Page 18 of Choosing the Montana Cowboy

“It’s more that I don’t know how much say she has in the future of this project. Even if she agreed to help us block the project, that doesn’t mean her company would listen. This all might be a big waste of time.”

Madison nodded. “So, youwantto like her, but you’re afraid of getting burned in the end.”

By her, and every other woman on the planet.“Who said I want to like her?”

“Great-Gramps told me about the meeting the other night. Said your face was as red as the punch Natalie spilled on your shirt.”

“It was more about me being surprised, is all. That punch was cold!”

His daughter threw him a not-buying-it look. Sam sighed. When had his little girl gotten so good at reading past his BS?

“Sweetheart, my world is you and the ranch, and that’s all I really need.” Although, having a pretty little lady by his side had felt nice once upon a time. Too bad he and Sasha were apparently doomed from the start. “Besides, Natalie has a life and family back in Indiana. Ain’t no way I’m moving out there.”

Madison turned in her seat. “But, Dad, what if she’sthe one? What if you two totally hit it off and fall madly in love? Who says she can’t move out here?”

Old soul or not, now she was just talking nonsense. He’d already been heartbroken by one failed transplant. There was no sense in setting himself up for another heartbreak.

“Because outsiders don’t tend to last around here.”

Madison rolled her eyes. “Not everyone is like Mom. And she lasted longer than Gramps thought she would.”

But she still left.Sam looked away on a grunt. He didn’t want to live through that a second time.

“Gramps thinks this one is different, though.”

It was Sam’s turn to roll his eyes. How could Gramps possibly know that after meeting her one day ago?

“Your grandfather’s been spending too much time watching the Hallmark Channel—it’s starting to rot his brain. Heck, he’s been losing his dentures at least twice a week lately.” He slowed to turn up the Flying J’s main drive and made a funny face. “Brain. Rot.”

“Youthinkhe loses them, but if you ask me, he does it on purpose.” Madison winked. She remained quiet the rest of the drive to their place, not speaking again until he pulled to a stop. “Just promise you’ll keep an open mind tonight, okay? She could be good for you.”

His daughter pecked a kiss on his forehead then disappeared inside, leaving Sam with his thoughts. Keep an open mind? A soft snort escaped him. He’d tried that once, long ago, and look where it’d gotten him—alone, having to rely on his family to help raise a daughter more or less on his own. Why risk putting himself through another heartbreak?

So, you want to like her…

Did he? Sam struggled with that question as he climbed from the truck. Natalie was fun to talk to. And she didn’t back down when he pushed her for answers, which was irritating but admirable. But in truth, he didn’t really know her. And she worked for a company that was trying to swoop in and undermine their ranch, so what did that say about Little Miss Megawatt Smile from Indiana? For all he knew, she went around bulldozing houses and kicking puppies.

Except, he couldn’t picture her doing that. What he could picture, however, was her having a boyfriend back east. He’d be surprised if she didn’t. A beauty like her? And if not, the guys back east were probably lining up to take her out.

Theywere who she should be with, not him. And definitely not here. That was the thinking he needed to hold onto this evening. Because as fun as their conversation and lighthearted sparring had been, it wasn’t meant to last.

*

Natalie turned offI-89 and onto Meridian Road, drinking in the scenery. The drive out to the Miles’s ranch had been filled with sparse traffic and breathtaking views of Copper Mountain in the foreground and another mountain range beyond. Prairie grasses filled the landscape on either side of the road, dotted with wildflowers and thistles, all swaying gently in the evening breeze. She couldn’t help but smile at the difference between this view and the ones she’d grown up with in Indiana of corn and soybean fields.

The buildings out west were different from back home, too. Less modern-looking and cookie-cutter. And the yard decorations were… interesting to say the least. Some had flower beds, some had rusted old farm equipment. Though, as she passed one such arrangement involving a dilapidated riding mower at the center of a goat pen, she began to wonder if some of these structures weren’t decorations after all.

Natalie passed the goats and shook her head. Truth be told, she wasn’t sure what to expect out here tonight. Eli had made it sound like she’d be their dinner guest, not here to discuss the resort. Fine by her—she wanted to stay on the Miles family’s good side. The better their relationship was, the easier this entire approval process would be. Plus, if she could convince Sunnie that this project was best for the community, Mrs. Miles could sway her peers on the board of works. A tall order but doable. It had to be if Natalie wanted a chance at this promotion.

And oh, how she wanted that new position! The Bramble House’s lovely accommodations had Natalie itching to do some interior design transformations in her own house. It was high time she made the place feel more like home and less like a place to visit between assignments.

Natalie brushed off her nostalgia as she turned onto the Flying J’s main drive fifteen minutes ahead of Eli’s six o’clock invite. It felt like stepping back in time as she passed under the ranch’s wooden arch, which looked just like it had on the website. Up ahead, a giant log cabin stood with Copper Mountain in the backdrop. Two stone chimneys rose from the roofline, hinting at rustic fireplaces housed within. As she drew closer, Natalie found its broad front porch inviting, with porch swings and wooden rockers, flower planters, and galvanized buckets. Two large, fluffy dogs lounged on the porch’s far end, each lifting its head at her approach but neither bothering to rise and greet her.

Fine by her—animals made her nervous. She wanted to like them but had watched too many news stories of animal encounters gone wrong. Then there was that scary, white beast that’d lived in the house behind her childhood home. The one that lunged at her from behind its fence every time she’d gone outside. The neighbors had insisted he was just friendly and wanted to play; Natalie had insisted he was part Cujo and wanted to tear her limb from limb.

Fresh off the unwanted memory, she sat in her rental car, debating what to do. Sure, the dogs looked harmless enough, but would they come at her if she got out and headed for the door? With no one in sight, fear tightened its hold on her. If the dogs attacked, would anyone even hear her calling for help?

Movement in her rearview mirror drew her attention away from Thing One and Thing Two. She breathed a sigh of relief. Sam’s oversized truck. Surely, he could help her make it inside safely. Natalie rolled her window down as he stepped out and rounded the truck’s engine, and allowed herself a moment to enjoy the view.

---