“I don’t know, honey – go pee on that stick and we’ll find out together.”
“I wish I could, but I want to save it until Ethan gets home.”
“You’re not just marrying him because you might be pregnant, though, are you?” Becka asked.
“No. Definitely not. I’m head over heels for this guy, Becka. I never thought I’d be this happy.”
“Then I guess I’m happy for you,” she said, although she didn’t sound completely convinced. “Give me the details and I’ll buy my ticket right now.”
Five minutes later, she clicked off the phone and stared at it, willing herself the courage to dial her mother’s cell number. The conversation wasn’t going to be pretty – she’d told her mother she was here researching a story, but left the details deliberately vague, so her news was going to come entirely out of left field. She took a deep breath and punched in the number.
“Hi, Mom,” she said when Teresa picked up.
“Autumn! Hi, honey – where are you?”
“I’m still in Montana, working on that…thing,” she began and then wanted to knock her head against the wall. “But something’s happened.”
“What is it? I have to hurry, I’m on my way into the office.”
Autumn could picture her mother rushing around her ultra-modern townhouse, finding her shoes and her purse and her briefcase.
“I’m getting married,” she blurted. “Next Saturday. He’s a cowboy and I love him and we’re going to run a guest ranch and I totally love him. Can you make the wedding? We can put you up.” She bit her lip and waited for Teresa’s reaction.
Her mother appeared to have lost her voice. After a couple of strangled noises, she finally cleared her throat. “Did you just say you’re getting married?”
“Yes.”
“To whom?”
“His name is Ethan Cruz. He owns a ranch here in Montana.” Autumn bit her lip and hunched lower on the bed, every muscle in her body clenched in anticipation of her mother’s next words.
“You’re getting married to a man who owns a ranch in Montana.”
“Yes.”
“How long ago did you meet this Ethan Cruz?” Teresa’ voice was icy cold. Damn, that wasn’t good.
“Three weeks ago.”
“And he owns a ranch.”
“A cattle ranch, yes.”
“This is a profitable ranch?”
“Umm…”
Shit
! “It’s got a few problems, but we’ve figured out a way to…”
“And the wedding is next week.”
“Yes, but…”
“A week from today you’re marrying a man you barely know who owns an unprofitable ranch in Montana. Do I have that right?”
“Yes,” Autumn whispered. This was going worse than she expected.
“That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. You get your ass on the next plane back home – tonight – or I’m sending Lily there after you. You’re going to tell that insolvent cowboy to get back on the horse he rode in on, and we’re going to sort out your future once and for all. There’s still time for you to get your master’s degree. You can get your MBA, if you’re so keen on working in the hospitality business. I don’t know why we didn’t think of it sooner.”
“Mom…”
“Now, Autumn. Do I make myself clear? You get on that plane right NOW.”
A tear spilled down her cheek. “No, Mom. I’m not coming home. I love Ethan, and his financial situation is just fine – we’ve already figured out exactly what we’re going to do. I’m getting married next Saturday at 4 o’clock in the afternoon right here at Ethan’s ranch, and I’d love for you and Lily to be here – but only if you come to support me. I don’t need any more lectures about the right way or wrong way to live my life. It’s my life, Mom. I’m choosing what I want to do. I’ll email you all the information. I hope you’ll come and walk me down the aisle, since Daddy won’t be here to do it.”
She hung up before her mother could answer and walked on unsteady legs out to the back porch. She lived here in Chance Creek now and this ranch and the nearby town would be her home from here on out. Maybe she wouldn’t have any family attending her wedding, after all, but the rest of the guests would soon be her friends if she had any say in it. This was where she was making her stand. Here with Ethan on the Cruz family ranch.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“Good to see you, Matt, but I still don’t understand why you couldn’t answer my questions over the phone,” Ethan said as he took the chair Matt offered him in front of the large, walnut desk.
“I’ll explain everything.” Matt took his own seat but left the door to his office open, presumably because his secretary wasn’t in and he wanted to see his mystery buyer when he arrived.
“So who is this guy who wants my 100 acres?” Ethan said, settling back in the chair.
“Before we get into that, let’s talk about Autumn’s idea. I’m assuming she’s filled you in on everything. Did you get a chance to read over her numbers?”
“Yep.” Ethan nodded. “Looks like a good idea, as long as I can stay concentrating on the cattle and the day to day operations of the ranch. I’m not what you’d call a social butterfly, and I don’t think I’d be all that good at riding herd on a bunch of tourists. Autumn says as long as I make an appearance now and then and tell a few stories to the guests in the evenings, it’ll be all right. She wants to handle the cooking and supplies, and we’ll hire people to help out both in the lodge and to entertain guests with trail rides and chores.” He used finger quotes to express his opinion of this last part. A bunch of greenhorns wouldn’t be a lot of help with the cattle, but he was sure he could come up with something to keep them busy and out of trouble.
“I think it’s a terrific idea. There are lots of successful guest ranches in Montana, but none in Chance Creek that I know of. Your Big House has a terrific view and as far as I remember it’s the lap of luxury inside.”
“Thanks to Momma,” Ethan said wryly.
“So what you need is a little ready cash for starting up and a means to buy out Claire – am I right?”
“That about sums it up. Think we can swing it?”
“I do. I took the liberty of calling Claire and setting up a meeting later. Meanwhile, I think our buyer for your acres has arrived. I’ve done up the paperwork for the sale and for buying out Claire. If all goes well, we’ll plow through it all this morning.”
“You work fast,” Ethan said, surprised.
“I felt it behooved us for me to do so. Claire has another buyer lined up for the ranch – the whole ranch.”
Ethan looked away. “Lacey,” he said, his jaw tight. “I heard.”
“Claire's more than a little miffed that you keep putting her off and she let me know about it. I figured it would be best for everyone concerned to avoid that outcome,” Matt said. He glanced out the door .“Good, he’s here – let’s get started.”
You could have knocked Ethan over with a feather when Jamie walked in, the same grin plastered on his face that stole the hearts of every woman within a hundred miles. “Hey, Ethan.”
“Jamie. What’re you doing here?”
“Looking to buy me some land. Actually, I’m looking for more than that. Matt will explain.” He took the other chair in the office and tipped it back, resting one booted foot atop his other leg, supremely confident, as usual. Nothing ever seemed to faze Jamie.
Ethan wished he felt anywhere near as confident. He turned to Matt. “I’m listening.”
“Jamie, here, has saved up a fair whack of cash,” Matt began. “Seems he should have been an investment banker rather than a cowboy.”
“My Daddy tried his damndest to make me one,” Jamie interjected. “Didn’t take.”
Ethan suppressed a smile. He hadn’t thought about that in ages. Poor Jamie had spent four years sweating it out at Montana State while the rest of them got right to living after high school. He’d hated every minute of it and spent every available weekend and summer on the Cruz Ranch working with Ethan and his dad until he felt more like a brother than a friend. The minute he graduated with his BA in Business Administration, he’d booked it back to the ranch and hadn’t left since. Jamie was the quintessential cowboy, as far as Ethan was concerned. He lived and breathed horses and was one of the best ranch hands he’d ever worked with. The idea of him working a desk job was laughable.
“Some of it took,” Matt said. “You’ve done a terrific job with your investments.”
Jamie shrugged. “Don’t have much call to spend my money.”
Ethan laughed out loud. “That’s for sure. You ever been with Jamie at the bar?” he asked Matt. “Ever seen him buy a round? Jamie puts the cheap in cheapskate. Everybody knows that!”
“It worked, didn’t it?” Jamie said, some of the smugness gone from his face. “I’ve got enough cash to secure a loan to buy 100 acres of your land.”
“What’re you going to do with it?” Ethan asked.
“Breed horses.”
“You won’t work for me no more?”
Jamie studied the painting behind Matt’s desk. “I’d like to work
with
you. I’d like to buy in to a share of the ranch and keep the property as a single parcel. Matt told me about Autumn’s idea and I think it’s a terrific one. I wouldn’t mind working with the guests – teaching them to ride, taking them out on day trips. Maybe taking groups out for week-long camping trips out on the range. I like that kind of thing.”
“You wouldn’t mind dealing with all those people?”
A smile curved Jamie’s lips. “I like people.”
“You like women. What about their husbands and children?”
“I reckon I can tolerate a few of them, too. I like teaching people stuff. I like the idea of getting kids away from their computers and out into the real world. Can you imagine what it’d be like to put a kid on a horse for the first time and lead them out into the country? I think that’s gotta be better than us losing the ranch and having to work for Carl.”
Ethan’s knuckles tightened reflexively on the armrests of his chair. “You got that right.” He studied Jamie. “I didn’t realize you loved the ranch that much.”
Jamie bristled. “I helped build those fences alongside you and your Daddy. I was out there every second I could – helping birth the foals, training all those horses. I may not be blood, but you can’t deny my sweat’s been poured over every inch of that land!”
“Whoa! I wasn’t attacking you.” Ethan stood up and held out his hand to Jamie. “I was welcoming you.” The outer door to the office opened and someone came in, but Jamie stood up, too, and blocked his view.
He hesitated. “You saying you’ll sell to me?”
“I’m saying I can’t think of anyone else I’d want as a business partner. I’d be proud to co-own the ranch with you.”
He was about to shake Jamie’s hand when Claire stormed into the office. “What the hell is going on here? You can’t sell a partnership to the ranch! I’m half owner, and I’m selling the whole thing to Lacey and Carl!”
“Claire,” Matt got between them and held out a hand. “Thanks for coming. Sit down.” He cleared his throat and Jamie quickly moved away from his chair to make it available to her.
“I’m not going to sit down until I know what the hell’s going on here.” She crossed her arms over her chest, her sleek bob swinging.
“Calm down, Claire – it’s good news. I’m buying you out. You’ll have enough money to open up a whole chain of interior design businesses,” Ethan said.
Her gaze swept from Ethan to Matt to Jamie. “Really? I’ll get half the price of the ranch?” She sat down and faced Matt. “Tell me.”
“Six hundred-thousand dollars,” Matt said, drawing a sheaf of papers out of a file folder. “Jamie’s buying a quarter share in the ranch, and together they’ll qualify for a second mortgage that will buy you out. When everything’s settled and signed, you’ll have your money and Ethan and Jamie will own the ranch.”
“And Autumn,” Ethan said.
“And Autumn, just as soon as the two of you are married,” Matt agreed.
“Oh, my God,” Claire said. “I didn’t think…I had no idea…” She turned to Ethan. “But you’ll be up to your eyeballs in debt!”
“I’m already up to my eyeballs in debt,” Ethan said. “But Autumn came up with a great idea. We’re going to open the Big House as a guest ranch. She loves to cook and she’s amazing at it. She wants to feed the guests, and Jamie here wants to handle the outside chores – teaching guests to ride, and all that. I’ll keep running the ranch like I’ve always done and we’ll hire some kids from town to do the rest.”
Claire blinked. “That’s…a really good idea.”
“Don’t sound so surprised,” Ethan said, sitting back in his chair. “My bride’s pretty smart.”
Claire looked skeptical. “If she’s so smart why would she pick you for a husband?”
“Ouch!” Ethan scowled and Claire grinned. For a second his sister looked like her old self, before she’d grown up and gone boy crazy, before all the fights with their mother. God, he missed those days.
“You sure you don’t want to go in on the business with us?” Jamie asked Claire. “You could help out with the horses, too. Teach kids to ride?”
Now it was Ethan’s turn to blink. It was like Jamie had read his mind and also remembered Claire as she used to be – crazy for riding and one of the best in the entire county at it. But as far as he knew Claire hadn’t been on a horse since she hightailed it to Billings years ago. She hated the ranch and everything about it; he just wished he knew why. Sure, she’d fought like cats and dogs with their mother during her teenage years, but that was water way under the bridge. Maybe it wasn’t for Claire, though. She hadn’t made up with her mother before their parents’ deaths.