Summer Days (4 page)

Heidi felt as if she’d just fallen through a rabbit hole. Share the ranch? The four of them? It was better than losing everything, but how was it supposed to work?

She was aware of May beaming at Glen, and of Rafe, who whispered furiously to his attorney.

“Your Honor?” May raised her hand.

“Yes?”

“If Heidi and I agree, is it all right to make improvements to the property? The barn needs fixing and the fences are in terrible shape.”

“I remind you, I have not reached a final decision. It is possible you could lose the ranch completely, Mrs. Stryker. Please remember that. But if you and Ms. Simpson agree to the improvement, and you accept there will be no compensation should you lose this proceeding, then go ahead. I will call the concerned parties back when I’m ready to rule. Brace yourself, people. It could be a while.”

Heidi was still reeling from the sudden, if temporary, reprieve. She stood, as instructed, then swayed slightly, feeling as if she’d just avoided being smashed by a speeding train.

“This is good, right?” she asked Trisha.

“It’s better than Glen standing trial.” She smiled at the older man. “Not that I don’t adore you, hon, but your bony ass would so be going to prison. Two hundred and fifty grand is miles into felony territory.” She turned to Heidi. “Make it work with May. Figure out a compromise, be nice and, for heaven’s sake, start putting away money. If you can’t come up with a solution on your own, then showing you’ve made significant progress in paying back the money will help.”

“Okay,” Heidi murmured, aware that Rafe continued to have a heated conversation with his lawyer. He shot several angry glances in her general direction. May, she decided, wasn’t going to be a problem. If only the same could said about her son.

Trisha leaned close. “Remember what I told you yesterday,” she whispered. “Sex can fix a lot of sticky situations.”

Heidi took in Rafe’s well-tailored suit and expensive shoes. Even if she ignored them, there was still the man himself. Everything about him screamed stubborn and arrogant. Sure he was handsome, and it would be easy to get lost in his dark eyes, but she had a feeling falling under his spell would be a lot like a rabbit getting mesmerized by a cobra. It all seemed like great fun until the fangs sank in.

“Rafe Stryker isn’t the type to be seduced into anything.”

“All men are the type. Trust me.”

“Then I’m not the type,” Heidi admitted. “I wouldn’t know where to begin.”

Sex wasn’t supposed to be about power; it was supposed to be about love. Or at least caring and attraction.

“Just think about it,” Trisha advised her. “The right woman can bring down an empire.”

Which sounded great, but wasn’t what Heidi was interested in doing. She only wanted to keep her grandfather out of jail while hanging on to her home and her goats. Modest dreams that wouldn’t impress anyone but were the world to her.

Still, desperate times and all that. She looked at Rafe, taking in the broad shoulders and surprisingly sensual mouth. Could she do it? Could she seduce a man like him? Make him forget that he was supposed to destroy her?

She imagined herself in something slinky, with heels, and her hair loose and curly, blowing back from the wind of an invisible fan. Like in the movies, she thought. Only instead of making a smooth entrance, she would probably get her feet tangled up in the hem of her outfit and sprawl face first onto the floor. Oh, yeah. Talk about impressive.

The picture was so clear that she grinned, then happened to look toward the man in question. Only he didn’t look amused. There was determination in his dark gaze. A steely set to his body, which warned her that he wasn’t playing and if she really thought she could get between him and what he wanted, she was going to regret it. The room seemed to get a little chilly and she folded her arms across her chest.

“Heidi?”

May had approached. “I meant what I said,” the other woman told her. “About us working it out. I know Glen wasn’t trying to hurt me. He wanted to help a friend.”

Heidi wondered if she had it in her to be as generous, were their situations reversed.

“I appreciate that. He’s not a bad man. A little impulsive sometimes.”

May smiled, her dark eyes bright with humor. “Sometimes an excellent quality.”

“As long as you don’t need a lawyer at the end of the day.”

“Exactly.”

May was a pretty woman with lines around her eyes. She was about Heidi’s height, rounder and with quality clothes that flattered her curves. Heidi tugged at the sleeves of the only “nice” dress she owned. A sedate knee-length, three-quarter-sleeved navy knit that could be worn to business meetings or a funeral with equal ease. She’d found it in a thrift store in Albuquerque about five years ago, along with matching conservative pumps.

“We’ll set up a meeting,” May said, pulling out her cell phone. “Let me get your number and I’ll be in touch.”

* * *

“T
HAT
WAS
NICE
,” M
AY
SAID
as Rafe escorted her to her hotel room.

Nice? They’d spent the morning in front of a judge, who’d put their case on hold indefinitely. They were in limbo, neither winning nor losing. Rafe had been chastised for not reading a contract, which had been humiliating. All he wanted was to get out of Fool’s Gold and never come back. Nothing good ever happened here.

He opened his mother’s suite door and followed her inside. As much as he wanted to drive back to San Francisco that second, he couldn’t. Not until he knew her plans.

“You know nothing has been resolved,” he told his mother.

She set down her purse on the table by the front door and led the way into the bright, well-decorated living room.

“I know, and I’m fine with that. I thought the judge was very fair. I have so many plans for the ranch.”

“You don’t own the ranch. Not yet.”

“But the judge said I can make improvements if Heidi agrees.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to wait until this is settled? We could go back to—”

“I’m not leaving.” His mother sat on the sofa, her spine straight, her expression defiant. “This is where we were happy as a family. You saw the state of the house and the land. I want to fix it. Even if I don’t get to keep the ranch, I want to leave a part of myself there. I want it to be better for what I’ve done.”

He dropped into the club chair on the other side of the large coffee table and held in a groan. “Which means what?”

Determination softened as her gaze seemed to shift to something beyond him.

“I want to make a home here. Oh, Rafe, we had so many wonderful years here in Fool’s Gold. I know money was tight and we didn’t always have the newest of everything, but we were a family.”

He ignored the fact that his memories of the past and hers had very little in common. “Buying the ranch isn’t going to give you a do-over, Mom. Your children aren’t going to be small again.”

“I know, but I’ve been dreaming about the Castle Ranch since we had to leave, all those years ago.” She shifted her gaze to him and tears filled her eyes. “I know things were difficult for you here. I let you take care of me and of everyone else. You were just a little boy and you never got a chance to be a child.”

“I was fine. You were a great parent.”

“I hope so, but I’m not blind to my faults. You worried for me and about me. Maybe that’s why you can’t be happy today.”

He thought longingly of a good legal battle with another corporation, or winning a contract against impossible odds. All things he enjoyed. Nearly anything would be better than talking about his feelings with his mother.

“I’m plenty happy.”

“No, you’re not. All you do is work. You don’t have anyone in your life.”

“I have lots of people.”

“Not someone special. You need to fall in love.”

“I’ve been in love.” It wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.

He’d made what seemed like the intelligent choice—fallen for a young woman who should have been perfect. She’d been pretty, smart, caring and supportive. He’d been more interested in her than in anyone he’d ever met, and had been able to imagine growing old with her. If that wasn’t love, then
what was?

Their brief, two-year marriage had ended when she’d suggested a divorce, and he’d felt little more than a vague sense of dissatisfaction and failure.

“You weren’t in love,” his mother told him. “Love is powerful. Love sweeps you away. You were never swept away.”

“Fine. But I’m going to find someone now. So I’m happy.”

May wrinkled her nose. “You’re going to a matchmaker, Rafe. Who does that? What does this Nina person know about you, anyway? When the time is right, you’ll find the one. Just like I found your father.”

“Mom,” he began.

“No. You have to listen. I’m right about this. You need to find someone who you’re willing to risk it all for.”

As if that was going to happen. “I’ll find the right woman,” he promised. “We’ll get married and have children.”

If he hadn’t been so set on having kids, he would have never considered marrying again. But he was conventional enough to want a traditional family. Mother and father. He’d been unable to get it right himself, so he was hiring a professional. For him, hiring a matchmaker was no different than hiring a good travel agent or successful sales rep. When he wasn’t the best at something, he found someone who was. Nina had a nearly perfect track record.

“I would love grandchildren,” his mother told him, her smile returning. “Just think, I’ll have the ranch and you can bring your family to visit.”

There was a particular vision of hell, he thought grimly. “Ah, sure, Mom. That’ll be great.” He guided her back on topic. “You’re sure about the ranch? You want it?”

“Yes. I want to live there permanently. Maybe have a few animals and a garden. I could grow my own fruits and vegetables.”

“Not with the goats around.”

“Heidi and I will work something out.”

Rafe didn’t bother telling her that Heidi and her grandfather weren’t going to be an issue. Like Nina, Dante was the best at what he did. There was only going to be one winner at the end of the day, and it wasn’t going to be Heidi and her goats.

“Isn’t the ranch close to nearly a thousand acres?”

May shrugged. “I’m not sure. I know there’s a fair amount of land.”

Maybe he could figure out something to do with it, so his time here wasn’t a complete loss. Because the bottom line was—he wasn’t leaving. Not until May had what she’d come for.

He stood and pulled his mother to her feet, then hugged her and kissed her temple.

“Okay, then,” he said. “You want the ranch, I’ll get it for you.” No matter what it cost.

CHAPTER FOUR

H
EIDI
WAS
PLEASED
THAT
her hand was steady as she poured coffee into four mugs on the table. May had made good on her promise of setting up a meeting. Now, barely twenty hours after the judge had dismissed them, they were in Heidi’s kitchen, about to make decisions that could potentially change her life forever. She wanted to tell herself not to be dramatic, but she had been unable to chase away the lingering sense of panic. Sure, the judge had given her a reprieve, but she could still lose the ranch, and then what? Where would she and Glen go?

Worries for another time, she reminded herself as she took her seat at the rickety table. For now, she was going to cooperate with May and figure out how to come up with two hundred and fifty thousand dollars in, say, the next three weeks.

“Thank you so much for having us,” May said, smiling at Heidi.

“You’re more than welcome.” Heidi tried to smile back, all the while ignoring the challenging expression on Rafe’s face.

This was the first time she’d been in a relatively small room with the man, and she was annoyed to discover he took up too much space. He had broad shoulders that spilled past the back of the chair. She couldn’t seem to focus on anyone but him, which frustrated her and made her want to pretend he wasn’t there. An impossible task, with his dark eyes holding her captive.

“I’ve decided to stay in town,” May continued, apparently unaware of the undercurrents swirling.

That could have been because they were only swirling on Heidi’s end of things. Maybe Rafe was naturally surly and barely knew she was alive. Maybe—

Get a grip,
she commanded herself, deliberately focusing on May.

“There’s so much I remember about the ranch,” the older woman continued. “I have so many happy memories here.”

“It’s a real family place,” Glen told her. “We appreciate your willingness to work things out.”

“Of course. Neither of us has to be disappointed by what happened. There’s a solution.”

Rafe muttered something Heidi couldn’t hear, but she knew it wasn’t friendly agreement.

May shot her son a warning look, then turned back to Heidi. “Do you think you could take us on a tour? I’d love to see the changes and understand a little about your business.”

“Um, sure.” Heidi would have preferred giving them directions back to San Francisco, but that wasn’t likely to be an option. “When were you thinking?”

“How about now?” May asked.

Glen popped to his feet. “There’s nothing I like better than spending time with a beautiful woman.”

Rafe rolled his eyes, but May only smiled.

“You’re a charmer,” she murmured.

Heidi found herself on Rafe’s side this time. Glen flirting with May wasn’t going to help their cause. She would have to talk to him later. After the tour.

She rose. “There’s not a whole lot to see,” she began. “There’s the goats and where they live, of course, and the barn.”

“Don’t forget the caves,” Glen told her. He pulled out May’s chair. “They’re thousands of years old. Probably used by the original indigenous tribes as a form of shelter. There might be treasure.”

Heidi sighed. “They’re not that interesting. I use them to age my cheese. The temperature is perfect, and I don’t have to worry about space. There’s plenty.”

Rafe stood. “Cheese and goats. Great.”

“You don’t have to come with us,” she said. “Perhaps you’d like to stay here and phone your office.”

One eyebrow rose, as if he were surprised she was willing to take him on. She lifted her chin slightly, not sure it would help, but even the tiniest psychological edge would be welcome. She had a feeling that Rafe not only brought a lot more resources to the battlefield, but that he was also used to winning at any price. Her idea of a good fight was facing down Athena when the goat escaped.

“I wouldn’t want to miss the treasure,” Rafe said, his mouth curving into a smile.

It was, she realized, the first time she’d seen him smile. For a second he looked approachable, appealing and unbelievably sexy. She wanted to smile back and then say something funny so he would smile again. Her toes curled in her athletic shoes, and she had an overwhelming urge to flip her hair, the fact that she was wearing her usual braids notwithstanding.

Get a grip!
Rafe wasn’t some handsome guy hanging out so she could flirt with him. He was the enemy. He was dangerous. He was trying to steal her home. The fact that she could be undone by a smile simply proved how pathetic her love life had been for what felt like decades. And when all this was resolved, she would find someone nice and have a relationship. But for now she had to remember what was at stake and act accordingly.

They all went outside and walked to where she kept the goats. Heidi had picked a nice, large area for her small herd. Most of the fencing was still in place, which meant she’d been able to focus her money on what she referred to as the goat house. A solid structure she used for milking. There was room for the goats when the weather got cold or when one of them was giving birth. Large sliding doors allowed the goats to come and go as they pleased.

May leaned against the fence and studied the goats. “They’re not all the same.”

“No. I have three Alpines and five Nubians.” Heidi glanced at Rafe. “You met Athena the other day.”

“Yes. She was charming.”

Heidi was pretty sure he was being sarcastic, so she ignored his response. “Athena sort of runs things around here. Persephone and Hera are the ones who are pregnant.”

She thought about mentioning she would put the money she received for their kids toward the debt, but then decided it wasn’t going to be enough to impress anyone. What she needed was a steady market for her cheese. One that went beyond Fool’s Gold.

She’d contacted a few stores in Sacramento and San Francisco about carrying her cheese. While they’d been interested, getting samples to the stores meant leaving the ranch and her goats. What she needed was a sales rep who could do the legwork for her. Someone with experience. Finding such a person seemed impossible. Give her a restless crowd and a game of ringtoss and she could take control in about fifteen seconds. But the business world was out of her realm of expertise. Something that hadn’t concerned her until now.

“You named your goats after Greek goddesses?” Rafe asked.

“I thought it would be fun for them and for me.”

“They read the classics, do they?”

“Oh, Rafe.” May shook her head. “You’ll have to forgive my son. He doesn’t have much of a sense of humor.”

“I have a fine sense of humor.”

Heidi tilted her head. “Yes, and all those people who try out for
American Idol
think they can sing.”

Rafe turned toward her, his dark gaze settling on her face. His expression was unreadable, but she had a good idea of what he was thinking. Something along the lines of
Who do you think you are, trying to take me on? Be prepared to be squashed, little bug.

She squared her shoulders. He might be richer and bigger and a whole lot scarier, but that didn’t mean she would go down without a fight.

“What do they eat?” May asked.

“Good-quality hay and alfalfa. They need lots of water. They love to be out eating grass and pretty much any kind of brush. I move them around to different parts of the ranch. We also get calls all summer from people wanting to borrow our goats to clear land.”

They left the goat area and went through the main barn, where most of the stalls were held together more by wishful thinking than actual wood. One section was still sound, and there Heidi boarded two horses, including her friend Charlie’s large gelding.

The more they toured, the more Heidi became aware of the broken fence line, the weeds and the sad condition of nearly every building on her property. She’d been making steady progress. The goats had been her main concern. Now that they had the hooved equivalent of a five-star hotel, she planned to focus on the house and the barn. Or she had, before Glen had put them both so deeply into debt.

Back in the house, Heidi served samples of her goat cheese.

“Very nice,” May said, nibbling on her pieces, then taking seconds. “Really delicious. Tell me about the soap.”

“I make it from goat milk. It’s mild and very moisturizing. The lower pH level can help with some skin conditions. I sell it to several mothers in town who have kids with eczema. It seems to help.”

“I’d love to try a bar.”

“Of course.” Heidi walked to the cupboard where she kept her inventory. She picked two scented with lavender and carried them back. She handed one each to May and Rafe.

“Thank you,” he said. “I enjoy smelling like flowers.”

“Maybe you should try it,” his mother told him. “Women might like it.” May turned to Heidi. “Rafe has a terrible time in relationships.”

“Mother.”

“You do. And now you’re dealing with that Nina person. A matchmaker. Can you believe it? That’s how bad he is at getting his own girl.”

Heidi could practically hear Rafe’s jaw grinding. Rafe might be a pain in the ass, but Heidi had a feeling she was going to like May just fine.

Keeping her expression as neutral as possible, she turned to Rafe. “There are a lot of single women in Fool’s Gold. Would you like me to ask my friends if they know anyone who would go out with you?”

“No. Thank you, but no.”

She had to press her lips together to keep from grinning. “You’re sure?”

“Very.”

May took another piece of cheese. “It’s all so beautiful here. My children grew up on this ranch.”

“I’d heard,” Heidi said.

Glen went over to the coffeemaker and started a pot. “One of these days I’m hoping Heidi gives me a great-grandchild. I’m still waiting.”

Now it was Heidi’s turn to squirm.

“You have three children?” Glen asked.

“Four,” May told him, wandering across the kitchen, toward him. “Three boys and a girl. Shane breeds horses, and Evangeline is a dancer. Clay—”

“Tell me about the goat manure,” Rafe said, interrupting.

Heidi blinked at him. “Excuse me?”

“You sell it?”

“Yes. It makes a great fertilizer. Do you need some?”

“No.”

It took her a second to realize he wasn’t interested in talking about the goats as much as he’d wanted to change the subject. Talk about subtle avoidance. She replayed in her mind what May had been saying and realized he’d been keeping his mother from talking about Clay.

“If you change your mind…” she murmured, wondering if there was bad blood in the family.

Glen collected clean mugs from the cupboard.

May smiled at him. “You know your way around the kitchen.”

“I’ve been on my own for a long time. A man does what he has to. This one—” he pointed to Heidi
“—showed up in my life when she was three. Cutest little thing ever, but her daddy was long grown, and I’d forgotten everything I’d known about raising kids. Not that I’d been around much for mine. I was the kind of man who’d taken off first chance he could. Not proud of that. Still, I muddled along with Heidi, and we became a family.”

May sighed. “What a wonderful story. So many men wouldn’t have bothered.”

Heidi held in a groan. While Glen had taken her in and raised her, she knew the story was more about impressing May than recounting the past. Her grandfather had always had a way with the ladies. Unfortunately, he didn’t exactly have much of a track record when it came to long-term romantic relationships. She was going to have to remind him that he’d already stolen two hundred and fifty thousand dollars from May. Breaking her heart on top of that wouldn’t be helpful.

He poured coffee. Heidi collected milk from the refrigerator and asked if anyone wanted sugar. Rafe, of course, drank his coffee black.

“Is it goat milk?” May asked, picking up the small pitcher and pouring.

“Yes.”

“I can’t wait to try it.” She took a sip and smiled. “Perfect. In fact, everything is perfect. From what I can tell, there’s no reason why we can’t work out some kind of compromise.”

“Mom,” Rafe began.

His mother waved him into silence. “I want this, Rafe. I want to be a part of the ranch, and I don’t think there’s any reason Heidi and Glen can’t be a part of it, too. There’s room for all of us.”

Heidi liked the sound of a compromise, but she would reserve judgment until she heard all the terms. Or had the money to pay May back. Although she had a feeling that the latter was going to take a little longer.

“What did you have in mind?” Heidi asked.

“I want to make a few improvements,” May said. “The barn needs to be fixed and the fence lines. This house…” She glanced at the aging appliances. “Those were old when I lived here. I hated that oven.”

“Me, too,” Heidi admitted. “One side doesn’t heat.”

“So you have to keep turning everything. I remember. There’s painting to be done and maybe new floors.”

“Slow down,” Rafe told her. “Let’s take things one at a time.”

May set her mouth. “I’m sorry, Rafe, but I’ve been waiting to get back to this ranch for twenty years. I’m here now. At my age, I can’t afford to slow down.”

“At your age.” Glen shook his head. “You’re barely out of your teens and too young for me. More’s the pity.”

May ducked her head. “I have four grown children.”

“Even looking at Rafe here, I can barely believe it.”

Rafe’s jaw twitched. “Maybe if you made a list.”

Everyone stared at him.

“Of what you’d like to do at the ranch,” he clarified.

“Good idea,” his mother said.

“Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn from time to time,” he muttered.

Heidi hid her grin behind her mug and thought maybe she’d been a bit hasty in judging Rafe’s sense of humor. As much as she liked May, she could see that the older woman wouldn’t be all that easy to deal with. The combination of sweetness and determination could be daunting. Not that Glen was any less complicated.

May put down her mug. “Rafe and I should be going. I want to get right on making that list. You know where we’re staying, right? At Ronan’s Lodge? Oh, let me give you my cell number, and I’ll take yours.”