Page 35 of The Cowboy Fix

“I see. Well, I don’t think a person can grade how broken her heart is. In any case, it seemed to me that maybe you were still trying to figure out what you wanted your marriage to look like. I was as surprised as you that he waited until the last minute to take off with Catheryn. I wish them well, but the man is not dependable husband material. You’re better off without him.”

“Is that why you never married? After Dad died, you couldn’t find a dependable man?” Izzy had always wondered. Her dad died in a car crash, hit by a drunk driver before he even knew Sylvia was pregnant.

Sylvia hesitated for a moment her gaze focused on the profusion of color on the table in front of them. She finally looked at Izzy. “I should have married your father when he asked me, but I was too scared to trust. My parents had a horrible marriage. They fought all the time. If that’s what marriage was supposed to be like, I wanted no part of it. And then your dad died, and I found out I was pregnant. I didn’t want to take any chances that we would end up stuck in the same kind of relationship my parents had. So, I filled my life with adventures instead and took you with me.”

“After Jim, I don’t know if I can trust myself to fall for a man who might or might not stay.” Sylvia pulled Izzy into a tight hug. “How do I get over that, Mom?”

Her mom pulled back and smiled. “I wish I knew. I think it just takes practice. Meet some guys. Go on dates. See what your gut instincts tell you and go from there.”

The image of Nathan Lohmen flashed through her mind. Dark-haired, black eyes, close-trimmed beard, and mustache, all gave him a bad-boy look. Bare-chested as he worked on the cottage that she was counting on bringing a bit of financial life back to his ranch. What did her intuition say about that?

Instead of answering the question, Izzy looked around to catch sight of the kids. “I don’t remember you dating anyone.”

“I had a daughter to raise. You were enough family for me.” Sylvia patted Izzy’s wrist. “And once you went to college, I was too set in my ways to make room for dating.”

“I want you to be happy, not giving up dating because of me.” Izzy spotted the kids several tables over setting aside lupines and lavender.

“I am happy. Sweet girl, I can do anything and go anywhere that inspires me.” Sylvia laughed. “Now don’t worry about me. Take care ofyourheart instead.” She glanced slyly at Izzy. Not a good sign. “Nathan is a sweetheart, isn’t he?”

Good grief.Izzy couldn’t lie. “Maybe, but I don’t think he will agree with you.” She tried shifting Sylvia’s attention away from Nathan to discourage whatever mischief her mom was thinking of getting into. “I’m not looking for a sweet man, Mom. I have a business to run.”

For a second a sad look shifted over her mom’s face, but then disappeared as Sylvia took over pushing the cart. “We’d better corral those kids before they buy out the whole store.”

“Mom—”Don’t go there, Izzy wanted to say more. But Sylvia wasn’t listening. She’d already caught up with the kids.

Her mom was right. Nathan was a good guy. That wasn’t the point. Izzy thought he just didn’t know it. He’d been too busy fighting with his brothers. Only since she’d suggested turning his mom’s shed into a wedding venue had his lighter side come out.

In Sylvia’s estimation, he was probably good marriage material. Attached to the land. Constant in a determined way. Forged by circumstances to be strong. Her mom understood people who walked the not-so-easy path.

Izzy on the other hand, was not the marrying kind. Just like her mom.

She paid for the flowers. Of course, the kids had picked out too many, but she didn’t put any back. She wouldn’t let them go to waste. Hugging Sylvia and waving goodbye as her mom drove off, she texted Nathan and Blake to let them know she was taking the twins and Timmy back to the guesthouse and would have dinner waiting for the brothers when they finished their work.

While the kids spent the rest of the afternoon putting together a puzzle at the table, she pushed aside her continuing thoughts of one tempting cowboy, retreated to the couch, and went over her plans for the Triple L again. There had to be more that she could do. Her idea of having one or two people come to get experience on the ranch stayed with her.

If she also got Nathan involved with the rodeo, it would be a little over the top, although maybe straightforward enough. He’d agreed to give her barrel-racing lessons. Rebranding the ranch and Nathan would fit right into that. And while sexy cowboy wasn’t what she had in mind—she pushed back on the image burned into her mind of the shirtless, working rancher—she could see him and the ranch carving out a new place of respect in the Colorado Ranger community. Getting them reconnected with the rodeo was one way to elevate them—the ranch, the horses, and Nathan—in the right direction.

She put away her papers. Getting Nathan on board might be a challenge. Thanks to her mom, she had an idea of how to make that happen. She’d done her research. Izzy grinned. Luke’s Grill would fit the bill. She’d read about the eatery’s history in theStrawberry Ridge Journal. Its casual dining and menu included burgers, fries, taco offerings, and beer. That should put him at ease enough to lock in the idea of him showing up at the rodeo in a big way.

She wouldn’t call it a date, but if she could talk him into a business meeting away from the ranch, they could finalize a solid plan for The Wedding Cottage and Blake’s riding lessons and Nathan’s barrel-racing training to at least slow the Triple L’s slip into oblivion.

Chapter Eleven

With summer revvingup, Nathan had gone out into the barn early to avoid the heat coming later in the day. Wiping the sweat off his brow with his forearm, he wished he could stop thinking about Izzy Payton as easily. The lady was a menace to his peace of mind. A pest he couldn’t seem to ignore. He wanted to get to know her better, but she wasn’t his only problem.

Working with Jonas and Blake on their mom’s she-shed was an eye-opener. He didn’t want to be at odds with his brothers anymore.

Blake and Timmy came down the stairs from their apartment over the barn. Blake leaned into the stall Nathan was finishing up—it was the last one. “Do you need help?”

“No,” he said briefly, then decided if he had the guts, Blake could be just the one he should talk to about finding himself at a crossroads. “I’m almost done.” It wasn’t many more words but at least it wasn’t his usual grunt at his brother.

“Good.” Placing a hand on Timmy’s shoulder, Blake studied him closely. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

Nathan straightened. Now just wasn’t the time. “I’m okay. What are your plans for the day?”

Timmy pushed his glasses up on his nose, a grin spreading across his young face. “We bought some plants. Dad said we can plant them.”

The kid wasn’t the same reserved boy who’d come to live on the ranch with his dad. Nathan hoped he’d played a little part in making him feel like the Triple L was his home—the same as it was his home when he was Timmy’s age. He wished he’d understood that better at the time.

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