Page 46 of Choosing the Montana Cowboy

“The mayor asked me to meet with him, get him up to speed on the resort project.” She carved another piece of fish, then realized the table had gone quiet. Natalie looked up in time find everyone staring. “I mean, I can’t exactly go around telling everyone the projectisn’thappening yet—we have to get Neil here to get video evidence first. So my boss recommended I keep lines of communication open with Marietta’s decision-makers.”

Sunnie studied her from her seat at the head of the table for a moment, then conceded with a nod. “I suppose that does make sense. Though you may want to work something into the conversation about the possibility of the project not going through so it’s not as surprising if and when it doesn’t.”

“Yep, Steven and I talked through a strategy earlier in the week after you all sprang the ferret news on me.” She took another bite of fish. “I’m not gonna lie—he took the news way better than I’d expected.”

“That’s great to hear,” Eli said. “Now, you just make sure this photography friend of yours has his camera ready, because we need some ferret pictures. Stat.”

Natalie looked around the table at the family who had treated her so graciously, wanting so badly to make that happen. Yes, she loved her job and her company, and yes, the resort could be a wonderful asset to Marietta. But there were just too many ways it could negatively affect the Mileses, and for that, she hoped it would ultimately be built somewhere else.

“I’m sure he’ll do the very best he can.”

She just hoped he would have better luck at finding them than she had so far.

Chapter Fifteen

Sam dropped Madisonoff at their place after dinner so she could study for something at school tomorrow, then drove Natalie back to the Bramble House. It’d been a good day, and Natalie seemed to have enjoyed her time with them again. That made him happy, too. Almost as happy as when she’d laid to rest his family’s worries about her upcoming meeting with Chuck Banyard. But Sam had been selfishly looking forward to some alone time with her since the moment she’d opened her hotel door, looking all studious with her hair pulled into a messy bun and wearing comfy, mismatched clothes. That she hadn’t been flustered at being caught dressed that way made her all the more endearing.

Of course, he preferred her wearing nothing at all—a sentiment he made sure to express without words before heading back to the ranch.

Eventually, though, he kissed her good night and apologized for needing to get back.

“Don’t ever apologize for needing to take care of your family, Sam,” was her response, followed by a sweet kiss goodbye. “Family should come first. Always.”

He loved that she understood and hated that their time together was growing shorter by the day. Sam lay in bed that night for a long while, wishing she was here beside him, and wondering what the next few weeks would bring. Would Neil catch the ferrets on camera his first trip out, or would he have to make a second trip? That wouldn’t be so bad for Sam; it would guarantee more time with Natalie.

Although he was starting to notice a touch of melancholy in her voice when she talked about home these past few days. Maybe she was starting to get homesick. Lord knew, if he was gone from the ranch as long as she’d been away, he sure as hell would be.

If only he could convince her to pick up and move out here. Not necessarily in with him and Madison right away, but at least to Marietta. Then he could take the time to court her properly.

It didn’t work last time.

Sam rolled to his side, not wanting to listen to that still, small voice. Last time had been different.Shehad been different. But deep down, he feared getting hurt again. No, staying would need to be her idea, not his. Though, that didn’t mean he couldn’t make suggestions to get her thinking about it.

Thatidea finally allowed him the peace to fall asleep.

He spent his Monday indoors. One day, running the business side of the ranch would fall into Sam’s hands. Until then, he was more than content to let his father do the number crunching. Unfortunately, those chores were tough to do when his father and mother were cruising around the Caribbean.

His parents’ vacation had been a surprise gift from Sam and his siblings last Christmas. Technically, the cruise was from Jaxon, who seemed to have more money than he knew what to do with these days. But for their parents to be able to go on such an extensive cruise, someone had to cover for them while they were gone. So Norah had agreed to absorb their mother’s daily tasks of scheduling and coordinating guided tours and overseeing ordering and menu planning for the lodge’s kitchen. That left Sam to handle his father’s financial duties, which meant he was doing his least favorite tasks: reviewing payroll, paying vendors, and responding to bull inquiries.

The Flying J had a reputation for high-quality steer and cows, which sometimes led to inquiries. Great for supplementing the ranch’s income but tedious as hell to Sam. Jaxon must have sensed his irritation from across the miles; he called midmorning to rub it in.

“How goes the bean counting, Sammy?”

Sam tossed his pencil aside and leaned back on a groan. “How about you come home and I’ll show you. Better yet, I’ll let you take a crack at it yourself so I can get back in a saddle.”

Jaxon laughed. “Nah, I’m good. Besides, you’ve gotta learn eventually. Maybe sooner than later if Ma and Pa enjoy this cruise as much as we all hope they will.”

Sam grimaced. Of course he wanted his parents to have an amazing time. What he didn’t want was this to become a regular occurrence.

“I’m starting to think maybe you need to come run the place when you’re done lassoing cattle in front of all those admiring fans,” he said. “Leave me to tend to the herd.”

Jaxon snorted. “Can you really see me sitting behind a desk all day long?”

Sam chuckled. Jaxon had never been able to sit still. The rodeo trail had been calling him since the day he learned how to crawl.

“Let’s just say if you have a sudden hankering to settle down, I won’t fight you for this chair.”

“Fair enough,” Jaxon said. “So, what’s this I hear about you going and getting yourself a girl?”

---