Phoebe's Fate (Burnt River Contemporary Western Romance Book 9)

by Amelia C. Adams

  Phoebe shuddered. She couldn’t even imagine something like that.

  “But then I got to thinking about a whole lot of things. Hospitals do that, you know—they give you time to think. I was in a whole lot of pain, but I wasn’t paralyzed, and I wasn’t dead. Not a lot of guys go through that kind of injury and can say the same thing. The way I landed, I should have broken my neck. I’m a blessed man, and now I’m here in this beautiful town and I’m getting a second chance at life. It’s a different life than I thought I’d have, but it’s mine, you know?”

  She looked out the window. “And I guess I should be more grateful that you came along when you did and that he didn’t . . . you know. Succeed.”

  “I’m not going to say one word to you about how you should feel, Phoebe. I’m just sharing my experience, not trying to compare it to yours.”

  “I know. I’m just thinking.” She paused, then gathered up her courage. “When you came into my office, you said you wanted to talk. What did you want to talk about?”

  He cleared his throat. “Mostly I wanted to tell you how good you look, how proud you ought to be of yourself. Embarrassing stuff like that.”

  “Embarrassing for you or for me?” she asked, teasing just a little.

  “Probably for both of us. Listen—for whatever it’s worth, I admire the heck out of you, okay? You handled that whole thing like . . . I don’t even know how to describe it. There was something about you that was strong and fierce and amazing. I’ve never forgotten it.”

  “Really?” She turned to face him. “I thought I was weak and beaten and broken.”

  “No. Never. Not ever.” He glanced over at her, then back at the road. “Nothing can break you, Phoebe. You’ve got an inner core of strength that makes me wonder what you could do if you were ever on the back of a bull.”

  “I’d have the good sense not to get on the back of a bull,” she retorted.

  “See? You’ve got good sense, too. I knew I admired you for a good reason.”

  She thought about what he’d said for a minute. “Thank you for seeing me that way,” she said at last. “As a survivor and not a victim.”

  “You’re the victor, Phoebe, and don’t you ever forget that,” he replied.

  His words filled her heart with so much warmth that for a second, she thought she’d cry. That’s not what she wanted—not at all. “Hey, can we make a pact? Can we make this the very last time we bring it up? We danced around the edges, and now we’ve dipped our toes in the water, and I think we’ve said all we really need to about it. I’m grateful to you, you admire the heck out of me, and now let’s work on what you talked about before—getting to know each other as who we are now.”

  “I like that,” he said, glancing at her again and smiling. “So, tell me, Phoebe Glenn. Who are you these days?”

  “Well, let’s see. I have an apartment, which you just saw. Were you blown away by my elegant surroundings?”

  “I sure was. The peephole in the door was a very nice touch.”

  “I rather thought so. I work as a real estate agent here in Burnt River, also as you know, and I’ve been doing that for almost eight years. For a while there, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I managed a clothing store until I got tired of it.”

  “That explains your impeccable taste. You look really nice tonight, by the way.”

  “I wasn’t actually trying to, but thanks.”

  “You weren’t trying to look nice tonight?”

  “It’s a long story, and you’re interrupting me.”

  “Sorry. Please go on.”

  “I took a real estate course and was able to get a job at Burnt River Realty, where they only trusted me to do paperwork for about the first year. The second year, I got to make coffee, and that was a major promotion. Finally, they let me start tagging along on showings, and now I’m a full-fledged agent.”

  “I’m very impressed. You can make coffee? That’s a rarified skill.”

  “It is, let me tell you.” She settled back in her seat, finally able to start enjoying herself now that all the elephants in the room had been chased off. “I’ve dated some and thought I might get engaged once, but he didn’t think so. Mostly I just work and hang out with Ashley. You remember Ashley, right?”

  “Your Siamese twin? Of course I do. How’s she these days?”

  “I think the term now is actually conjoined twin, but it’s the same thing. She got married not long ago and built a salon out back of her house. Vi’s still living with her, although not in the best health.”

  “I remember Vi. She worked as a lunch lady at the school, right? She made the best chocolate chip cookies.”

  “She still does, on her good days. It’s arthritis, pretty spread throughout her body.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” Bryce shook his head. “Rocky’s got it in his knees. The vet wraps them up sometimes to keep them warmer—when they’re cold, they get stiff.” He paused and then laughed, shaking his head. “I’m sorry. We were talking about a person and then I leaped in to tell a story about my horse. That must have come across as really insensitive, but I didn’t mean it that way.”

  “Didn’t bother me at all. I’m still reeling from the Siamese twin thing, though.”

  “You are?” He glanced over, surprise on his face. “I’m really sorry about that too, honestly. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

  She laughed out loud, unable to keep a straight face any longer. “I’m teasing you. I know you didn’t mean anything—I just had to give you a hard time because you’re being so earnest.”

  “Being earnest means you get to give me a hard time?”

  “Um, yes, pretty much.”

  He shook his head again. “I’m not sure I’ll ever understand you.”

  “Maybe that’s part of my plan. I like to keep them on their toes.” She was startled to realize she was having a good time, and even more startled to realize that yes, there was flirting going on, and she was the one doing it. “So, it’s your turn. Who are you these days, Bryce Davidson?”

  “That might be a harder question to answer because I’m not entirely sure,” he said. “I’ve only been out of the rodeo game for about seven months now, and I haven’t had time to reconstruct anything. But I like to read and I do some writing, and I do crossword puzzles, actually.”

  “Crossword puzzles? My dad used to do those.”

  “So, you’re comparing me to your dad? Are you saying I’m old?”

  “No, I’m saying that it’s an activity traditionally enjoyed by those of a slightly more chronologically advanced status, and that it’s unusual to see it performed by someone so young and with all their follicles still intact and functional.”

  He smirked. “Yeah. I totally get that.” He pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant, and she was surprised to see that they were there already. “It’s fun, and it makes me smarter. I like being smart, see? It’s better than being dumb, see?”

  She laughed at his pathetic gangster impression. “Are we going to eat or just stay out here all night? Frankly, I’m hungry.”

  “Frankly, so am I.” He came around her side of the truck and helped her down, and they walked inside. The smells of meat sauce and garlic bread tickled her nose as soon as the door opened, and her mouth watered. It had been a long time since she’d been on a date, and the last one hadn’t been nearly this fun. Looked like she was going to have all kinds of surprises this week, and every one of them because of Bryce.

  Chapter Ten

  When June stopped by Burnt River Realty the next morning, Phoebe was daydreaming out her window and startled to attention when she realized someone had entered her cubicle.

  “June, hello. I’m sorry—my mind was wandering.” She motioned to the other chair. “Have a seat.”

  “You must have been thinking about something pleasant,” June said. “You were smiling.”

  Phoebe’s face went a little warm. Yes, her thoughts had been very pleasant—s
he’d been thinking about what a good time she’d had with Bryce, which was unexpected considering how much she’d fought the idea of going out with him in the first place.

  “You don’t have to answer that.” June grinned. “I just emailed over the offer, and I thought I’d stop by and see if you had any questions. Mr. Knight would like to get moving on this as quickly as possible.”

  Phoebe turned to her computer and saw that June’s email had come through ten minutes before. Mr. Knight was offering exactly what they’d asked for, and she couldn’t see anything wrong with the proposal. “Looks good to me—I’ll take it out to my client right away. I’m curious about the rush, though. Is he new in town? Is he having to commute to work?”

  “No, he’s a land developer and he wants to get started before the weather changes.”

  “Get started on what?”

  “He’d like to put up an apartment complex in that spot.”

  Phoebe leaned back and looked at June in shock. “An apartment building? You mean, he’s going to rip up that whole property?”

  “We checked—it’s already zoned for it, and he shouldn’t have any trouble getting the permits.”

  “But the garden . . . and the crocuses . . .”

  June gave her an overindulgent look. “Life goes on. People move, things change—that’s just how it is. An apartment complex on that side of town would be good for Burnt River, don’t you think? We have a lot of single young men moving here to work at Gray Wolf who can’t find a place to live because there’s so much family housing that’s too big for them to afford. And think of all the couples who are saving up to buy, but need a place to be in the meantime.”

  Phoebe nodded, even though a knot was forming in her stomach. “I know—it would be great for the town. I’m just startled, that’s all. I pictured a family moving in there.”

  “It’s easy to get emotionally attached to the properties we sell, especially when we know the people who live there. But this is a business, and we have to keep that in mind.”

  “I’ll take the offer out to Mrs. Weiker right now, and I’ll let you know,” Phoebe said, deciding not to answer June’s comment directly. She didn’t know how to do her job impersonally. She didn’t believe it was an impersonal job.

  “Thank you. Please call me if she has any questions.” June stood up. “I’ll look forward to hearing from you.”

  She left, and Phoebe pulled in a deep breath. How could she present this to Eileen in a positive light when every cell of her being wanted to fight it?

  Gina came in and leaned on the back of the chair June had just vacated. “Did I hear the witch’s theme song from The Wizard of Oz as that woman left?”

  Phoebe laughed. “No, nothing that bad. Her client wants to build apartments, that’s all.”

  “Oh.” Gina’s eyes widened. “On the Weikers’ land?”

  “Yup.”

  “Hmm. That’s not a horrible idea, actually, when I think about the location . . . but still, that’s hard to swallow. It’s like, the Pink Paradise putting up a parking lot, ya know?”

  “Are you a walking encyclopedia of pop culture references?”

  “Yeah, pretty much.” Gina grinned. “Are you eating here or out today?”

  “I need to take this offer over to Eileen Weiker, so I’ll be out.”

  “Okay. I’ll forward your calls.”

  Phoebe turned back to her computer and printed out the offer, knowing that Eileen wasn’t computer savvy in the slightest and would prefer to see actual pages than an email. Then she headed out to her car, shaking her head as she thought about it. What if Eileen said yes? What if no other offers came in, and she felt like she had no other choice? It was still early days and it was silly to be thinking doomsday thoughts already, but Phoebe had been having almost nothing but doomsday thoughts since she first started on this house sale.

  When she reached her car, she was surprised and then delighted to see that a long-stemmed red rose had been tucked beneath her windshield wiper. There wasn’t a note, but she could guess who had put it there—unless Mr. Knight had gotten it into his head to do a little bribery, and that was very unlikely.

  She pulled out her phone and sent Bryce a text. From you?

  He responded immediately. Who else?

  Well, no one, but I wanted to be sure.

  Yeah, it was me. Can I see you later?

  Business or personal?

  Probably both.

  She smiled. Yeah. Around six?

  Sounds good.

  She slid her phone into her pocket and got into her car, placing the rose carefully on the seat beside her. What a sweet thing to do.

  When she reached the Weikers’ house, she was saddened to see that Gertie was still under the weather.

  “Deanna thinks we should get Gertie a friend, a little puppy she can take care of,” Eileen said, settling in next to her dog on the sofa. “She read an article that suggested Gertie might snap out of it if she felt responsible for something smaller than she is. I’m willing to try nearly anything, but I don’t know if I have the energy for a puppy.”

  “Could your grandkids be in charge of the puppy?”

  “I’m not so sure. They’re a little too involved in their computer games and have starved six or seven goldfish to death.”

  Phoebe winced. “Yeah, probably no puppy then.” She reached into her bag and brought out the papers she’d printed. “I have the offer on the house for you to look over.”

  Eileen took them from her. “Am I going to like what I see?”

  “It’s a very good offer—they’re giving you exactly what we asked for.” She paused. Eileen would want to know the whole truth. “They’d like to put up an apartment complex here.”

  “Here? On my land?” Eileen exhaled sharply. “Mike would have hated that.”

  “Yes, I believe he would have.” Phoebe reined in her emotions. She had a job to do, and that was to help Eileen see all the angles. “I also believe he wanted you cared for.”

  “Yes, that he did.” Eileen looked over the papers. “I’m not really sure what all this means, but it does seem like a good offer. I just can’t imagine apartments here, can you?”

  “No, I can’t.” Phoebe decided that professionalism could take a flying leap. “Apartments would be good for the town, but I don’t think they’d be good for you, Eileen. I can think of twelve other lots where those apartments could be built, but there’s only one house like this in the whole world.”

  “Am I allowed to reject this offer, or do I have to take it?”

  “You’re allowed to reject it.” Phoebe was filled with relief that Eileen was heading this way. “Just be sure that’s what you really want to do,” she added.

  “You said there are several other lots that would work for this man?” Eileen motioned to the paper.

  “Yes, there are. I can even make a list for him, although his agent has probably already done that.”

  Eileen nodded. “Let me think about it for a bit, if I could—my initial reaction is to say no, but you’re right. I don’t want to be too hasty, and I don’t want to make decisions purely from emotion. I have doctor bills to consider, and . . .” She sighed. “Getting old stinks. But you know that already—I told you.”

  “You did, and I believe you.” Phoebe reached out and patted Eileen’s hand. “You hang on to that offer and read it over a few times, see if you have any questions, and let me know, all right? Mr. Knight would like to get this going quickly, but you don’t have to rush. It’s personal to you, but it’s not personal to him.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate the extra time.”

  Phoebe took another minute to pet Gertie. Poor little thing. It must be so hard on animals, picking up on all the emotions and yet not understanding the words being spoken. Then she headed back to the office, grabbing a salad on her way. She had a showing on a cute one-bedroom bungalow that afternoon, and she hoped this one was a lot more straightforward.

  Chapter Elevenr />
  Bryce read over Phoebe’s texts again and smiled. Something had definitely changed between the two of them the night before. It was like all the walls came down and they were starting to see each other in a new light, moving past all the darkness. He liked Phoebe—he liked her a lot. There had been this one moment when he looked at her across the table, and he felt a zing right in the center of his chest. It had been a long, long time since a girl had impacted him that way. Sure, lots of girls were pretty and fun to talk to, but finding one who could reach him on a deeper level? That was rare. Being on the rodeo circuit didn’t often allow for deep levels.

  He climbed out of his truck and went inside the grocery store. He needed to find some food that would fit in the small fridge back at the hotel—he was getting a little tired of takeout. What he really wanted was to get into a real kitchen and mix up a big pot of his mom’s famous recipe chili. The stainless-steel stove in the house he’d seen the day before would work for that, and then he could take it outside and sit on the back patio and eat it with a chunk of corn bread.

  And maybe Phoebe would come over and eat it with him.

  See—he could dream about this other house just as easily as he could the Weikers’, even if it did take a little more work.

  He grabbed a cart from the front of the store and began pushing it up and down the aisles. He had a microwave and a can opener, and that was about it. He started with some paper plates, bowls, and plastic silverware, and then he stood in front of the soups for what felt like an eternity.

  “Hey, Bryce. What brings you back to town?”

  Bryce turned to see Brody Evans, one of his buddies from days gone by. He hadn’t been part of Bryce’s core group of friends, but they’d hung out plenty. “Hey, man. Good to see you. I’m retired now and I’m looking to buy a place here.”