Читать книгу Redeeming the Rancher - Deb Kastner - Страница 10

Chapter Two

“Are you completely insane? You sent Griff here to do what?” Alexis gripped her cell phone close to her ear, glad she was near a chair, because her legs suddenly felt too wobbly to hold her on her feet. She slumped onto the plush burgundy fabric of the recliner and tucked her knees underneath her, coaching herself to slow her rapid, shallow breathing. She was hyperventilating and the room was spinning.

Where was a paper bag when a woman needed one?

“Now, Alexis, calm down.” Viv’s saccharine voice on the other end of the line sounded as patronizing as it was amused.

“Calm down? You want me to calm down?” Alexis was squawking like a parrot and she knew it, but how else was she supposed to react? “You lied to a man who you claim is your friend to send him here, then gave me no warning before waking up to find a strange man in my kitchen while he found a crazy woman in what he was under the impression was a vacant house, and you want me to calm down?”

“Well, when you put it that way.” Vivian sniffed.

Alexis took another deep breath and prayed for a semblance of self-control. It was a good thing for Vivian that she was in a different city and not in the same room or Alexis might have throttled her.

What a way to ruin a Sunday afternoon. Her spirit had been so calm after spending her morning worshiping the Lord at the chapel. Now any lingering sense of peace she’d experienced had been blown to smithereens.

“You purposefully mislead Griff to get him here, and I want to know why.”

“I would never do anything to hurt Griff,” Vivian protested resolutely. “He’s Derrick’s best friend, and that makes him my friend, too.”

“All the more reason for you to be straight with him. This doesn’t make any sense. Tell me what’s really going on.”

“I don’t know why you’re getting so down on me.” Viv’s voice was close to a whine. “Griff is one of the best-looking men I know.”

Alexis knew Vivian’s response made perfect sense—to Vivian. Not so much for Alexis, although she privately agreed with her sister’s assessment of Griff. He was the kind of man that would cause a woman to do a double-take if she passed him on the street. But, honestly, Griff’s good looks had absolutely nothing to do with the current situation, except maybe in Vivian’s mind—and trying to unravel that mess would be akin to untangling a rat’s nest.

“So he’s gorgeous. What does that have to do with anything?”

“Oh, you did notice, then.”

“Vivian,” Alexis warned, thoroughly exasperated and very much on the verge of blowing a gasket.

“I’m just sayin’.”

“Saying what?” Just once in her life, Alexis wished Vivian would connect the dots and make a logical picture.

“I’m sure you’ve noticed how refined he is. Rich, too.”

Refined, yes. Rich? Maybe Griff hadn’t said so in so many words, but he’d definitely suggested that he was pinching pennies—something with which Alexis was all too familiar. He hadn’t corrected her assumptions, at any rate.

And why did the size of Griff’s bank account matter, anyway?

It sounded as if Vivian was trying to set her up—as in matchmaking. Only in Vivian’s outlandish fairy-tale mind could a relationship between Alexis and Griff be even remotely possible. Honestly, any romantic relationship seemed out of Alexis’s grasp most of the time. No matter how many dates she went on, or how many times she got her hopes up, every attempt to find real love fizzled out into nothing. She was the girl a guy dated, not the one he put a ring on. And after kissing so many toads, she was taking an extended vacation from searching for a prince.

Alexis ignored the little twinges in her stomach, writing them off as feeling sorry for having to let her sister’s plans down. It wasn’t the first time Vivian had come up with a harebrained scheme and somehow involved Alexis in it, but this situation went above and beyond, even for her. Poor Vivian would be in for a shock to discover her fantasy future brother-in-law was actually dirt-poor and world-weary.

“I hate to have to be the one to break it to you, hon, but I don’t think Griff is rolling in dough.” The man’s net worth meant nothing to Alexis, but she knew a thick pocketbook was near the top of Vivian’s most-wanted list and therefore—in Vivian’s mind, at least—a necessity for Alexis.

Viv burst into giggles. “Did he tell you that?”

“Yes.” Alexis frowned, thinking back to her conversation with Griff. He had said he was strapped for funds, hadn’t he? Or had she put those words into his mouth? Either way, he hadn’t contradicted her.

“He’s pulling your leg, then, hon,” Vivian informed her in a know-it-all voice. “The man has money. Lots of it.”

Even though Vivian couldn’t see her, Alexis rolled her eyes. “And you know this because…?”

“Did he tell you what he does for a living? He’s a venture capitalist. A successful one, too. Trust me on this, Alexis. He’s loaded.”

Alexis frowned. So Griff was a successful businessman. That didn’t explain why Vivian had purposefully deceived him into coming to Serendipity, or why she thought Griff would have any interest whatsoever in her. “I still don’t see what that has to do with me.”

Vivian tittered. “I should think that would be obvious.”

It was. Patently obvious, unfortunately, though Alexis had secretly hoped she’d somehow mistaken Vivian’s purpose. “If this is some kind of cockeyed matchmaking scheme, you can forget about it right now.”

“You’re welcome.”

“So let me get this straight. You sent Griff here so I could meet him?”

“Well, I didn’t do it for my own good. Let’s review his résumé. Handsome. Rich. Sophisticated. What’s not to like?”

That was Vivian’s short list, not Alexis’s. She wasn’t even in the market for a relationship anymore. Redemption Ranch, her flailing ministry to troubled teenagers, took every second of her time and energy as it was. Who had time to pursue dating, never mind the time and energy for anything resembling a true relationship? But if she was looking—and that was a very big if—her list would read more like “a gentle, down-home cowboy who likes quiet nights at home and working outside with the horses. Those not in current possession of old scuffed boots and worn-out blue jeans need not apply.”

In other words, the complete opposite of refined businessman Griffin Haddon with his fancy scarves and designer jeans and spit-shined boots. Of all the brainless, clueless, obnoxious shenanigans her sister had ever pulled, this one took the prize.

“Vivian, you can’t just jerk people’s lives around this way,” she reprimanded, feeling like the more mature of the twins, even though she was only older than Vivian by mere minutes. “You sent Griff here under false pretenses!”

“Did not. He really is looking for land. I was trying to be nice,” Vivian explained, her voice taking on the hint of a whine. “I felt sorry for the poor man, okay? He recently got his heart broken. We’re talking epic crash and burn here. Like, so bad that he started talking about walking away from everything he’s built for himself—and he doesn’t really want to do that! He’s built himself a virtual empire here.”

Alexis hadn’t experienced that kind of major heartbreak, but she knew how it felt to have the urge to run away from her problems—as fast and far as possible. She could hardly blame the man for deciding to leave if he had the wherewithal to do so. Vivian leaned toward the overdramatic, but Alexis found her curiosity growing nonetheless. “Go on.”

“He needs to find somewhere to nurse his wounds and get back on his feet. I thought Serendipity would be perfect for him.”

“And so it may be,” she agreed. “I understand he’s looking to acquire a ranch?”

“Well, he thinks he is. Have you seen him talk about it? His eyes light up like a kid’s at Christmas.”

“What do you mean, he thinks he is? From what I could see, he seemed pretty determined to work his new plans.”

“Right now, maybe. Once he’s been in Serendipity for a week he’ll be bored out of his mind. He’s a serious type-A personality. He never sits still. So the slow pace of the town will drive him batty.”

“How do I fit into this, again? You don’t want me to help him look for a ranch? I thought that’s why you sent him here.”

“Oh—help him. Do. In fact, it would be really great if you could immerse him in some of the work around Redemption Ranch. A horse ranch is something he’s dreamed about since he was a kid. He has no idea what he’s truly in for. You should show him what a cowboy really does all day.”

“I suppose I could do that.” Alexis did know a lot about ranching—enough to know Griff wasn’t precisely what she would consider to be cut out for it. If she didn’t miss her guess, once he saw how difficult and physically demanding country work really was, he’d go running back to the city faster than he could say the name of his favorite designer. “Ranching isn’t the sort of thing a guy just decides one day that he’s going to do. Most of us are raised to be ranchers.”

“Exactly. He’ll see what dirty work it is and come running back to Houston—back to his real career.”

She could tell Vivian’s concern for Griff was genuine, but there was still a lot that didn’t make sense. The whole thing still felt to Alexis like subterfuge. If the whole point was to get Griff to return to Houston, it seemed to Alexis that it would make more sense to let him flounder without any help whatsoever.

Why did Vivian need Griff to return to Houston?

Alexis needed better answers if she was going to be any part of this scheme. She’d have to take valuable time away from her struggling ministry to lend Griff the assistance Vivian apparently thought was a necessary part of the equation. It wasn’t that Alexis was being selfish, exactly, but she needed every spare second to try to come up with solutions to her own problems, not spend all of her time trying to fix someone else’s—especially if the end result wasn’t to help Griff obtain a ranch, but rather for him to realize what a pipe dream the whole idea was.

“Why didn’t you just call and tell me about your plans with Griff? At the very least, don’t you think you should have warned me that he was coming? I could have made arrangements for him to stay somewhere…” She paused and swept in a breath, shaking her head against the cobwebs that were forming. “Else,” she finished lamely.

Total silence on the other end of the line. Vivian was many things, but never silent, which nudged Alexis’s suspicions to the surface.

“Viv?”

“You aren’t going to be mean to him, are you?”

Even though Vivian couldn’t see the gesture, Alexis rolled her eyes. “Of course not. When have I ever been mean to anybody? But I have to say you’ve put both Griff and me into a difficult dilemma, and frankly, I want to know why. There’s something you’re not sharing with me. Why is it you’re so concerned about whether or not I’m being nice to Griff? Come clean, sister.”

“Just promise me you’re going to treat him with extra-­special attention.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? What kind of special attention?” This did not sound good.

“The kind that will be good for both of you! I’m not just doing this for him, you know. Hello! You’re alone. You should pop your head into the real world once in a while. You don’t take care of yourself, you work too hard, and you don’t have enough fun in your life anymore. Play hooky once in a while. Go out to dinner with a guy. With Griff. You know what I mean?”

“Viv! Enough with the matchmaking, already.” Alexis was going to protest further, but Vivian had a point, however poorly made. “Okay. Okay. I’ll admit I’ve got a full schedule with the ranch and the kids, but—”

“When was the last time you went out?” Vivian asked, interrupting her. “On a date? With a man?”

“I know what a date is.” She sighed in exasperation. “And as a matter of fact, I’ll have you know that I—” Her sentence sputtered to a stop.

Uh, oh. Now that she thought about it, it had been a long time since she’d been out on a date, official or otherwise. With her two best friends Samantha and Mary happily married and busy with their new husbands, Alexis had pretty much shifted her social life to the back burner. Sure, she attended church and community events just as she’d always done, but she’d never needed a date to do that.

“Exactly!” Vivian crowed, obviously thrilled to have proved her point. “You don’t take care of yourself, so it is my solemn duty as your twin to do it for you. What are sisters for, if not that? If I’d told you he was coming, you’d have shuffled him off on to someone else. This way, you have to spend time with him—and realize how perfect the two of you are for each other.”

“You said the guy is fresh off a heartbreak,” Alexis pointed out, propping her hand on her hip. “I doubt he’s going to be looking for a new relationship anytime soon.”

“Maybe not right away. But once he sees how sweet and special you are, that’s bound to change.”

“I highly doubt sweet is the first word that comes to mind when he thinks of me.”

“What? Why? What did you do?” Viv’s voice rose and tightened. “You didn’t kick him out of the house, did you? Please tell me you didn’t.”

Alexis groaned. “Not exactly. Well, kind of. He’s going to be staying in the bunkhouse with the ranch hands.”

“You didn’t!” Viv wailed.

Alexis’s face was on fire. She felt as though she needed to dunk her head in a bucket of ice water to cool down. Why was her sister putting her on the spot this way, as if she was the villain in this melodrama? She’d been thrust into the scene with no advance notice and no lines. How was that fair?

“What else was I supposed to do with him?” she demanded. “Did you really think I’d let some man—a stranger, no less—just move into the house with me? It’s not as if I had any warning that he was coming so I would have had time to make proper arrangements.” She couldn’t help but add that little thrust of the knife, although she doubted Vivian picked up on it.

“You be nice to him. It’s important. You’ve got to win him over.” Vivian’s voice took on a desperate edge.

“For the last time, Viv, I am being nice. I didn’t kick him to the curb as I could have done—or worse yet, call the cops on him and have him arrested for trespassing.”

Vivian’s breath caught audibly. “You wouldn’t.”

“Of course not, although it could very easily have gone down that way. I can’t imagine what you were thinking, sending him to town without giving me a heads-up. I thought he’d broken into our house. He scared me half to death, showing up at the crack of dawn with no warning.”

“Oh. I hadn’t thought of that.”

Of course she hadn’t. Vivian rarely thought things through.

“But he’s there now and he’s staying, right?”

“Yes, he’s staying.” In the bunkhouse.

“And you’ll see to it that he’s taken care of? You’ll make sure he feels welcome?”

“Yes, Viv, I’ll look after him while he’s here.”

“Good, that’s good. Be friendly. Talk to him. Get him to talk to you. You’re good at that, and he needs it—he’s been doing the hermit thing lately. Oh, but you can’t tell him any of what I told you.” Vivian’s voice dropped to a dramatic whisper. “He was completely humiliated by the way Caro treated him, and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t want anyone to know about it.”

“I promise. Give me a little credit for being sensitive to other people’s pain.” Alexis didn’t care to speculate on Griff’s problems. So he had issues. Everyone had some skeletons in their closets. If Griff wanted to keep secrets, she wouldn’t interfere.

But didn’t he realize she would find him out? At least that he was well-to-do, if not all about his recent heartbreak. Not that she was trying to meddle in his personal life, but one phone call to Vivian and she knew more than she ever wanted to know about Griff Haddon.

Alexis sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. What difference did it make, anyway? Rich Griff, poor Griff, acts like a beggar man and mistaken for a thief.

“I think you should just roll with it.”

“Meaning?” Vivian interrupted her thoughts and she had no idea to what her sister was referring.

“Let him come clean in his own time. I’m sure he’ll open up to you, given the chance. Just don’t push him away. Please. For me.”

Ah, now here it was. “For you? What’s in it for you?”

Vivian paused, and it was a long one, enough to shoot Alexis’s suspicions into the stratosphere.

“I think I might have mentioned he’s a venture capitalist.”

“I believe your exact words were that he was a venture capitalist, past tense—who, if I’m not mistaken, now wants to leave all that behind and raise horses. And this has what to do with you?”

“I can’t believe he wants to give up his old life,” Viv said. “Not really. He’s just hurting right now. He’s confused. He does too much good in the community for him to walk away from it all. You should see it. He believes in people when no one else will give them a chance. He helps new small businesses get the financing they need to succeed.”

“That sounds like a great career path,” Alexis admitted. “And if he’s done that well for himself, maybe you’re right. Maybe he won’t really want to walk away for good, not after he’s had time to think things through. You think this might be a lark on his part?”

All the more reason for Alexis not to waste her time with him. If the guy was going to head straight back for the city in a week—forget it.

Vivian scoffed. “Everything was going right for him until that wicked, ruthless woman messed with his head. He was going to help me launch Viv’s Vitality. He promised he could get the financing set up for me, and now he’s reneging on our agreement. He says he doesn’t want anything to do with business anymore. He just wants to get away. Permanently.”

Finally the truth had come out. Now everything Viv had done was beginning to make sense. “I’m really sorry to hear that, Viv, but I don’t see how your sending him to me is going to help you secure funding for that spa you’ve been planning. At best, I might be able to steer him toward the purchase of a ranch, but that’s the exact opposite of what you want him to do, right? So what are you really asking me for?”

“You can restore his faith in womankind.”

Viv’s statement was so unexpected—and so outrageous—that Alexis burst into laughter.

“Don’t snicker at me. It could happen.”

“No, it really couldn’t.” Vivian had her head in the clouds if she thought Alexis had the time or inclination to romance a city guy with a broken heart even if he’d give her a second glance—which she doubted. And how would that help, anyway?

Vivian sniffled a couple of times. Was she crying?

Oh, brother. Alexis sighed deeply, but her heart was touched nonetheless. The lengths she had to go to for her twin.

“All right,” she consoled, her heart tugging with compassion. “Don’t cry, Viv. I’m not going to throw myself at the guy, but maybe there’s something I can do.”

Viv sniffed once more for good measure and Alexis stifled a chuckle. Her sister was such a drama queen.

“You’ll back me up, then?”

“I’ll try. But I can’t promise you this isn’t going to backfire. Since at least on the surface it appears Griff is serious about settling down in Serendipity, I’ll do what I can to help him secure a place. Maybe he’ll realize what a pipe dream he’s conjured up and decide to go back to his old life. If the circumstance presents itself, I’ll even put a bug in his ear about how great your business plan is and how appreciative you’d be of his assistance. Maybe he’ll be willing to help you out once he’s had a little time away from the rat race, especially since he promised to help you build your business before all the bad stuff went down. But all the hearts and flowers you imagine will happen between us?” Alexis shook her head. “Let’s just be clear about that part right now. Not gonna happen.”

* * *

Settling into the bunkhouse wasn’t as bad as Griff had thought it might be. In fact, to his pleasant surprise, he found it was rather peaceful living next to the barn. Honestly, he had imagined rows of bunk beds with scratchy wool blankets and no privacy among the wranglers, but everyone had separate, if tiny, living quarters, and it turned out that the cowboys were a quiet bunch, mostly keeping to their own devices, which suited Griff just fine. Better yet, the whole place was permeated with the smell of horses and hay, a strong, earthy scent that reminded Griff of the only happy times he’d experienced in his youth.

He discovered he could adapt quite well to this living situation, but then again, adapting was what he’d spent his whole life doing. He didn’t know why he should be surprised that this was so easy for him. He was finally here, pursuing his dreams, even if the string of events that had led him to Serendipity was anything but ideal, and even if his plan hadn’t gone remotely as he’d expected.

So he’d hit a few bumps in the road—such as finding out the house where he’d intended to stay was otherwise occupied, or when he’d been pawned off to the bunkhouse with one flick of Alexis’s pretty wrist. Alexis was definitely the biggest challenge of all. It wasn’t every day a man was called out by a beautiful, feisty woman brandishing a curling iron as her only weapon.

It was an adventure, if nothing else, and he was ready for new experiences. Somehow, some way, he was going to find his perfect hideaway out here in Nowhere, Texas. This place was as far away from the world he was used to as a man could get, with horses and open land everywhere he looked. It fit the bill exactly.

His own private haven.

His team in Houston thought he was crazy for wanting to find a home in a small town, but he didn’t care what anyone thought about his intentions, even Derrick Reynolds, his best friend and the one and only man he trusted. Griff was tired of living up—or down—to other people’s expectations. This was about him and nobody else, and what he really wanted in his life was solitude.

“Griff?” He heard Alexis’s raised voice at the same time as her knock—three short, rhythmical raps on the outer bunkhouse door.

“One second,” he called, dashing down the hallway to the shared bathroom with his styling paste clenched in his hand. He was dressed in an older pair of blue jeans and a high-end, navy-blue T-shirt. It was the best he could do under the circumstances. He’d planned to buy a few Western shirts at the general store in town, but to his dismay, he’d discovered that the whole town closed up on Sundays. Talk about peculiar small-town culture. He couldn’t even get a bite to eat at the local café, much less pick up the groceries he’d intended to buy.

Fortunately for him, he’d had his loaf of bread from the night before. Not only that, but the cowboys had realized his predicament and had graciously offered him the use of their pantry. Otherwise he probably would have gone hungry—or he’d have had to go begging to Alexis, which he wasn’t inclined to do. Thanks to Vivian, he was already beholden to Alexis, more than he wanted to be. He disliked owing anybody anything. He’d rather starve.

He made a mental note to anonymously restock the wranglers’ pantry—and maybe add a little bit more variety to their scant offering. They seemed woefully lacking in diversity. How many cans of baked beans could a man eat?

“Griff?” Alexis sounded impatient.

“One second,” he called again, dipping his fingers into the pomade and randomly dabbing the paste into his hair. He wasn’t a vain man, but his thick hair was downright scary in the morning before his shower. He did the best he could to tame the ragged peaks, then strode to the door.

Alexis’s eyes widened as she surveyed him. “I’m sorry if I woke you.”

Griff cringed. Apparently he hadn’t been entirely successful with the hair.

“No, I was awake. I was reading. Did you need something?”

Alexis’s fair skin coloring gave away even the smallest nuances of a blush, and right now her cheeks were rose-petal pink, though he couldn’t imagine what she had to be embarrassed about. He leaned his shoulder against the door frame and waited for her reply, which seemed a little bit too long in coming.

It was a simple question, requiring a simple answer. Obviously she needed something or she wouldn’t be here knocking at his door. So why was she hesitating? And blushing?

“Well, this is awkward,” she muttered.

He raised a brow. “Really? How so?”

“My sister—” She started but then stammered to a stop. She shook her head. “No, never mind. My problem. I’ll deal.”

What was the woman chattering on about? He waited, hoping she’d finish her sentence. What had Vivian done now?

“It doesn’t matter,” she continued. “I didn’t come here for that.”

It would help him tremendously if he knew what “that” was, if he had any expectation of contributing to this conversation. He had to admit he was curious, but it was all he could do to follow Alexis’s wild roller-coaster of a monologue.

“I’ve scheduled a superbusy afternoon ahead of me, so I wanted to make sure I got down here this morning to ask if you’d care to take supper with me.”

“Tonight?”

She looked surprised. “No. Well, I mean, yes, but not just tonight. I meant always, while you’re here. You’re welcome to eat supper at the house every night for as long as you’ll be staying on at the ranch, or whenever you’re available, anyway. I thought maybe we could spend some time discussing your strategy for finding some land. For starters, I can introduce you to our local Realtor, Marge Thompson.”

“There’s only one?”

“In Serendipity? Yes—and she only works as a Realtor part-time. She’s also our resident insurance agent, so she’ll be able to set you up with anything you need for your house and land and car and all that.”

“That’s convenient,” he said, tongue-in-cheek. He swallowed a chuckle. Instead of the soft, lazy Texas drawl that Vivian possessed, Alexis’s words were all jammed together and coming a mile a minute, increasing speed at every intersection.

Again he had the impression something was off about her. She was acting skittish. Was she nervous about something?

He was good at reading people, but Alexis had him stumped. Every time he started to believe he had her figured out, she changed. She was a total mystery to him.

Had he said or done something to send her off-­kilter? And if he had, what could he do to take the edge off?

“I’d be happy to accept.”

Not that. He wanted to kick himself for his sheer stupidity. Open wide, mouth, ’cause he had two feet coming.

If only he could take back the words. In his rush to make her feel more comfortable, he’d dived right off the side of a cliff without looking to see if there was water at the bottom of the canyon, never mind how deep. What had happened to his not wanting to be beholden to her? Sharing meals with her was just exactly the kind of thing he was trying to avoid. Here he went again, acting like an imbecile over a pretty face. He’d wanted to ease her obvious discomfort, he’d panicked, and he had blurted out the first solution that had come into his mind. Idiot.

“Oh, my goodness,” Alexis exclaimed, clapping a palm against her cheek. “I didn’t realize. I should have been thinking of your predicament yesterday. I’m so sorry. I didn’t think things through. I hope you got along okay last night. You didn’t have a thing to eat. Oh, my goodness,” she repeated.

He couldn’t help but chuckle at how flustered she’d become over his “predicament,” as she’d called it. “Don’t worry about me. You don’t need to feel obligated. I managed just fine. I had supper with the ranch hands. Since the cook has Sundays off, they were kind enough to open a can of beans for me. Oh, and don’t forget I had my loaf of bread from breakfast.” He grinned, hoping the statement didn’t come out sounding facetious. He didn’t want to hurt her feelings.

“I am so sorry.”

She was an astute woman and correctly interpreted his tone. “No worries. I’ll admit it was a bit of a challenge at the outset. I didn’t expect all the stores and restaurants in town to be closed on Sunday. But as I said—no worries. It all worked out in the wash.”

“But still—I should have realized you’d be in a pinch. I should have at least thought about it. Please forgive me for not realizing your dilemma.”

“Not your problem,” he reminded her again. “It isn’t up to you to make sure I get fed.”

As sweet as the woman was for wanting to look out for him, she took too much on herself. He’d showed up out of nowhere with no advance warning, and yet she was treating him as though he was a guest at her ranch. He didn’t want her to think she was accountable for him—not in any way, shape or form.

“It kind of is my problem.” She propped her fists on her hips, tilted her head up to meet his eyes and set her jaw. Her gaze was no-nonsense, almost daring him to argue with her. She was nothing if not determined. “You are my responsibility as long as you’re staying at my ranch.”

No. This wasn’t right at all.

It was as if she’d dropped a cage over him, trapping him behind steel bars. He didn’t like the feeling. Every muscle in his body tensed for flight and he had to consciously breathe through the urge to sprint away. “Let me reiterate—you are under no obligation to take care of me. I don’t want to be any kind of bother to you. I’ll just stay out of your way.”

And you stay out of mine, he added silently. He’d come out here to get away from debts and commitments. If she took charge of him while he stayed at the ranch, then he would feel beholden toward her, which was the last thing he wanted.

“But you’ll still take supper at the house, right? At least tonight? Then you can decide if you want to come back for another meal. I promise not to poison you.” She chuckled drily.

It wasn’t the possibility of being poisoned that he was worried about. On the second pass, conceding to her wishes didn’t sound any better than it had at first. She was practically forcing him into her debt and he was definitely making extra work for her. He desperately wanted to backpedal, except that her voice sounded so hopeful, not to mention the expectant look in her compelling blue eyes that tugged at his heart despite his best efforts to ignore it.

Those pink-tinged cheeks and that ready smile were hard to say no to. He just wasn’t strong enough to deny her.

“I’ll be prompt,” he promised her through gritted teeth. He was crazy to be doing this. Out of his mind.

She sighed in relief, as if the fate of the world had turned on his answer.

“Great. I’ll see you tonight, then,” she affirmed cheerfully. “Seven o’clock sharp. Dress is casual. Don’t forget. We’ll be expecting you.”

She didn’t wait for his reply. Instead she turned on her heel and walked away, down the porch stairs and back up the slight incline toward the main house.

“Uh—thank you,” he called after her, feeling as though he needed to say something nice to her, even if he felt like cursing on the inside. He was digging himself further and further into a hole of his own making.

Wait—what? She’d said we. Had she invited others to take supper with her? It seemed like something Alexis would do—try to introduce him to others in the town.

He sighed. Yet another bump in the road. He was trying to avoid people, not engage with them. But Alexis wasn’t “people.” She was a thoughtful, sensitive woman and even though he knew he shouldn’t, he found himself looking forward to sharing supper with her.

He liked her. He wanted to get to know her better.

That made him a fool. And, worse yet, it made Alexis the biggest threat of all.