Page 38 of The Cowboy Fix

He pulled his brows together and drank down what was left of his water. “How can you be sure?”

Leaning on her arms, she handed him a flyer she’d pulled from the satchel. “Blake and Mal have booked the cottage for August twenty-fifth. This flyer is ready to drop off at the library, theStrawberry Ridge Journal, the Chamber of Commerce, the Booklover’s Hideaway, and any other business in town that will let us leave a stack on the checkout counter. I’ve also got a digital copy ready for social media. That should drum up some business.”

That was a lot of people who could interrupt the peace of the Triple L. Nathan’s enthusiasm cooled.

A colorized version of his drawing of the cottage looked back at him from the front page of the flyer. On the second page was his sketch of the blooming garden and wedding arch. Opposite that was a sweet paragraph about the cottage’s origins and a dedication to Adam and Zelda. The contact information needed to schedule an event was on the back.

Izzy watched him closely. “What do you think?”

He stared at the flyer, realizing for the first time that he was holding the means to make amends with his brothers. Concern propped up by gratitude washed through Nathan.

“I like it. Thank you for doing this.” He paused, then, “I just want to make sure the ranch isn’t about to be turned into a dude ranch.”

“It won’t be, I promise. We’ll cap the number who can attend the events and keep The Wedding Cottage and anything else we do low-keyed.”

He locked gazes with the amazing woman. “I don’t know if you can keep that promise, but if you promise, then I say let’s move forward. I’ll even help distribute the flyers. Jonas and Blake will be on board too.” Nathan was rewarded with a warm smile that warmed him up inside.

“I promise.”

Their food arrived. For the first time in a long time, he felt like they just might pull the Triple L out of trouble. “You’ve done a great job.”

“We’vedone a great job,” she corrected him. “The next thing I want to discuss is the ranch having a presence at the Strawberry Ridge Rodeo in September.”

“I’ve been thinking about that. I should have mentioned it when you asked about lessons.” Why hadn’t he? Because he’d had such a long convalescence, he’d lost the riders he was training. While he was stuck in a hospital bed, his students had moved on, taking their horses with them to the new trainer he’d recommended. “Before my accident, a lot of the riders and horses I trained made a strong showing.”

“We have seven weeks before the rodeo starts,” she reminded him before popping a forkful of salad into her mouth.

“That’s not much time to make connections.” The lady was a smart cookie. “Let’s focus on one thing at a time, all right?”

“Like you said, we don’t have much time before the rodeo to shake hands and make friends in all the right places.” She put her fork on her plate. The woman had a way about her. “It’ll be part of your branding.”

The spark in her eyes said she wasn’t giving up. The branding issue cinched the deal. “All right. You win.”

For now.

Chapter Twelve

The next day,while on her way to the cottage to see how the landscaping effort had gone, all Izzy could think about was Nathan’s proposal that they should concentrate on one thing at a time. It was crazy because at the time the only thing she wanted to focus on was the man sitting on the opposite side of the table. She’d tried to let a steady gaze confirm that she had no intention of giving up on her plan, but it’d been a halfhearted effort at best.

Nathan knew as well as she did that their time to save the ranch was running short, but her instincts told her becoming a major player at the rodeo was just as important for the ranch as opening The Wedding Cottage, or any other money-making scheme they’d decided on. She would not give up on the idea just because a good-looking rancher essentially told her to stay in one lane.

He didn’t know it, but when he’d given in and said she’d won, in her mind, he’d semi-agreed to talk to someone on the Strawberry Ridge Rodeo Association board about becoming a sponsor. All she had to do was get him there.

Except this morning, he’d come to the same conclusion. He’d sent her a text letting her know he had an appointment with the president of the association and that she could leave cleaning up the stalls until he got back. If he could compromise, so could she. What was the point of being hired for a job if he was going to let her off the hook whenever he wasn’t around? Besides, she liked keeping the stalls clean and comfortable for the horses. And she hadn’t been alone. Blake and Timmy worked with her before heading into town to see Malorie and the twins.

Left her to her own devices for the remainder of the day, she’d decided to follow her mom to the cottage. The sun was high in the sky, the day pleasantly warm enough that she had the window down. A breeze tugged at her braid. She could see why it was so easy for Malorie and the twins to make Strawberry Ridge and the Triple L their new home. Aside from falling in love with Blake and Timmy.

She would do her best to make sure Nathan and his brothers kept the ranch. And not just because life was slower and more peaceful on the Triple L. Or how. despite his grumpy introduction when she’d first met him, Nathan fit right in. He belonged here.

Where did she belong? On the road to her next job?

Parking by the cottage close to her mother’s Jeep, Izzy sternly reminded herself love wasn’t at the top of her bucket list. A little flirting with Nathan at Luke’s—if she could call it flirting, which she didn’t—was all she could do. He was her client. A guy who, from what she’d seen so far, liked being on his own. Entering into a relationship that was more than a professional partnership with the reclusive man would lose her all the traction she’d gained so far for her business.

Sylvia waved at her from the garden.

“Hi.” She hugged her mom. “I came to see how the planting went.”

“Those kids had the best time. Blake and Malorie are so good with them.” Her mom went back to slowly grooming the flower beds. “How’s the Triple L coming along?”

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