“Hannah?” Leann leaned over to catch her attention.
“What?”
“Are you busy this week?”
“I’m filling in at the clinic tomorrow.” Hannah screwed up her lips and looked at the ceiling. “I’m off Tuesday, why?”
“I was wondering if you would drive me into town.”
“Me?” She looked confused. “I thought Michael would—”
“He’s been more than generous with his time. I’d like to get him something to repay his kindness.”
“Oh, I see.” Understanding dawned on Hannah’s face. “Sure, Leann, I’ll take you into town for a little something.” She gave her an exaggerated stare.
Leann chuckled. Hannah had a way of saying things that cracked her up.
“Thanks.” Hopefully, she’d find him a meaningful gift. But even if she purchased a fabulous present, it wouldn’t suffice. Because all she really wanted to give him was her heart.
Chapter Nine
After another morning of breaking ice on the creek, dropping a line of feed in the pasture, checking cattle and cleaning out horse stalls with his dad, Michael was 99 percent sure he knew what he wanted. And it wasn’t Alaska.
“I’ve been thinking about what you said the other day.” Michael followed his father into the ranch office located inside the stables Tuesday afternoon. He and Leann had spent yesterday afternoon playing with Sunni, drinking hot cocoa and petting all the cats and dogs in the barns. Sunni had grown smitten with Molasses, an old basset hound. Molasses hadn’t minded when Sunni plopped down next to her and delicately petted her ears for what felt like forever.
“About what?” Dad took a seat in a beat-up chair and gestured for Michael to join him on a nearby stool.
“The ranch’s future.”
“Oh, yeah?” Dad perked up. “Let’s hear what you have to say.”
“I don’t want you to retire.” He took off his gloves and set them on the desk, then cupped his cold hands and blew on them.
“It’s not up to you, son.”
“I know,” Michael said. “But I’m asking you to stay on for another year or two.”
“Why?”
“Because I think it’s time I settled down. And this ranch is in my blood. I love it—have always loved it. I want to work with you, Dad. And when you’re ready to retire, I want to be the one to keep it going.”
With tears in his eyes, Dad stood. “I never thought I’d hear those words. You mean it? You want to work with this old geezer?”
“Old? You’re just coming into your prime.” Michael laughed. “And, yes, I mean it.”
“Thank you.” His dad wrapped him into a bear hug for what seemed like forever. “We’ll work out the details to be fair to David and Hannah.”
“Of course.”
“Have you said anything to your mother, yet?” Dad reclaimed his seat, leaning back with his hands over his stomach.
“No. I wanted to talk to you first.”
“She is going to bawl her eyes out, Michael. She’s going to be so happy. Hey, why don’t you do me a favor. Wait until Christmas Eve or Christmas Day to tell her. You know how hard it is to find your mother the perfect gift. Nothing will make her happier than to know you’re coming home for good and taking over the ranch.”
“I can do that.” He hadn’t thought about how his mom would react. His dad was right—she’d be pleased.
“What about the research, though?” Dad’s expression grew serious. “You know we’re proud of you. If you have unfinished business with it...well, we know how much you love your job.”
“I do love it. I did, at least. I want other things now.”
Dad nodded.
“Besides, we have enough property.” Michael thought of the thousands of acres on Carr Ranch. “I can always track wildlife here. Then I won’t get rusty. There are plenty of rivers nearby to study fish, too. I’m not worried about it.”
“I never thought of that.” Dad rubbed his chin. “What happens next? Are you staying here for good? Or do you have loose ends to wrap up with your last gig?”
“My supplies are in storage. I need to tell Jan I won’t be coming to Alaska. Beyond that, I’m all set. Looks like I’m here to stay.”
Dad grinned. “Let’s talk about living arrangements. Obviously, you can stay in the house with us, but if you want to move into the lodge, we can get it cleaned up.”
The lodge was a three-bedroom log home situated on the other side of the ranch with a view of the river and mountains. His grandparents had lived in it when he was a kid.
“I’d like living there.” Michael couldn’t think of a better place to come home to each night.
“It would be a nice place to raise a family.”
“One thing at a time, Dad.” He instantly pictured Leann and Sunni with him at the lodge. Decorating a tree for Christmas. Rocking on the front porch in the summer. Yes, the lodge would be a great place to raise a family.
“Don’t wait too long. Leann is a fine woman. Once the cowboys ’round here get wind of her, you might have some competition.”
He hadn’t thought of that. What chance would he have with her when the other guys started falling all over themselves to woo her? And why was he using the term woo, anyhow? He sounded like an old grandpa.
Maybe he wasn’t giving himself—or Leann—enough credit. Just because Kelli had dropped him in a hot second when another guy came along didn’t mean Leann would, too.
* * *
This town got cuter and cuter with each passing day. Sunshine glinted off the outdoor decorations on Main Street. Leann strolled next to Hannah on their way to the bait-and-tackle shop. Sunni had stayed at the ranch with Patty, who insisted they have a tea-and-cookie party. Sunni, naturally, had loved the idea.
“You didn’t like it, did you?” Hannah asked. They’d just toured an empty two-bedroom apartment in a complex outside of town.
“I liked it but not as much as the apartment above the candy shop.” Leann opened the door marked Watkins Outfitters and waited for Hannah to enter before going inside. “When we’re through in here, I’d like to stop in the candy store to put a deposit down.”
“Fine with me. I’ve got a craving for a slice of Joy’s peanut butter fudge.” Hannah lingered near a small shelf of books. “If I had a full-time job, I would probably rent a one-bedroom apartment in the complex you looked at today.”
“I wouldn’t blame you.” Leann stopped, unsure of what she was looking for. She took in the shelves of lures, nets and poles. “I have no idea what to get Michael.”
“I do.” Hannah grinned. “Follow me.”
Leann obeyed.
“Hey, Randy. Did you get the new book in?”
An attractive man in his midtwenties wiped his hands on a paper towel and came out from behind the counter. “Which one? Neuroscience of Bears?”
Hannah gave him a long stare full of scorn. “Bears? Really? You know I meant the fish one.”
“Yeah, I got it.” His teeth gleamed under a cocky grin. “It’s in the back. Give me a minute.”
“What about him?” Leann nudged Hannah as Randy ambled to the back.
“What about him?” She looked confused.
“He’s cute. You mentioned wanting a boyfriend...”
“Randy?” Her whisper carried. “Are you out of your mind? Eww.”
“Sorry. I didn’t realize he was so horrifying to you.”
“He’s not...” Hannah grimaced. “I wouldn’t say horrifying, but he’s more like my brother. I can’t mentally go there.”
“With those brown eyes, you might want to mentally go there.” Leann blinked innocently.
Hannah chewed the corner of her lip and tried to peek around the bend where Randy had disappeared. “Nope. Can’t do it.”
“Okay, looks like I’
m still on find-you-a-boyfriend duty.”
“And don’t forget my criteria.” Hannah waved a finger in front of her. “Anyway, I was going to give this book to Michael for Christmas, but I found him a cool fishing net instead. Now you can give the book to him.”
“Oh, I feel bad. I don’t want to take your gift.”
“You didn’t. Like I said, I got him the net.” Her laugh tinkled merrily. “He’ll love it.”
“Okay, but if you change your mind and want to give it to him yourself, just let me know.” Leann drifted to the other side of the store, where assorted fishing and hunting gifts had been displayed. A picture frame with Gone Fishing on it caught her eye. A small artificial tree was decorated with beautiful painted-glass ornaments shaped like salmon, trout, bass and others she didn’t recognize. Best of all, they were on sale.
They were perfect. She picked up a shopping basket and selected half a dozen ornaments. Michael was going to love them. He’d told her he didn’t have a home, and she doubted he owned Christmas ornaments or the other things that naturally came with living in his own place. Even if he continued traveling for research, at some point he’d settle down. This would give him a start on his Christmas decorations. And when he unpacked them, maybe he’d think of her...and remember this time together.
All of the little moments with Michael came to mind. His blue eyes the night he’d found her. The way he helped with Sunni and treated them both so sweetly. The coffees, the parade, decorating cookies and sitting next to him at the nativity play on Sunday.
He was everything she wanted in a man.
Her vision blurred. She set the basket down.
She was way past crush territory.
“Is something wrong? You look green all of a sudden.” Hannah approached her.
“I’m fine.” She attempted to smile. She wasn’t, though. She wasn’t fine at all. “I’ll take the book, and I’m getting these, too.”
“Are you sure you’re okay? The flu has been going around.”
Leann wished it was a mere case of the flu. Seven to ten days and she’d be back to normal. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a cure for what she had...or for the broken heart sure to be left in its wake.
Chapter Ten
Leann followed Hannah into the ranch’s kitchen an hour later. She’d put a deposit down on the apartment over the candy shop, and she’d be able to move in next Saturday, two days after Christmas. The timing was perfect. Her wrist should be much better by then. Life in Sunrise Bend was coming together.
Being with Hannah had taken Leann’s mind off the inconvenient fact she was pretty sure she’d lost her heart to Michael, which must be a world record since she’d known him just shy of a week. To distract herself, all the way home she’d teased Hannah about Randy, and Hannah had come up with increasingly outrageous reasons why they would never work as a couple.
“Knock, knock.” Kelli walked in the front door. “Oh, good, Leann, you’re here. I needed to speak with you.”
What was Kelli doing here? And why did she want to see her? Leann tried to think of a good reason, and all she could come up with was maybe Kelli wanted her to start work sooner than their agreed-upon date. She set her shopping bags near the staircase.
“Can I talk to you in private?” Kelli hitched her head toward the living room, where the decorated tree stood tall in front of the picture window. Sunlight streamed in, making the space bright.
“Sure.”
“Want me to take your packages upstairs, Leann?” Hannah asked, pausing near the staircase.
“Yes, please.”
Kelli led the way to the couch and checked that Hannah was upstairs before speaking.
“Look, Leann, there’s no easy way to say this...” Kelli wouldn’t look her in the eye. Was this about Michael? Had Kelli figured out she had feelings for him and was trying to warn her away? Acid brewed in her stomach.
“What’s going on?” Leann asked.
“While I love my kids and want to spend more time with them, I don’t think it’s the right time for me to pull back from The Sassy Lasso. There’s too much inventory to keep track of, and I don’t think you’re ready for it. I’m staying on as manager.”
This couldn’t be happening. The air whooshed out of her lungs. The job she’d been so excited about—the one she’d moved here for—was no longer hers?
“I don’t understand—”
“I don’t expect you to.” Kelli raised her palm. “I feel really bad, but I have too much at stake.”
“But you didn’t even give me a chance. Could we at least do a trial run? If you don’t think I can handle the job after two weeks, say the word.” There had to be a way to salvage this.
“My mind is made up.” Kelli stood abruptly and smoothed her tight red sweater over her jeans. “I’m sorry, Leann. Truly.”
Truly? Somehow Leann didn’t believe it. What could she do to change Kelli’s mind?
The future she’d been counting on was being snatched from her grasp. Without a job, a new life in Sunrise Bend wouldn’t make sense. She stood, too, holding on to the thinnest thread of hope.
“Let’s just try—”
“I don’t want there to be hard feelings.” Kelli turned to leave, jumping back. “Oh, Michael. I didn’t see you there.”
Leann met his eyes and almost shrank back at the anger blazing in them.
Kelli, head high, scurried to the foyer. The soft thud of the door assured Leann she’d left.
Only then did her knees buckle, landing her back on the couch. She cradled her forehead in her hands, willing herself not to panic. She sensed Michael’s presence next to her. Flinched when he took a seat and put his arm around her shoulders.
She couldn’t look at him. This was humiliation to the nth degree.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
She straightened, keeping her focus on the Christmas tree.
“Will you look at me?” he asked gently.
She shook her head. If she looked at him, she’d start bawling.
“I should have warned you about her. She doesn’t think about how her decisions affect others.”
Inhaling deeply, she tried to swallow the lump in her throat. “I should have known this was too good to be true. I just...wanted it so badly. It’s not the first time I trusted the wrong person. I feel so stupid.”
“Hey, it’s not your fault.”
She faced him then. “It doesn’t matter whose fault it is. Doesn’t change reality. I just put a deposit down on the apartment above the candy store. And now I have no job. What a disaster.”
“Get a different job.”
“Right. I’m sure there are oodles of positions for me here. Even if there were, I can’t imagine running into Kelli all the time now that...” She shook her head. “What am I going to do? I needed this, Michael. I needed it. I had it all mapped out. I was going to make a new life here, a good life for Sunni. How am I going to do that now? Maybe I can get my deposit back.”
“It’s going to work out.”
“It’s not.” The last thread of her patience snapped. “It’s not working out. Nothing in my life ever does.”
“We’ll think of something.”
“There’s no we. You’re leaving after Christmas. I...I’ll...” She couldn’t think straight. All her dreams and hopes were disappearing before her very eyes.
“What if I didn’t leave?”
She met his eyes then. Intense, vulnerable, yearning.
“Why would you stay? Unless...you’re not over Kelli, are you?”
* * *
“I’m over Kelli.” How could Leann say that? Wasn’t she picking up on his cues? Hadn’t she seen how he’d been looking at her for days? Michael flexed his hands. “I’ve been over her for a long time.”
“Then why is there so much tension between you and her
and David? If you were over her, you wouldn’t avoid them.”
“Look, David and I talked at his house the other night. We’re all right. We worked things out.”
“Really?” Her big blue eyes glistened with unshed tears. He wanted to crush her to him and take away her pain. And he wanted to throttle Kelli for being so cruel.
“Yes.”
“I’m glad.” She attempted to smile but her face fell.
“I’m not going to Alaska.”
Something flickered in her eyes, putting him on alert.
“Are you sure that’s what’s best for you?” She rubbed her forearm. “You love your job. Your entire face lights up when you talk about trout populations and river samples.”
“So?” Michael clenched his jaw. He really sounded as boring as he thought when she put it like that.
“You can’t give up on your passion.” She tilted her chin up. “And your passion is helping restore fish populations. You wouldn’t be doing that here, would you?”
“No, I wouldn’t.”
“Then why would you stay?”
How could he explain his feelings? He tried on half a dozen words but none of them came out of his mouth.
“Your job is important.”
His heart fell. He wasn’t dumb. She was letting him down easy in her kind way.
“Point taken.” He rose quickly. “You don’t have to say another word.”
She stood, too. “I wasn’t trying to make a point, Michael.”
“It’s fine. Sorry I made you feel uncomfortable.”
“You didn’t. I like you, Michael.” She shook her head, staring off to the side. “But you shouldn’t give up a career you love. Maybe it’s best we put the brakes on whatever we’re feeling. I need a man who will stick around, and you’ll leave again. Research is in your blood. Sunni’s my number one priority, and I’m—”
“Got it.” He turned to leave. He couldn’t expect her to have feelings for him the way he had for her—not in a matter of days. “I...I have to go.”
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