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She sighs, but I can see some of the tension is gone from her face. “Are you always like this?”
“Like what?”
“I bet you could sell rain in Seattle and mark up a premium in the process.”
I laugh at that. “I think the word you’re looking for is ‘charming,’ Hellcat.”
“Is that what the girls say? Charming?”
“Oh, they say a lot more than that,” I smirk, pitching my voice low. I’ve been waiting for a chance to flirt with her, and now? I can finally take a crack at it. “In fact, I think they have some pretty rave reviews I’d love for you to consider.”
“Kid! Nora! Could use you!” Richard yells.
I smile, giving her a little shrug. I wave toward where her dad is standing, about fifty yards along the irrigation canal. “Duty calls.”
Without further ado, I turn. The grass is thick here, so my walk is a little slow, and I’m watching for snakes or holes that would come out to get me as I move. I’m ten steps toward the spot where her dad is when I hear something that makes my blood heat.
“Landon?”
I spin. Nora’s looking down, kicking a tuft of grass with her boots. I watch her for a moment, before she raises her eyes to meet mine. They sparkle, the blue a shocking shade that makes me catch my breath.
“Thank you,” she finally whispers.
My heart squeezes. And there’s no teasing, charming, or anything other than dead-ass sincerity when I respond.
“You’re welcome.”
CHAPTER 9
Clint
I’ll give it to them. Nora and her dad have done everything in their power to make sure that we aren’t repairing a goddamn single thing on that property.
It’s… well, it’s damn impressive. Are they good fixes? No. At the most, they’re mediocre. But damn if they don’t work.
I appreciate that. A little bit of elbow grease and a clever mind will get you far in this work.
For the first time today, our work is somewhat separate from the Fosters. They need to drive their small herd of cattle from one pasture to another. We need to put horses in another field and give them a few days to acclimate so that we can get the vet to check them out before shipping them off to their summer destinations.
I don’t know how we’re going to get enough hay for all of them when we bring them back in for the winter, but that’s a whole separate issue that Shane’s working on. For now, we’re doing… fine.
I respect the hell out of the hustle that Nora and her dad are showing. They’re not letting the ranch fall apart by any stretch of the imagination, which is what I had thought when I heard the rumors about their struggles in town. No, something else must have happened. Between the two of them, they know exactly what they’re doing.
The day rolls by, and by the time the sun is sinking into the mountains, I’m exhausted. Landon is gone, and I run into Shane in the lot closest to the barn.
I glance at him. “You were with Nora and Richard today?”
“Some of the day.” He nods.
“And?”
He studies me for a minute before giving a sharp nod. “They’re…”
“I know,” I cut him off, shaking my head. “I agree.”
Shane and I have been friends long enough that we don’t always have to speak to understand what the other one is saying. I do know what he means. I feel the same way about Nora Foster.
“Do you still want to buy the ranch?” he asks.
