attached to this horse as she had been to Lightning, he guessed it would be hard to say goodbye to him. Although she could trust Tyler to look after the huge beast, a part of her must still resent him for being the one who took Lightning away. He removed the
blanket and brushed the horse down, aware that she would want to come and say goodbye to him at some stage.
It wasn’t long after seven when Tyler heard the sound of Bill’s engine. He grimaced, watching the sleek vehicle pull up outside the house. His was the only vehicle around here that was sufficiently-equipped to venture down the mountain in this weather. The thought rankled. As did the realization that Chloé was leaving so early.
Had she actually been planning on letting him know that she’d decided to leave? Was she going to say good-bye? He fumed. That girl wasn’t going to storm out of here again without a word. He had made the mistake last time of letting her go without telling her how felt; it wouldn’t happen again. Even if she shot him down in flames, some things needed to be said.
He quickly replaced the blanket on Thunder and left the stall. Chloé had already answered the door to Bill and let him in before Tyler strode up the snowy steps and rang the bell.
“Tyler?” She looked surprised to see him. She also looked as though she’d been crying all night. Her cheeks were red and tear-stained, and her eyes puffy. Her lips looked redder than usual, though every bit as kissable.
His anger gave way to concern. “Hey, are you okay?” He put his hand on her shivering arm.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Bill interrupted before she had chance to reply.
Tyler looked up to see him in the hallway, his coat still on. Chloé stood back to allow him to join them, closing the door as soon as he was inside.
“I could ask you the same thing, Simmons.” Tyler removed his hat and slowly hung it on a hook by the door. A large suitcase stood nearby and his stomach churned.
“I’ve come to offer my neighbor a ride – as arranged.” Bill gave him a smug look. “What about you?”
“Come and have some coffee,” Chloé urged them both, with a sniff.
“We don’t have much time,” Bill told her, glancing at his fancy watch.
Tyler ignored him, hung up his coat and followed her into the kitchen.
“Thanks,” he said, taking the mug from her.
She swallowed hard. “I’m going back to Atlanta.”
Tyler’s heart sank. “Is that what you want? To leave all this?”
She shrugged. “It seems like the best option. I’ve got nothing to stay for.”
“What about your friends? Don’t they mean anything to you? Maisie Turner’s been lost all these months without you. She thought you’d finally come back to see her, but you haven’t even had so much as a coffee with her and yet, here you are, turning around again to go back.”
Chloé stared up at him. Her face fell and her eyes grew wider. “I know,” she whispered. “I really wanted to see her. She’s my best friend. My only friend.” A huge tear rolled down her red cheek. “There just hasn’t been time.”
He took a step nearer to her, resting a hand on her arm again. “Around here we make time for the things that matter,” he told her, softly but firmly. “And it’s people that matter the most.”
She nodded as more tears fell.
“And, besides, she’s not your only friend. What about all those university friends of yours?” He watched her expression change to one of confusion.
“Most of the others have got new careers. I don’t even know where half of them are now,” she told him with a shrug.
“I thought you were going to keep in touch after university,” he said, warily. “What about the one you went out with that night after your graduation?” He watched her face crumple, his heart melting.
“What are you talking about?” She pulled away from him, looking hurt and angry. “You know damn well you asked me out that night.” More tears streamed down her face as she glared at him.
He was stunned for a moment. “Yeah, and you decided you’d rather go out with your college friend,” he said slowly.
“We really need to get going, sweetheart,” Bill interjected from the doorway. “You don’t want to miss your train.”
Chloé didn’t even look at him. She was gaping at Tyler. “What are you talking about? You stood me up that night. You know you did. Left me out in the pouring rain for over an hour just waiting for you to show up. I was such an idiot – I fell for it hook, line and sinker.” She sniffed hard, shaking her head at him in disgust. “How cruel could you be? On my graduation day, of all days. And then...” She pointed to the window, her speech lost in misery.
Tyler’s heart pounded like a steam engine as realization dawned on him. “You waited in the rain? I’d told the restaurant staff I’d been delayed. They were supposed to look after you until I got there. They were expecting you but you didn’t show up. They had champagne waiting on ice and everything.” He spoke slowly, envisaging the sight. “I thought you’d stood me up when I got there. Then Bill told me...” he looked over at Bill, who was holding onto the doorframe, his mouth wide open.
The penny dropped and Tyler fought his instinct to go over and punch the fucker where it hurt. It was a strain to keep his feet rooted to the floor.
“What?” Chloé was staring at Bill, too.
“He said he’d seen you in the bar of the Rough Oaks Hotel with some guy from college.” Tyler spoke slowly, watching Bill’s face get redder by the second.
Chloé stood a little straighter as she gawped at Bill. “You said that?”
Bill finally closed his mouth and shrugged. “I thought she looked a bit like you,” he said, the tremble in his voice belying the nonchalant expression he was clearly aiming for.
“How could you?” she fired at him angrily.
“Well, if he hadn’t been late it wouldn’t have happened would it?” Bill sounded irritated. He pointed at Tyler accusingly. “What kind of man leaves a girl stranded in the pouring rain on her graduation night? You’re nothing but scum.”
Tyler puffed his chest out, rising to his full height of six-foot four. “That wasn’t my intention. I just said, I made arrangement for the restaurant staff to take care of her until I arrived.” His voice was louder than he intended, and he kept his fist clenched at his side. He squeezed the mug tightly in the other hand.
“I was so stupid. I should have just gone in and waited for you inside.” Chloé’s voice sounded small as she stared up at him. “I was too embarrassed to go in on my own.”
“He shouldn’t have been late.” Bill hollered. “Nothing should have been more important than taking the girl out on her graduation night, for fuck’s sake. You obviously didn’t care about her. Otherwise you’d have put her first.” He scowled at Tyler, who grabbed hold of the table with one hand to stop himself from grabbing the guy by the throat.
“I did care about her, for your information, shithead,” he snapped. “Always have and always will.” He felt Chloé’s eyes on him and turned to see her expression change to one of astonishment.
“Yeah right. That’s why you found something more interesting to do when you were supposed to be having dinner with her.” Bill scorned, his whole face contorting to an ugly sneer as he spoke.
“You’re wrong, fuckwad.” Tyler yelled, placing his cup on the table and storming over to his nemesis. “It wasn’t more interesting but it was fucking important. And it was for Chloé. ”
“Yeah, right. Like you care.” Bill snorted, putting his hands on his hips and squaring up to Tyler. “If you had your way she’d give up her decent job to crawl back to this hell-hole.” He waved one hand in the air, gesturing their surroundings. “And what the fuck for? The place is falling apart, the ranch is on its knees, and she’s got no family left. She’d be cooped up in here all day on her own, praying that you paid your rent on time so she could afford to eat. And why? Because it makes life easier for you. You selfish bastard.” He leered at Tyler who felt his blood boil.
“Bullshit.” Tyler hollered. “You just want her out of the way so you can take over this place and persuade her to sell it to you dirt cheap. I heard you, shithead.”
“What?” Chloé looked horrified.
&
nbsp; “That’s crap.” Bill was clearly taken aback, although he tried to hide it.
“Is it? Then let’s go ask your girlfriend, shall we? Get her to explain to Chloé why she was so excited last night when you went home and told her the deal was in the bag. Chloé was going back to Atlanta – despite the fact she hates if over there, incidentally – and you were taking over running this place. You planned to buy it off her so you’d own more than half Marville County. You’re nothing but a con-artist and a power freak.”
Bill’s mouth dropped as Tyler spoke and his face turned ashen.
“Is that true?” Chloé joined them in the kitchen doorway, gawping at Bill. “Is this why you were so keen for me to go back to Atlanta? You just wanted to buy my land?”
“Steal it, more like,” Tyler said with a grunt.
“You said you’d manage it for me.” Hurt poured from Chloé’s eyes.
“He wanted to manage it for himself, baby,” Tyler told her, feeling the anger dissipate from his whole body as she suddenly appeared so frail and small.
“The place is in ruins. The ranch is about to fold. It’s hardly worth anything, sweetheart,” Bill protested. “The only way you’d make any money from it is to sell it on.”
“You said you knew someone who might be interested,” she said, frowning thoughtfully. “You meant you.”
Bill shrugged. “What does it matter whose money you take? The place is a dump. Who’d want to live here?” He indicated the room with a flippant wave of his arm again. “
“Me,” she said quickly.
He gawped at her as though she was mad. “What? Why?” He looked dumbfounded.
“Because it’s my home and I love it,” she told him, decisively. “My aunt and uncle loved it, too, and wanted me to have it. I’m not just going to give it away – especially not to a liar like you.” Her voice rose and she pointed at him. “Get out of my house, Bill Simmons and don’t ever come back. You’re not welcome around here.”
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