The Cowboy Earns a Bride (Cowboys of Chance Creek Book 8) (20 page)

Autumn giggled. “Why does Ned think you need Preparation H?”

“Drop it!” Ethan stalked away.

Luke held out his hands for Arianna and Autumn handed her over as they followed the angry cowboy. “Thanks,” Autumn said. “Now how about explaining what’s going on?”

‡
Chapter Fourteen

“H
i Mia,” Tracey
said as Mia and Carl settled themselves into a booth at Linda’s Diner. “What can I get for you two?”

“I’ll have a cup of coffee and a slice of that apple pie I saw on the way in,” Carl said. “Mia, what would you like?”

“A glass of milk and a chocolate chip muffin. Thanks.” She smiled at Tracey, who cocked an eyebrow when she turned her back to Carl. Mia hoped she wasn’t coming to the wrong conclusion about this meeting.

“That’s funny.” Carl watched Tracey head back to the kitchen. “I don’t think she recognized me.”

“Tracey knows you?”

“I used to come here now and then when I lived here before. Maybe she just forgot.”

“Maybe you look different. Was it a long time ago?”

“Not that long, but I guess I have lost some weight. I took up mountain climbing when I left here last year. I climbed a lot of mountains.” He made a face. “So tell me more about your situation. You’ve got money in the bank, but you won’t qualify for a loan, which means your job situation must be tenuous.”

“Not tenuous, exactly—I always have work—but I don’t make a lot of money at it. I work behind the counter at Fila’s Familia, a new restaurant in town. And I’m starting an event planning business. I have three events already.” Mia wondered what had propelled him to climb all those mountains. A broken heart?

“Paid events?”

Mia dropped her searching gaze. “One is free,” she admitted, “but the other two are paid.”

“How much?”

“Well, I haven’t gotten that far really. I mean…”

Carl tapped his fingers on the table thoughtfully. “Okay, here’s the deal, Mia. You’ve got a businessman sitting across the table from you. A businessman with a hell of a lot of money burning a hole in his pocket, and he’s taking the time to chat with you. What do you do?”

Mia blinked. “Talk to him back?”

“No. You sell him.”

“On what?” She was getting the same feeling she used to have in trigonometry at school, when the teacher would write an equation on the board and ask her to come and solve it. But at least he wasn’t treating her like just a pretty face.

He stopped tapping. “On your event planning business.”

“Like, try to get you to hire me to plan an event for you?”

“Well, that’s one way to go about it. That’s the small businessman’s way to go about it. Know what a businessman like me would do?”

Mia shook her head.

“I’d come up with a gimmick and try to sell someone like me on making it a franchise. That’s what I’d do.”

“Like McDonald’s?” She frowned.

“Exactly.” He stopped. Got a faraway look. Tapped his right forefinger twice. “But that’s not what you should do,” he said a moment later.

“Okay, now I’m confused.”

He twined his fingers together. “You know what? So am I. Maybe I shouldn’t be trying to help you. Maybe you should be helping me.”

Tracey arrived with their drinks and pastries, and another significant look at Mia. When she was gone again, Mia said, “What do you need help with?”

“Learning how to act like a human being. Like the kind of guy who can live in a small town and not piss everyone off.”

“Is that what happened before? You pissed everyone off?”

“You wouldn’t believe the half of it,” Carl said. “But I’m a changed man, I swear.”

“You must be. You haven’t pissed me off.” She smiled at him.

“Give me twenty minutes and see how you feel then.”

They laughed together over his remark, but Mia had a feeling he was serious. There was something wistful about Carl, especially when he looked at the occupants of other tables—people Mia knew well, and were part of the community. He must want some of that community for himself, she thought. And then added internally,
He should be careful what he wishes for
. Being known to everyone wasn’t always what it was cut out to be. People tended to pigeonhole you and not let you change.

“So I won’t hit you up to help me start a franchise,” she said some minutes later, when they’d eaten, “but I wouldn’t mind some advice. A lot of people won’t take me seriously. My friends think I can’t handle running a business. What do I do about that?”

He nodded thoughtfully. “That’s a tricky one, but building a reputation is something every new businessman faces. You don’t have to cut yourself off from your friends, or give up relationships that are meaningful to you, but you do need to surround yourself with a group of believers, or you’ll struggle to get anywhere. Pick out a group of cheerleaders and spend most of your time with them. They’re the ones to share new ideas and plans with. The people who drag you down can find out what you’re up to after you’ve accomplished it. After a while the people who don’t support you will fall away. You won’t have anything to talk to them about. You won’t want their negative energy around. Success sometimes means losing friends. Are you prepared for that?”

She wasn’t sure. But one thing she did know was that her conversation with Carl had helped her more than any she’d had with anyone else except Rose. She decided that meant that Rose and Carl were now her cheerleading team. She asked for Carl’s number and wondered aloud if he’d be willing to have coffee again sometime. He agreed readily. “I could use a friend in Chance Creek.”

“You’ve got one.” She took the business card he handed her, then entered his number in her phone—under a brand-new group,
Business Contacts
—and left the diner feeling more upbeat than she had in days.

Until she realized that Luke hadn’t made the cut for her cheerleading squad.

“Buddy, I hate
to break it to you, but you’ve got competition.”

“What do you mean?” Luke looked up from currycombing Bullet, a roan gelding he’d had for several years. They’d taken a quick ride out to check on some pregnant cows.

Jake leaned against the side of Bullet’s stall. “Hannah heard the gossip at the veterinary clinic. Marcy Sharp came in with her cat and said she’d seen Mia at Linda’s Diner with a very handsome man. So I knew it couldn’t be you.”

“Ha, ha.” Luke got back to work. “Mia doesn’t know any handsome strangers.”

“She does now. Jolene Manning confirmed it. She says the guy was looking at properties in her office when Mia came in. The two talked and he followed her when she left.”

Luke straightened. “Followed her? What is he, a stalker?”

“A friendly stalker. They ate muffins together.”

“Hell, doesn’t anyone have anything better to do than to spy on people?” He paused. “What does this guy look like?”

“I don’t know. Lean. Brown hair. In his thirties. That’s what Marcy said.”

Luke fought the urge to throw the currycomb. This was all he needed—some other guy putting the moves on Mia. “Does he know she’s pregnant?”

“I don’t know. No one recorded their conversation. Come on, don’t take it like that. I just wanted you to know so you can step up your game.”

“Step it up how? I made her a nursery. That didn’t work.” He hadn’t managed to talk to her about the pageants, either. He stood there, currycomb in hand, too frustrated to smooth it over Bullet’s coat.

“Yeah, about that.” Jake took the currycomb from Luke and got to work on the horse. Bullet looked back at him, snorted, then returned to chewing from his feed bucket. “How did you manage to screw that up?”

“Damned if I know. I told her she didn’t have to work. I told her I’d do it all—take care of her and her baby. She got mad and stormed out.”

Jake stopped what he was doing and rested his head against Bullet’s flank. “Oh God. Not you, too.”

“What?”

Bullet shifted and Jake straightened up. “That’s pretty much the same mistake I made with Hannah. She says Mia wants to start her own business.”

“Yeah. She’s got this crazy idea she can be a wedding planner and work for Fila. And have a baby. I mean, she was white as a sheet the other morning when she came over here, and that was after only a half day at Fila’s. She needs her rest.”

“Here’s the thing. Careers are like babies to women. Hell, they’re like cubs to momma bears. You don’t get between a woman and the job she wants to do—not if you want to keep your head on your shoulders. Believe me—I know.”

Luke nodded. He knew Jake and Hannah had scrapped over whether she should go to school or have children. In the end they’d decided to move forward with both. “This is different. I’m telling you, Mia didn’t look good at all. She shouldn’t be at work. In fact, I’ve debated whether I should call Fila and tell her that myself.”

“It’s one thing if you’re concerned for her health. It’s another thing all together if you’re trying to control her.”

Luke grabbed the currycomb away from his brother. “I’m not trying to control anyone. I’m trying to help.”

“Yeah, well you’re helping yourself all the way to losing that girl. Smarten up.”

“You got another
letter,” Autumn said when Mia got home from work that night.

Mia sighed. Her feet ached again, and she hadn’t managed to eat any dinner. She knew she should find something to eat now, but the truth was she didn’t have an appetite. “What are you doing here so late?” Usually Autumn was home in the bunkhouse by now.

“Some guests are coming to stay next week and I’m planning a menu. Don’t worry—we’ll still have plenty of room for you.”

Mia accepted the letter Autumn held out for her and sat down heavily on the couch. “I’ll be out of your hair soon, I promise. I’ve been looking at real estate.”

“Real estate is expensive.” Autumn got up and returned a minute later with a cup of tea. “Here, I had just made a pot. Are you feeling okay?”

“I’m fine.” Mia accepted the cup gratefully. “Just a little tired.” She would have said more about her house search, but she remembered Carl’s words—that she should surround herself with cheerleaders. She’d always thought of Autumn as a terrific friend, but Autumn hadn’t been too encouraging about her business plan, and now she didn’t sound enthusiastic about the idea of her buying a house, either.

“Have you talked to a bank about a loan?”

“Not yet.” She decided to turn the conversation. “I bet you can’t wait to start gardening again.”

Autumn smiled. “You’re right. I’m starting some seeds at the bunkhouse. I think this year I’ll get Ethan to build me a greenhouse. If we have enough money,” she added with a sigh.

“You’ll have enough money,” Mia said. “I bet this year you’ll get a ton of guests. Your website looks great.” She dug her finger under the flap of the envelope and began to open it.

“That’s what I love about you, Mia. You always make me feel good about the guest ranch. You’re such a great friend.”

I like being a cheerleader
, Mia thought. Now if only more people would encourage her about her wedding planner idea. She opened the envelope and pulled out a small slip of paper.

Don’t cheet.

“Huh.” Mia shoulders fell. She knew exactly what it referenced: her meeting with Carl in Linda’s Diner. She bet all the gossips talked about it afterward.

“What does it say?”

She handed the note to Autumn.

“Cheat? Who would you cheat with?”

“No one.” Mia grabbed it back, crumpled it up and stood. “I’m going to bed. I have an early morning.” And she still had to finish the letter for Inez. She wasn’t looking forward to that.

“Mia,” Autumn called after her as she walked toward the stairs. “Take it easy, okay? Don’t tire yourself out too much.”

“I won’t.”

She didn’t think she could get any more tired than she already was.

Be persistint.

Luke scanned the two words on the page again. He was no English professor, but he was pretty sure that wasn’t spelled right.

Besides, he had been persistent. He’d spent every waking hour—at work, while eating, even when he was supposed to be asleep—trying to figure out how to get Mia back. He was insane with worry over it. His body ached more from pent up frustration than from overwork. His chores were suffering and his accounts were a mess because he couldn’t concentrate. He knew he was the right man for Mia. He knew she was the right woman for him. It should have been simple, but instead she was slipping away.

Persistent. He’d told her how he felt. He’d gone to her doctor’s appointment. He’d transformed his spare room into a nursery. How else could he prove that he would be a good husband and provider?

Should he try the ring thing again? He could go back and get the one she’d first chosen. Luke thought about that, decided he would purchase the ring Mia had wanted, but he wouldn’t propose to her again yet. Not until they’d worked things out. The day they were supposed to get married was already long gone. March had arrived and with it a warm, wet breeze that was melting just enough of the snow to turn every stock yard and driveway into a muddy mess.

Should he buy her something else? He wracked his brain for what that might be. Flowers and chocolates hadn’t moved her. The bracelet and hair clips hadn’t either.