“I’m more a fan of natural scents and the outdoors.” A blush tinged both cheeks as if she’d revealed a deeply guarded secret.
He was becoming a fan of Grace Gardner. If he picked out a scent for Grace, it’d be something less floral and mundane. Something rare and unique like her.
“What kind of soap do you prefer?” she asked.
He shrugged. “Whatever is on sale.”
Grace watched him as if expecting him to tell her more about himself.
But Ethan had lived like a nomad on a slim budget in Colorado. He wasn’t sure Grace wanted to hear that. He thought Grace belonged in a bedroom with all the frills and fluffy pillows and fancy hand-dipped soaps. She deserved to be pampered for everything she did for everyone else, including him. But on his limited budget he could only offer the bare essentials.
What if their baby was a girl? He knew nothing about little girls. He loved his nieces, sure, but he didn’t live with them. His stomach lurched as if he’d swallowed a bottle of the honey and grapefruit shampoo and chased it with the lemongrass bath gel. There was nothing appealing about debt and possible bankruptcy. Nothing that Grace would want to leave Falcon Creek for.
He hadn’t been thinking. He had no right to ask her to go with him. He had no right to keep inviting her to the ranch. This would be the last night. The last time he relied on her. Their last night working together. Already, he missed her.
“Well, the sooner we get our pretty on, the faster we can get back to the real work like Katie.” Grace picked up her box and headed for the stairs.
The sooner they finished, the sooner he’d be alone. As it should be. He had nothing to offer her.
Grace waited for him to join her on the wide staircase. “We need to discuss your approach with Judge Edwards on Monday.”
“Flattening her car tires one at a time with a bow and arrow until she grants me signing authority probably isn’t the best idea.” Ethan hugged his box of supplies and pretended he didn’t want to hug Grace instead.
Grace laughed. “I thought that was only a rumor.”
Ethan shook his head. “Afraid not. I’m Day Two.”
“Well, we need to seriously revise your approach.”
“It’s been years.” Ethan followed Grace as she headed along the nearest wing. If he kept following her, he’d end up in Falcon Creek without a practice and without any opportunities in the equestrian world. “Maybe Judge Edwards has forgotten the whole thing by now.”
“The woman remembers people’s middle names and dates of birth. For fun.” Grace walked into the first bedroom. “I doubt she’s forgotten the boy who murdered her tires. If anything, she remembers that day in minute-by-minute detail.”
“You’re not helping.” He dropped his box on the king bed, wanting to bury himself under the thick blankets until his grandfather returned and rescued the ranch himself.
Grace squeezed his arm. “We’ll get through it.”
Her words wrapped around him like a long hug and he relaxed. Forget the bath salts, he only required Grace’s reassurance to calm down. That was not good. Not good at all. He’d just told himself this was their last evening working together. He couldn’t start counting on her for more than financial reports and advice.
“But first, does the lavender-vanilla scent or rosewater belong in a room like this?” Grace held up two bottles as if she was a game show hostess highlighting the next prizes.
Both wings properly stocked with all things spa-like, Ethan and Grace finished in one of the larger suites. Grace folded a towel with a pocket and hung her creation next to the oversize bathtub.
Ethan leaned against the doorjamb and watched her fuss with the counter to make it perfect. He realized she did that with everything—made things better. She gave whatever she worked on her full attention. And when she offered her help, she never complained, only made the person she assisted feel special. She had a gift. She was a gift.
Ethan paced into the bedroom. He’d obviously sniffed too many sweet soaps that had perfumed his thoughts, making him careless. “I have to head into Billings tomorrow. Between my meeting and Sarah Ashley’s supply list, I’ll be gone all day.” And have no extra time to spend with Grace.
“That’s perfect.” Grace switched off the bathroom light and turned her attention to the pillows on the four-poster king bed. “We can carpool together.”
Yes. No. He seriously needed to step outside, inhale the crisp night air and focus. “What?”
“I have a business meeting in Billings with a potential new client tomorrow.” Ethan appreciated her excitement. He liked that glimpse of confidence in her. He wanted to see that more from her. Confidence suited her. Building something of her own suited her.
He knew about her potential new client. He’d called the wholesale supplier himself. He hadn’t known Ken Ware had already contacted Grace or that they’d scheduled a meeting. “You’re going to be gone from Brewster’s the entire day if you ride with me.”
“That’s fine. I told my parents I needed to head into the city to have a colleague of mine review Big E’s accounts before you talk to Judge Edwards.”
“Do we need to do that?” A jolt of panic stole his smile and dumped him back in the real world. He didn’t want anyone else to see the poor state of the ranch’s books.
“No. I’m confident in my work.” Grace, satisfied with the arrangement of the pillows, turned to face him. “Judge Edwards can contact me directly for questions.”
“You won’t be at the court appearance?” He wanted her there, not a phone call away.
“Did you want me there?”
He’d just decided this would be their last working night together. But the meeting with Judge Edwards related to the Blackwell Ranch and it was during the day. “Definitely.”
“Then we have an even trade. You’ll let me ride along to the city and I’ll go to your court appearance with you.” She smiled and held out her hand. “Do we have a deal?”
He wanted to seal the deal with a kiss, rather than shake her hand. This was a bad idea. He didn’t need to be alone for an hour and a half in the truck with Grace. No one to interrupt them or walk in. Tonight had been challenging enough. Ethan wrapped her fingers inside his and resisted the urge to pull her into his arms. “Deal.”
Ethan studied her. “Still haven’t mentioned your business to your folks?”
“Not yet.” Grace pulled her hand away and walked out into the hallway. “I want to have a solid client base first.”
There was a lot the Gardners hadn’t been told. He’d promised Grace in the Clearwater Café that he wouldn’t run away. He wanted to be an involved father. But to accomplish that, Grace and the baby would need to come with him to wherever he got a job. That wouldn’t be Falcon Creek.
Meanwhile, she’d need years to build her business and he needed years to pay off his debt. A conversation now would hardly be productive. He had to have something to offer her—something worthy—before he talked to her.
“What time is your meeting tomorrow?” Grace picked up one of the empty boxes and stacked it inside the one he held.
Ethan blinked. He didn’t have an actual meeting. He just wanted to talk to more than the electronic voice on the automated phone lines at the Billings Bank and Trust. He wanted to make his plea for an extension to an actual employee at the Billings Bank and Trust, preferably a kindhearted and sympathetic customer service rep. “What time did you say you’re seeing Ken?”
“Eleven a.m. at Farmhouse Burgers.”
“I’ll drop you off, head to my meeting and we can shop after that.” He pulled out his cell phone with his free hand. “Your sister already texted a list of more items for the guest lodge and cabins. And helpfully explained which stores in the city carry which items.”
“What’s on the list?” Grace moved next to him to peer at his phone.
/> He was beginning to really like her being next to him. Too much really. “What isn’t on it.” Ethan shifted closer to her and tipped the screen in her direction. “I don’t ever remember Sarah Ashley being this detailed about anything of importance.”
“She’s...different.” Grace’s voice sounded surprised, yet doubtful. She added, “In a good way, I think.”
“If her friends from the city book rooms at the lodge, all this shopping will have been worth it,” Ethan said.
On some level it was already worth it to Ethan, given he’d get to spend more time with Grace. Since she was carrying his child, he should know more about the mother of his baby other than she was dependable and financially astute, right?
Of course, during their one night together he’d discovered a lot about the middle Gardner sister and what made her tick. He’d liked it all. It was funny to think that had Sarah Ashley not gotten married, Ethan might’ve missed his night with Grace.
“So tomorrow it’s the city.” Grace went to her car, Ethan beside her, and opened the trunk for him to put the empty boxes inside. They’d been given strict instructions to return the boxes. Sarah Ashley intended to refill the boxes with new supplies.
“It’ll be you and me all day.” He leaned toward her, brushed his lips across her cheek. The barest of a touch, but enough to slingshot through his nerves. He didn’t linger, just reached past her and opened her car door. “Text me when you get home. Otherwise, I’ll be driving to your parents to make sure you arrived safely.”
She brushed her fingers across her cheek as if checking to see if he’d left a mark. Her voice was breathless and surprised. “You wouldn’t.”
He would. “Try me.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
GRACE SHOOK HANDS enthusiastically with Ken Ware, her new client, and strolled out of Farmhouse Burgers in Billings. Two more names like the wholesale supplier’s, and she’d have a legitimate business. What she had now was a start, a launching pad.
He’d encouraged her from the first time she’d told him about her business idea. He’d never suggested that she reconsider her dream or that she’d be leaving her parents and the store. She wasn’t abandoning Brewster’s completely, anyway. She was reaching for more.
Soon she’d have more than just herself to take care of.
One text to Ethan and she changed directions, away from the main street toward the small park they’d passed on the way to Farmhouse Burgers. She found Ethan sitting on a wrought iron bench, a paper bag next to him, his face tipped up toward the sun. He looked relaxed and she wanted to curl up against him and laze away the afternoon.
Would he open his arms to her or keep his distance? Grace stepped up to the bench. “That bag is too small to be Egyptian cotton towels for thirty guests.”
“This is your lunch.” Ethan pointed at the sack.
“I just came from a lunch meeting.” Grace sat on the bench, leaving the bag between them.
“Where you didn’t eat.” Ethan let his gaze drift over her slowly. “You haven’t touched a burger since I’ve been home. The closest you’ve come to meat was my bacon at Clearwater Café. And that was a rare occurrence from what I’ve seen.”
He’d certainly been paying attention. Had he noticed her small but growing bump? Or that she had trouble not looking at him for longer than appropriate for two friends? Grace opened the bag, hoping the crinkling of the paper would hide the rumble in her stomach and his effect on her. He was right. She hadn’t eaten. “What’s this?”
“Cream of broccoli soup from Buttercup Bistro and a warm baguette.” Ethan tugged on the bag. “But if you’ve already eaten, I’ll take it.”
“Let me try a sample first.” Grace dug inside for the spoon and took the lid off on the still-hot to-go container and inhaled. The steam from the soup covered her face, but couldn’t warm her as much as Ethan’s consideration. “I thought we needed to shop.”
“We will.” Ethan stretched out his legs, crossed one ankle over the other as if he was settling in to spend the afternoon in the park now that she’d joined him. “I checked in with Katie. Everything is quiet at the ranch. Figured we don’t have to rush back.”
She’d only ever seen Ethan in motion, moving from one task on his list to the next. Would he be content to sit with an infant sleeping on his shoulder? Or would he hand the baby off, impatient to get back to fixing a fence or an injured animal? Not that it mattered to Grace. She hadn’t envisioned him being around full-time. Yet she could imagine them being at a park like this: a paper bag lunch, baby stroller and no desire to be anyplace else.
She concentrated on her soup. The faster she finished, the sooner they’d escape the park and her fantasyland.
Several silent minutes later, she dipped a piece of bread into the last bite of soup and savored the combination. She leaned back, unable to stop her smile of satisfaction from spreading across her face.
Ethan tapped her shoulder. “I thought you only wanted to try a sample.”
Her smile widened at the tease in his voice and she closed her eyes, content for the first time in a long while. “Don’t talk just yet. I’m enjoying this.”
“Of finally not being hungry?” Ethan asked.
“That and the fact that I landed another client.” Grace pumped her arm overhead and smiled at the blue sky above her. “It’s a very good day.”
“Congratulations.” Happiness bolstered his voice.
Grace laughed with relief and joy. “I’m going to have my own business. It’s becoming real.”
“A few more clients and you’ll be ready to move out of Brewster’s and into your own office space.” Ethan took her hand and squeezed her fingers.
Grace set her other hand on her stomach as the soup and excitement listed sideways.
“The soup didn’t agree with you? I debated if I should’ve just stuck with chicken noodle, but decided to change things up for your taste buds.” Ethan studied her with the critical gaze of a doctor assessing an ill patient.
“It’s not the soup.” This wasn’t a pregnancy-induced nausea. This was life steam-rolling through her. She was about to step out of her comfort zone—the only zone she’d ever lived in. “I’ve only ever been at Brewster’s, aside from college. Even then I came home in the summers to be at the store. It’s as much home as our family house.”
“I’m sure your parents would let you stay in your current office.” Ethan rubbed his thumb across her palm, his voice as soothing as his caress.
He had to think she was ridiculous. He’d moved all the way out of state. She was talking about moving down the block. She was ridiculous. There was nothing absurd about his caress though. “Wasn’t it hard to leave Falcon Creek and your home?”
“Not especially.” Ethan shrugged. “I had goals and I knew I wasn’t going to get there staying in the same place. Doing the same thing.”
A shadow dimmed his gaze and she knew it was from more than the cloud passing over their heads. Even his hold on her hand tensed, less soothing and more rigid. His past still hurt.
Rather than poke at his sore spots, she opted for the easy and light. “You’re telling me I need to man up and move out?”
“Your clients would probably appreciate meeting with you in an office that’s bigger than a hall closet. Not that your current one isn’t quaint.”
“I prefer the term compact,” she said. “I don’t want my parents to think I’m abandoning them.”
“Your parents want you to live your own life, not theirs. You also have two sisters to share the burden of Brewster’s with.”
The family store wasn’t a burden. Had never been that. Was that how he saw the Blackwell land? “You never told me your strategy for the ranch?”
“Book the lodge with guests through the summer. Turn a profit.” Ethan looked away from her, out into the park. That shadow dimmed his voice. “If
Big E doesn’t return, we’ll sell.”
He didn’t want the homestead. Wasn’t here to save the ranch to preserve their family legacy. The place meant nothing to him.
She couldn’t ask him to stay for the baby. She’d never ask him to stay for her. To do so, she would have to admit to feelings she had yet to admit to herself. She wouldn’t want herself or the baby to become another one of Ethan’s worries. Park benches, baby strollers and lazy family afternoons with him wouldn’t be a part of her world. “We should get shopping. I’m ready if you are.”
Ethan stood up and held his hand out to her. Helping her up, he pulled her closer to him. “Would you like to shop for Egyptian cotton towels or horseshoe shower curtain hooks first?”
Grace laughed. She’d concentrate on the moment while her hand was still tucked inside Ethan’s and he wasn’t making any move to let her go. She’d have to let go soon enough. For now, she’d leave the future for the future. “Shower curtain hooks. They’re smaller and easier to carry around. Let’s save the towels for last.”
“Practical and efficient.” He tapped his shoulder against hers. “I like that about you.”
She wondered what else he liked about her. But she put that question into the think-about-later category and went back to the moment. This moment, where they walked hand-in-hand, comfortable and easy through the park as if they’d always been together. As if they’d always walked together like this.
A couple pushed a baby stroller ahead of them. That’d be Grace soon enough, except without Ethan. He had goals beyond Falcon Creek. She refused to hold him back. But if Big E returned, the Blackwell Ranch wouldn’t be sold. Ethan would still have a home to return to, if he wanted. “Any news on Big E’s whereabouts?”
Ethan shook his head. “Have you heard anything at the store?”
“Only more about how Cynthia Turner flew to Las Vegas to stop Trudy and Walt Sim’s elopement.” Grace shook her head. Gossip certainly was the pulse of a small town. She could only imagine the rumors that would begin when the locals discovered her pregnancy. Business at Brewster’s was sure to pick up. Maybe that would soften the blow from Grace moving out on her own.
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