Page 25 of The Cowboy Fix

That’s not why you’re here, she reminded the woman in the full-length mirror. Staring back at her was an accomplished businesswoman. Her thick, red hair was pulled back into a French braid. She’d combined her black skinny jeans with a white, buttoned-down blouse that had a stiff, standup collar and long sleeves.

She’d worked hard to make her business a success. Izzy straightened her shoulders, then twisted to check her braid. Every hair was in place.

The whole reason she’d come to Colorado was to fix the Triple L’s financial situation. The meeting would help her accomplish that goal. If she couldn’t do that, then her reputation for being able to work a little magic could be flushed down the toilet.

The problem was she liked living on the ranch. She liked the sounds and smells she woke up to and even the sounds and smells of the barn and horses and the kittens. And dang it, she was starting tolikeNathan Lohmen.

Don’t be crazy, girl.

What if she ended up liking the rancher so much that when she was done with this job, she didn’t want to leave? She was thinking about the Strawberry Ridge Rodeo in September too much, but she already had a couple of requests for her business restoration services in her inbox, for when she completed her contract with the Lohmens. Any one of them would take her far away from Strawberry Ridge and the ranch that was starting to mean more to her than it should.

Right after Nathan had told her he trained riders and horses for barrel racing, spurred on with the idea of participating in something new, she’d researched and found out everything she could about the fall rodeo. If she had to, she could take a break from whatever job she took and come back for the event. But would she? There probably wasn’t enough time for her to get ready to compete.

Pulling down on her shirt, she glanced at the clock. It was time. Grabbing her flowery satchel, Izzy made her way through the garden to the main house. She wasn’t normally nervous during her presentations but for some reason, this time...

She cleared her mind, listened to the soothing sound of summer, and thought of something else more fun. Maybe she ought to find an outrageous bird penthouse that she could add to the garden. A big one she could leave behind as a reminder that she’d once been here.

She knocked. Nathan opened the door and stood aside to let her in. More determined than ever to put the Triple L and the silent man allowing her entry back on the Strawberry Ridge horse community map, she smiled at him and stepped into his home.

Jonas and Blake’s voices came from the dining room. Malorie had told her they’d turned the room back to its original purpose when Nathan no longer needed the space for a convalescence room. The brothers were already seated at the table with a tray of water and glasses between them.

“Hi, Blake. How was your trip?” Izzy asked as she sat in the chair Nathan, in a surprising gesture, pulled out for her.

“It was good,” he said. He poured her a glass of water. “Very productive business-wise. And a blast taking Malorie and the kids to see the sights.”

Facing all three brothers was a bit more intimidating than she’d anticipated. Now that she knew more about the Triple L and the cowboys that owned it, she had to get this contract. After taking a sip of the water, she shook off the rare nerves before opening her satchel to pull out the folders she’d put together for each of the brothers. “Let’s get started. As you can see, I’ve divided my recommendations into four parts: The Wedding Cottage; Riders and Horse Training; Riding Lessons—we might include trail riding with this one; and Stud Services as a long-term goal. I’ve included costs and potential earnings.” Izzy went over each page, clarifying any questions they might have.

Nathan looked to be listening carefully, which was pleasantly unexpected after he had objected to hiring her in the first place. When he glanced at her, his speculating gaze lingered. A flush warmed her inside.

“I like the idea of turning Mom’s she-shed into a wedding location,” Blake said. “The figures look good, and I think Malorie would love to be involved with that too. And the kids.”

“Mom would have approved,” Jonas added, then flipped through the other pages. He stopped at the last one outlining her stud services proposal and frowned.

Izzy wondered what his hesitation meant but since that wasn’t the most urgent of her suggestions, she let his reaction rest for a moment.

Nathan remained quiet as he looked over her proposal. She’d tailored her proposal to each brother’s apparent interests and skills. The Wedding Cottage for Jonas—because through his law firm, he already had experience running a business. The rider and horse training for Nathan—he’d admitted he was thinking about getting back into that saddle, so to speak. Riding lessons for Blake who was currently giving weekly lessons. And the breeding program for down the road. Even though Nathan had mentioned it was a no-go because of the lack of Duke’s registration papers, Izzy wasn’t ready to give up on the idea as an eventual possibility. She couldn’t imagine that all three brothers wouldn’t have some contribution to offer to that project.

A niggle of worry surfaced in her mind. Had Nathan recovered enough from his injury to get back on a horse and fill the spot of primary trainer? Was it too soon after his accident for him to bounce around on a horse’s back? Was she pushing him too far, too fast?

“This all looks good.” He laid her report on the table and said gruffly, “We should start with The Wedding Cottage. Mom’s she-shed would be the easiest to turn around into a viable business and would do the least harm to the environment of the ranch. We can start working on the landscape tomorrow.”

“I’ll design a flyer and an ad for theStrawberry Ridge Journaland social media, tonight,” Izzy said. “If you come for breakfast, that’ll give each of you a chance to make any changes you want.”

She didn’t dare let her gaze stray beyond the report in her hand to Nathan. Already she was having trouble keeping her eye on the task at hand, especially when it came to stepping back from one very handsome cowboy who had no idea how attractive his defense of the memories of his mother was.

Izzy would bet anything he’d been a good son.

“You come here for breakfast instead,” Nathan said firmly. “Jonas will fix breakfast.”

Jonas’ brows shot up. Izzy was surprised Nathan hadn’t given his older brother much choice.

“But—” she started, only to be stopped in her tracks by Nathan who shook his head.

“He loves to cook.” Nathan stared at Jonas. Blake smothered a laugh with a cough.

Izzy considered putting up a fight, but then—

Hold your horses, girl! You are so in danger of breaking rule number one. Don’t you remember how painful it was the last time you gave away your heart?

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