Page 10 of Montana Born

Chapter Five

Saturday morning was perfect. Sunny with briskness in the air, the day insisted one take deep full breaths. Today Elle would be meeting Sully and Redstone for horseback riding, the thought making her reach for her cell several times to cancel. It was a stupid idea to meet them out there. On one hand getting to know Redstone a bit more would help with the land negotiations. On the other, being around Sully would make it awkward since he’d just turned them down. Surely Redstone would question why his friend had not sold and could be influenced.

On her condo balcony, Elle sipped her morning coffee and looked across the man made pond in her complex. She considered going over to her aunt Janet’s and asking her for an opinion. Or maybe it would be a good idea to call her mom. Her mother always knew what to do.

“For goodness sakes,” Elle mumbled. “Its only a damn horseback ride.” She pulled her robe tighter around her waist and trudged inside to get dressed.

After discarding several wardrobe choices, Elle finally settled on a pale plaid shirt, jeans and a denim jacket. Her only suitable boots were biker boots she often wore, the other choice UGG boots seemed silly for this venture given it was still pretty warm.

The drive to Alder Gulch took about an hour from her place and by the time she arrived she’d gone through every scenario possible about how the meeting would go. In her mind, before she arrived Sully would have texted her to cancel and she’d get to talk to Redstone about his land without having to ride a horse. Not that she had anything against riding, but the idea of a ride alone with Sully made her stomach do funny things. Funny things that a woman should not feel about a man who was one of society’s most coveted bachelors, was a set up for failure.

By the time she pulled up to the iron gates into Redstone’s property she gave up on the cancellation text. Instead, Sully texted her directions to the stables stating he was already there. And, yes her annoying stomach did a full somersault with a twist at reading it.

The land was lovely, although in the portion she drove through Redstone had a nice modern house with state of the art stables and large corrals, some empty others with several horses. Not seeing anyone, she parked where Sully had instructed and after a fortifying breath got out of her vehicle.

The scent of horses and hay were reminders of many summers spent at one camp or another. She and her cousins had always enjoyed those trips.

The men emerged through a door and she walked in their direction. The men exchanged a couple words and Redstone chuckled. It was in that moment she realized perhaps Sully had planned something in retaliation for her setting him up at the Mexican restaurant.

“Oh man,” she mumbled. “What to do?”

The men neared, both tall and handsome, but she could barely pull her gaze from Sully. With an easy saunter, every step toward her made her breathing more labored. In a black plaid shirt, which brought out the brightness of his eyes, he could only be described as breathtaking. Elle forced her attention away to Redstone who seemed at ease as he strolled to greet her.

Jared Redstone was also a good-looking man. With an easygoing vibe and a messy mop of brown curls, he instantly made her more comfortable. He smiled and held out his hand. “Jared Redstone. Welcome.”

“Elle Tyler. Nice set up you got here.” She glanced over to the stables.

“It’s home,” Jared replied scanning the surroundings before meeting her gaze. “I hear you are interested in the land over by the mines.”

Direct and to the point was not surprising being the man was successful. However, she’d been clear and asked Sully not to bring the subject up. She tapped down the ire and nodded.

Although Redstone maintained the relaxed stance, it was easy to see his mind was all business by the directness of his hazel gaze.

“That’s correct. I represent Miller Associates, who are looking to build a one of a kind resort complex.” She gave Sully a pointed look. He'd spoken to Redstone after she'd asked him to allow her to do the talking. Perhaps it was a tactic to catch her off guard. Point taken.

“Don’t care much for the idea of a resort in our mix to be honest, Miss Tyler. I had discussed it with Sully when your partnership first approached him,” he clarified. She let out a breath at her assumption, however it was obvious they’d been discussing the proposal. To be fair it made sense since Redstone would have asked why she was coming there.

“I share the same reservations as Sully. This is our home.” Redstone motioned toward the open land. “Although many families have long since sold to allow for subdivisions and such, the Coles and I have not.”

If she didn’t produce a suitable place for Miller Associates, it could prove disastrous. “Is there a compromise we can come to? We can meet at my office so you can see the ranch resort plans. I did my best to ensure the beauty of the land remains forefront.”

Months of hard work were about to sink into a deep, black hole. Elle battled with what to say next.

Sully moved to stand beside her. The solidness of his body helped Elle regain balance. “I believe Jared and I may have come up with a workable solution.”

They shouldn’t have, but his words angered her. Why was Sullivan Cole getting so involved in the project? Was there an underlying reason she’d yet to discover?

“I’m listening.” She looked to Jared for an explanation.

“I have land near Missoula. I believe it will be a good location for your resort. I had no immediate plans for it and although it’s not as remotely located as Sully’s, there is the attraction of an airport nearby.” Jared gave her a bright smile and held out his hand once again. “I will have my office call and set up a time for you and your partner to see it.”

He sauntered away not giving her a chance to say anything further. Finally she turned to Sully. “Why are you doing this?”

“Helping?”

“Yes. I get it, you felt bad about backing out of the deal, but there is no need for all of this. I appreciate it, however, I feel indebted and I...”

“You don’t like owing anyone anything,” he finished for her. “Is that it, Elle? If something is to be done, you’ll work it out alone. Is that why you are working on this deal without your partner? You feel as if you let him down since you were the one to insist on my property.”