by Amanda Renee
“Nah, honey, I mean it. I really am sorry.”
Emma sighed. She should keep going and not look back. After all, tomorrow was another day. Nope... Even channeling her inner Scarlett O’Hara wouldn’t save her from his ornery Rhett Butler attitude.
She turned to face him. “We don’t have to discuss work. If you want a shoulder to lean on, I’m available. We’re stuck here together. Might as well make the best of it, right? I thought we were becoming friends.”
“I don’t want to be friends with you.”
“Wow! You don’t mince words, do you?”
“Nope.”
“Well, I’m certainly not staying where I’m not wanted.” He’d passed rudeness and gone straight to impertinent ass. Emma stormed out of his office and through the lodge, hoping nobody would see her. She’d been a fool to allow any man to get under her skin during her pregnancy. Romance wasn’t an option. There wasn’t room in her heart for anyone except her daughter, and she had already neglected her daughter’s needs because of some tired old ranch. She’d jeopardized her and her baby’s health in order to convince Dylan Slade to change his mind. No job was worth that risk.
Charlie had offered to send someone in her place twice and she had said no. If she had agreed and they succeeded in finalizing the paperwork, she still would have had a 50-50 chance of getting her promotion, since the majority of the work had been hers and they couldn’t penalize her for being pregnant. Instead, she had balked at the idea of allowing anyone to help her because she didn’t like their condescending attitude. She had learned a long time ago that in business there were times when swallowing your pride was necessary. This was one of them.
She jammed the key into the lock of her door. Tomorrow she would look into finding a new place to stay. Even if Dylan had listened to her presentation, it wouldn’t have mattered. He’d made up his mind and she had made up hers. It was time to give up.
“You don’t understand.” Suddenly, Dylan was behind her and filled her doorway before she had a chance to shut the door.
Emma tossed her laptop case on the bed and faced him. “I understood you perfectly.”
Dylan closed the distance between them in two long strides. “Being friends with you means not being able to touch you. Not being able to kiss you or hold you in my arms.” He held her face in his hands. “Dammit woman, I lose my senses when I’m around you.”
His mouth crashed down upon hers, claiming every bit of resolve she had left. She wanted to push him away and avoid the roller coaster of emotions that were certain to accompany this—whatever this was. Instead, she pulled him closer, tasted him deeper and allowed him to brand her with his kisses.
They broke apart and in between panted breaths he whispered, “I don’t know you well enough to ask you to stay, but I know enough not to let you go. Not yet.”
“This is crazy.” Her hands splayed across his chest, wanting to push him away...knowing nothing good could come out of this. His fingers lightly trailed down her neck and shoulders until his arms wound around her, drawing her closer to him. “This can never work. We can never work.”
Dylan eased her toward the bed. “I know we can’t. That doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the next two weeks together.” He shifted her body, so he could sit on the edge of the bed while she stood in front of him. He lifted her hands and placed them on her belly. Covering them with his own, he smiled as he looked up at her. “Let’s see where this takes us. Maybe it won’t lead to anything more than a beautiful Christmas memory. Then again, maybe it will be the first of many Christmas memories.”
Dylan said the words any woman would love to hear. Any woman who wasn’t pregnant and didn’t live sixteen hundred miles away. “Dylan, be realistic. I live in Chicago and I come with an eighteen-year commitment. A child is a surreal thought, even for me, and I’m the one who’s pregnant. I can’t imagine anyone wanting to take on that responsibility.”
“It’s not an unfamiliar responsibility to me. I’ve been a father before. And I would’ve continued being one if my marriage hadn’t fallen apart. My father was a family man and he raised me to be the same way. Children don’t scare me. But the thought of not having the chance to find out if there is more between us terrifies me. I realized that today.”
“Is that why you disappeared after you saw me holding Gabriella?”
“Yes and no. That only confirmed it. It began to hit me this morning when I was driving to the hospital. I realized I couldn’t wait to see you. And when the doctor said you had to stay in town for two weeks, I panicked. You were too close and I knew I’d be too tempted to see if we had a chance. And I was right. Between the sleigh ride and seeing you with a baby, I knew I had to find a way out. So I dove into my uncle’s finances, hoping I could find a missing bank account or some way to make you leave and stay away for good. Then it hit me. I didn’t want you to go.”
“But I can’t stay, either.” Emma crossed the room to gain whatever space she could from him. She needed to think clearly and rationally and being near him clouded her judgment. “All we have are these two weeks, and then I’m gone. I won’t change my mind, Dylan, just as you won’t change your mind and sell me the ranch. Why did you ask me to give you my presentation tonight?”
“Because I wanted to steal your ideas and see if I could use them to find my own investors.”
“Wow.” Her heart sank into the pit of her stomach. “That’s honest.”
Dylan rose from the bed. “I’d never be anything but honest with you.”
“But you’re not being honest with yourself. So I’ll have to be honest enough for the both of us.” Emma willed herself to deny him. “I don’t think I’m strong enough for a two-week fling with you. Not because I’m afraid I’ll stay. I know I won’t. I’m afraid my heart will shatter when I leave.”
“Then let me hold it in the palm of my hand and keep it safe. Give us a chance.”
Emma closed her eyes. Her heart told her to say yes while her brain screamed no!
No!
No!
“Yes, let’s make a Christmas memory.”
Chapter Eight
The following morning Dylan stumbled into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee in the old stainless steel percolator. Modern had been a foreign concept to Jax. Even his old beat-up Jeep Wagoneer was over fifty years old. The thing ran beautifully though, so Dylan couldn’t fault the man too much.
Jax had taken good care of everything he owned and Dylan wouldn’t change much of the log home’s rustic charm. The kitchen appliances could use some updating and the butcher-block countertop needed sanding and resealing. The custom handmade cabinets could stand refinishing, as could the floors. All things Dylan could easily handle. He’d change out some of the dated furniture, but the bones of the structure weren’t that bad. At almost three thousand square feet, the house would be a great place to raise a family.
The sun wasn’t even up and he already had a headache. He pulled out a chair and sat at the kitchen table, which had notes strewn across it. He hadn’t meant to spend half the night in Emma’s room, but after she had agreed to give them a chance, she offered to show him the ranch presentation. He didn’t ask why, since he’d already admitted to wanting to use her ideas. He didn’t know if it was her last ditch effort to change his mind and be able to honestly tell her boss she’d given it her all, or if she was trying to help him. Either way, he had listened to every word she said. While the majority of it went against the cowboy way of life, she had some solid ideas that he would have loved to work in to the ranch.
The state-of-the-art kitchen would allow the ranch to book weddings and other events. They handled some weddings here and there, but an outside vendor had catered most of them. Providing in-house catering along with an event planner would allow them to offer destination wedding packages.
He tried to h
ide his embarrassment when Emma pulled up their website. He knew it was outdated and he had talked to Jax a few times about having it redesigned. But after astronomical quotes, Jax had nixed the idea. It was on his current to-do list, but the ranch didn’t have the extra thousands of dollars to spare. When Emma told him there were ways to have sites designed for free by college students trying to make a name for themselves, he realized he had options. She even took the time to show him other guest ranches and pointed out key features that drove business to their sites. By the time she was through, he understood why the business was struggling.
Dylan wasn’t up on the latest technology. He’d spent most of his life outdoors, working with his hands and animals. Some of her ideas along with the keyless entry system she had mentioned were well out of his realm of expertise. He still couldn’t figure out what the problem was with using a regular key. A lot less went wrong when you kept it simple.
When he left her room sometime after midnight, he hadn’t told her his plans one way or the other. He knew she was disappointed with his silence, but at the time, he hadn’t completely made up his mind. The more he thought about last night and the more notes he took, the more of a future he saw for Silver Bells. As a guest ranch, not a luxury spa.
His decision killed any chance Emma had at getting her promotion. That was a guilt he wasn’t ready to face. He didn’t want to string her along, either. Unless he could convince her to stay in Montana. But he wanted the decision to be her choice. He’d love to hire her as the lodge’s manager, knowing the place would have a fighting chance with her on board. It had been a job both Dylan and Jax had shared and it needed one person’s entire attention. He’d still need to find an investor or two, but that seemed more obtainable if she signed on.
Dylan poured a cup of coffee, laughing at the irony of the situation. Emma had come to Saddle Ridge to change his mind, now he had to find a way to change hers. That meant he had to remain on his best behavior and not only convince her to stay past New Year’s Day, but to give their relationship the courtesy of acknowledging it could be more than a two-week fling. Dating Emma and her accepting the position didn’t necessarily have to go hand-in-hand. But after she had agreed to give them a chance while she remained in town over the holidays, hope began to grow inside him. Not just for them as a couple, but for the ranch, as well. He had his work cut out for him. He wanted her to live in the very place she wanted to change.
A hard knock followed by his back door opening snapped him back to the present. Wes strode in still wearing yesterday’s clothes. His brother grunted hello as he poured a cup of coffee and then flopped into a kitchen chair.
“Rough night?”
“Yeah.” Wes flipped through Dylan’s notes. “Still at it huh?”
Dylan joined him at the table. “I have some new ideas. I just need someone willing to invest in the ranch.”
“So nothing I said yesterday convinced you to change your mind?” Wes asked.
“I can’t walk away.”
“Well, good luck, then.” Wes sipped his coffee.
“Don’t sound too enthusiastic.” Dylan gathered up his paperwork and stacked it in the center of the table before his brother saw the sketches of the rocking horse.
“No, I mean it. I hope you do save Silver Bells. Just because I don’t want to stay in Saddle Ridge doesn’t mean I don’t want you to be happy here. Speaking of happy, what’s going on with you and the pregnant woman? Isn’t she public enemy number one?”
“Not so much anymore. We have agreed to see where the next two weeks take us.”
“You can’t be serious?” Wes rocked his chair back onto two legs. “Man, you don’t learn from your mistakes, do you?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“How is the situation any different from you and Lauren? Once again, you want a city girl with children to move on the ranch with you. How did that work out for you the first time?”
“Lauren wasn’t a city girl and Emma has one kid. At least she will soon.” Emma’s situation was completely different from Lauren’s, but he didn’t feel the need to justify it to Wes.
“The fact Lauren wasn’t a city girl should be even more of a red flag. Emma is way more city than Lauren and look how that turned out. Why do you want to put yourself through this again? These women don’t want to live way out on an isolated ranch. Look what happened to Harlan and his first wife. Same thing.”
“Molly had other issues going on, too. This place isn’t isolated. We have people coming and going year round.”
“Yep. Other people are coming and going from this place and you and Jax and everyone else who worked here never got off the ranch. You’re proving my point. You’re looking for any excuse to convince yourself that this will work.” Wes rocked forward until all four chair legs were on the floor. “Hey, for your sake, I hope I’m wrong. Maybe she’s a country girl at heart who likes the outdoors but just hasn’t found a way to cut ties with Chicago. Either way, good luck. I need to head home and shower.”
“Don’t let me stop you.” Dylan mentally tabulated the chances Wes was right about Emma. Was he making the same mistake?
“By the way, the reason I stopped in here this morning wasn’t to harass you. Billy Johnson got into a bad snowmobile wreck. He might lose his leg. I spent most of the night in the hospital with his wife. I tried to call but couldn’t reach you. Just thought you’d want to know since he used to work here. His family is going to need some extra support and I thought it would be nice if we took up a collection for him with it being Christmas. They are going to have it pretty rough. His new health insurance hasn’t kicked in yet and he couldn’t afford to continue paying on the old insurance without the ranch’s percentage.”
“Oh, man.” Dylan’s phone had died when he was with Emma. He’d put it on the charger last night but had forgotten to turn it back on. Billy had been their ranch manager. The man was in his midforties with a wife and four kids. He had hated losing him as an employee but understood his reasons for taking another offer and not wanting to wait and see if Dylan could save the ranch. They had talked at length and Dylan told him there would always be a place for him if he wanted to return. “I’ll let everyone know about Billy. This is just another reason why I need to keep this place going.”
“How would that have saved Billy?” Wes set his mug in the sink. “The accident wasn’t related to his job.”
“No, but he would have still had insurance. Those medical bills may wipe them out.”
“Yeah, you’re right. That does make a difference.” Wes headed for the door. “Thanks for the coffee. I’ll see you in a bit.”
Dylan spread the notes across the table, more fired up than he had been fifteen minutes ago. He needed to create his own presentation to give to potential investors. It wouldn’t be fancy or animated like Emma’s had been, but he knew how to work a computer. In the end, only the facts mattered. He couldn’t lose another employee or allow another person to go without health insurance. He refused to let anyone else suffer because of his and Jax’s mismanagement. He had to right the wrong, and as guilty as he may feel for borrowing Emma’s ideas, he had to push that aside. Too many families depended on him. Emma would understand. She had to.
* * *
EMMA HAD NEVER been happier to see a washing machine and dryer in her entire life. The ranch had an on-site mini laundromat and she had managed to wash a small load of whites and darks before breakfast. She planned to head into town later and check out the local shop situation. She didn’t have high hopes for it, but it would be a new adventure just the same. Hopefully she could find some things to last her the next two weeks.
Emma tried to avoid maternity clothes. She couldn’t see spending money on something she would only wear for a few months. She made a decent salary but it didn’t allow her to spend her earnings foolishly. She had to watch eve
ry penny with the butter bean on the way. Granted, there were some things like underwear and pants that couldn’t be avoided, but for the most part she had managed to wear loose fitting tops that she could get away with after she gave birth.
Her friend, Jennie, told her she’d probably get sick of those clothes by then. And she may be right. Her fisherman’s knit sweater had lost its appeal a month ago. She needed to buy a pair or two of shoes in a bigger size. She felt larger than life over the past few days and she still had a little over seven and a half weeks to go.
The lodge employees were in a somber mood when she entered the dining area. The little talking she heard was hushed. She spotted Dylan and wondered if he had told them about her presentation last night. She scanned their faces. Could she live with uprooting so many people’s lives?
“Good morning,” Dylan greeted her.
“Is it?” Emma looked around. “What’s going on?”
“I just finished telling them that a former employee got into a terrible accident last night. He may lose his leg. Four kids, a wife and no insurance.”
“Oh, that’s awful.” Emma sensed some blame behind his words. “Did he leave recently?”
Dylan nodded. “Shortly after Jax told him we were selling the ranch. The accident had nothing to do with that. Not having insurance sure did, though.”
“I’m sorry he and his family are suffering.” Emma wondered if any of her new friends blamed her the way Dylan did. “Please let me know if there’s anything I can do.”
“We’re taking up a collection to help pay their bills. We’ve decided to adopt the family for Christmas. We will head into town later and go grocery shopping for them, buy gifts for the kids, decorate and do everything we can to make their life as normal as possible during this time. It would be great if you joined us.”
Emma nodded, unable to speak. Helping the family was the very least she could do. She would talk to Charlie later and see if the firm would donate to the family. She had closed dozens of similar deals and had never witnessed the fallout on such a personal level. Whether it was an apartment building they were turning into condominiums or a strip mall they were turning into a mega center, her firm negatively affected many lives while making their investors richer. She’d always known that and had been a willing participant. But this time she was witnessing it firsthand, and it really hit home. Now that she was getting to know many of the people here better, turning the ranch into a luxury resort spa didn’t seem that wonderful, anymore. Of course, that had been Dylan’s plan when he had asked her to spend time with his employees. She’d been played to a certain extent, but she was okay with it. It had opened her eyes. Emma had been eager to get off the ranch so she could gain the advantage and push Dylan to sell. Now, not so much.