The Cowboy Earns a Bride (Cowboys of Chance Creek Book 8) (19 page)

“How’d that go?” Jamie asked. “Did Mia like it?”

Ethan turned an interested look his way.

Luke couldn’t believe Jamie didn’t know the answer to that already. He bet Ethan did, from his expression. “She liked the room just fine, but she didn’t like what I had to say.”

“Sorry to hear it.” Jamie’s attention was back on the horse. After a few moments of concentration, he slipped his phone out of his pocket and clicked away at it.

“Calling for backup?” Ned shifted again and Luke could tell his leg was bothering him. It was out of its cast, but he’d need physical therapy before it was truly right again.

“Of a kind.”

“Autumn says Mia was pretty upset when she got home the other day.” Ethan moved closer.

“She was pretty upset when she was here.”

“I don’t think you’re seeing the forest for the trees. You need to—”

“Speaking of trees, I think that’s your problem,” Jamie said. “Hold up a second.” He listened to the person on the other end of the phone. “Yeah—could you hold up your phone so I can hear?” He kept the phone to his ear and held out his left hand for silence. They all watched the mare step nervously around the corral. Suddenly Jamie pointed at the horse just as she bucked and bolted again. “Yep. That’s it!” He turned to the others. “They’re logging over at Hardy’s place. The chain saws are spooking her.”

“I can’t hear any chainsaws,” Ned said.

“Nope. But she can. I had Nancy Hardy step out of her kitchen and hold up her phone. Every time the chain saws start up, your horse jumps.”

“Now how the hell did you think of that?” Ethan cocked his hat back.

“I’ve seen it happen before, and I overheard Bill Hardy talking with his buddies about the logging last week at DelMonaco’s. It was just a hunch.”

“One hell of a hunch,” Ethan said.

“Don’t you ever get hunches?” Jamie slipped his phone back into his pocket.

“I’ve got a hunch you spend way too much time with horses. And listening to other people’s conversations at restaurants.”

“I’ve got a hunch you haven’t gotten laid in a long time,” Jamie rejoined. “You’re mighty testy these days.”

“Dude—the man just had a baby,” Ned said, then grinned. “Probably has hemorrhoids on top of everything else.” Ethan gave him a good-natured shove, which nearly unbalanced Ned, but he managed to grab the fence rail and hold on. “Jamie’s right. You are testy.”

“Wait ’til you have kids. I haven’t slept a full night in weeks.”

“Yeah, but it’s worth it, right?” Jamie leaned against the corral and watched the mare kick up her heels again.

“Yeah, that’s for sure. Think you and Fila will have kids?” he asked Ned.

“We’re working on it.”

Luke felt the other three men’s satisfaction as if it was wafting off of them in waves, and suddenly his chest ached with frustration.

He should be married to Mia already. He should be preparing to be a father to her little girl.

Instead he was still alone.

It was several
days before Mia got a chance to stop in at one of the real estate offices in town. The wall to the right of the entryway was covered in corkboard and held all the current listings. A receptionist sat behind a counter typing at a desktop computer. A row of faux leather chairs formed a waiting area. Only one other potential client was in the office—a lean man in his early thirties with light brown hair and gray eyes. He had the build of a serious athlete and Mia bet he spent his off hours doing extreme sports. He didn’t look like a rancher, exactly. He lacked the easygoing, down-home attitude, for one thing. Instead he had a kind of intensity she couldn’t entirely place.

Mia smiled and nodded at him politely, then turned to examine the wall of possibilities. She wouldn’t want to spend all the money that Ellis gave her on a house. She needed savings to start her business and to tide her over until she got enough clients. She also wanted a college fund for baby Pamela. And she wanted to travel someday—just enough to give Pam a wider sense of the world.

As she began to examine the house listings, she bit her lip, surprised at the prices. The cheapest ones were well over a hundred thousand dollars and they all had frightening words like
water damage
,
needs work
or
handyman special
in their descriptions. The houses closer to a hundred and fifty thousand dollars were somewhat better, but they weren’t in the best parts of town and most of them had postage stamp lawns. She’d hoped for something more than that. Trailers were cheaper, of course, but then she’d have to pay a pad fee, and most of them barely had yards at all.

When she finally spotted a house she really liked, its list price was a hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars. Her fingers tightened into fists in the pockets of her jeans. That left just twenty-five thousand dollars from Ellis’s money. What if the house needed repairs, or her truck broke down, or the baby got sick?

What if she did?

Still, a house was something special. Maybe it was worth the risk.

She hadn’t realized she’d sighed until the man glanced over at her. “Find a good one?”

“It’s too expensive.” She pointed to the one she liked, a yellow house with white shutters on a comfortable lot on the south side of town.

“What’s your limit?” He moved closer and scanned the listing.

“I’m not sure. I have—” She broke off. She shouldn’t talk money with a stranger.

The man chuckled. “It’s okay. I promise I won’t tell anyone else. My name’s Carl.”

“I’m Mia. Are you looking for a house?”

It was his turn to sigh. “Yes, unfortunately. I was stupid enough to sell the one I had.”

“And now you want it back?”

He shrugged. “Seller’s remorse, I guess you could say. So what’s your limit again? There are some nice ones around two hundred and fifty thousand.”

“That’s way over what I can afford. I’ve got two hundred—but this one is one-seventy-five.”

“You have two hundred grand to spend? Or that’s all you have in the world?”

“Two hundred grand is a lot of money,” she said, surprised at his tone.

“I didn’t mean it wasn’t.” His expression was kind and she relaxed.

“That’s all I have in the world. So I think this one is too expensive.”

He leaned against the wall and surveyed her thoughtfully. “Most people don’t buy houses with cash, you know. They make a down payment—about twenty percent is good. Then they get a loan for the rest.”

“I wouldn’t qualify for a loan,” Mia admitted. “So it’s cash or nothing.”

“Then this one is definitely too much. I wouldn’t go over ninety-five if I were you. Get a fixer upper and learn to do as much of the work yourself as you can.”

Jolene Manning appeared from the back of the office, a stack of file folders in her hand. She deposited them on the receptionist’s desk and walked right over to them. “Mia Start—are you looking at real estate? You must be marrying Luke, after all. I heard conflicting reports on that.”

Heat rose in Mia’s cheeks. “Actually, no. We’re not getting married. I’m looking to buy a place for myself.”

“Oh.” Jolene’s surprise was clear. “Then honey you’d better look at rentals. I don’t think you’ll qualify for a loan, and you’ll need one even for the condos.”

“I don’t need a loan. I want to buy a fixer-upper. With cash.”

Jolene laughed, her white teeth bright against her red lipstick. “Sweetie, did you look at the prices up there? You can’t buy these places with pocket change, you know.” She turned to Carl. “I’ll be with you in just a minute, sir.” She faced Mia again. “Honey, you go home and make up with Luke and come back together. I’ll be able to find just the right place for you if you don’t want to live on the Double-Bar-K.”

“I’ve got money of my own,” Mia protested.

Jolene took her arm and walked her firmly toward the door. “No, you don’t,” she said in a quiet voice that brooked no dissent. “I’m sorry, Mia, but I know your circumstances and you can’t afford a house. I work on commission. I need to talk to the customer that can afford one.” She tilted her chin toward Carl. “Make an appointment if you want me to explain real estate to you. I’m busy right now.”

A second later, Mia was out on the sidewalk, blinking back tears. She jammed her hands in the pockets of her winter jacket and hunched her shoulders against a biting wind that had just started up. The sky was the color of lead and the thaw that had seemed imminent this morning now seemed as distant as the moon. She couldn’t believe Jolene wouldn’t even listen to her. So much for her new professional look.

But then again, why would Jolene believe she had enough money for a house? No matter what she wore or how she styled her hair, she still worked a cash register for a living, and like everyone else Jolene believed that was all she’d ever do. She wasn’t proving to be an ace at business either. Look at the way she’d scheduled three back-to-back events in a single weekend.

The panic she’d been fighting for days surged up again. What if she’d overextended herself? What if she couldn’t do it? What if she ruined two of her friends’ weddings and Lila White’s reunion?

What if sending the letter to the pageant commission brought Fred Warner back into her life?

She turned and walked slowly toward her truck, trying to calm her own fears. Warner was far from Chance Creek. She didn’t have to worry about him. She’d get through these first three events and she’d be careful about scheduling more in the future.

Meanwhile, there were other real estate companies in town. Mia thought about visiting one now, but she didn’t have the heart to do it. She’d go home, regroup and figure out what to do next.

“Hey, Mia!”

Carl appeared on the sidewalk behind her, the door to the realtor’s office swinging closed. Mia stopped walking and waited for him to catch up.

“Want to grab a cup of coffee?”

“I thought you were buying a house.”

“I decided that woman wasn’t the realtor for me. If she treats you with disrespect—someone she knows—I figure she’ll treat me with disrespect too someday.”

“She treated me with disrespect
because
she knows me.” Mia kept her eyes on the pavement. “She knows I’m poor.”

“No one with two hundred grand in their bank account is poor.”

“Well, I was poor until Ellis gave it to me.”

“Ellis? Not Ellis Scranton?”

Mia wilted. Of course this nice man would have to know Ellis.

“Why did Ellis Scranton give you two hundred grand?” Carl peered down at her. “What did the old scumbag do to you?”

“Got me pregnant,” Mia said dejectedly. Everyone else knew about it. Carl might as well too.

He snorted. “Figures. Listen, I’m still up for that coffee if you are. I’m not Ellis—I won’t hit on you. I’m a businessman, though—just like him. I might be able to give you some advice.”

“Or maybe you’ll talk me right out of my money.” Mia was done with men taking advantage of her.

“I swear I won’t do that. Can I tell you a secret?”

Mia hesitated. Looked him over. “I guess.”

“I’ve got more money of my own than I know what to do with.”

“How much?” Mia didn’t think she’d ever met anyone so frank about his circumstances. Carl was a little strange, but she liked him for that.

“Last I checked? About fifty million dollars.”

She stopped dead. “Are you shitting me?”

Carl laughed. “No, I’m not. So I promise I won’t take yours. How about that coffee?”

“Okay—but I’ll buy my own.” Millionaire or not, she still wouldn’t trust a man fully. Not anymore. “Where do you want to go?”

Luke met up
with Ethan and Autumn in line at the post office that afternoon when he came in to mail in his credit card payment.

“Why don’t you pay that on the computer?” Ethan asked as the line advanced toward the counter.

“Dad’s paranoia has rubbed off on me. He thinks online banking is the next best thing to throwing cash on a bonfire. What’re you here for?”

“Picking up a package.” Ethan held out the yellow slip. “Although why they didn’t just leave it at the ranch, I can’t guess.”

They found out when they reached the counter.

“The sender asked for the package to be held for you here. It’s marked fragile all over the thing,” Carrie Benton said and disappeared into the back room to fetch it.

“What did you order?” Luke placed his envelope on the counter.

“Nothing.” Ethan watched the door to the back. Autumn shifted Arianna into a better position. When Carrie came back she set a tall thin package on the counter. As she’d said, it was stamped
fragile
in many places. She took Luke’s envelope and the money he offered her and put on a stamp.

“It looks like a bottle of wine. Or maybe champagne. Where’d it come from?” Autumn asked. Ethan bent to scan the label.

“Can T. Siddown. Who the heck is that?”

Luke cocked his head. Suppressed a laugh. “Can’t sit down?”

Ethan read it again. “Naw.” He made a face. “You don’t think…”

They moved aside to let the next people in line reach the counter. Greg Hutton and his wife Eleanor held out another package slip for Carrie to fetch.

“I think I’d be careful about how I open that thing,” Luke said.

“I still think it’s wine. It’s got to be. Look at the box.” Autumn shifted Arianna again. “Open it!”

Ethan set the package down on a side counter and did just that, tearing the cardboard flaps apart. He reached in and pulled out a handful of tubes.

“What is that?” Autumn bent closer. “Preparation H? Why’d you order so much?”

Luke noticed the Huttons listening in. Eleanor nudged her husband when she spotted the tubes. “He must be as constipated as Grandma Hutton. She always had a stockpile of that around for her piles.”

“I didn’t order it!” Ethan’s face turned a mottled red. “I’m not constipated!”

Luke laughed out loud. “It was Ned—it has to be! Remember what he said?”

“No, what did he say? What’s going on?” Autumn said, looking from one to the other of them.

“Just Ned’s idea of a stupid joke,” Ethan said, tossing the tubes back in the box disgustedly. He closed up the flaps and tossed the whole box into the trash. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”