Page 32 of The Cowboy Fix

He’d meant to put some figurative distance between them, and he hoped she would accept his apology. Nathan reluctantly smiled, welcoming his resistance to Izzy’s natural sass.

She was quite the lady. Too bad they hadn’t moved closer to having the same future in mind. Looking down the road, nothing had changed.

“One more thing. Nobody knows about my drawings, not even my brothers. I’d like to keep it that way.”

“Too late.” She patted the saddlebag behind her. “The cat is already out of the bag. Besides, your talent is too good to keep it hidden. They’ll see them anyway when they see the flyers.”

He heaved out a sigh. Secretly, he appreciated her strength of will but if he wasn’t careful, he’d end up with a bigger crush on the woman riding Rosie than he’d briefly had for Malorie. And this time he was afraid it wouldn’t be as easy to come to his senses. It’d be better if he just stayed out of her way.

Chapter Ten

Four days afterNathan had shown Izzy his drawings, she was champing at the bit to see how far the brothers had gotten on the cottage project. She hadn’t seen him much and when she did, he didn’t hang around to pass the time of day.

Izzy was determined to ask if he would do more sketches. Maybe add color. Tell a visual story. If he agreed, the results would be perfect for the promotional materials she was putting together. Maybe try to talk him into an online gallery? If she could. Yes, he’d kept his drawings a secret, and she didn’t plan to push him too far, but holy moly, the man had more than one talent that could benefit the ranch’s bottom line.

When she’d first come to the Triple L and assessed the ranch’s possibilities, getting a general idea of what it would take to bring the Lohmen brothers’ property out of financial crisis, Izzy realized part of what she had to do was put the Triple L, and the brothers, specifically Nathan since he was the lone holdout, back on Strawberry Ridge’s map.

Maybe she could find an artist who drew town maps and buy an ad for the Triple L and the Rangerbred horses raised on the ranch. She knew a woman in Kentucky who drew beautiful community maps. If Sally’s schedule wasn’t already booked tight maybe she could squeak Strawberry Ridge in.

Which reminded her that she needed a budget for promo. One more conversation she had to have with the brothers. Sooner, rather than later.

Currently, her initial idea was evolving. It wasn’t enough just to work her magic to save the ranch. What she wanted now was to put a spotlight on the Triple LandNathan, so folks could see what a modern working horse ranch that leaned into the past looked like. Instead of having to hire hands, maybe a selected number could work on the ranch for a learning experience without turning the place into an overrun tourist spot. If she allowed that to happen Nathan would back out and never speak to her again. That wasn’t something she was willing to risk.

He wanted simple, like when his parents were alive. She completely understood. Whatever she instituted, she had to keep it minimal for the cowboy. Visitors to The Wedding Cottage and those taking horseback-riding lessons from Blake, and barrel-racing training from Nathan, in today’s frantic world, were looking for a moment that reminded them of the forties and fifties, when times, true or not, seemed easier. Sunnier. More serene.

What made Mayberry, well Mayberry? Izzy knew exactly what it was. Her mother had mentioned the old Andy Griffith show a time or two when she was having one of her nostalgic moments. Community. Lazy summers. A time of innocence.

That’s where the Strawberry Ridge Rodeo came into the picture. There was nothing, in Izzy’s opinion anyway, that harkened back to a more memorable time than a good old-fashioned riding contest. Nathan hadn’t had time to give her lessons yet. That was another thing she wanted to talk to him about. In a month and a half, she might not be ready to ride in this year’s rodeo, but she wanted to know the ropes to see how things were done when she watched from the stands.

“How are you guys doing?” she asked Andee, the most focused of the kids when it came to getting her chores done.

Reece and Timmy were more easily distracted. They were playing with the kittens. Luckily, it looked like the stalls were clean and ready for the horses to return to that afternoon.

Andee put her hay fork in the tack room. “We’re all done.”

“What do you think about running out to the cottage and seeing how far the boys have gotten?”

That pulled Reece and Timmy away from the kittens. “Yeah! When can we go,” Timmy asked.

“As soon as you grab snacks and water to take with us,” Izzy laughed.

Malorie had started working at the hospital a few days ago, and Sylvia discovered she had friends who’d just moved to Strawberry Ridge, so Izzy had charge of the kids. A first for her, really, since she hadn’t had a chance to spend much time with the twins and now Timmy. It was all good.

Ten minutes later, they loaded into her sunshine-colored Range Rover, boys in the back seat, girls in the front, and were on their way.

“Did Mom tell you I’m going to be her maid of honor?” Andee asked, a delighted grin lighting up her face.

“Malorie told me. She asked me to be her bridesmaid.” Izzy kept her speed down on the dirt road to avoid uneven ruts. The sun bounced off the hood of the Rover. She felt like she was in paradise and could stay forever. Very odd since she loved going to new places. With her career, it would be impossible to settle in one place, wouldn’t it? “Question. What is your favorite thing about the ranch?”

Andee didn’t hesitate. “I like how quiet it is. I can read. Hear myself think. I love it.” She’d spent a lot of time with her mom and was very articulate for an eleven-year-old, but Izzy loved that about the ranch too. Shecouldhear herself think.

“I like working with horses the best,” Timmy said from the backseat.

She’d noticed how taken he was with Nathan’s animals. And how easy and less anxious he was with them, especially Grace.

Izzy glanced in the rearview mirror. “How about you, Reece? What do you like best?”

“My favorite thing is going to the pond. Did you know there are frogs there? Someday I want to be a scientist who studies amphibians and reptiles.”

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