A Moment To Love

by Jennifer Faye

  She leaned against the wooden porch rail. Something sure wasn’t adding up. There was a lot more to Cord Lawson than she’d uncovered so far. And that only intrigued her all the more.

  Her gaze sought out the man at the center of her thoughts as he headed for the door. His long legs covered the expansive porch in just a few steps. She couldn’t help but notice his broad shoulders that narrowed down to his trim waist. When her gaze lowered to his firm backside, she swallowed hard again.

  Checking out this very fine cowboy was the absolute last thing she should be doing. Men were nothing but eventual trouble. In her experience, they couldn’t be trusted.

  She forced herself to glance away. The hominess of the porch drew her in. She’d dreamed of one day slowing down long enough to kick back on one of her own. In the shade, she’d sip at a tall glass of fresh-squeezed lemonade while taking a moment to watch the world go by—but that wouldn’t be happening any time soon. Her duty was back in New York, taking care of the one person in this world who’d always stuck by her—her father.

  Still, her imagination strayed, conjuring up a similar image. Only this time, Cord and a smiling woman were the ones relaxing on the two matching white rockers, laughing at some private joke. Alexis frowned and turned away. Sometimes her imagination knew no bounds.

  She forced her attention back to the ranch that seemed to spread off in every direction for miles and miles. Standing there with the wide-open range at her feet was so liberating. This was the perfect place for a person to forget their troubles and just take in the majestic wonder of New Mexico. When the resort was built, its guests would love this setting. She certainly did.

  Cord strode out of the house with a tall glass in hand. She readily accepted the drink and lifted it to her parched lips. The ice-cold water rolled over her tongue, cooling her windpipe and soothing her cough.

  He sent her a concerned look. “Better?”

  “Much. Thank you. I’m sorry to have bothered you. I’m just not used to these hot, dry conditions.”

  “It’s no problem.”

  The cloudless sky rained down an endless supply of sunshine. She refused the urge to fan herself. What in the world made her think a suit would be proper attire for standing around in the desert? But with her luggage missing, she couldn’t exactly meet him in her running attire.

  “It would help if I wasn’t overdressed.”

  “Lexi, what I said earlier about your clothes, I didn’t meant anything negative by it. You look good. Real good.”

  She lifted her chin and their gazes collided. “Thank you.”

  His brown eyes captivated her with their intensity. Alexis pressed her lips into a firm line, holding back her retort over him shortening her name. No one called her Lexi. But at this point, staying on the cowboy’s good side overrode her burning desire to correct him.

  With effort, she glanced away, shrugging off her crazy interest in this cowboy. No matter how striking his looks, she couldn’t forget she was here for one thing and one thing only—to buy a ghost town.

  She moved and set the glass on the table between the two rockers. “You must spend a lot of evenings out here, enjoying the view.”

  “I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.”

  The solitude, though foreign to a native New Yorker, actually appealed to her. Sometimes the hustle and bustle of city life could be so tiring. A glance out at the distant horizon, where the lonesome landscape butted up against the reddish outcrop, made her feel like she was on a different planet from the one she’d known all her life.

  Cord crossed his arms and shifted his weight against the railing. “Let’s get down to business. Are you here because you’ve decided to hang up your designer heels in exchange for a pair of scuffed-up cowboy boots?”

  “Not exactly.”

  “But you are interested in the acreage I have for sale, aren’t you?”

  “The thing is…” She hesitated, searching for just the right words.

  “If it’s the price, it’s non-negotiable.”

  “It’s not that.”

  Concern flickered in his dark eyes. “You do want the land, don’t you?”

  “Yes, I do.” Alexis strove for a strong, confident tone. “The thing is, I’m not interested in buying it for personal reasons. I’m a land developer.”

  “What?” A whole host of expressions filtered across his face. “You mean, like those people who divvy up huge tracts of land to turn it into residential property?”

  “Well, yes, but that’s not what we want to do here.” She reached into her purse, pulled out one of her business cards, and handed it over.

  “What do you want to do here?” He accepted the card, but he didn’t so much as glance at it before stuffing it in his pocket.

  “Does it matter as long as you get your money?” When his brows furrowed together, she decided to take a different approach. “Normally I’d make this offer through your real estate agent, but this project is very personal to me. I thought if we could talk one-on-one, we could reach a quick and equitable agreement.”

  “I don’t know about this.” He ran a hand over the back of his neck. “This isn’t what I’d been expecting.”

  “My company is prepared to meet your asking price.” The way his brows furrowed into a dark, formidable line, she hesitated to say more. She worried that if she mentioned the ghost town now, he’d balk.

  “Yesterday at the store you knew who I was, but you didn’t let on.” His narrowed gaze held hers. “You make me wonder what you’re really up to.”

  Gone was the kind, thoughtful cowboy who’d teased her about her craving for chocolate and who’d taken time out of his day to show her his impressive stallion. She narrowed her gaze in on him. She just couldn’t make up her mind about him.

  She glanced away, breaking their connection. “I didn’t know who you were at first. It wasn’t until we were on the sidewalk that I heard the ghost town mentioned and put two and two together. I tried inviting you to dinner to explain things, but you shot down my offer, more than once.”

  He glowered at her. “You should have said something as soon as you realized who I was.”

  No matter what she said now, he’d take exception to it. He was definitely in no frame of mind to be receptive to her plans. Time to back off and let him absorb her offer. “I’m simply offering you what no one else has, the full asking price for the land.”

  “And you haven’t denied that there’s something you’re hiding from me.”

  She crossed her arms, not about to be bullied into an admission. She was tired of men who thought she should cave in to their demands. First, her father and then her ex-fiancé. And look where that had gotten her—her father didn’t believe she was capable of running HSG without him, and her ex had had the nerve to replace her without even bothering to tell her that they were over. Well, things would be different with Cord. Of that she was certain.

  She straightened her shoulders and tilted her chin upward, meeting the cowboy’s hard stare. She refused to let him intimidate her. He’d get his answers, but not like this. Past experience had taught her that sometimes the two negotiating parties needed to part company mid-negotiation. The downtime allowed common sense to settle in before they met again and tried to resolve any lingering issues. That’s exactly what was needed here—a chance for Cord to cool down.

  “You need me,” she said, knowing about his financial bind. “And when you come to that conclusion, you can reach me at the motel in town. Good day, Mr. Lawson.”

  Alexis lowered her sunglasses to the bridge of her nose. Without another word, she marched down the steps. She could feel Cord’s glare poking her in the back, but she refused to acknowledge him.

  Had she made the right move? Or had she taken too hard of an edge with him? Was she walking away from her only opportunity to successfully complete this project? She envisioned how the news of her failure would send her father’s heart rate soaring through the roof. Her stomach churned. She’d
already come too close to losing him. She’d do her best to keep it from happening again.

  The knowledge that the contrary cowboy couldn’t afford to be egotistical for long gave her some peace of mind. Soon, reality would settle in, and then the stubborn Mr. Cord Lawson would be more agreeable to her terms.

  And if not…she was working on a backup plan.

  Before she’d left New York, Alexis had set up a meeting with one of New Mexico’s leading real estate agents to talk about other prospective properties for HSG’s ghost-town resort. Not about to take any chances upsetting her father when his health was so precarious, she wanted to have something to show him if she couldn’t make the Haggerty deal work. Luckily, the Realtor had mentioned he’d be passing by Whistle Stop today and they’d made arrangements to meet at the Poppin’ Fresh Bakery at ten. Apparently, the bakery’s reputation for divine baked goods was known far and wide.

  Minutes later, Alexis eased the SUV into the town square, which had one-way traffic circling the park. Naturally, all of the parking spaces were taken in front of the bakery. She sighed and looped around again. She’d pulled into a nearby parking spot when the train whistle blew. She glanced at the clock. Ten a.m. Perfect. She was right on time.

  She got out of the SUV and glanced around at the empty storefronts. The windows were dusty, and the for-sale signs were sun-bleached. But beneath it all, she could easily imagine that once upon a time this town had been a hubbub of activity. And it would be again if she had anything to say about it.

  As she grew closer to the bakery, the aroma of fresh dough and sugary goodness filled the air. Then again, agreeing to meet here for coffee might not have been one of her better decisions, but Piper did make some of the best coffee she’d ever tasted.

  Alexis opened the glass door and noticed Piper busy at the counter, helping some customers. They waved to each other before Alexis glanced around for Mr. Santos. She’d never met the man before, so this would be a little tricky. There was a cowboy at one table, leafing through the Whistle Stop Telegraph, a weekly paper. Today must be its publishing day, as she’d found a copy outside her motel door that morning. She looked forward to glancing through it when she returned to her room.

  The next table had a man in a pressed blue dress shirt with a bolo tie. Clean-shaven and with every dark strand of hair in place, he looked ready to do business. His gaze caught hers, and he smiled as he got to his feet. “Ms. Greer?”

  “Yes.” She moved to his table and shook the tall man’s hand. “Thanks so much for meeting me.”

  “No problem. Please call me Ray.”

  “And call me Alexis.” They both sat down. She lowered her voice. “I really appreciate you squeezing me into your busy schedule. This project is extremely important.”

  Piper approached their table. “Would either of you care for some coffee?”

  They were both agreeable to coffee and a couple of blueberry muffins fresh from the oven. This place was impossible to enter without sampling something delectable. It was a good thing Alexis intended to keep up with her running.

  Ray leaned back. “I was pleased to get your call. I’m looking forward to working with you. I have some ideas to run past you.”

  Alexis smiled. She liked a man who didn’t beat around the bush. She had the feeling they’d work well together. “I like what I’ve seen so far of the Southwest.”

  “Is this your first time out West?”

  “Yes. But it won’t be my last.” Turning the conversation back to business, she said, “When we move ahead with the construction, I’d like to disturb as little of the landscape as possible.”

  The Realtor ran his hand over his chin. “I like your attitude. Not enough people worry about preserving the natural landscape.”

  Piper dropped off their order and quietly slipped away.

  Alexis stirred sweetener into her coffee. “I want this resort to look like a genuine part of the Southwest, including its surroundings.”

  Mr. Santos nodded. “I’ve identified a few properties on the market with ready access to a highway and enough acreage to accommodate a resort.”

  “Sounds good. Tell me more.”

  Ray withdrew a map from his briefcase. “These properties I’m about to show you don’t have a ghost town, but that doesn’t mean you can’t erect a replica.”

  “No.” She shook her head. “That won’t work. We want a place rich in history and structures that have withstood the test of time.”

  “I hear you, but these properties I’m pointing out are a great steal. It might be worth sacrificing the genuine ghost town—”

  “The ghost town is non-negotiable.” She had no interest in anything fake. HSG’s investors would never go for it. “We plan to use the authenticity and history of the town as the main thrust of our PR campaign.”

  “If I may be so bold as to ask, what’s the problem with the Haggerty property?” Mr. Santos crossed his arms.

  “Nothing as far as the land itself and the location, but the owner is hesitant to sell.”

  Mr. Santos nodded. “Then let me show you what I’ve uncovered since our phone conversation. Ghost towns in New Mexico are quite limited, so I took the liberty of expanding my search to include Arizona.”

  They spent the better part of the next hour enjoying two more coffees while pouring over maps of both states. By the end of their meeting, Alexis felt reassured that she’d chosen the right man for the job. This project would go through somehow.

  ♥♥♥

  Cord strode into the house, slamming the door behind him. There was no way he was going to conduct business with a land developer—no matter how good she looked—coming…and going.

  He halted his line of thought. He couldn’t believe he’d let himself become attracted to another woman whose only interest in him was how much his land was worth. A sour taste filled his mouth. Hadn’t Susan already taught him that lesson the hard way?

  No way was he going to let Lexi’s sweet smile and mesmerizing eyes sway him. She was trouble—in capital letters. His best course of action would be to avoid her. After all, even if he could trust her, he didn’t want his land falling into the hands of a developer.

  From what he’d been able to learn, developers were scouring the Western states buying up large tracts of land. They’d then subdivide the property into five-or-ten-acre home sites. And with all those homes would come businesses, like grocery stores and gas stations and strip malls. He hated the thought of having all of that noise and traffic butted up against his property. But if he didn’t sell, how in the world could he make the balloon payment on his mortgage to save the ranch—his home?

  Cord glanced around the spacious rooms of the prominent ranch house that his grandfather had built with his own two hands. Queasiness churned in the pit of Cord’s stomach at the thought of losing everything he knew—the one place where he felt comfortable in his skin—where his difficulty with reading wasn’t noticed by others, making him less in their eyes.

  But there was something missing. In the wake of Susan’s departure, he’d been thrilled to have the place to himself. He enjoyed coming home after a long, hard day and not having someone constantly nag him about all he wasn’t doing or providing. For a while, a peacefulness had reined throughout the house, but lately the quietness had lost its luster. But that didn’t mean he wanted to part with his home. Not a chance.

  Spurred on by his need to find an alternative to the foreclosure—one that had nothing to do with Alexis Greer—Cord called the bank again. This time he reached a woman who agreed to pull his file and discuss his loan. After ten minutes of hearing the same old spiel, he gripped the phone tighter. “Listen to me. I just need a little more time.”

  “With no proof that an extension will provide the necessary funds to pay off the balance on your loan, you are prolonging the inevitable,” the woman said without an ounce of emotion, as though she’d become indifferent to smashing people’s dreams.

  The loan officer continued to
tick off the various reasons why pushing his balloon payment back was not feasible for the bank. Cord scrambled for any excuse to keep the bank from foreclosing. He’d already tried obtaining another loan from just about every bank he could think of, but they’d all turned him down.

  With each passing moment, the band of stress ratcheted tighter around his ribs. He was about to lose not only Haggerty but also the Brazen H. His chest tightened. His home, the cattle, the horses and even his ranch hands—his only friends—would be gone.

  They’d all be lost to him.

  That just couldn’t happen.

  “We’ll start foreclosure proceedings in the morning,” the woman said matter-of-factly. “Unless you can come up with the full payment or you can produce a buyer willing to sign an intent-to-purchase agreement for the two hundred acres.”

  Cord rubbed his damp palms over his jeans. There had to be something, anything, to stave off the foreclosure. His gut knotted up. He had nowhere else to go. No other skills with which to earn a living. He was a rancher. He wouldn’t change. He couldn’t change.

  “I have an interested buyer,” he blurted out.

  An awkward pause ensued.

  “Why didn’t you mention this earlier?” The skepticism rang out loud and clear.

  Drumming his fingers on the large oak desk in his study, he thought of Lexi’s offer—the one that left a sour taste in his mouth. Not wanting to give the banker too many details, he said, “I don’t know anything about the buyer. My real estate agent just informed me last night. I’m waiting to hear back from him.”

  “Your agent is…” The sound of shuffling paper filled the silent void. “Ah, here it is, Mr. Forbes. If I were to call him, would he be able to verify what you’ve told me?”

  Cord’s jaw clenched until his muscles throbbed. He hated how this woman talked down to him. With great difficulty, he swallowed his indignation.

  “Yes, he’ll verify it. Does this buy me some time?”

  “I’ll need to speak to Mr. Forbes.”

  The woman summarized what they’d already discussed. Cord’s thoughts strayed back to another businesswoman—the one with a sweet tooth. He couldn’t help but wonder if Lexi would be as difficult to deal with as the woman on the phone. Although after haggling with Lexi over some silly candy bar and then finding out she liked to play hide and seek with the truth, he decided she’d definitely be worse.