Page 71 of Hometown Hottie

34

CARSON

Actresses and models. I scoffed down laughter as I sped to Moe’s to have a drink with Vance. Who knew that was going to come back to bite me in the ass?

Maybe I should’ve known, but I never thought anyone would actually care. I’d been young, single, and trying to get over the nagging feeling that I’d left behind the best girl I would ever find. It had never crossed my mind that the same girl would now throw that in my face as an excuse not to try something with me now.

Somewhere deep down inside, I could see where she was coming from. What I didn’t understand was why she was insecure about it. Why she seemed to think that she was just a plain, boring country girl.

That was the part that had pissed me off more than anything else. Nova was unlike any other woman out there. Her strength and tenacity, her determination and her heart.

There was no one else out there like her, and I’d looked. I’d tried for a long time to find someone who made me feel even a fraction of what she did and I’d failed. Miserably.

The girl was gorgeous, funny, smart, and she didn’t take any shit. What’s not to love about any of that?

Parking in front of Moe’s, I climbed out of my truck and breathed in the scent of frying chicken wings and fries coming from inside. My stomach grumbled, but even that couldn’t distract me from the turmoil brewing within me.

I strode into the bar to find Vance at the table on the deck at the back, a cold beer and a basket of wings in front of him and another mug waiting for me. I dropped into the seat opposite him, wrapping my fingers around the icy glass immediately and taking a long sip.

“I’m going to buy some of the Murphy property,” I declared as an opening statement once I’d swallowed the beer.

My friend blinked hard at me before his eyebrows shot up. “Wait. Are you serious?”

“It’s time.”

“Time?” He frowned. “Time for what?”

“I have feelings for Nova,” I admitted, my heart skipping at saying the words out loud. “Real feelings. I know you thought it was all about finally hooking up with the one who got away, but it’s not. I want more with her, Vance.”

“Okay,” he said slowly, surprising me by not trying to talk me out of it again. “If you still feel that way, then I guess that you’ve been right all along. It’s not just about getting what you didn’t have back then, but I think you’re in over your head with trying to buy the property to get with her.”

“I would’ve done it for her anyway,” I said firmly. “Even if things were different.”

“Why, though?” he asked, genuinely curious. “Why are you so intent on saving that ranch?”

“It’s the right thing to do and everyone around here knows it. I’m not going to sit around waiting for it to happen anymore. They’re one of the founding families and they’ve been here forever, and I promised to come home and take care of my community. That includes them. Hell, they’re a cornerstone of this damn community and so is Red Stone Ranch. I’m not about to let some developer get his hands on it.”

A slow grin broke out across his lips. “You know, I really believed you right there. You made it sound like it has nothing to do with either Nova or Ryan.”

I took another sip of my beer and shrugged. “Truth be told, it doesn’t. I mean, I’d hate to see them lose the houses and the property they love so much, but at the end of the day, this is also about what’s best for the town. Nova’s market is providing an income for a lot of people, all of whom stand to lose everything if a mall pops up where the market used to be.”

“On the other hand, putting up condos for rich out-of-towners brings more money to local business owners.”

I nodded. “Sure, if the rich out-of-towners support the local businesses, which they won’t if there’s a mall full of chain stores they can pop into. Plus, if they’re buying condos out here, they’re not staying at the dude ranches, the motels, or the cabins set up as holiday rentals.”

“Fair enough,” he said as he picked up a chicken wing. “I guess that same developer has already bought a bunch of other properties in town. Let him bring growth using those, right?”

“Exactly. I’m not against development happening around town in general. I just think the Murphy property will be a huge loss if it’s no longer the Murphy property.”

“I agree, but I still think you’re in over your head. Ryan and Nova are notoriously stubborn and they know you’re trying to buy the place to help them. If they wanted you to do it, they’d have given you an answer already.”

“Then I guess it’s a good thing neither of them hold the title to the place,” I said, knowing what I was risking but prepared to do it anyway. “I can’t allow this friction between Nova and me or Ryan and me to impact my decision anymore. Besides, maybe if I finally go ahead and put my money where my mouth is, she won’t get things so twisted about me.”

“What? I feel like I missed something.” His eyes narrowed as they met mine. Then he glanced down at his chicken wing and bit into it.

While he chewed, I filled him in on what Nova suddenly thought about me. Repeating it all made me even more confused than I had been back at the library. We had a great time at the lake, and now that we were home, she’d taken fifty steps backward. It just didn’t make any sense to me.

Vance’s brow furrowed while I spoke. Then he grunted when I got to the end, his head shaking as he tried to process it. “Did you guys talk about anything like that at the lake? I mean, where did it come from?”