The following morning Dylan stumbled into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee in the old stainless steel percolator. Modern had been a foreign concept to Jax. Even his old beat-up Jeep Wagoneer was over fifty years old. The thing ran beautifully though, so Dylan couldn’t fault the man too much.
Jax had taken good care of everything he owned and Dylan wouldn’t change much of the log home’s rustic charm. The kitchen appliances could use some updating and the butcher-block countertop needed sanding and resealing. The custom handmade cabinets could stand refinishing, as could the floors. All things Dylan could easily handle. He’d change out some of the dated furniture, but the bones of the structure weren’t that bad. At almost three thousand square feet, the house would be a great place to raise a family.
The sun wasn’t even up and he already had a headache. He pulled out a chair and sat at the kitchen table, which had notes strewn across it. He hadn’t meant to spend half the night in Emma’s room, but after she had agreed to give them a chance, she offered to show him the ranch presentation. He didn’t ask why, since he’d already admitted to wanting to use her ideas. He didn’t know if it was her last ditch effort to change his mind and be able to honestly tell her boss she’d given it her all, or if she was trying to help him. Either way, he had listened to every word she said. While the majority of it went against the cowboy way of life, she had some solid ideas that he would have loved to work in to the ranch.
The state-of-the-art kitchen would allow the ranch to book weddings and other events. They handled some weddings here and there, but an outside vendor had catered most of them. Providing in-house catering along with an event planner would allow them to offer destination wedding packages.
He tried to hide his embarrassment when Emma pulled up their website. He knew it was outdated and he had talked to Jax a few times about having it redesigned. But after astronomical quotes, Jax had nixed the idea. It was on his current to-do list, but the ranch didn’t have the extra thousands of dollars to spare. When Emma told him there were ways to have sites designed for free by college students trying to make a name for themselves, he realized he had options. She even took the time to show him other guest ranches and pointed out key features that drove business to their sites. By the time she was through, he understood why the business was struggling.
Dylan wasn’t up on the latest technology. He’d spent most of his life outdoors, working with his hands and animals. Some of her ideas along with the keyless entry system she had mentioned were well out of his realm of expertise. He still couldn’t figure out what the problem was with using a regular key. A lot less went wrong when you kept it simple.
When he left her room sometime after midnight, he hadn’t told her his plans one way or the other. He knew she was disappointed with his silence, but at the time, he hadn’t completely made up his mind. The more he thought about last night and the more notes he took, the more of a future he saw for Silver Bells. As a guest ranch, not a luxury spa.
His decision killed any chance Emma had at getting her promotion. That was a guilt he wasn’t ready to face. He didn’t want to string her along, either. Unless he could convince her to stay in Montana. But he wanted the decision to be her choice. He’d love to hire her as the lodge’s manager, knowing the place would have a fighting chance with her on board. It had been a job both Dylan and Jax had shared and it needed one person’s entire attention. He’d still need to find an investor or two, but that seemed more obtainable if she signed on.
Dylan poured a cup of coffee, laughing at the irony of the situation. Emma had come to Saddle Ridge to change his mind, now he had to find a way to change hers. That meant he had to remain on his best behavior and not only convince her to stay past New Year’s Day, but to give their relationship the courtesy of acknowledging it could be more than a two-week fling. Dating Emma and her accepting the position didn’t necessarily have to go hand-in-hand. But after she had agreed to give them a chance while she remained in town over the holidays, hope began to grow inside him. Not just for them as a couple, but for the ranch, as well. He had his work cut out for him. He wanted her to live in the very place she wanted to change.
A hard knock followed by his back door opening snapped him back to the present. Wes strode in still wearing yesterday’s clothes. His brother grunted hello as he poured a cup of coffee and then flopped into a kitchen chair.
“Rough night?”
“Yeah.” Wes flipped through Dylan’s notes. “Still at it huh?”
Dylan joined him at the table. “I have some new ideas. I just need someone willing to invest in the ranch.”
“So nothing I said yesterday convinced you to change your mind?” Wes asked.
“I can’t walk away.”
“Well, good luck, then.” Wes sipped his coffee.
“Don’t sound too enthusiastic.” Dylan gathered up his paperwork and stacked it in the center of the table before his brother saw the sketches of the rocking horse.
“No, I mean it. I hope you do save Silver Bells. Just because I don’t want to stay in Saddle Ridge doesn’t mean I don’t want you to be happy here. Speaking of happy, what’s going on with you and the pregnant woman? Isn’t she public enemy number one?”
“Not so much anymore. We have agreed to see where the next two weeks take us.”
“You can’t be serious?” Wes rocked his chair back onto two legs. “Man, you don’t learn from your mistakes, do you?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“How is the situation any different from you and Lauren? Once again, you want a city girl with children to move on the ranch with you. How did that work out for you the first time?”
“Lauren wasn’t a city girl and Emma has one kid. At least she will soon.” Emma’s situation was completely different from Lauren’s, but he didn’t feel the need to justify it to Wes.
“The fact Lauren wasn’t a city girl should be even more of a red flag. Emma is way more city than Lauren and look how that turned out. Why do you want to put yourself through this again? These women don’t want to live way out on an isolated ranch. Look what happened to Harlan and his first wife. Same thing.”
“Molly had other issues going on, too. This place isn’t isolated. We have people coming and going year round.”
“Yep. Other people are coming and going from this place and you and Jax and everyone else who worked here never got off the ranch. You’re proving my point. You’re looking for any excuse to convince yourself that this will work.” Wes rocked forward until all four chair legs were on the floor. “Hey, for your sake, I hope I’m wrong. Maybe she’s a country girl at heart who likes the outdoors but just hasn’t found a way to cut ties with Chicago. Either way, good luck. I need to head home and shower.”
“Don’t let me stop you.” Dylan mentally tabulated the chances Wes was right about Emma. Was he making the same mistake?
“By the way, the reason I stopped in here this morning wasn’t to harass you. Billy Johnson got into a bad snowmobile wreck. He might lose his leg. I spent most of the night in the hospital with his wife. I tried to call but couldn’t reach you. Just thought you’d want to know since he used to work here. His family is going to need some extra support and I thought it would be nice if we took up a collection for him with it being Christmas. They are going to have it pretty rough. His new health insurance hasn’t kicked in yet and he couldn’t afford to continue paying on the old insurance without the ranch’s percentage.”
“Oh, man.” Dylan’s phone had died when he was with Emma. He’d put it on the charger last night but had forgotten to turn it back on. Billy had been their ranch manager. The man was in his midforties with a wife and four kids. He had hated losing him as an employee but understood his reasons for taking another offer and not wanting to wait and see if Dylan could save the ranch. They had talked at length and Dylan told him there would always be a place for him if he wanted to return. “I’ll let everyone know about Billy. This is just another reason why I need to keep this place going.”
“How would that have saved Billy?” Wes set his mug in the sink. “The accident wasn’t related to his job.”
“No, but he would have still had insurance. Those medical bills may wipe them out.”
“Yeah, you’re right. That does make a difference.” Wes headed for the door. “Thanks for the coffee. I’ll see you in a bit.”
Dylan spread the notes across the table, more fired up than he had been fifteen minutes ago. He needed to create his own presentation to give to potential investors. It wouldn’t be fancy or animated like Emma’s had been, but he knew how to work a computer. In the end, only the facts mattered. He couldn’t lose another employee or allow another person to go without health insurance. He refused to let anyone else suffer because of his and Jax’s mismanagement. He had to right the wrong, and as guilty as he may feel for borrowing Emma’s ideas, he had to push that aside. Too many families depended on him. Emma would understand. She had to.
* * *
EMMA HAD NEVER been happier to see a washing machine and dryer in her entire life. The ranch had an on-site mini laundromat and she had managed to wash a small load of whites and darks before breakfast. She planned to head into town later and check out the local shop situation. She didn’t have high hopes for it, but it would be a new adventure just the same. Hopefully she could find some things to last her the next two weeks.
Emma tried to avoid maternity clothes. She couldn’t see spending money on something she would only wear for a few months. She made a decent salary but it didn’t allow her to spend her earnings foolishly. She had to watch every penny with the butter bean on the way. Granted, there were some things like underwear and pants that couldn’t be avoided, but for the most part she had managed to wear loose fitting tops that she could get away with after she gave birth.
Her friend, Jennie, told her she’d probably get sick of those clothes by then. And she may be right. Her fisherman’s knit sweater had lost its appeal a month ago. She needed to buy a pair or two of shoes in a bigger size. She felt larger than life over the past few days and she still had a little over seven and a half weeks to go.
The lodge employees were in a somber mood when she entered the dining area. The little talking she heard was hushed. She spotted Dylan and wondered if he had told them about her presentation last night. She scanned their faces. Could she live with uprooting so many people’s lives?
“Good morning,” Dylan greeted her.
“Is it?” Emma looked around. “What’s going on?”
“I just finished telling them that a former employee got into a terrible accident last night. He may lose his leg. Four kids, a wife and no insurance.”
“Oh, that’s awful.” Emma sensed some blame behind his words. “Did he leave recently?”
Dylan nodded. “Shortly after Jax told him we were selling the ranch. The accident had nothing to do with that. Not having insurance sure did, though.”
“I’m sorry he and his family are suffering.” Emma wondered if any of her new friends blamed her the way Dylan did. “Please let me know if there’s anything I can do.”
“We’re taking up a collection to help pay their bills. We’ve decided to adopt the family for Christmas. We will head into town later and go grocery shopping for them, buy gifts for the kids, decorate and do everything we can to make their life as normal as possible during this time. It would be great if you joined us.”
Emma nodded, unable to speak. Helping the family was the very least she could do. She would talk to Charlie later and see if the firm would donate to the family. She had closed dozens of similar deals and had never witnessed the fallout on such a personal level. Whether it was an apartment building they were turning into condominiums or a strip mall they were turning into a mega center, her firm negatively affected many lives while making their investors richer. She’d always known that and had been a willing participant. But this time she was witnessing it firsthand, and it really hit home. Now that she was getting to know many of the people here better, turning the ranch into a luxury resort spa didn’t seem that wonderful, anymore. Of course, that had been Dylan’s plan when he had asked her to spend time with his employees. She’d been played to a certain extent, but she was okay with it. It had opened her eyes. Emma had been eager to get off the ranch so she could gain the advantage and push Dylan to sell. Now, not so much.
“About last night...” Dylan began.
“Is this personal or business?”
“Business first.”
Emma shook her head. “I don’t want to talk business right now. It hardly seems appropriate and I don’t want anyone to know what we have discussed. I know what your answer is going to be, and that’s fine.”
“Well, that’s not quite what I wanted to talk about, but it can wait.”
They stood staring at each other halfway between the tables and the empty buffet line. When Dylan didn’t continue to the personal side of the conversation, she shrugged and made her way to the French toast. Which reminded her of France and the baby name book she had downloaded.
She had always been partial to French names for some reason. She’d only been to Paris once, but had visited the French countryside many times on business. Her favorite place had been the small picturesque town of Vienne along the Rhone River. Vienne Sheridan had a nice ring to it. But she wondered if too many people would mistake it for Vienna or Vivian?
Emma checked to see if Dylan had followed her to the line. He was on the phone, walking toward the front of the lodge. Maybe he had already eaten. She fixed her plate and sat quietly at a table by herself. A few of the other employees remained clustered by the fireplace, but most had already scattered. She ate in uncomfortable silence and then made her way back to her room.
Her job demanded that she follow through with everything she came to Saddle Ridge for. Work should come first, but the weather had warmed a few degrees and Emma wanted to take full advantage of what the ranch had to offer—what she could do in her condition, anyway. So why don’t you? The doctor had told her to get light exercise and Dylan had told her to get out and meet people. After being confined to a hospital room for eighteen hours, the last thing she wanted to do was stay cooped up in her room. Emma added a few more layers to her outfit and headed out the door. Work could wait. At least a few more hours.
Snowshoeing was at the top of her list.
After borrowing a pair of boots from Sandy, another employee fitted her in a pair of wide deck shoes and helped her snap her feet into the bindings. She slipped on her jacket and gloves, made sure she had her phone and headed outside.
The slight mountain breeze didn’t help cool her body, still trembling from Dylan’s kiss last night. She hadn’t known she could be kissed like that. She could only imagine what making love to him would feel like. No. That’s the last thing she needed to do. Making love to Dylan Slade was off-limits, not to mention unprofessional. Not that kissing was professional, either.
Emma started to laugh. She didn’t know which was funnier, the idea Dylan would want to make love to her while she was pregnant or the actual act itself. At this stage, she didn’t think she was capable of sex, although she had heard some wild stories.
She gripped her poles as she trudged through the snow, willing sex from her brain. Despite her girth, she sank only a couple inches with each step. By the time the stables were in sight, she had worked up a slight sweat. She saw Dylan and another man heading into the second building. She stopped along one of the pasture fences and looked out over the hearty draft horse herd. They seemed to be enjoying the snow. She never knew horses could withstand such cold temperatures.
She made her way toward the second stables when she heard a man’s voice.
“I know it’s not what that commercial real estate firm offered you, but I can guarantee everyone immediate employment. My only condition is I need you to run the place. I’ve known you and Jax for a long time and I can’t see the employees staying if you’re not here.”
“You’ve given me a lot to chew on.” She heard Dylan say. “Are you sure you won’t consider partnering with me instead of a full buyout?”
“I’m afraid not. I’d like to join the two ranches since they’re next to one another. You have a lot of acreage now, but almost doubling the size would allow us to add to the amenities.”
“I’m glad you reached out to me. I haven’t decided anything yet, but I’ll definitely let you know one way or the other.”
“I look forward to hearing from you.”
Emma attempted to turn around make a casual retreat, until she saw her massive snowshoe tracks in the snow. There was no hiding her presence. When the men didn’t come out of the stables, she continued to the entrance and poked her head in. The building was empty.
“What are you doing out here?” Dylan said from behind her.
“Oh, hi.” How did he do that? Emma attempted to remain calm. “I’m just getting my exercise.”
“Are you sure snowshoeing is safe during your pregnancy?” he asked as they both watched a snowmobile drive out from behind the stables. Emma scrutinized his expression. So far, nothing screamed, You were eavesdropping on my conversation. Maybe she’d gotten away with it.
“Snowshoeing is a very safe sport for pregnant women. But rest assured, before I came out here, I double-checked the list the doctor gave me. Plus, I used to go snowshoeing all the time when I was in boarding school.”
Dylan shook his head.
“What?” Emma asked.
“The whole boarding school thing. I don’t understand why people have children if they plan on sending them away for most of their adolescent life.”
She had asked herself that very same question when she was growing up. Yet she still felt the need to defend her parents’ decision. “I had a great education. I learned to socialize and communicate with others well since I didn’t have my parents to fall back on. Living away from home at an early age teaches you how to be strong. That being said, I have no intention of sending my daughter to boarding school, much to my parents’ dismay. I want to be there for her every day she comes home from school. I want to help her with her homework, bake brownies for bake sales, go to her school recitals and be a member of that Parent-Teacher Association thing. I want my daughter to have a normal, healthy life. She’ll be different from some of the kids because I’m a single mom, but I’m sure she won’t be the only kid without two parents.”
Dylan dug his boot into the hard-packed snow by the stables entrance. “Have you given last night’s discussion any more thought?”
“The you-and-I part?” Emma tugged on his jacket, urging him to step closer. “Some. I don’t know how much we can think about it without overthinking it. I wouldn’t mind spending some time alone with you again, though.”
“I’d like that, too.” Dylan held her face in his gloved hands and kissed her softly. “How would you like to have dinner alone with me tonight at my uncle’s house?” He released her face and slid his hands down her shoulders. “Before you say yes, I feel obligated to tell you I have an ulterior motive.”
“You do, huh?” Emma wondered if he planned to mention the offer she had overheard.
“My uncle was a huge Christmas fan and he hadn’t decorated his house before he died. I’d really like to cut down a tree and decorate it in his memory. But I don’t want to do it alone. So if you’d be willing to give me a shoulder to lean on tonight, I’d appreciate it.”
Tough-as-nails Dylan Slade had an even bigger heart than she’d imagined. “I’d be honored to lend you my shoulder.”
“Great, I promise to make it fun. He would’ve wanted it that way.” Dylan gave her a quick kiss on the lips before stepping away from her. “But I have a lot to get done before then. Can you meet me at the lodge entrance at six?”
“Most definitely. I should get back to my workout.” Emma wanted to stay and ask him who the man on the snowmobile had been, but she thought better of it. She gripped her poles and plodded back to the lodge. She needed to call Charlie and tell him Dylan had another offer. A small part of her was relieved it was over, because there was no way he would accept her deal over the other one, if he sold at all. The new offer guaranteed employment. A bigger part of her was devastated she would lose her promotion. That meant even more changes to her life. Starting with moving into a smaller apartment. She’d call Charlie when she got back to the ranch. Maybe they could counter with something better. Dylan’s kiss was good, but she wasn’t ready to give up her dream just yet.
A few hours later, Emma had a new offer from Charlie and he expected her to present it tonight. She suggested looking into the neighboring ranch as a possible expansion project or a suitable replacement if Dylan continued to stand his ground. But she refused to discuss any of it with him tonight. Dylan wanted to honor his uncle’s memory and that didn’t leave any room for business. She would tell him about Charlie’s pending donation to Billy’s family so she could get their information. But the rest could wait until the following morning. Nobody would be any wiser. She may be an aggressive businesswoman but even she had her limits.
She wanted to be there for Dylan the way he had been there for her when she was in the hospital. It would be their first official Christmas memory. And maybe it would be the only one they would share, but it would be theirs.