Page 19 of The Cowboy Fix

She could not,would notstep over the line with the rancher who still held onto her hand. Obviously, he was too much of a gentleman to tell her to let go.

Heat rising to her cheeks, Izzy dropped Nathan’s hand and proceeded toward Zelda Lohmen’s she-shed, stopping just before taking the single step onto the porch that ran across the front of the small building. “This is so cute.”

Up close she could see the shed had been taken care of since Nathan’s mother’s passing. The light gray-green color looked freshly painted. Double doors with grids on the full-length glass were trimmed in brown wood stain. A half-moon window hung over the doors. Empty flower boxes were suspended under the front windows.

Izzy could get cozy here.

Nathan stopped beside Izzy. “Mom loved it.”

When she glanced at him, he wasn’t looking at her trying to figure out what she’d meant by grabbing his hand and tugging him along with her but was studying the building instead, a sadness taking over his expression.

She waited for him to say more, but he was quiet, which inexplicably made her feel better. Izzy didn’t like wandering off her chosen path because she’d let a sudden attraction become a distraction.

She’d found Nathan to be a man of few words. Unfortunately for him, she wasn’t a woman who preferred silence over talking when she was trying to get to know a new client better. “Did you paint it recently?”

Nathan nodded, his gaze inspecting the shed from top to bottom.

“Can we go in?” She wanted to see the reflection of his mother inside but wouldn’t intrude if it made the cowboy uncomfortable. She needed to understand him so she could come up with a business plan that would be easy for him to go along with.

Pulling out a key ring, he opened the door, and stood back to let her enter. “After you.”

“Thanks.” He wasn’t exactly smiling, but he wasn’t frowning either. A curious light ignited in the depths of his dark eyes. Izzy couldn’t look away. She caught her breath, but exhaled immediately, counting herself lucky that he was allowing her to see his mother’s personal domain.

Inside, the space was a perfect square, roomy and immaculate. She pulled out her phone to take pictures. The walls were painted a soft seashell pink and had sizable windows to let in plenty of light. Pastoral views stretched for miles.

Taking a seat in the highbacked, overstuffed rocker that made up a small sitting area in the corner, Izzy instantly fell in love. With the she-shed. Not Nathan. Though he was certainly growing on her. “I can see why she loved it and why you’ve taken such good care of this place.”

“She did all her sewing here.” In one corner was a sewing machine and a dressmaker’s mannequin. Along the wall was a table with drawers tucked underneath and two chairs scooted close. On the opposite wall was a minuscule food prep area.

Dropping her phone in her lap, Izzy breathed in the peaceful simplicity and closed her eyes as she rocked the chair. All the time she was hyper-aware that she wasn’t alone. Nathan was more than the tough customer he presented.

She took a mental step back. Her job on the ranch wasn’t just to restore the business, but to make sure the results of what she accomplished fit her client’s needs too. In this case, the Lohmen brothers. But Nathan was the one she had to impress. More than that, he was also the one who had the most to lose if she failed to do her job.

She liked Nathan Lohmen. He could be a cranky bear but that didn’t put her off at all. There was just something about the appealing rancher. If she could just put her finger on whatever it was—

A chair scraped on the floor. “I remember one time Mom made Jonas’s friend, Sloane, a dress for a winter formal. It took her a week to finish.”

“This would be the perfect place for a small cottage business,” Izzy said lazily, letting her imagination float in a hundred different directions. It took a minute before she realized Nathan hadn’t said anything.

She opened her eyes to find him watching her. His caution was back.

“I’m sorry. I tend to go overboard without realizing it.” She’d done it again. Let her creative mind run wild when what she should have been doing was sticking to a plan tailored for Nathan. She stood. “You’re probably ready to get going.”

Crossing his arms over his chest, he leaned back in the chair until only the back legs were on the floor. “What kind of cottage business are you thinking about?”

Arching her brows, Izzy sat back down. “I was thinking...” she hesitated. Then asked, “Is there a bathroom?”

“Through that door.” Nathan pointed at a door on the back wall.

“Okay. Well, with a few additions that won’t cost much, this would be the perfect place to host weddings.”

His gaze stayed on her face, making Izzy think she’d overreached. Her cheeks turned warm. Of course, she had. Sometimes she couldn’t stop herself.

“What kind of additions?”

Surprised by his interest, she said, “Well, you’d need a shed to store tables and chairs, kitchen supplies, lights, and things like that. A garden similar to the one at the guesthouse with a large arched trellis for the happy couple to stand under during the ceremony would be very charming. Guests could park on the road and that way not tear up the natural landscape.”

The front legs of his chair hit the floor with a thud. “Show me.”

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