He draped his arm over the back of her chair and played with the ends of her hair. “I guess I’ve heard some version of that before. Why? Did something good happen, besides waking up with me?”
“That was the best part of my day.”
“Yeah, then you left me there, naked and wanting you.” His disgruntled grumble only made her smile more.
“I’ll make it up to you.”
He barely waited for the waitress to set the Margherita pizza on the table before grabbing a slice. “Promise?” he said around a bite.
“If you’ll share that pizza.”
He chuckled. “I haven’t eaten all day. After my meeting, I volunteered to drive evacuees to see what was left of their homes. If anything.” He hung his head and sighed. “It sucked.”
She couldn’t imagine how hard it must have been for him to see the people who’d lost everything break down, while there was nothing he could do. He helped people for a living, and spending the day feeling useless and powerless must have been really hard.
And those poor souls. Their homes, belongings, mementos nothing but ash. Her heart ached just thinking about it.
And here she was, so close to getting everything her family needed for a bright future.
It didn’t seem fair. And at the same time she was so grateful for the blessings in her life.
“Hey, sweetheart, you okay?”
She leaned into his side. “You always want to be sure I’m okay.”
“Of course.” He kissed her again. “If you’re not happy, how can I be?”
She pressed her palm to his cheek and her forehead to his. “I love you.”
His green eyes went wide, then a smile took over his face. “Well, that’s a first.”
She leaned back so she could see his whole face. “What?”
“You said you love me and my whole body burst with . . .”
She held her breath, hoping he didn’t say, the need to run. Because maybe he didn’t feel the same way.
I spoke too soon. I should have kept my big mouth shut.
He took her chin in his thumb and finger. “Love, Evangeline.”
This time, her eyes went wide.
“I love you, too.” He kissed her softly and held his lips pressed to hers for what seemed like a suspended moment. “I think I have for a long time.”
“Really?”
“When I woke up this morning, I thought maybe it was a dream. But there you were. And I wanted you to stay so damn bad.”
She wanted that, too, but gave in to what needed to be done for others, instead of doing what made her happy. “I should have stayed.”
“You can make it up to me.”
“I will.” She kissed him, letting it spin out until she was practically in his lap making out with him.
Chris broke the kiss and sucked in a huge breath. “Eat. You’re going to need it later.”
She smiled and pulled a slice from the tray.
“Okay, back to the ‘Do good things’ thing you mentioned earlier. What was the good thing that happened to you?”
“Besides you telling me you love me?” The smile just wouldn’t leave her lips. She was so happy, she couldn’t contain her bliss.
“You’re the best thing that happened to me.”
She didn’t know what to say to that, because it filled her up with love and left her without words. “If good things come back to you, I got more than I deserve.”
“Not possible, sweetheart. You don’t take enough credit for all you’ve accomplished.”
“Maybe not. But here’s what I did today.” She told him about the deal she’d made with Cross Cellars, the displaced ranchers, and Warley.
“Damn, sweetheart, you used most of your money to buy the cattle?”
“I had to if I wanted to get a better deal with Warley.”
“I bet Lance was pissed you beat him to buying the cattle.” Chris looked pleased that she’d bested Lance. “They might have backed out of the deal with your family ranch if they bought them.”
She agreed—that’s why she had to strike first. “They’d still need someplace to raise them, but they could have split them up between the other ranches they work with in the area.”
“You beat them to the punch and set up Charlie and Joey for a prosperous future.”
“Scott and Renee also helped me with my business. They’ve given my name and a recommendation to several of their friends and business associates. I checked my email. Three have already contacted me.”
“Fantastic.” He held up his beer. “Success looks good on you, sweetheart.”
“I’m so close to finishing it all up.”
“Then what?”
“I can focus on us.” And wallow in my happiness.
“I like that, but what do you want for you?”
“An office. A space where I can work and get organized. A place that’s mine, not my mother’s guest room. I’ll need to get started on the jobs that are coming in so I earn enough money to do those things.” Because at the moment, she was broke.
“You’ll have them, sweetheart. You deserve them.” He laid his hand on her leg and squeezed, sending a blaze of heat up and between her thighs. “What’s next?”
“You take me home and make love to me again and I wake up in your arms and we have coffee in bed in the morning.”
Chris pulled a bunch of bills from his wallet, dropped them on the table, grabbed her hand, waited impatiently when she tugged him to stop so she could grab her bags, and pulled her out of the restaurant and right to his car without a word.
“My truck is parked over there.”
He held the door open for her. “I’ll drive you back to get it in the morning. By lunch at the latest. Maybe.”
She laughed, even though he was dead serious, and slipped into his car. It rumbled to life and he sped off down the road, headed home.
Yeah, that sounded good.
And if she thought their first night together was spectacular, he showed her that she needed to up her expectations and learn to wallow in pleasure.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Evangeline knocked on the door to Charlie’s house. She’d set up this lunchtime meeting and had made sure Lindsey could join them on her break. The butterflies in her stomach intensified with every footstep approaching the door, and especially when her brother opened it, looking skeptical and suspicious.
She could barely contain her excitement and hoped they shared it when they heard her news.
“Evangeline.”
“Charlie.” She glanced past her brother. “Lindsey, thank you for joining us.”
Impatient, Charlie couldn’t hold back his questions. “What’s this about? Why did you want to meet us here, alone, away from the ranch?”
She gave her brother a reassuring smile. “Can I come in and explain?”
Charlie stood back and let her through the door into the entry off the family room littered with toys. “The boys are at day care.”
Lindsey fidgeted. “It was short notice, and the boys were a handful. I didn’t have time to clean up.”
“A house with two little boys ought to be messy. Means they’re having fun. They’re happy.” Evangeline stood in front of an armchair and held her hand out to the couch. “Let’s sit. I’ll explain why I called this meeting.”
“Why weren’t you at the ranch this morning? Mom said you didn’t come home last night.”
“I was busy.” With Chris. Making up for leaving him the other morning. Enjoying being with him. Drinking coffee, talking over breakfast, making love before she had to leave him to do this.
Lindsey rubbed her palms over her thighs. Her worried gaze met Evangeline’s. “Have you made your decision about the ranch?”
“Yes. But I’m not here to talk about that.” She held up her hand to stop Charlie from asking her a million questions on the subject. “I’m here about your house.”
Lindsey and Charlie exchanged looks of confusion.
“Specifically, that I’ve found a way to build your dream house. Water and electricity will go in next week. It’ll take a few days for the job to be completed. At the same time, Cross Cellars will be tilling the hills nearby, getting them ready to plant eight acres of vines.”
“You sold our land!” The anger in Charlie’s words matched the pissed-off set of his jaw.
“No. I leased those acres to them. Eight acres we aren’t using, but are close to the land that you once told me you wanted to build a house on.” She handed him a copy of the contract she’d had their attorney check before she signed and sent the original back to Scott.
Charlie’s head snapped up. “They’re paying us this much?”
“You read it right. The down payment will go to you. You can use it to secure a loan for the rest of the money you’ll need to build the house.”
Charlie held up the papers. “What? When did you do this? Why didn’t you ask me first?”
“Because I don’t need your permission to make decisions for the ranch. Dad put me in charge of that because I can see the bigger picture. That land has sat vacant and empty for decades. You and Joey are so focused on building the ranch business, you haven’t considered any other options for increasing revenue. This opportunity presented itself and I made the deal. Not to go behind your back, but because it was the right decision to make for the family. For the ranch. It was the only decision, if you wanted to ever be able to build your house.
“I did this for you, Charlie. For you and your beautiful family. You asked me here to dinner to show me what was at stake for you and to tell me what you wanted for your future.” She waved her hand at the papers. “There you go. Everything you need to make it happen.”
She pulled the card Jill gave her when she stopped off at her place on the way here and handed it to Charlie. “Call Sean. Jill’s husband. He’s a contractor. He’s good. Their house is amazing. He’ll give you a fair bid.”
Charlie turned to Lindsey, who looked at him with stunned watery eyes. Charlie found a smile and some words for his wife. “You can have a garden as big as you want.”
Tears slipped down Lindsey’s cheeks. “A yard for the kids to play and run around in.”
“A home for you to make memories on the ranch you love, Charlie,” Evangeline added.
Charlie kissed his wife on the head, stood, and stepped over to Evangeline. She rose to meet him.
He wrapped her in a hug and held on tight. “Thank you. I don’t know how you did it . . . and for this much money. But it means everything to me. To my family.”
“You’re welcome.” She stepped back and addressed both of them. “The money should be transferred to our account in the next day or so. You and Joey will each receive a thirty percent share. You’ll get most of yours up front from the down payment. The other forty percent will be split between me, Mom, and Nona.”
Lindsey wiped her eyes. “This is really happening.”
Evangeline hugged her sister-in-law. “You better start planning the garden.”
Lindsey’s eyes brightened. “Oh, I’ve had it planned for the last two years.” She shook her head, still trying to accept reality and that her dream was about to come true. “Thank you for thinking of us and making this happen.”
“I held off signing the Warley contract because I needed time to really look at the ranch, the contract, and what comes next for all of us.”
That statement opened up the door for Charlie to ask, “Are you going to sign it now?”
“I have a meeting with Lance in half an hour at the ranch. We’ll see.”
“Let’s get back, then.”
Evangeline pressed her lips together and gave Charlie the hard truth, though it wasn’t easy to disappoint him or make him feel like she didn’t value his input. “I’m going to the meeting with Lance alone.”
“But I’m the one who runs the ranch.” Charlie didn’t get it.
“And that’s part of the problem. You think you’re the only one who can run it.”
Charlie planted his hands on his hips and stood tall. “What the hell does that mean? I’ve been running it the last four years while you sat in a cell.”
She tried not to take that slap-down personally. Still, the resentment he still held about her being away for those years and the consequences that followed stung.
Lindsey put her hand on Charlie’s arm. “That’s not fair. She didn’t do anything wrong.”
Charlie raked his hand through his dark hair and sighed out his frustration. “I’m sorry. You did this amazing thing with the land and a house for us. I appreciate it. But you can’t cut me out of the decisions for the ranch when I’m the one who has to do the work.”
“I made the Cross Cellars deal. Can’t you trust me to finish the deal I’ve worked out with Warley?”
Charlie raised an eyebrow, his jaw locked tight. “You worked out a new deal?”
“Because of the fire, things have changed.”
“What’s changed?” If he gnashed his teeth together any tighter, he’d crack them.
Lindsey tugged on Charlie’s arm. “Give her a chance. She’s already found a way to make the ranch and our lives better.”
Charlie turned his angry gaze on Lindsey. “I should have my say.”
Evangeline headed for the door. “You’ve had your say. Joey had his say. I know what you want and what the ranch needs.” She turned back when she got to the door. “I’ll have my decision ready for the both of you in an hour. If Warley comes through, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”
With that, she headed out the door to meet Lance. She needed Warley to agree to her terms, or at least most of them, for her plan to work and set the ranch on the right path to prosperity for her brothers and the family.
If she could get this deal done, Charlie would thank her and they could go back to just being family.
She could focus on her business. Her future.
And spend more time with Chris.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Evangeline looked up from the papers she’d been reading and held the gaze of the man sitting across from her at the dining room table. Anxious for her answer, he leaned in. She didn’t give anything away. “I can live with this.”
Lance fell back in the seat and sighed, shaking his head with relief and consternation that she’d put him through that tense moment. “The changes my boss made weren’t that bad. You knew we’d counter.”
She acknowledged that with a nod, but in her mind she cheered and did a little Snoopy happy dance, because she thought they’d try to play hardball and come in far under her bottom line. Which meant they’d have to go a few more rounds to get this settled. Not so. Warley understood the urgency of the situation and the need to act now.
“This is a good deal. I think Charlie and Joey will be happy.” Understatement, but she didn’t want to gloat in front of Lance.
“It’s as fair as it can get.”
The front door opened. Mom and Nona walked in and stopped short when they spotted Evangeline and Lance at the table.
Mom recovered first. “I’m so sorry, Evangeline. I didn’t know you had company.”
“Lance, I’d like to introduce my mom, Rhea, and my nona, Ines. Mom, Nona, meet Lance, the manager from Warley. He’s going to be working here with Charlie and Joey.”
Lance stood and went to shake hands with Mom and Nona.
Mom gave Lance an appraising once-over, then a reluctant grin. “You might be able to handle those boys.”
In his mid-forties, Lance had the experience and know-how the guys needed. He also had a calm temperament to go with his no-nonsense, direct manner. He’d been a good negotiator. He’d be a better manager.
Evangeline trusted him, because of all that happened since she’d come home, she’d learned to trust her instincts again and not assume that everyone had an ulterior motive or wanted to hurt her because they were only out for themselves.
Chris helped her with that just by being himself.
Charlie and Joey walked in and stopped behind Mom and Nona, eyeing Lance, then Evangeline.
Joey shook Lance’s hand by way of hello.
Charlie stepped around them and addressed her. “Is it done?”
She turned to the table, grabbed the contract, flipped to the signature page, and used the Warley pen Lance had left on the table to sign the contract. She turned to Charlie and held up the papers. “It’s done.”
“So Charlie gets what he wants. Again.” Joey’s eye roll didn’t hide his disappointment.
Evangeline gestured to the table and chairs. “Let’s all take a seat and I’ll explain what Lance and I have been working out.”
She and Lance stood together at the head of the table and waited for Mom, Nona, Charlie, and Joey to take a seat.
This was so different from the last time they had a family meeting at the reading of her father’s will. Since then, her relationship with her mother had been repaired. Nona had unburdened herself of her culpability in what Evangeline’s father had done. Charlie and Joey were still at odds about what they wanted for the ranch, but she’d settle that now.
“First, Mom and Nona, what’s the update on the fire and evacuations?” They’d just come from volunteering at the shelter.
Nona answered for them. “The rain helped tremendously. They’ve got fifty-seven percent containment on the over sixty-thousand-acre fire. Nearly four hundred structures burned. Some of the evacuated areas that suffered little if any fire damage are open again. Those areas hardest hit will be closed until it’s safe for residents to go in and sift through the ashes. People are scared, stunned, and worried about what to do next. But help is available. Many are meeting with insurance agents and signing up for government disaster relief and assistance.”
Evangeline appreciated the update. It relieved her that help was available and people were moving forward with picking up the pieces of their shattered lives. She still felt guilty that this had started with taking down Darren. At least he and Tom were behind bars and paying for all the pain and senseless deaths they’d caused. Those who had lost their lives in the fire were in her heart. She would never forget them.
The Me I Used to Be Page 28