by Cora Seton
“None of your business, Lacey,” Matt said. “You just run along and play.”
Autumn bit her lip to keep from laughing at Lacey’s expression. Clearly, she wasn’t used to being brushed aside so easily. She bent down, dangling her ample breasts directly in Matt’s line of sight. The accountant raised an eyebrow. “I’m just looking out for Ethan, honey. Who is this woman, anyway? She appears out of nowhere, suddenly she’s engaged to him and now she’s having lunch with his accountant? You better believe I’m going to tell him I saw the two of you together. If you think you can mess with my man, you’re highly mistaken.” She finished by narrowing her eyes at Autumn.
“Your man?” Carl and Matt chimed together. Autumn was too busy letting her jaw drop to the ground to say anything.
“Oh…you know what I mean,” Lacey said, her color heightening. “I may not want to marry Ethan Cruz, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have his best interests at heart. I don’t want to see him taken to the cleaners by some New York City call girl.”
“Seriously?” Autumn squeaked. “Did you just call me a hooker?” She stood up, but so did Matt. He put a hand on her arm and stepped between her and Lacey.
“Carl, if I were you I’d get Lacey out of here before she makes a complete ass out of herself. People are watching.”
Carl put an arm around Lacey and tugged her toward the door. “Come on, Sugar, let’s try the Soup n’ Salad today; I’m not in the mood for diner food.”
“I’m not done here!” Lacey shrugged him off and turned on Autumn. “You know Ethan’s broke, don’t you? You know he has to sell the ranch?” She took Autumn’s speechlessness as a negative. “See, Carl – he’s doing it again! Honey, he’s lying to you just like he did to me. Let me guess – first he wined and dined you, made you feel all quivery with those baby blue eyes, put his diamond ring on your finger…and didn’t even bother to let you know he’s up to his eyeballs in debt. Am I right or am I right?” She leaned closer. “That’s exactly what he did to me. I had to learn about his money problems from Claire – his sister. Have you met his sister?”
Autumn nodded.
“Good. I hope she told you the ranch is for sale.”
Carl tugged on Lacey’s arm. “Sugar, that’s enough. Let’s go.”
“We’re going to buy it, you know. Me and Carl. Isn’t that right, Carl?”
Carl closed his eyes and for a split second Autumn almost felt sorry for the man. Almost. “Honey, I thought we decided to keep that a secret.”
“You decided that. I want Ethan and his new fiancée to know exactly who’s buying their property. Ethan’s land is next to Carl’s, you know. When we merge them we’ll have the biggest spread in four counties. If Ethan’s looking for work, maybe we’ll hire him. Maybe.”
“Lacey, that’s enough. Out the door – now.”
Autumn blinked when Carl nearly picked Lacey up and shoved her bodily out the front door. Her mind spun with the information she’d just learned. “Is she for real?” She’d better let Ethan know Lacey’s plans as soon as possible, although she didn’t relish the idea. Ethan was going to blow his top.
“Oh, Lacey’s always been like that, but I didn’t think Carl would be such an idiot,” Matt said. “He’s already an outsider in this town, coming here and building his McMansion on the old Frommer ranch. If he takes the Cruz ranch…” He shook his head. “He’ll be mighty unpopular.”
“I’m not sure he cares about being popular.” She pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “He just cares about Lacey. I think Lacey still cares about Ethan, though. At least she doesn’t want him to move on.”
“She’s out for vengeance, I’d say.” She appreciated the calm confidence of this man. He was going to make someone a good husband someday, if he wasn’t already married. “And she’ll do whatever it takes to get it. Your sudden appearance in town has raised questions, you know. You and Ethan might want to tell your story to a few of the local gossips before someone else starts a story for you, if you know what I mean.”
“Thanks for the advice,” she said slowly. What did Matt think of her relationship with Ethan? What would everyone think if they knew the truth of why she’d come here? She needed to cut her ties with the magazine, get her ducks in order and put her relationship with Ethan on solid ground – fast – before someone discovered the truth and broadcast it. All of this was so crazy – so backwards! First she’d agreed to marriage – well, she’d fake-agreed to it; then she’d gotten pregnant – maybe; and now she was falling in love with her intended.
Wait.
What?
Did she love Ethan?
Yes, she did.
How could she – she’d barely known him a week.
Yet his every touch took her breath away, the life he led called to her like nothing else ever had. She wanted what this marriage would bring her – a husband, a family, a career, even a community. She would have a place in all of it that was just for her.
She thought about Ethan’s concern for her wellbeing since she’d arrived, the work ethic that had him racing out to the fields before dawn to meet his crew and get to his chores, the loyalty to ranch, family and hired help that made him want to turn things around for the benefit of all of them. And the way he made love to her…
Yes, she loved Ethan Cruz.
But did he love her back?
She thought so. She’d just have to stick around long enough to find out. And that meant presenting her plan to save the ranch to Ethan before Claire got too caught up in the idea of selling it to Lacey. Now that she had all the information she needed, she’d get her shopping done fast and head right home. Would Ethan agree her idea was a good one?
Would it work?
* * * * *
When Ethan said good-bye to Jamie and headed home to the bunkhouse, he found pizza cooking in the oven – homemade, by the looks of things – but Autumn nowhere to be found. Ten minutes remained on the timer, and he hoped he could get a shower in before they sat down to eat.
“Autumn?”
As he moved down the hall, he heard the clack of fingernails on a keyboard. Was she still working on that proposal?
“Autumn? You in there?”
“Yep! Just finishing up.” He heard a rustle of paper and the rattling sound of an office chair being pushed away from a desk.
“Do I have time for a shower?” He poked his head around the door and was unexpectedly met by a kiss.
“Sure, if you’re fast. Don’t be too long, though – we really need to talk about my plan.” She returned to the small corner desk and began to type again.
“I can be fast.” He waited a beat for her to laugh, but she was already engrossed in the spreadsheet on her laptop again. She really must be into this idea of hers, whatever it was. He hoped she wasn’t getting her hopes up too high that they could keep the ranch. Oh, who was he kidding – his hopes were high and he didn’t have the slightest idea how to manage it. Sighing, he headed for their bedroom and began to strip down.
The hot water sluiced away all the dust and aches of eleven hours spent out of doors doing physical work. It had been the kind of day he liked best. Work to do and typical ranch problems to solve, but nothing insurmountable – and no new bills. Jamie was always a good companion. He knew when to talk and when to keep quiet, and he always pulled his own weight.
He wished he could offer him the guarantee of a stable income. It weighed on him that if he didn’t figure out something quick, Jamie would be one of the first to suffer. Of course a horseman like him could find work on just about any ranch. Still, he treated Jamie like family – always had – and he knew that counted a lot with a man.
Had Autumn found a way to buy out his sister? It would be a miracle, and he could use one of those right about now.
Five minutes later he was sitting at the kitchen table, biting off the triangular end of a slice of the most delicious pizza he’d ever had. Autumn sat across from him, her hands held stiffly in her lap. Was she nervous
? Maybe he shouldn’t have started eating yet. He dropped the slice back on his plate, wiped his hands and took a drink of milk.
“Sorry. I couldn’t help myself – the pizza smells great. Tastes great, too.”
She smiled a little. “I have some bad news and some good news. I’m going to tell you the bad news first. Please don’t get upset.”
Crud. That didn’t sound good. “Okay – shoot.”
She took a deep breath. “Lacey and Carl want to buy the ranch. They’ve already talked to Claire about it. Ethan, you promised!”
He surged out of his chair so fast it tipped over. “They what? Uh-uh, no way. They’ll have to pry the deed out of my dead, stiff fingers first.”
“Ethan. Sit down – listen. I told you I have an idea.”
It was all he could do to bite back the torrent of curses that wanted to spill from his lips. Damn Lacey and Carl to hell. He’d spend the rest of his days in a federal penitentiary rather than allow them to take over his ranch. He pulled the chair upright and carefully sat back down.
“I know you’re upset. I was, too, but I talked to Matt about my idea and he thinks it’s a good one. Are you calm enough to hear me out?”
He wanted to kick himself for losing his temper when all Autumn was trying to do was help. What kind of husband would he be if the first sign of trouble sent him throwing chairs and swearing up a blue streak? He had to do better than that.
“I’ll behave,” he said and let the corner of his lips quirk up. Her expression softened and she met his gaze with shining eyes.
“A guest ranch.” She waited for his reaction.
“Hmm?”
“A guest ranch! We turn the Big House into guest accommodations and make money off of tourists!”
He sat back, a frown thinning his lips.
“Hear me out,” Autumn said. “It doesn’t have to interfere with the normal running of the ranch at all. You barely have to be involved if you don’t want to be – we can hire people to do most of the work with the guests. You and Jamie and the rest of the hands just need to be around looking…I don’t know – cowboy-ish, you know?”
“You want me and Jamie to be tourist attractions?”
“For heaven’s sake, there are guest ranches all over Montana. Surely you know someone who has one.” She looked exasperated.
Ethan forced himself to think over her words. Yes, he did know people who owned guest ranches. He’d just never considered the idea for himself before. He’d always expected to have his father’s help running cattle, and that his income would always come from that line of work. “I wouldn’t have to lead trail rides?” he said warily.
“Not if you’re dead set against it. Of course, the more work we keep in the family, the more money we make.”
“Won’t there be a passel of start up costs?”
“Not as much as you might think.” She tossed him a pile of paper. “I’ve outlined all the numbers in there. I made a budget for the next three years with some income projections and so on. The Big House is already gorgeous – and with all its bedrooms and bathrooms it’s basically set up for accommodating guests already. The kitchen is professional grade and the dining room seats plenty of people. With us living in the bunkhouse there’s plenty of space for paying customers. That is, if you’re comfortable with people being in the Big House…” She trailed off, seeming nervous again. After a second, Ethan realized why.
“I’m all right with that,” he assured her. “After my parents died I didn’t want to live there alone, but I don’t mind if other people use it.”
“You might have to eat some dinners there,” she warned. “Entertain the guests with cowboy stories.”
“I can probably do that once in a while.”
“We will need some money,” Autumn warned him, “and we’ll need to buy Claire out. Matt has an idea for that. He said he has a buyer – not Lacey and Carl – who is interested in purchasing one hundred acres in the southeast corner. If we sell, we’ll have enough money to secure a second mortgage so we can pay off Claire. Things will be tight for a long time, but eventually we’ll get back in the black.”
“Who’s the buyer?”
“I don’t know. He said it might take a week or two for the buyer to get his money together, but it sounds like he’s definitely interested. We’ll have to figure out a way to hold off Claire until then.”
He would call Matt in the morning and find out who the mystery buyer was. “Claire can’t sell until I agree to; if she wants to take me to court over it the process will drag on for months. I’ll tell her to give me a couple of weeks to pull things together.” Ethan stared at Autumn, his pizza all but forgotten. “Why are you doing all of this?” he asked. He must be dreaming. For so long his life had been bad news followed by disasters, and now this woman – this angel – had appeared out of nowhere and set everything to rights in such a short time. How was he supposed to believe it could last?
“Because this is where I want to raise our family, Ethan.”
“We’re really doing this?” He leaned forward and took Autumn’s hand. It was soft and small, but he now knew she would make a capable partner for his life’s journey.
“Yes.”
“We’re getting married in twenty-one days?”
“Yes.” She nodded. “We’d better start planning. I need a dress and flowers…”
“What you need,” Ethan said. “Is to get over here and let me take you to bed.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
According to the phone book, Ellie’s Bridals was the only store in Chance Creek that carried wedding gowns. Autumn parked Ethan’s truck outside the boutique with trepidation and remained in the driver’s seat a moment to look the little store over. She’d always thought she’d spend days trolling through New York City with her friends trying on dresses when it came time for her to be married. She’d pictured sales ladies in haute couture serving her champagne from silver trays while she posed in front of floor length mirrors in the latest style.
As a young girl, she favored dresses with trains a mile long. At twenty she would have picked something severe and sophisticated. What did one wear to a country wedding?
She gripped the steering wheel with hands that were suddenly sweaty. What was she doing? She hadn’t even told her mother or sister or even her best friend what was happening and she was supposed to get married in less than three weeks. Becka had texted her once or twice, then reverted to email when she realized Autumn wasn’t carrying her cell phone with her everywhere like she normally did. She’d told Becka some of the details about the ranch and gardening and cooking, and how hot Ethan was, but she’d neglected to say anything about sleeping with the man. For one thing, it didn’t sound very professional. For another, she didn’t want to face Becka’s tough questions.
Tonight she and Ethan would have to sit down and make some plans. Guest lists, catering…her head began to swim and she rested her forehead on the steering wheel. She needed to call her editor, too – tell her she wasn’t coming back. Panic gripped her. Was she ready to burn her bridges like that?
“Autumn? Is everything okay?”
She reared back with a gasp. “Rose! You scared me to death!”
Rose stood on tiptoe just outside the open window of the Ford F-250. “Sorry! You looked like you were going to be sick. Is everything okay?”
“I…yes. I think it is. I’m…” she glanced at the boutique. “Picking out my wedding dress.”
“Oh, my gosh! That’s so exciting!” Rose peeked into the cab of the truck. “All alone? Isn’t anyone going to help you?”
“I don’t know anyone in town.” Rose’s tone said it all – it was pathetic to shop alone for your wedding dress. Maybe she should have called Becka to see if she could fly in for a day or two. But then she’d have to explain everything.
“I’ve got some time. Can I come with you? I love looking at wedding gowns, and I’ve got a good eye!” Rose bounced on the soles of her feet and Autumn found hers
elf smiling at the young woman. Why not? After all, she’d done a great job helping them pick out the diamond ring that sparkled on her finger.
“Please do! I was dreading going in there by myself.” She gathered her purse and let herself out of the truck, locking it behind her. When she turned toward the shop she caught Rose’s smirk. “What?”
“City girl – no one locks their cars here.” Rose linked her arm through Autumn’s and pulled her toward the store. “Come on, this is going to be a blast!”
Half an hour later, Autumn was thrilled she was in Chance Creek rather than New York. Ellie’s Bridals was run by Ellie Donaldson, a boisterous sixty-something-year-old with a biting sense of humor that had Rose and Autumn nearly in tears as she told stories of weddings past – both triumphs and disasters. The little boutique was crammed full of gowns. The minute Autumn walked through the door Ellie took her measure and pronounced she had just the thing.
Just the thing turned out to be armloads of dresses Ellie hung on a wire rack outside a hexagonal dressing room hidden toward the back of the store. She and Rose took turns helping Autumn into and out of the gowns and leading her to the pedestal in the center of a room with mirrors positioned carefully to reflect her from every angle.
They vetoed the majority of dresses before she even set foot out of the dressing room, but several possibilities had accumulated on a second metal rack.
“This is the one I really wanted you to try,” Ellie said, holding out what looked like a very simple gown. “I knew it was perfect the moment you walked in the door, but brides have to try on lots of dresses or they won’t be satisfied. Here – give this one a whirl.”
Rose helped her out of a lace covered prairie-style gown they’d all agreed looked absolutely hideous and slid the smooth satin dress over her head. The bodice was fitted, with a sophisticated draped front neckline and plunging back. The skirt clung to her curves, folds of fabric falling to the floor in an abbreviated train. She felt like a 1940s movie star.