He's Got Her Goat (26 page)

When he pulled away, she knew she would.

Chapter Thirty-Two

T
HE NEXT MORNING PAIGE STOOD
on the back porch where the extra refrigerator was kept. When she opened the dented appliance, she was hard pressed to find space for the last jars they’d filled from the morning milking. Every one of the four shelves was packed to capacity. The kitchen fridge was full, too. They had even found Tupperware containers to fit in the fruit and meat drawers. She packed the jars in as tightly as she could and barely got the door to latch.

Sterling rounded the corner of the house. “Austin says he’s working on a new milking station for you. I wonder if he’ll build an automatic one for goats like the kind we used on the dairy.”

“Shows what you know.” Paige laughed. “Austin is a programmer and electrical engineer. I don’t think he even knows how to use a screwdriver. In our last project in school I did all the physical circuitry work, though I had little idea what I was doing. He’s brilliant, but he’s Austin.”

“Huh.” He cocked his head. “That explains why he asked me what I was doing today.”

“And what did you tell him?” said Paige.

He moved closer to her, placing his palms on the fridge door and trapping her between muscular arms. “I said I was doing what you wanted. Do you know what you want me to do?”

“Yup.” She pecked his cheek, unsure of herself. Their relationship was still new and fragile. “We’ve got to make soap. There’s no more room.”

“We could dump it out, at least until you get back home. No one would be the wiser,” he said.

“Are you kidding?” Paige ducked under his arm, stepped off the covered cement slab and began pacing in the grass. “I’m going to be so far behind on my orders next week, it isn’t even funny. Then I’ve got the farmers’ market to worry about. It’s a five-month commitment.”

Sterling sat on a bench by the back of the house and rested his ankle on his opposite knee. “Do you want to know my professional opinion?”

She stopped and pivoted his direction. “Please tell me.”

Apparently, Sterling missed the sarcasm dripping from each word. His voice was even. Unemotional. Flat. “Your production methods are rife with inefficiencies, and you need to separate your business operations from your manufacturing facility if you’re going to expand. You may have to drop a few orders and lose some sales during your transition period, but you’ll make them up in the long run.”

“Do you hear what you’re saying?” Paige was livid. “They aren’t sales, they are people. People that I’ve made a commitment to. I could never agree to fill an order and then not do it. It’s a matter of honor.”

Sterling laughed. “That’s fine when it comes to your personal life, but business is business. To succeed you’ve got to grow up a little.”

“Growing up, that’s what you call it?” She took a step toward him. “I won’t make promises I don’t keep, and I’ll never hide my true intentions. If that’s growing up, I’ll stay young forever, thank you very much.”

He rubbed his chin calmly. “Let me put it this way. How many of your customers would sacrifice anything for you? Think of Julie. Once your back was turned, she did everything she could do to discredit you. You have to look out for number one, or you’ll be eaten alive out there.”

“Not everyone’s like Julie.” Paige wanted to scream. He wasn’t even listening to her. “You’re not. You risked everything for me.”

“Because you were a good investment.” Sterling’s voice was still calm. “Lindon Beauty Cakes is a business, nothing more. You have to take the emotion out of it.”

“No.” Tears had formed in her eyes, but she wouldn’t let herself cry. “This is Uncle Bill’s legacy, and I plan on honoring it in a way that would make him proud. I’m going to do everything in my power to meet my orders. My word is my bond.” She couldn’t look at him and rushed toward the kitchen. As she let the back door slam behind her, she nearly ran into Sterling’s dad. He tipped his hat to her and walked outside. She barreled up the stairs and sat on her bed, panting she was so angry.

Some of what he said did make sense, but where did he get the concept that loyalty and honor were qualities that could be put on and taken off like a pair of jeans. Then it hit her. Of course, Sterling had abandoned all those ideals when he left for college without ever looking back. He probably broke his mother’s heart, and if he’d stayed in contact, his family might not have lost the dairy. How could she trust someone like that?

Suddenly, she wanted to be home in her own messy room with the pile of dirty clothes in the corner. She wanted her old muffin tins and round wrappers and even the overcrowded barn. She wanted Uncle Bill to be there to put his arms around her and tell her everything would be alright. But, she knew that would never happen, and there was a good chance that nothing would ever be the same again. If only she’d never met Sterling. Without his prodding, would she have believed Elaine in the first place? She tried to hate him, to blame him for everything, but she couldn’t. Her heart was a traitor. If she could have loved Joe, life would have stayed simple, but now it was falling apart.

STILL ON THE BACK PORCH
, Sterling sat stunned. All he had tried to do was give her a little advice. He had clients lining the streets who’d pay thousands for what he was offering Paige for free.

“That girl has a point.” His dad was standing in front of him.

Sterling planted both feet on the ground and put his elbows on his knees to balance his reeling head. “If she does, I can’t see it.”

His dad sat beside him. “No surprise there.”

Sterling whipped his head up. “Really? You think you understand a conversation that wasn’t even meant for you?”

His dad plucked a foxtail from the grass and bit the end. “Yup.”

“Then enlighten me.” He knew his tone was condescending, but what could an uneducated farmer teach him about anything? Even if he was his father, it didn’t make him smart.

His dad looked out over the open fields behind the house. “This land has been in our family since the day Queen Victoria married Prince Albert. Six generations and over a hundred and fifty years later it’s going to be just another plot of land. I don’t blame you, boy, I blame your attitude. It’s folks like that girl there that keep this world alive. Don’t lose her, or you’ll lose the best part of yourself.” He stood then and walked back in the house.

The chasm that separated him from his father was still there. No big surprise, nothing ever seemed to change here. Sterling got to his feet and resigned himself to helping Austin for the rest of the day. He still couldn’t understand why Paige wouldn’t accept his advice. He’d made total sense. As he walked toward the barn, his cellphone buzzed in his pocket. The odd thing was that he hadn’t had service since he got home. They were in a dead zone around the farm, and it was just as well.

Pulling it out, he noticed half a bar of reception. One step to the left or right and he had no bars. He walked forward to the end of the driveway and found one place he could get a full bar. There was a text message from Dotty which read:

“Elaine knows you left Dallas. She doesn’t care about the goats, but is furious you didn’t sign a contract with ET. Naughty boy.”

Sterling laughed to himself, envisioning his angry boss and delighting in it. He hit the call button and heard it ring once before dropping. He tried again. The same thing happened. He looked up at the barn and over at the half hidden U-haul. There was no reason to keep it there, and if someone saw it, they might ask questions. He didn’t want to return it locally because they might be found out. No, he could kill two birds with one stone by returning the truck and talking to Dotty. That was the only way he’d get to the bottom of this mess anyway.

LESS THAN TWO HOURS LATER
Sterling was back in his Lexus. He’d changed his clothes to sports pants and a white cotton shirt. He still wore his boots. Dotty’s townhouse was on the south side of the city. He pulled up in front and rapped on the front door.

He didn’t wait long. She threw open the door and placed a hand on each hip. “Well, the prodigal son returns.”

“Hi, Dotty.” He didn’t want her to know how true her words were. “Got your text.”

“I sent it like two days ago.” He entered, and she closed the door behind him. “Where did you take off to? Outer Mongolia?”

“Almost.” He sat on her pink ruffled sofa and scanned the room. A vase of fresh roses sat on the center of the glass dinette in the adjacent room. “Do you have a new admirer I should know about?”

“Not really. Those are from Ryan. He’s as mad at Elaine as we are. Now that the goats are gone, she’s given him the cold shoulder. He’s looking for an in, nothing more.” She sat across from him on a floral Queen Anne wingback. “I’ve got some theories on why Elaine began this whole thing. Want to hear them?”

“I think I already know. Guess who was waiting for me in Dallas?”

She stood, averting his gaze. “If this conversation is going to last more than three minutes, I’m getting a drink. Want one?”

“Ice water,” he called to her as she walked to the kitchen. “And it was Julie. She got there before us.”

Dotty stuck her head through the doorway. “Really? What a surprise.”

“You know, someone must have told her I was on my way there, and I can’t imagine Elaine doing it.” Sterling set his ankle on his bent knee, exposing his boots.

The tinkling of ice against glass preceded Dotty’s return. She handed him the full tumbler without meeting his eyes. “It could have been that Keno guy who runs the place. Maybe he’s sweet on her. She’s not bad looking and loaded, you know.”

He shook his head and stared her down. “You
are
as bad as Elaine.”

She smacked her cup on the end table, spilling on her homemade doily. “Say that again, and I’ll cut out your tongue with a spoon. I mean it.” Though her tone told him just the opposite.

“Well, that solves one mystery anyway.” He leaned back into the soft sofa. “And I think Julie solved another. She did some research which I’ve confirmed. Paige’s little goat milk soap business has the potential to grow into a six-billion-dollar industry.”

“And I have the potential to be a supermodel.” Dotty laughed and sat down. “But that’s not happening.”

Twenty years earlier, she might have been right, but now her hair was colored, and little crow’s feet had invaded the area around her eyes when she smiled. Sterling could see her point. “Dotty, you don’t get why Paige’s soap cakes are such a gold mine because you haven’t tried them. They’re amazing.” He could tell she was zoning out. “Here, I brought you a present.”

Those words got her to perk up. She took the small gift bag. “A present for me?” On opening it, her face fell. “Oh, it’s soap.” She dropped three new soap cakes on the table with a thud. “Sterling, I’ll never understand why you’re risking everything for this little nobody.”

“Try the soap for a week, and then we’ll talk.” He stood. “Anything else you want to share?”

“Just that Elaine’s not going to give you up without a fight. She told me that she expects you back in the office once the power of attorney’s over. She gets you. Can’t say I do.” Dotty folded her arms across her chest.

“Really?” Elaine wasn’t after him for this? That wasn’t like her.

Dotty’s expression softened. “You’re a hard person to replace. Neither one of us wants to lose you.” Her voice grew stronger. “Sterling, go to Elaine right now. She’ll give you everything. She’ll let you have total control of this whole screwed up mess. You can even sell the goats back to Paige for a dollar. Just don’t stay on this fool’s errand, or you’ll lose everything.”

He knelt, so he could speak to her at eye level. “Dotty, I can’t. I’m not done yet. There are things I’ve got to do that have nothing to do with business. It’s not just about Paige. It’s about me. I’ve got to fix some things before I can move forward. Do you understand?”

She seemed calmer. “Not a bit, but you’ll do what you’re going to do no matter what I say. If you didn’t, I wouldn’t respect you.”

“I’m glad we understand each other.” Standing, he leaned back on his heels. “See you Monday?”

Dotty gave half a laugh and walked to the door to open it for him. “Will I?”

Sterling stepped onto the front stoop. “That’s the plan.”

She shrugged. “Tell your father hello for me.”