by Kate Pearce
“Damn . . .” Adam muttered.
“And here’s the dilemma.” Chase didn’t look away. “We’ve all agreed we need new housing in Morgantown to attract people to work here, and to allow our legacy families to stick around, but no one wants a housing development in their own backyard.”
Adam spoke up. “This development: Would it be close to the existing town?”
“Would it make a difference if it was?” Chase asked.
“Yeah, because if it’s out in the middle of nowhere, they’d have to build new roads, lay pipes, provide power, and all that other infrastructure stuff, possibly right through other ranchers’ land. If it’s close to the current town border, it’s more doable.”
Another of the older local ranchers got to his feet. “The thing is, Adam, once they get a foothold in among the ranches, you invite a whole ’nother load of problems. My cousin used to farm in the East Bay near Dublin, and he had to sell off his ranch after both his neighbors sold to housing developers. Folk started complaining about the smell, about the cows coming into their yards, and the farming equipment making the roads dangerous for their kids . . . and then my cousin couldn’t get enough insurance to cover his back, so he sold the whole thing to another developer. A hundred years of history gone under someone’s new swimming pool.”
There was a moment of silence and a lot of nodding heads.
“I hear you,” Chase said. “But we also know that if we can’t get hired hands out here or people to work in the hotel or the local businesses, we’re on a downward path anyway.”
Yvonne waved her hand. “Could we attract the kind of builder we want? Someone who’d be willing to work with us and make sure the development was small and not offensive in any way?”
“I don’t know,” Chase said. “I’ll definitely look into it.”
“And make sure any development is close to the infrastructure of the current town and not in the middle of the ranching community,” Dev Patel said. “I think I might know some small developers, Chase. I’ll get you a list.”
Daisy stood to get Chase’s attention. “Can we also talk about repurposing some of the vacant buildings in the town itself for housing purposes?”
“Absolutely.” Chase looked over at his wife, January, who was walking back and forth with their grizzling baby, who appeared to be teething. “January was talking about that this morning. The historical society is okay if the exterior of any repurposed historic building is maintained.” Chase nodded at Dev. “Which happens to be our local architect’s specialty.”
Dev groaned. “Lucky old me.”
“So it comes down to money.” Daisy looked back at Chase.
He nodded. “And what the county and state will allow us to do.”
Everyone groaned again. Ranchers weren’t big fans of government legislation and restrictions.
“I do have news of a couple of grants we’ve been offered, which will help with the refurbishment costs and low-cost housing.” Chase grinned at everyone.
“Yeah?” Roy spoke up. “Big ones?”
Daisy concealed a chuckle. Trust Roy to get to the point. “Big enough.” Chase checked his notes again. “One from the Howatch Foundation, and—”
“Who are those guys?” Ted Baker asked.
Yvonne waved a hand in the air again. “My fiancé Rio’s father’s charitable trust. Ruth talked him into it when he was in Morgantown last year.”
“Awesome!” Ted high-fived Yvonne and smiled at Ruth Morgan.
“And the other is from Give Me a Leg Up.” Chase carried on speaking. “We’ll be concentrating our efforts on the refurbishing of local buildings for apartments in town, and on Morgan Ranch land, while the Howatch money will be used for a potentially bigger housing development.”
“Could you use the Howatch money to buy the two ranches that are up for sale and keep the land safe from any development?” Adam asked.
“The Howatch grant isn’t really for the purchase of land but for the development of a housing community. We can check back with the foundation and make sure of that,” Chase said. “We need houses, Adam.”
“But purchasing one of these ranches might offer us the opportunity to make that happen before a big home builder comes in and destroys the landscape,” Adam argued.
Daisy glanced over at her brother. He was fiercely protective of the family ranch and the valley, and any change wouldn’t sit well with him.
“I’m not disagreeing with you, Adam,” Chase said. “I’m just not sure I can make that happen.”
“Could the rancher concerned donate the land to the town?” Daisy asked.
“And live on what for the rest of his life?” Adam asked.
Daisy ignored her brother and continued speaking. “Or what about a land swap, or a guaranteed residence in town cost-free for life in exchange for a slice of the ranch?”
Chase typed away on his keyboard. “That’s not a bad idea, Daisy. I’ll check into the legal issues and let you know where we stand on that.”
“What’s the time frame on these sales, Chase?” Adam asked.
“Sooner rather than later, I suspect.” Chase grimaced. “So we’d better have a plan in place as soon as possible.”
Chase ended the meeting and was soon surrounded by a group of people while his grandma Ruth dispensed coffee, cookies, and goodwill to her neighbors.
Adam shifted restlessly in his seat. “I don’t like any of this.”
“I knew you were going to say that.” Daisy patted his rigid shoulder.
“Why can’t they leave this place alone?”
“‘They’?” Daisy squeezed his arm. “You know we need hands for the ranch; you’ve been complaining about that for the last two years. Finding them housing would help us out, too.”
“Yeah, I know that, but—”
Kaiden elbowed his big brother. “Any idea which ranches Chase is talking about? I was wondering whether one of them was Louisa’s family’s. Did they mention it to you, Adam?”
Daisy tensed as Adam’s face went blank, but Kaiden kept talking.
“Louisa was their only child, right? Maybe they haven’t been able to find anyone to pass the ranch down to.”
“Excuse me.” Adam abruptly got to his feet, pushed past Daisy and Jackson, and headed for the door.
“What did I say?” Kaiden asked.
“You mentioned Louisa, you big dope.” Daisy glared at him.
“Daisy, she died years ago, I can barely remember her, and it’s stupid the way no one speaks her name around Adam,” Kaiden protested. “If we talked about her more, maybe Adam would get over her and start getting on with his life.”
Despite his easygoing manner, Kaiden had all the frankness of their father. Daisy was just glad he hadn’t said the words to Adam’s face.
“He’s got to come to terms with it in his own way, and in his own time,” Daisy reminded her brother. “So let it be for the moment, will you?”
Kaiden shrugged. “Sure, seeing as he’s probably gone haring off to ask the Cortez family if they’re selling up and won’t be coming back.” He sighed. “Which means I’ll have to hitch a lift home with you, sis.”
Daisy glanced back at Jackson, who didn’t look too happy with that idea.
“How about you take my truck and Jackson can bring me home?” Daisy suggested.
“Sure.” Kaiden held out his hand for her keys. He was a good and careful driver, so Daisy wasn’t worried about what he’d do to her truck. “I’ll tell Dad you’ll be back later.”
He strode off whistling, leaving Daisy with Jackson, as Cauy had gone to talk to Ruth Morgan.
“I should have checked. Are you okay with taking me home?” Daisy asked him.
“Absolutely—except I came with Cauy.”
Daisy gawped at him. “I didn’t think.”
He grinned at her. “It’s not a problem. We’ll just have to restrain ourselves until we get behind my locked bedroom door.”
Not for the first time, D
aisy appreciated his practical way of dealing with potential problems. “I can wait.”
“Good.” He took her hand and placed a kiss on her palm. “I’m not sure I can, but I’ll do my best.”
Daisy wriggled on her chair, aware she was blushing. “What do you think about all this?”
“Getting you into bed?”
“No, doofus, the ranch, and the housing, and all that stuff,” Daisy said, eager to move the subject away from her very interested libido.
“I’m torn,” he admitted. “I get that we need housing, but I also don’t want to see the valley disappearing below a sea of houses. How about you?”
“I feel the same, but Adam wants to keep everything exactly as it is.” Daisy sighed.
“Do you think Kaiden is right about the Cortez place?” Jackson asked. “Adam married their daughter, right?”
“Yes, when they were barely out of school. Louisa died three years later.”
“That must have been tough on both of them. I can’t even imagine . . .” Jackson’s voice tailed off, and he shook his head. “I suppose if Louisa had survived, she and Adam might have continued to run the Cortez ranch or extended it into the Miller place.”
“I suppose so, although the lands don’t touch on any of our property lines. They’re much closer to town.”
“Could your father afford to buy the Cortez family out?”
“No.” Daisy didn’t even need to think about it. “We don’t have that kind of money sitting around. We don’t even know if it’s the Cortez place that’s up for sale anyway.”
“It is near the town border,” Jackson reminded her. “And they definitely don’t have any sons to run it.”
“Or daughters.”
“True.” He studied her. “If you were the only kid and you’d been left a ranch, would you keep it?”
“I don’t know what I’d do,” she confessed. “I’d do my best to save it, but I’m not sure if I’d want to run it all by myself.”
“Ruth Morgan did.”
“Well, she’s amazing, and she had Roy beside her all the way,” Daisy said. “I know you and Cauy decided to come back and save your ranch, but surely with two of you owning it that was easier?”
“Hardly.” The twinkle in his eyes disappeared. “I don’t own a thing. Dad left it to Cauy, remember?”
“Which makes no sense at all.” Daisy watched him carefully. “That must have hurt.”
“When it originally went down, I was still in the air force and wasn’t considering leaving at that point, so I kind of accepted it.” He shrugged. “I figured it was better if one of us took it on, and if Cauy was up for it—which wasn’t a given—I would support him.”
“And do you still feel that way?” Daisy asked.
“I’m not sure.” His ragged smile made her catch her breath. “Since coming back to live here, I’ve remembered how much I love it, and how when Cauy left, I dreamed of carrying on the fine tradition of family ranching. It was stupid of me, seeing Cauy was the eldest.”
“Ranchers don’t always leave the ranch to their eldest son,” Daisy pointed out. “In fact, I don’t think my dad has even made a will yet, despite my nagging. He fondly imagines the six of us will just work it out ourselves, which might open up a whole ’nother can of worms.”
“I suppose at least my father made a will.” Jackson looked over to where Cauy was deep in conversation with Ruth Morgan. “Cauy offered to give me half of the place.”
“And what did you say?”
“I refused.”
“Why?” Daisy asked.
“Because it didn’t sit right with me. I can’t pay him back.” His mouth set in a familiar hard line Daisy was coming to recognize. “If my dad had wanted me to have part ownership of the ranch, he would’ve written me into that will.”
“But your brother is trying to do the right thing.” Daisy persisted, even though she knew she was on dangerous ground.
“Yeah, I know. That still doesn’t mean I have to go along with it.”
Daisy sighed. “So you’re going to be stubborn and reject the thing you want.”
“I suppose I am.”
“You know that’s stupid, don’t you?” Daisy met his gaze.
“Yeah.” He smiled at her.
“Men,” Daisy muttered. “You’re as stubborn as my brothers.”
“Like you’re not?” Jackson poked her in the arm. “You’re currently pretending to date me rather than admit to your family that you have a second job.”
“That has nothing to do with being stubborn,” Daisy argued. “It’s to stop them being hurt or worrying about me.” She poked him back. “And how come we’re suddenly talking about me again?”
“Because you’re easy to distract?” Jackson got to his feet and held out his hand. “Come on, let’s go find Cauy so we can get back home.”
Daisy allowed him to pull her upright and followed him across the still-crowded hall to where Ruth was dispensing coffee. If her current start-up received a new round of investment and the company went public, she might be in a position to buy up the whole of Morgan Valley. Unfortunately, that probably wasn’t going to happen before the ranches were sold.
She stared at the back of Jackson’s head. Why wouldn’t he let his brother give him half the ranch? She was fairly certain Cauy, who loved his brother, had genuinely meant the offer. Was it simply hurt pride that stopped Jackson from accepting it? It must have stung, seeing as Cauy wasn’t even Mark Lymond’s natural son. If Mark had left it to Jackson, he would probably have been fine about letting Cauy work the ranch, so why not take part ownership?
Perhaps Jackson didn’t really mean to stick around. The thought of that upset her more than she’d anticipated. Had he cheerfully gone along with her subterfuge knowing he’d be gone? And did that make it better or worse?
She touched his arm, and he turned and bent his head to listen to her.
“What’s up?”
“You do want to stay in Morgan Valley, don’t you?”
“Yeah. What made you think I didn’t?”
“Well, not accepting half ownership of the family ranch might be considered a great big honking clue,” Daisy said.
“I want my own place.”
Daisy just about resisted rolling her eyes. He turned down half a ranch and now thought he could buy another one. “How do you plan on affording that?”
He grinned at her. “Find a rich partner?”
“Chase Morgan’s already taken,” Daisy retorted. “And don’t look at me.”
“Wait—you’re not a tech billionaire in hiding?”
“Not quite.” Daisy shoved him hard toward Cauy. “I thought we were going.”
* * *
Jackson considered sitting in the back seat with Daisy on the way back to the ranch so he could cuddle her. She put a stop to his plans by climbing into the passenger seat next to Cauy and leaving him on his lonesome. She chatted away with Cauy about the implications of the meeting, speculating who the two ranchers who wanted to sell might be, and finding a lot to agree on. He was glad they got along because Cauy wasn’t great at coming forward, and he took a while to warm up to people.
Cauy let Grace and the puppies out into the yard and put on the coffee before turning to Jackson. “I’m going to call Rachel, and then I’m going to watch a movie in my room with my headphones on.”
“Got it.” Jackson nodded to his brother. “I’ll try not to disturb you when I take Daisy home.”
“I’d prefer it if you didn’t disturb me before she leaves,” Cauy muttered as he picked up his coffee. Daisy had gone to the bathroom, so they were alone.
“What? I was planning on running through the house naked and swinging from the lights. Way to ruin my night, bro.” Jackson grinned at his brother’s revolted expression. “We’ll keep it down, I promise.”
“You do that.” Cauy smiled as Daisy came into the kitchen. “Night, Daisy. See you in the morning, Jackson.”
“Night, Ca
uy.” She waited until he went through the door before she spoke again. “If you want to run around naked, go for it, but don’t expect me to join in.”
Jackson took her hand and drew her close. “You’re as bad as Cauy.”
“Then I’m in good company.” She looked over at the counter. “Is that coffee?”
“Yeah. Do you want to bring some through with you?” Jackson asked.
“To where?”
“My bedroom.” He raised his eyebrows and waggled them. “If that’s okay with you of course.”
“Don’t you have to check the barn?”
“Dammit, yes.” Jackson groaned. “And get the dogs and chickens in.”
She set down the two mugs. “I’ll help. It won’t take long.”
“Long enough for you to fall asleep on me,” Jackson complained as he headed for the mudroom.
“If I drink the coffee, I’ll be good for at least another three hours.” She smacked him on the rear as he went out of the door, and he laughed.
They both put their coats and boots back on and trekked out to the barn. The Morgan Ranch horses were still there but would be leaving in the next week or so. Jackson would miss them. He had plans to coax Cauy into buying a few horses of their own.
He took Daisy’s hand, smiling as he realized she’d brought her coffee with her. For a woman who asked him all the awkward questions he’d rather avoid, she was adorable.
“If you are in tech,” Jackson asked carefully, “do you get paid well?”
“Are you trying to find out how rich I am?” Daisy teased.
“I might be.” Jackson shrugged. “You know what I’m like.”
“Nosy as hell.”
“Yup, that’s me.” He waited to see what she’d say next.
“I suppose it’s a valid question, seeing as you’ve worked out what I do.” She hesitated. “But I don’t earn a lot right now, and the flower shop barely breaks even, so I don’t have a lot of spare cash hanging around.” She put down her mug, leaned against the wall, and faced him. “The thing is . . . five years ago I was in a start-up that got bought out.”
“And?” Jackson prompted her.
“Put it this way: We worked for years to produce our software, took too much outside funding, and ended up with almost nothing when the company finally went public.”
