by Amanda Renee
“I am concerned about my baby. That’s why I came to Montana.”
“That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Once I have this baby, I won’t be able to travel for work any longer. I can’t afford a nanny to fly around the world with me. My job pays for my expenses only. Not a companion’s. I don’t have a husband or anyone else at home to leave my child with while I go on business trips. Besides, I plan to nurse my daughter. I can’t be gone twenty days a month and do that. I’m on my own. I shouldn’t even be telling you any of this, but maybe you’ll understand if I do.” Emma took a deep breath before continuing. “The promotion I told you about earlier isn’t something I want. It’s something I need. Without it, I’ll have to accept a lesser position. Living in Chicago is expensive enough. Even more so when you’re a single mom. I need to secure my child’s future and the only way I can do that is to convince you to sell. You only heard the initial proposal. Your uncle changed a lot of things. He told me you wouldn’t give him the time of day when it came to discussing the plans. At least look at our final design. You might be surprised.”
“I’m sorry. I sympathize with your situation, but I can’t put your job security above my employees. Including myself. Regardless of what your plan is, you’ve already said there are no guarantees you would rehire my employees and even if there were, they would be out of work for months. That alone is why I won’t hear you out. Change those parameters and then maybe I’d be willing to listen. But you’re still asking me to give up a part of my family. Silver Bells was my uncle’s ranch. A place I found a hell of a lot of serenity in during some really dark times.”
“Your uncle was willing to give it up. And I’m sorry, but there is no way I can promise to take on a full staff while they’re renovating the ranch. It doesn’t fit into the timetable.”
“Then you don’t fit into mine. I’m sorry, Emma.” Dylan noticed her blood pressure had increased since the doctor had left the room. “I’ll return in the morning to see how you’re doing. I wish you would take the doctor’s advice and relax for the rest of the day. I don’t know what the relationship is between you and your family, but maybe you should call them. Or a friend, at least. Let business rest for a while. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Dylan awkwardly waved as he beelined for the door. Once out in the hallway, he questioned if he’d been too hard on her. He resisted the urge to peek back in her room to make sure she was okay. He’d already gotten far too involved. The gnawing at the pit of his stomach told him this was just the beginning.
* * *
EMMA STARED AT the doorway, willing Dylan to return. She hadn’t meant to run him off. While it was true she wanted to talk business, the truth was she didn’t want to be alone. And while she needed to acquire the ranch to secure her promotion, Silver Bells happened to be the only subject they had in common.
Great job, Emma. You managed to run off another man. Not that Dylan Slade was of any consequence. Well, at least not outside of work. Although, if Paul had been half as attentive as Dylan had been today, they might still be together. She knew very little about his personal life, but Jax had made a point to mention on more than one occasion that Dylan was single. If he was as stubborn about everything else in his life as he was about the sale of the ranch, she could understand why. Regardless, the fact he had remained by her side spoke volumes to his integrity. She wouldn’t mind a man like that in her life. She could do without the orneriness, though.
Emma wanted to remain calm, but the constant flutter in her belly made it impossible. Never mind the glare of the fetal monitor screen, the repeated squeeze of the blood-pressure cuff, the annoying pulse oximeter at the end of her finger and the two bands wrapped around her belly. They were constant reminders that things were not okay. While her pregnancy had been a surprise, she had adjusted rather quickly to the idea of being a mom despite her ex-good-for-nothing walking out on her.
She wanted to give her daughter the love and attention she hadn’t received growing up. As far as her parents were concerned, she was surprised they had found time to conceive a child since they sure hadn’t had time to raise one. Not that she’d had a difficult life, because hers had been rather charmed. At least from the outside looking in.
Nannies had raised her until she went away to boarding school. She’d traveled the world on vacations and had even spent a semester at sea aboard a luxury cruise liner. But there was a price for being away from home most of her childhood. She never felt a bond with her parents. Her baby wasn’t even born and she felt more of a bond with her daughter than she’d ever felt with her own mother. When she had spent time with them, they’d been far from affectionate. She had received more attention from her nannies and she refused to ever play a secondary role to a stand-in mom.
Her mother was an appellate court judge and her father was a neurosurgeon. Their work tended to come above needless hugs or petty playtime. They had groomed Emma to succeed, and she craved that success. But only so she could become a hands-on mother and be able to make enough money to raise her daughter more conventionally.
Emma pulled her phone from her bag and scrolled through the contacts. She hadn’t even told her parents she was going to Montana. Not that they expected her to keep them apprised of her travel schedule. She tapped the screen and waited for them to answer. After the fifth ring, she just about gave up when she heard her mother’s voice.
“Hi, Mom. I just wanted to let you know I’m in the hospital.”
“You’re having the baby?” Kate Sheridan asked. “Is it that time already?”
Emma sighed. She envied the women whose mothers had their due date circled on the calendar and counted down week by week with them. “Hopefully not for another eight weeks. The doctor will be happy with six, though. I’m in Montana on business and I started having contractions. Turns out they were only Braxton-Hicks, but they’re keeping me in the hospital overnight because my blood pressure is elevated. They want to rule out preeclampsia.”
“You’re keeping your weight down, aren’t you?” Kate asked. Her mother was obsessed with other people’s weight. They could be the most beautiful people in the world, but heaven forbid they carried an extra five pounds. Her mother always had to point it out.
“I’m doing fine. Thank you for asking, though.” Emma huffed. “And yes, I’m keeping my weight down.” As long as she didn’t count the food she’d eaten in the last twenty-four hours.
“Emma, if you called to argue, I don’t have time for it.”
“I thought you would be concerned.” The hint of a contraction warned her to remain calm. “My mistake.”
“You had some false labor pains. It’s common. I’m glad you’re okay, but it’s nothing to get upset over. I’m assuming you’re there to wrap up that ranch deal.”
Emma exhaled slowly. “I’m trying to, but the owner doesn’t want to sell.”
“I don’t know what you’re going to do, then. You need this promotion.”
“I will figure it out.” She ground her back teeth together.
“I’m sure you will. You always do. You’re a strong woman, Emma. Don’t forget that.”
Amazingly enough, when Emma had found out she was pregnant, her parents hadn’t gotten upset. She’d expected them to chastise her, but they said they had faith in her ability to raise a child without a partner to lean on. They also made it clear that their parents hadn’t helped them and they expected her to stand on her own if she was determined to keep her child. At least her mother thought she was strong, because today she felt anything but.
“Thank you, Mom. I have some notes to review since I can’t do much of anything else right now. I will give you a call if anything changes. I should be released tomorrow.”
“Okay. Get to work.”
“Bye, Mom.”
Emma rested her head against the pillow and closed her eyes. She
didn’t know what she had expected from that conversation, but some concern or comforting words would have been nice. Another twinge from deep within her body jolted her upright. She quickly checked the numerous screens next to the bed, not exactly sure what she was looking for. No bells and alarms went off. That was a good sign. The cuff around her arm tightened. She checked the monitor over her left shoulder. 135/80. It wasn’t great but it was still better than the 140/90 it had read when she was admitted.
“Easy, butter bean.” She needed to choose a name for her daughter. Calling her a vegetable, however sweetly intended, no longer felt right. She didn’t even have a birthing plan. Or a crib. Or a car seat. Or anything. She kept meaning to sign up for the prepared childbirth and infant care classes the hospital offered in Chicago but hadn’t found the time yet. Jennie had offered to go with her for support. Considering they only held the classes once a month, she needed to make it a priority.
Emma opened the web browser on her tablet and registered for the next available classes. Her first and second Saturdays of the new year were officially booked. At least she felt she’d accomplished something for her daughter.
She pressed the call button and asked for something to drink. The doctor said her baby was strong and healthy, and she intended to keep her that way. If that meant temporary bed rest then so be it. It would give her the opportunity to reformulate her plan of attack on Dylan Slade. She needed to find a way to make things work for them both. She couldn’t give him what he wanted. She couldn’t guarantee jobs and she couldn’t promise employment for the next six months.
Her decisions affected many people regardless of what she did or didn’t do. In the end, some people would lose their jobs. There was no avoiding it. It weighed on her conscience with each acquisition, but it was business and she couldn’t allow her personal feelings to get in the way.
Chapter Six
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” It was two in the morning and Dylan added another outstanding invoice to the growing mound beside him. Sleep had evaded him as he pored over the ranch’s financial records in his uncle’s office. He’d uncovered more debts Jax had hidden from him. Maybe hidden wasn’t fair. But they were debts Dylan hadn’t known about. “What are you doing to me Jax?”
His uncle had handled most of the business affairs while he oversaw the management and maintenance of the many ranch buildings, including the lodge, private guest cabins and stables, along with the ranch’s 730 acres and almost a hundred horses.
Dylan had gone to the lodge office to get Emma out of his head. He thought if he searched hard enough, he’d uncover an overlooked bank account or discover some way to keep the ranch and send her packing. The farther she was from him, the better. His heart had grown restless ever since she stepped foot on Silver Bells putting him in a dangerous and vulnerable position. And those were two words he refused to entertain.
The increased debt meant the money he had in savings wouldn’t carry the ranch for as long as he’d anticipated. He was in more trouble than he thought. There had to be a way out. He just hadn’t found it yet. He sighed heavily and removed another unmarked folder from one of many file boxes next to the desk. It was either this or call everyone they’d done business with over the years and ask if the ranch owed them money. At this point, he didn’t know which would be easier.
By the time Dylan entered the stables later that morning, he had already downed two pots of coffee and was no closer to a solution.
Regardless of how many times he said he wouldn’t sell Emma’s company the ranch, if he didn’t come up with alternative financing soon, he feared he would have to sell to someone. But it wouldn’t be Emma. They wanted to destroy the place he loved.
Garrett and his two kids were visiting for Christmas and Dylan debated about asking his brother one more time if he’d consider buying into the ranch. He’d asked him a year ago, when Jax first started his rumblings about selling the ranch, but Garrett said he didn’t want to uproot the kids. It had been almost three years since his sister-in-law Rebecca had died from cancer and his brother had thrown himself into managing her parents’ cattle ranch in Wyoming.
Every time they spoke on the phone, Garrett sounded wearier of living under their roof. He had said numerous times he felt like they were living in a constant state of depression. Maybe he’d reconsider this time. The only thing stopping Dylan was his conscience. Did he really want to be responsible for his brother sinking his savings into a ranch that may not turn around when he had two kids to support?
“Hey, man,” Wes said from behind Dylan’s desk as he entered his office. “I expected you here an hour ago.”
“And I expected you not to show up for work again.” Dylan crossed the room and hitched his thumb signaling for Wes to get up. “I was at the lodge going through Jax’s less-than-stellar filing system.”
“Find anything to help you?” Wes grabbed his coffee and a notepad before standing.
“Nope.” Dylan rubbed his morning stubble. He should shave before visiting Emma at the hospital. Then again, it wasn’t like he had to impress her. “What are you working on?” Dylan angled his head to read the notes tucked under Wes’s arm as he walked by.
“Just working out some dates.” Wes pushed up his hat. “A rodeo school in Ramblewood, Texas, offered me a teaching position during my last competition. I called them yesterday and accepted. I’m going to head down there on the second. The job will still allow me to compete and I’ll be doing what I love most. Bull riding.”
“That soon, huh?” Dylan hated losing another employee, not that Wes was around much. But even more so, he hated losing his brother. “It sounds like a great opportunity, but are you sure this is what you want?”
“Staying is too hard.” Wes shook his head. “Even harder now that Jax is gone. There are too many reminders here. Every time I drive into town I keep thinking I see Dad’s truck or Mom coming out of a store. It’s been five years and I still hear people talking behind my back about Ryder. Garrett had the right idea. He got far away from Saddle Ridge. I need that clean break. I want to spend one last Christmas with you guys, and then I’m out.”
His brother’s words felt like a fist to the gut. “One last Christmas? You’re not planning to come home ever again?”
“Don’t you get it?” Deep lines creased Wes’s forehead. “Saddle Ridge isn’t home anymore. Ryder destroyed that. I have tried, Lord help me, I’ve tried, but I can’t do this anymore. I need to be some place where every corner doesn’t hold a memory of what once was. I’m tired of looking backwards.”
“Yeah, I get it.” Out of the five brothers, Wes had taken their father’s death the hardest, not counting the guilt Ryder had to live with. “If you ever change your mind, the door here is always open.”
Wes laughed under his breath. “Providing you still have a door to keep open.”
“Ain’t that the truth.” Dylan sat down behind his desk. “If you can think of any potential investors, let me know. I’d ask you, but I already know the answer.”
“Sell.”
“What?”
Wes took the last swig of his coffee and tossed the cup in the trash. “Sell this place and start over someplace else. Come to Texas with me. You can do this same thing down there, only without the snow.”
“I can’t give up.”
“You can’t or you won’t?” Wes strode to the office door. “Just remember, wherever I am, my door’s always open, too.”
Dylan leaned back in his chair and pinched the bridge of his nose. He wished letting go was as easy for him as it was for Wes. It would make his life a hell of a lot easier.
* * *
TWO HOURS LATER, Dylan arrived at the hospital to check on Emma. She’d been at the forefront of his mind all morning. Despite their temporary truce, he needed to continually remind himself who he was dealing with. The woman wa
nted to destroy the place that had become his sanctuary. The Silver Bells Ranch wasn’t intended to be a five-star couples-only luxury resort with yoga and mud baths. The only mud you’d find here was on the bottom of your boots and chances were it wasn’t mud. His ranch was a chuck wagon, line dancing, horse-riding-in-the-Montana-mountains experience. That’s what people wanted. At least, they had until other guest ranches had cropped up in the Saddle Ridge area. Now Silver Bells had to compete with the new. He needed to find a way to keep the ranch open without going further in debt. Time was ticking down and all income would officially end in two weeks. If the ranch went under that meant the last five years of his life had been for naught.
He had lost everything he loved most when he invested in the ranch and had devoted every waking hour since to forget Lauren and the kids. He had succeeded up until now. Emma’s presence reminded him how much he still wanted a family. At thirty-five, his chances grew slimmer each day. Especially when he didn’t have the time to meet someone or go out on a date.
He envied the families Garrett and Harlan had created. Granted, he wasn’t the only Slade sibling without kids. His brother Wes was adamantly against them while his other brother Ryder still had five and a half years left on his ten-year prison sentence.
“I have to be able to travel.” Dylan heard Emma say as he approached her hospital room. “Once I wrap up my business here, I have a job to get back to. I can’t stay in Montana until New Year’s Day. You just mean I can’t fly, right?”
“No travel at all. Definitely no planes from this point forward. Trains are too dangerous because medical care isn’t immediately available if you need it. The same with driving, although the likelihood of a hospital being close by is greater. I don’t want you in a seated position for that long. Light exercise is the best thing for you. I will give you a list of what you can and can’t do. I’m releasing you from the hospital, but you’re not out of the woods yet. Providing there are no further issues during the next two weeks, the train would be your safest bet because you can get up and move around. But not now.”
