by Amy Vastine
“Ever since you said you were thinking about getting married here, I can’t stop thinking about how you could market this place as Montana’s premier wedding destination,” Hadley said to Ethan. “You could have people rent the whole ranch for an entire weekend. Their guests could have access to some of the activities, but we could also upsell some add-ons to make even more money.”
Ethan’s mouth hung open for a second. “That’s brilliant.”
“Is that what the Mendes ranch does?” Tyler asked.
“Seems like it from what I’ve researched. They market it as a mountain destination wedding package.”
The woman was very good at her job. He wasn’t sure why she was getting Ethan so excited about it, though. This was the kind of stuff they needed to sell to the buyers next week, not to his brother, who sadly still thought there was a chance the ranch would keep the family name.
“I also noticed those barns by the creek during our ride this afternoon. What are those for?”
“When this was only a working ranch like Jon’s, we needed them for housing animals. Big E sold some of the cattle to build the lodge. Right now, I don’t have a use for them.”
“What if you could transform them into a full-service spa? When I was talking to one of the guests a couple days ago, he said his wife enjoys the outdoor adventure activities but would love a little pampering, too. It could tie in with the wedding theme, as well. The brides and bridesmaids could use the facilities before the big day.”
“I love it,” Grace said. “Why didn’t we think of that?”
Another great idea to share with Mr. Mendes. Hadley was worth every penny Kellen didn’t want to pay her to be a brand strategist. She was expertly rebranding the Blackwell Guest Ranch over a bowl of spaghetti and charming the pants off Ethan and Grace in the process.
“I don’t know, but I’m glad she did,” Ethan answered, toasting her with his glass of wine. “I’m still waiting for my brother to come up with something equally amazing. Do you always let her do the heavy lifting?”
“I point her in a direction and she runs with it. We make a good team.”
Hadley’s blue eyes lifted to his. Her hair was up in a ponytail tonight, exposing her slender neck. His gaze drifted down to her collarbone. He imagined how soft her skin was there and how it would feel against his lips.
“Imagine what the four of us could do here,” Ethan said. “With your ideas and my willingness to work hard, we could put this place on the map.”
His brother was bound and determined to deny the inevitable. “We could also sell it for top dollar and move on with our lives. Won’t you be relieved to focus on being the town’s vet instead of breaking your back here?”
“I won’t have to break my back if you help me. I remember when you used to tell me I was going to work for you someday.”
“And you used to tell me I was an idiot.”
“Prove me wrong,” Ethan challenged.
The only thing that would make Tyler an idiot was thinking for a second he could come back here for good. After experiencing the pain of visiting the bridge today, he knew he’d never stay and put himself through that again.
He pounded his fist on the black lacquered table. “I’m not staying. Stop fantasizing. It’s not happening.”
“Is it Big E? Are you worried he’s going to come back?”
“I don’t care what our grandfather does. Big E hasn’t ever cared about me, so why would I waste my time worrying about what he plans to do with what’s left of his life?”
Ethan placed his elbows on the table. “Why do you always act like no one cared about you? You know that’s not true.”
Did he know that? It certainly wasn’t how he felt. “I used to take off and no one even bothered to look for me. I can remember more times than not that I’d run away because one of you was being a jerk, and when I’d come home, Mom, Dad, Big E, all of them would act like they hadn’t even noticed I was gone.”
Ethan shook his head. “That’s not true.”
“It’s completely true. I think I would know better than you. It was my life.”
“Tyler, Mom and Dad loved you. They loved all of us.”
“We both know that if Mom and Dad had cared about me, they would still be alive.”
“What?”
He hadn’t meant to let that slip. He pushed away from the table and stood up. Grabbing his plate, he started for the kitchen. “Thank you for dinner, Grace, but I need to get back to work selling this ranch so I never have to visit this place again.”
He rinsed his plate and opened the pink dishwasher that was unfortunately full of clean dishes. He slammed the door shut.
“Don’t leave angry,” Hadley said from behind him. Tyler refused to turn around and look at her. He hated that she had to see this side of him. “Come have some dessert. I’m sure we can all agree not to spend any more time tonight talking about selling or keeping the ranch.”
He wiped his hands on the dish towel hanging from the oven door. “I’m leaving. You can stay if you want.”
“Tyler...”
He spun around and leaned against the counter. She was kidding herself if she thought he could stay and eat cake. Hadley moved closer.
“Stop.” He held up the palm of his hand. “Don’t come over here and tell me that I’m better than I am and look at me like you want to break rules again.” He lowered his voice. “You won’t even talk about the fact that you kissed me today, so don’t act like you’re here to comfort me, like you care.”
She stopped on the other side of the island. “I’m sorry. Not talking about it doesn’t have anything to do with how I feel about you.”
“How do you feel?” As soon as the words left his mouth, he wanted to take them back. “Never mind. I don’t want to know. I want to go back to the cabin and answer all the emails waiting for me.”
He started for the door, but Hadley stepped in his path.
“You know that I feel completely confused,” she whispered. “How else would I feel?”
“I don’t know because you wouldn’t talk to me. You’re the one who broke the rules. You’re the one who kissed me. And it wasn’t to fool my family or part of this ruse.”
Hadley’s head dropped. “I know.”
Tyler waited for more, but she didn’t continue. He was the idiot. She didn’t have feelings for him. She also wasn’t as confused as she claimed. She was regretful. He’d been vulnerable earlier and she had felt bad for him.
“I’m leaving. Come with me or stay and eat cake with my brother. I don’t care.” He stepped around her and headed for the door.
“Tyler.” Ethan followed him out. “I’m sorry for arguing with you. I didn’t want to make you mad.”
“I’m not mad. You don’t realize that what I said at dinner is how I have felt my whole life. It’s not a big deal anymore.”
“I can’t change the way you remember Mom and Dad, but I’m asking you to think about the future, not the past. I love you. You’re my little brother and there’s no one I’d rather do this with than you.”
If Ben offered to run the Blackwell Ranch, Ethan would be ecstatic. This wasn’t about wanting Tyler specifically, this was about needing one of them to vote to keep the ranch.
There was no point in arguing, though. No one wanted to tell Tyler to his face that he wasn’t all that important. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“I’m coming,” Hadley said, standing in the doorway with Grace behind her. “Thank you for dinner.”
They walked back to the cabin in silence. Tyler was tired. It had been an emotionally draining day. The whole week had been more than he was ready to handle. Dusk was approaching as the sun had just over an hour before it sank behind the Rockies. The clouds would soon be glowing a vibrant orange.
It was still light enough to see someone s
itting on the bench on their front porch. The confusion on Hadley’s face was understandable. It may have looked like Ethan had somehow changed clothes and magically beat them back to the cabin, but Tyler knew it was Ben in his fancy running outfit.
“Why are you sitting out here like a creeper?” Tyler asked, finished with anyone named Blackwell for the day.
“Good evening to you, too,” Ben said, rising to his feet.
There was nothing good about this evening and it seemed to be getting worse. Hadley wasn’t the only one with regrets. Tyler wished he had never come back.
“Did Ethan call you and tell you to run over here?”
Ben seemed genuinely surprised by the question. “I haven’t talked to him all day. Why? What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” Tyler said with a shake of his head. “What are you doing here, then?”
“We need to talk.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“TALK,” TYLER SAID, wanting this over with so he could go in the cabin and drown himself in work. He needed the distraction from the misery his current situation brought him. Hadley unlocked the cabin door.
“I have a lead on a buyer, but we’re going to have to move fast. This guy wants a quick-and-easy sale.”
Finally, some good news. It was also about time Ben did his part. So far, all he had done was give the water rights to Rachel’s family and make the ranch less desirable for a buyer.
Hadley stopped short. “We have a lead as well, so we wouldn’t be able to do anything until both buyers have seen the property.”
“Good, maybe knowing there’s some competition will drive the price up,” Ben said.
Hadley played devil’s advocate. “It could also scare them off.”
Tyler didn’t understand her pessimism. There was no negative to this news. “Who do I need to talk to?”
“Rachel found this guy in Bozeman. He’s only interested in it as a working ranch. He doesn’t want anything to do with petting zoos and guests wanting horseback riding tours. I’m not sure how you’re going to sell this place as that after all the stuff Zoe did here, but I figure if anyone can do it, it’s you.”
“Send me his contact information and I’ll call him tomorrow. Maybe I can get someone to sign some papers before I fly home.”
Hadley interrupted his happy thoughts. “But what about all the work Ethan and Grace have put into this place? If it goes back to a working ranch, they’d be wasting their time and money expanding the facilities.”
Tyler’s brow furrowed. He didn’t care what the buyer would do with the ranch once he paid them for it. “We won’t have any say in how the new owner uses the land. I didn’t understand why you were getting Ethan all excited about these new ideas at dinner. He isn’t going to be the one making them happen. He should save his money and time and focus on his real future.”
“I think what she’s trying to say is that you need to take Ethan’s feelings into consideration,” Ben said. “Which is why I was waiting here to talk to you about this rather than running up to the main house to find you.”
“Ethan is a big boy. He’ll be fine. It’s not like he doesn’t have another life waiting for him. He can run the vet clinic, marry Grace and be happy. Why does he care so much about this stupid ranch?”
“It doesn’t matter why, it only matters that he does.” Ben started for the porch steps. “Trust me, I am all for selling this place. I need the money so I can invest it back into the Double T, but Ethan has dreams he isn’t exactly ready to give up on. Just don’t shove anything down his throat. Make some calls and follow up on my lead. Good night, you two.”
Of course Ben was more worried about Ethan’s feelings than anyone else’s. Tyler’s desire to get the heck out of here wasn’t anyone’s priority but his own.
“Since you’re so in love with the guest ranch idea, you can focus on that. I’ll handle prepping the selling points for the other buyer,” he said, brushing past Hadley and heading inside.
“I’m done working for the day. It’s Friday night. I’m off the clock.” She plopped down on the couch and picked up the remote to turn on the television. She put her feet up on the coffee table, crossing her legs at her ankles.
Tyler could only stare at her in utter disbelief. This wasn’t the kind of job that she could work Monday through Friday from nine to five. They were here to work until the ranch was sold, and they were so close to making that happen.
“I can’t believe my mom didn’t call me to remind me to watch tonight’s rerun of When We Were Young,” she said, apparently unaware of how frustrating this behavior was making him.
He stepped in front of the television, blocking her view.
“You make a better door than a window,” she complained.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m trying to watch my brother’s show because I love my brother. Even though we don’t always see eye to eye on everything, I support him and his dreams.”
Tyler doubled over in laughter. “Are you serious? You want me to feel guilty? I don’t love Ethan because I want to sell the ranch? Ben and Jon want to sell the ranch. Do they not love Ethan either? Or maybe if I side with Ethan, I won’t love Ben and Jon? Does Ethan not love me because I want to sell and he’s not supporting my dream of going home and getting back to my life?”
“I’m not talking to you about this. Can you please move, so I can watch the show?”
“Why are you suddenly acting like a spoiled child?”
Hadley set down the remote and snatched her laptop off the side table. “I’m taking my cues from you, remember?” She got to her feet.
With dramatic flair, she marched back to the bedroom and slammed the door behind her. Tyler took a couple of deep breaths. Flying off the handle with her wasn’t going to get him anywhere.
He paced back and forth in an attempt to ease the tension from his body. Usually, he appreciated it when she challenged him but not today. Not about this. Right now, he was the boss and she was the employee.
“You are here to help me sell the ranch. You are not here to tell me how to manage my relationships with my brothers. Please try to remember that.”
The door opened and Hadley came out with a defiant grimace on her face. She made a beeline for the minifridge and pulled out a water bottle. Grabbing the bag of chocolate candy off the counter, she stalked back into the room, slamming the door one more time.
Tyler was on his own tonight. His employee was clearly on strike.
* * *
HADLEY WAS ANGRY. Not only at Tyler but at herself, at this situation, at all the lies she was forced to keep up. She texted Ethan about Ben coming up with another buyer. She was a double agent after all.
Her hope was that Ethan and Grace would surrender. Even though the Blackwell Guest Ranch could have been a huge success given enough time, Tyler’s determination to sell it would win in the end. Ethan was better off cutting his losses and moving on with plan B in his life.
Hadley wondered if she should do the same. Maybe the best thing to do was to come clean about everything. Tell Tyler his brother knew they weren’t really together and resign from 2K Marketing. Finding another job wouldn’t be impossible, but sorting out these newly blurred lines between her and Tyler could be. Maybe a fresh start was what she needed.
She opened the email from Kellen again. Even though he had given her job to Eric, she knew he believed she was good at what she did. She could be on a plane by tomorrow afternoon. Back at work on Monday. Maybe if she did the rest of the brand analysis on the Kingman account for Eric, she could show Kellen she was worthy of the position regardless of what happened with Tyler.
It was worth a shot. She pulled up the research she did on shaving companies and got to work.
The more she read about shaving, the more she thought about how Tyler needed to shave. He had been rocking that fi
ve o’clock shadow all day. Tomorrow, it would be scruffy but soft to the touch no doubt. Hadley wondered if he had ever gone to an upscale barber shop and had someone shave him. She loved a clean-shaven man. The smell of an expensive aftershave, the silky softness of his skin right after a shave.
Hadley covered her face with her hands. She was losing control. Tyler was invading every aspect of her life. He was seeping into every thought and feeling. He couldn’t be hers. Not when things were so messy.
Thanks for the heads-up, Ethan texted back. Don’t give up on me. I’m not giving up on Tyler yet.
How could he hang on to hope? Tyler was so stubborn. So dead set against saving this place. Ethan must know something she didn’t. What if Tyler was meant to be here? She felt bad for thinking she could ditch out on both brothers. She’d keep helping Ethan. Maybe in the end, it would help Tyler, too.
She shut down her laptop and sank deeper into the bed. Exhausted, she closed her eyes, praying she didn’t dream about Tyler’s face.
Hadley drifted asleep. In the morning she was awakened by a muffled voice coming from the other room. “Why are you sleeping out here?” a female voice said.
“We had a fight,” Tyler replied.
“Oh, no. What are you fighting about?”
“I don’t really want to talk about it, Rachel.”
Hadley sat up in bed. What was Ben’s wife doing there?
“We were hoping Ben’s news would cheer you both up. Did you try apologizing?”
“Who said it was my fault?”
“Really?” another voice chimed in.
“Was it your fault?” Rachel asked.
“Am I being cross-examined, Counselor?”
“Definitely was his fault,” the other person said.
“What do you two want? I was sleeping and I’d like to get back to it,” Tyler grumbled.
“We want to invite your fiancée to our girls’ day out. Lydia and Grace are going to join us. I tried to talk Katie into coming, but she said getting her hair and nails done was a waste of time and money given her job on the ranch. I couldn’t really argue with her.”