Page 16 of The Cowboy Fix

Chapter Five

What in theworld was he thinking? And what wasshethinking, determined to pay rent when if he hired her to rescue the ranch, providing her with a place to stay would be part of the deal?

Izzy Payton was too danged stubborn—wasn’t that the pot calling the kettle black, if he believed his brothers? And she way too cute. That was the problem.

Before he’d gone to bed last night, Nathan had gotten online and researched her company, Payton Business Restoration Solutions. She was who she said she was and had stellar reviews.

Finished cleaning up from breakfast, he tossed the dish towel on the counter. A restless night’s sleep hadn’t helped the ache in his hips.

Gingerly sitting at the desk in the office that Blake had confiscated while Nathan was convalescing, he opened an envelope from the veterinary office. It was a bill and not a small amount either. Maybe rent money would come in handy after all.

Just on principle, he wished he could tear up her check when she gave it to him, but Payton was right. He couldn’t afford to turn down potential customers and didn’t have the luxury of being picky about what activities he added to the Triple L’s daily routine, either, though he still didn’t want to give up what was best about living on the ranch.

Nathan tapped the envelope on the desk. He loved his home more than anything in the world. He may have let his parents and the Triple L down, but now was time to get his head out of the hay pile and cooperate with Izzy Payton. If that meant getting along better with Jonas and Blake, then he’d have to do that too.

Getting to his feet, he went to stare out the window at the land he loved. Too much time had passed to register Duke the easy way. He’d have to go online, find the association’s web page, and see what the rules were about getting papers for an unregistered Rangerbred horse.

One more time he searched every inch of the office and like he knew he would, came up empty-handed.

About to drown his discouragement in a hot cup of coffee, glimpsed Izzy out the window patting Rosie’s neck. Grabbing two bottles of water instead, he went to see what the resourceful woman was up to. He might even offer her an apology and let her press him a little about what to do next for the ranch.

Did he believe she could work magic when it came to saving failing businesses? Maybe she could and maybe she couldn’t. It was time to find out.

“Hi there.” Okay, he could do better than that. Holding out one of the bottles as Duke ambled closer from his side of the pasture, he smoothed the rough edges out of his tone. “I brought you some water.”

“I’m making friends.” She took the water he offered, then pulled an envelope from her pocket.

The disputed rent payment, he guessed. He folded the envelope in half and tucked it away in his shirt pocket, liking how her brows arched in disbelief. He’d surprised Izzy Payton. That was good because he intended to surprise her again. And he was going to mean it.

“I’m sorry I’ve been a pain to work with. I would try to come up with a good excuse, but I have none.” He twisted the cap off the bottle. “If you’re willing, I’m hoping to put that behind us.”

“And move forward on our joint effort to save the ranch?” She appeared more curious than anything. “What changed your mind?”

“You.” It was the simple truth. When a spike of concern flooded her expressive sky-blue eyes, Nathan hastened to explain. “Not because I think we have something personal going on—” He took a breath and started over. “I researched your company, and you’ve done some good work—”

Her brows shot up. “Just good?”

“Alright, great. I’ve given it a lot of thought and your reputation is what the Triple L needs. You may have fresh insight and some ideas my brothers and I haven’t thought of. You want to partner up. I’ve decided to take you up on your offer.”

The tension left her shoulders. Her lips stretched into a smile. Nathan forced himself to stop staring. He scratched Duke’s neck. “It’s win-win. If we pull this off, you get a new notch on your résumé, and we get to keep the ranch.”

“Okay. Good.” She slipped her hands into her back pockets. “On the chance that you might change your mind, I started a business plan for the Triple L last night. But before I send it to you, I’d like to have a look around the place so I can get an understanding of your goals. The ranch isn’t just your home, it’s your business too. You have a hundred acres, right?”

His homeandhis business? That was a new one on Nathan. He’d only ever thought of the Triple L as home.

“My only goal is to keep the ranch and operations as simple as possible,” he said firmly. “Originally the folks had double the land the ranch has now. They sold half to invest in Dad’s passion for Rangerbred horses. He wanted to leave a legacy for his children. That’s how I plan to keep it. As natural as the day they bought the property.”

“Got it,” she said, understanding lighting her eyes.

For the first time since his accident, Nathan decided to roll with the punches. “Okay, well, do you have anything going on today? I can take you on a tour now if you’re free.”

“Nope. I’m all yours.” Pink sprouted on her cheeks. “I mean—”

“Of course,” he reassured the lady as he ignored the blast of awareness that rushed his don’t-need-anyone armor.

Not for a second did he think anything serious could happen between him and Payton. He had the ranch to think of, and when she was done with her part, she would go on her way. But holy Hannah, was he in trouble. Izzy’s enthusiasm was contagious and more than he knew what to do with. Her thick red hair hung in a ponytail down her back. His fingers itched to bury themselves in the heavy curls. When her eyes sparkled with excitement like they did now... oh man...

Suddenly, he could see red-haired girls who looked just like their mother.

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