Waiting For Eden (Eden Series) (9 page)

“Ms. Winters?” he prompted.

“Yes, I’m the ‘lady of the house’,” she snapped.  “
I know why you are here and that you want to buy my land.”

“Well.  Right to the point then.  Yes, Ridgeway Incorporated has been trying to purchase this piece of property for some time.”  He looked around dubiously.  “And since you don’t have much invested in the property so far, and it will take a great sum of money to turn this farm into a functional and self-supporting enterprise, I figured it would serve
the both of us well to do business as soon as possible.”

“Save your breath.”

“I could make it profitable for you, Ms. Winters.  Say, double your investment, perhaps?”

“I’m not interested in the money,” she countered, wondering at the words even as she said them.  “
Money makes the world go round, Alex
. 
And not just money, but gold.”
Richard’s voice was running through her head again.  It was eerily chilling this time.

“Perhaps you could be enticed into selling just the forested land then.  That’s all our company is truly interested in anyway.”  Ridgeway flicked a non-existent piece of dirt from his cuff.

“My business will involve trail riding, Mr. Ridgeway.  I’ll need plenty of space for that, including my piece of the mountain.”

“Call me Brian.”  When Alex just stared, he cleared his throat.  “Ms. Winters, there are thousands of additional acres in these parts that are open to riding.  Thousands.  And furthermore, after our logging operation is finished, you’d be welcome to use the land for riding.  We’d be making a select cut, with minimal
damage to the surrounding areas, minimal erosion, minimal habitat destruction...”  He trailed off and smiled disarmingly.  “Your response is?”

“Why are you so interested in this
particular piece of property?”

“Well, there is some prime, mature hardwood on this land, and it hasn’t been logged in... well, quite some time.  Several generations of the Wilkens family didn’t believe in it, I guess.  But studies show that select cutting is actually beneficial to wildlife habitat, if done correctly, and I assure you-”

“Just how much money are you talking about?”  It wouldn’t
hurt
to have a figure, she mused.  Richard had taught her to carefully consider all options when making a monetary decision.

“Well, the wooded portion of the property we’re interested in is, oh, roughly
four hundred and fifty acres.  Would two thousand an acre suffice?  That’s a more than generous offer, considering the average property values around here are barely a thousand dollars an acre for wooded land.”

Alex looked at him steadily.  He was offering her nearly
a million dollars for only the logging rights to a piece of steep, forested land.  Brian Ridgeway met her gaze evenly and smiled.  He didn’t
seem
to be pulling one over on her.  And Jesus, with that kind of money, she would have her retirement sealed.  After all, she wouldn’t lose her riding privileges. 

Alex thought about the huge trees
that she had stumbled open while she was hiking, how she had been both awestruck and enchanted.  Those giant old-growth virgin trees were definitely worth a pretty penny, and Ridgeway knew it.  But were they really worth that much?

She narrowed her eyes.  “Well, I’d want at least
three thousand an acre.  But that’s not an offer yet.  I have to think about it.”             

Ridgeway’s smile broadened.  “
Three thousand is high, but it’s a start anyway.  Talking with Mr. Wilkens always proved to be infinitely... difficult.”

Alex surprised
herself with a laugh.  “That’s Ezra.”

“Nice animal, by the way.”

Turning, she remembered that she had left her most recent purchase standing in the cross-ties she had rigged up in the aisle way.  Bold Venture was a chestnut Quarterhorse stallion with excellent bloodlines and an impressive show record to back him up. He had cost her a tidy sum of twenty-five thousand dollars. The ironically fitting name was just a bonus.  She hoped to make her investment back with his first few crops of foals.

“He’s quiet,” Ridgeway added.

“He has great manners for a stallion.  He’s just a big teddy bear.  The next step is to find a couple of suitable broodmares,” she explained at his continued perusal.

“Well, if you need money
to invest in your establishment, you know who to call.”  He handed her his card with a wink, which she stuck in her pocket without looking at it. 

He smiled smoothly, but it didn’t reach his eyes at all
.

“Good day, Ms. Winters.”  With the unemotional smile still intact, he departed.

Shaking her head, Alex returned Bold Venture to his newly made stall, vowing to repair enough of the fencing by Saturday so that the stallion could get out and kick up his heels a little.  A large male equine’s good temperament only lasted so long in cramped quarters.

She spent the remainder of the afternoon cleaning out the barn, sweeping cobwebs from the upper beams, measuring, rigging up saddle racks and repairing damaged stall boards.  By the time she finished, and emerged into the sunny, late afternoon sky, she was covered from head to toe in dust and grime. 

Alex knew at that moment what a horse felt like after rolling itself in a patch of warm, flaky soil- like every little itch had been thoroughly scratched.  She felt glorious and...
capable
.

Putting her tools away, (tools!- would you believe, an honest-to-goodness set consisting of a hammer and nails, screwdrivers, drills, bits and saws), which she had used successfully, she then made a bee-line for the shower. 

The house itself was another whole project.  Its redecorating and repair had fallen far by the wayside, for she had made the decision to get the business end up and running before she could dedicate time for refurbishing. 

Alex had cleaned up her bedroom and the upstairs bathroom, bringing in a new bed, dresser, and nightstand ensemble, plus a few other odds and ends.  She had
decided to keep the old claw foot tub.  It was an antique and still in excellent condition.

The downstairs was yet another matter.  She’d had the gumption to box up Ezra’s remaining odds and ends, but not much more.  The ancient-looking television set still worked somewhat, but it didn’t really matter because she had no cable
line at the house anyway.  She needed to call about that.

Sometime in the future, she would rip out the old carpet, and refinish the hardwood flooring.  Then she could replace the wallpaper
with a warm coat of paint and bring in some furniture that was a little more contemporary and to her taste. 

Her shower was just the right medicine to revive her, and give her a healthy second wind.  Alex whistled her way into the kitchen and popped the top on a Diet Coke.  She bent further into the fridge, looking for some of the goodies that remained from Diana Sheldon’s visit.

Clip, clang, clip
.  Alex cocked her head, listening.  It was definitely the sound of aluminum horse shoes on the recently-laid gravel in her driveway.  Could Bold Venture have broken out of his stall already?  She envisioned the twenty-five thousand dollar check that she had written only that morning, and a rush of adrenaline sent her bolting through the living room and literally flying out the front door.

She connected solidly with another body, and would have fallen in a heap at its feet, but for the strong hands that gripped her above her elbows, pulling her upright. 
Alex squinted upwards, but her eyes must have been slightly crossed, for everything was blurry.  She really hit hard.

“Wow.  What a sweet welcome,
Lovey!  Except for the bruising.”

Alex groaned, recognizing the voice immediately.  “Oh, Christ, I should have known it was you.”  She rubbed
her forehead and managed a glare in the general direction of Jamie Sheldon’s face, but when her vision cleared, she found herself glowering at a dapple-gray horse face.  The mare’s ears were pricked forward curiously and she blew softly through her nostrils.

“It takes a lot to spook Lilah,” Jamie murmured.  “Although
something that fierce of a she-glare just might do it.”

“I was aiming for you, James,” Alex sputtered, “but you knocked my balance off.”

“Can you stand on your own now, perhaps?”

With a flush of embarrassment, Alex realized she was hanging on him heavily.  She pushed herself backward, slapping at the hands that were now resting casually on her hips.  “Don’t tell me this is just a neighborly visit,” she grumbled irritably. 

The events of the previous Friday, of her stupid, imbecilic reactions washed over her then, and stuck like a bramble vine.  Her flush deepened.

Jamie cleared his throat.  “I heard through the grapevine that you were entering the horse business.  Seeing as we are, in fact, neighbors, I was wondering if I could get your professional opinion of my mare here.”

Horses were her weakness. Turning her eyes to the animal, Alex surveyed her carefully, walking a full circle around the quietly waiting creature.  It gave her a moment to compose herself.  “She’s a nicely built Quarterhorse.  Does she have papers?”

“Yes.  She’s out of the Doc Bar line.”

“Oh, that’s excellent.”  She knelt, examining the animal’s legs and hooves for any defects.  Finding none, she rose and nodded.  “Nice animal.  She’s a bit long in the back, but that’s no big deal.  What’s her training background?”

“Not a whole lot of any one thing.  I use her mostly for riding trail.  She’s capable of a whole lot more, though.  I don’t have the kind of time for her that I would like to.”

“Very few horses reach even half of their potential.  That’s a fact of life.”

“Just like people, wouldn’t you say?”

Alex looked at him sharply, and then willed her body to relax.  “Yes, you’re exactly right,” she replied casually.  He was standing there with his thumbs in his belt loops, regarding her with a lazy smile and those steady, baby blues.  For an instant, he reminded her of the stallion in the barn, hard, lean, and full of an easy self-confidence.

Oh, Jesus Christ, Alex.  You’re losing it, here
.  She broke her gaze away from his person, and noticed that Lilah was carrying a matching pair of large saddlebags.  “Going on an overnight, James?” she questioned.

“I’m Jamie to my friends and neighbors, by th
e way.  And no, those bags are simply full of good food.  I’m looking for some company, actually.  I’m in the mood for a picnic.” 

He chuckled at her bewildered look.  “It was my mother’s idea, but what the hell.  She’s a great cook.”

The words ‘I’m busy’ formed on her lips, but Bold Venture whinnied from within the confines of his stall before she could utter them.  It had been so long since she had ridden freely, and the mellow skies promised a beautiful evening ahead.  She sighed.  “I think Bold Venture has answered for me.”

“Bold Venture?”

“He’s a stallion I just acquired for the farm.”

“Which you’ve named Eden Ranch?”  Jamie had
obviously noticed the newly installed sign post at the entrance to her long driveway.

Alex broke into a hesitant smile.  “Yeah.  It’s a long story
how that came about.  I’ll explain it to you on the way.”

“
Ok, I’m all ears.”  He grinned back at her.

Alex looked at him with new interest.  He was so different from Richard, or from any other man or woman she had known.  In younger years, her only opportunities for trail riding had been in scattered wood lots and remaining open fields of the suburbs.
This would be a new experience for certain.

~~~~~~~

Jamie followed Alexandra into the barn, and watched in comfortable silence while she saddled Bold Venture quickly and efficiently.  The stallion fidgeted with restless anticipation, goaded on by the feel of the saddle on his back and the scent of the warm gray mare in his nostrils.

“This is going to make his day,” Alex murmured with a chuckle, as she slipped the bit into his mouth and fastened the throatlatch and noseband with deft fingers.  “Mine too, actually.  I’d all but forgotten what this feels like.”

“I take it you didn’t get much riding in, down in D.C.?”

“None, really.  It’s been... years
actually.”

“Well, there’s nothing like the forests on horseback.”

She glanced out of the open barn doors at the brilliance of the waiting spring day and nodded.  “I have a feeling you’re right about that, Jamie.”

He raised his eyebrows in mock amazement.  “Alexandra Aimee Winters is in agreement with her arch nemesis?  That’s definite
ly cause for celebration.”

Shaking her head
in amusement, she led her dancing mount out of the barn and swung up onto his back.  “Don’t push your luck.”  Alex settled down into her saddle with a happy sigh.  “Aah.  He fits me like an orthopedic shoe.”

Jamie eyed the long, slender thighs that gripped the stallion’s sides with ease.  Her bottom fit into the small, English saddle perfectly.  She had a body that was graceful
in its curves, but firm and lithe, what he would consider ideally built for the sport of riding.  It was no stretch of imagination to picture those supple legs wrapping around his waist as well.