Page 28 of The Cowboy Fix

Izzy nearly twirled on her toes. Already, she had ideas about what to do with his drawings. No one would ever guess the sweet pictures came from a grouchy cowboy. Her heart melted ever so slightly. How in the world was she going to keep her distance when Nathan Lohmen surprised her at every turn?

She’d put the pictures back in the folder and moved the saddlebags to Rosie. Just in case Nathan changed his mind about letting her keep his artwork, she would have them close at hand.

Blake and Malorie drove up. They had barely parked when the kids poured out of the back seat of Mal’s Bronco.

Andee and Reece raced up to her and hugged Izzy around the waist. “Hi, Aunt Izzy. We have a surprise for you.”

“A surprise? I love surprises.” She hugged them back and said to the boy watching her warily. “Hi, Timmy. Areyoumy surprise?”

The youngster shook his head.

Izzy looked up to see her mother emerge from Malorie’s Bronco. “Mom, what are you doing here? You look tired. Are you okay?”

Sylvia placed one arm around Izzy’s shoulders. “Can’t a mom pay her only daughter a visit?”

“Sure, if one’s mother was in the habit of popping in unannounced.” That wasn’t Sylvia Payton’s way. Her mom couldn’t have had any time at all to unpack from her riverboat trip. And she didn’t trust Sylvia to be honest with her about her health. “But since you’re here, I’d like you to meet Blake’s brother, Nathan.”

“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Payton.”

“You can call me Sylvia.” Her mom shook the hand Nathan held out and said, “Well, aren’t you handsome.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he agreed, winking at Sylvia.

“Mother!”

Fortunately, Nathan didn’t seem to mind. He smiled at Sylvia with a mischievous grin that Izzy could imagine he used to his advantage when he was a kid—or more recently when he went on dates.

The rancher and her mom were going to get along fine. Probably too well. Izzy just rolled her eyes.

Chapter Nine

After sending thelist of supplies they would need to start the cottage project to Jonas, Nathan stood back and watched Izzy with her mom. The two women were so easy with one another and so much alike. Deep inside where he didn’t let anyone in, he wished his conversations with his brothers were as simple. He could see the woman Izzy would be as she got older, and he liked that person.

The ladies disappeared into his mom’s shed. Izzy was telling her mom about their idea to turn the building into The Wedding Cottage. He was surprised at how much she liked his drawings. She’d grabbed them from the saddlebag she’d switched to Rosie’s saddle, probably thinking he hadn’t noticed, but he had. What was she up to besides taking ownership of his drawings?

He might be okay with that. She wanted him to trust her. Nathan wasn’t sure he had it in him to let her get that close. He hadn’t shared his drawings with anyone except his mom until he showed them to Izzy. He couldn’t believe he’d drawn them in the first place with only the hazy thought that he wanted to capture her vision of the cottage.

Izzy Payton was a whirlwind when she got an idea in her head. And despite his halfhearted, ineffective attempts to get her to go on her way, she’d made it clear she was on the Triple L to stay. At least until she finished the job he’d inadvertently hired her to do.

The lady was a hard one to keep up with. Once he decided to let her stay, she hadn’t let him off the hook. He wasn’t sure if he appreciated her high-handedness. What he did know was that for the first time, he could see the future. Maybe not with Izzy, who was headed in a different direction than he was, but with the right woman who could love the ranch as much as he did, and who would be happy to share a rancher’s life.

Izzy couldn’t possibly be the one. As far as he could tell, she was hopelessly obsessed with her work. He wanted more. Yes, for now, he wanted to fix the ranch, so they didn’t have to sell. When that was accomplished, there would be time to focus on his future.

So, he’d drawn the pictures, and like a love-starved puppy wanting attention, he couldn’t wait to present them to Izzy, hoping she would like them. A relieved flush warmed him from the inside out when she more than liked them.

He’d realized while doing the drawings that he didn’t want to grow old alone. A grown man of thirty-three shouldn’t be afraid of something that was potentially out of his hands. He would put in whatever effort it took to make sure the ranch continued to thrive. And if he got lucky, he would find the right woman. Hopefully, they would welcome two kids into their family—a girl and a boy, by natural means or adoption, it didn’t matter.

Where that dream came from, Nathan didn’t know. All he knew was that since Izzy’s arrival, his expectations had changed. He had changed.

Izzy and Sylvia came out of the shed talking animatedly. Izzy’s mom was holding one of his drawings as they went to the side of the shed where the garden would be. He followed them just to be sure they didn’t go overboard. He had a feeling that once they got the bit between their teeth, together mom and daughter would be unstoppable.

Reece and Timmy raced ahead of Nathan. Blake and Malorie disappeared inside the shed.

“Can I see?” Andee leaned over Sylvia’s arm to see the garden picture. “That is so pretty.”

Izzy’s mom looked up as he approached. “You’re very talented. This is lovely.”

“Thanks.” The way Izzy looked at him made Nathan’s heart beat faster. A big mistake, since she wasn’t likely to change her life for a rancher who wanted to raise a family in the place where his heart had grown deep roots.

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