Her Heart's Bargain

by Cheryl Harper

  Remembering the immediate shot of confidence it had given him at the press conference, Ash settled the hat on his head. “Are you sure you can’t handle the presentation?”

  “I handled getting us the invitation. I did the hard part. You bring home the win,” Winter said through a fake smile. “If you knew what I had to promise to get Caleb Callaway to show...”

  “Ranger Kingfisher, I understand you’d like the opportunity to state your case.” Whitney Callaway, Senior, the head of the Callaway family, sat at the end of the table. The business-class hotel’s furnishings were drab, but his expensive suit shone in the setting. That was a suit meant for high-rises and mahogany desks. Ash was glad for the uniform. “Is this going to be an admission of guilt, or what?”

  “I haven’t come to plead my innocence, sir.” Ash cleared his throat, aware of the catch that was going to become a crack in his voice. “I have a new lodge proposal I’d like to show you.”

  Whit Callaway, Junior, sighed. “Because of your extensive engineering, construction and park planning experience, I guess.” His suit was almost as nice as his father’s. That made the contrast to Caleb Callaway’s plaid button-down stark.

  If Caleb Callaway was Winter’s secret weapon, why did he appear to be bored beyond belief?

  “The number one objection to the lodge is the location. The Aerie is precious habitat for several bird species, including the bald eagle.” Ash clicked the little remote in his hand, watched the photos speed by and cursed under his breath as he slowly went backward. “Construction here would not only destroy those ecosystems but even more land would be cleared to build the necessary roads. I don’t have to tell you the extent of the impact such a difficult build would cause.” Because it was all in the report that made you mad enough to fire me.

  Move on, Ash.

  “Sweetwater is in favor of a lodge on Otter Lake.” Ash advanced the slideshow to the picture he and Macy had taken when they’d climbed The Aerie. “What if, instead of a lodge built looking down on the valley, the Reserve had a lodge with the most perfect view of the peak, as well as access to Otter Lake from the land surrounding the old weather station? A fire cleared acres there earlier this year. The road is already partially built, and the land is nearly flat, one of the few places in the Reserve where we can say that.” Ash pointed at the wide, open area showing minimal recovery from the fire. “It’s almost like this place was built for a resort with five-star views.” Ash carefully set the remote down. “I don’t have the skill to draw that place or to build it, but I can certainly imagine a lodge there.”

  Ash stopped speaking, but his brain quickly sifted through all the bits and pieces to make sure he’d covered everything he needed to say.

  “Why would we take the advice of a man who has aided the governor, a man who has shown no concern for Tennessee lands before, not until I started beating him in the polls,” Whit Callaway snapped. “This change of plans will lead to a delay. We needed to get the project moving yesterday.”

  “You’ve already got a delay. This moves us forward.” Winter’s impatience was obvious.

  Caleb Callaway stretched in his seat. “It’s not often the universe hands you a neat solution to all your problems, is it, Kingfisher?” Ash shook his head but Caleb Callaway was watching Winter. What had she promised him?

  Whitney Callaway drummed his fingers on the table. “Wish you’d come to us with this in the beginning, Kingfisher. You played dirty first. How are we supposed to let that go?”

  Ash wanted to argue, but what good would it do? He’d already said he wasn’t the source.

  “Listen,” Caleb said, “does anyone want to waste their time arguing that this isn’t a good solution and better location than the original one?” He blinked slowly at his brother and then stared at each person seated around the table. “Let me hear it if you like the idea of tearing up The Aerie.”

  Missy Andrews, owner of a small chain of grocery stores in East Tennessee, said, “Wouldn’t it be worth it to do another environmental impact study and have an architect review the new site?”

  Whit crossed his arms over his chest. “Fine. We’re still getting rid of the Kingfishers.” He held up his hand. “All in favor?”

  When no one joined him, Ash wanted to inhale and exhale loudly in relief.

  Caleb turned to catch Winter’s stare. Ash thought she was yelling at him silently, but he couldn’t decipher the words. “One more thing before we vote on Ash Kingfisher’s proposal and employment.” Caleb drawled the last word. “I was the one who involved Richard Duncan. Sent him the environmental impact study because I knew he’d in turn stir up enough fuss to slow the project down. That much media coverage for his campaign? How could he not?” He shrugged as if he was saying, “Now what?”

  Whit leaned back in his chair and propped one hand on the arm. “Underhanded. Want to tell me why? You haven’t shown interest in the Reserve in years. How did you even know about the report in the first place?”

  “I hate board meetings. That doesn’t mean I don’t care about the Reserve. The rush to get this built made no sense. Fitting the election timeline? Dumb idea. My company, Summit Builders, works projects like this, too. I have friends who do these environmental impact studies all the time. It’s not a big crowd. Once I got a look at it, I knew I had to do something.” Caleb studied his brother and then glanced at Winter. “It was the right thing to do. That used to be a Callaway point of pride.”

  Whit Callaway, Senior, waited for anyone else to add something and then grunted. “Whit concentrates on the election. Caleb gets involved in the business and I get my lodge, a moneymaker of an idea.” He paused to think. “And there ain’t no way around it, Ash Kingfisher keeps his job as head of the Otter Lake Ranger Station.”

  No one shouted in celebration, but Ash could hear the party in his head.

  He realized no one had said anything about Winter. She glared at him, which he took as a warning not to push his luck then and there to make sure her job was safe.

  “Guess that’s settled. Kingfishers win the day,” Caleb Callaway drawled.

  * * *

  “I’M GOING TO need you in that costume in the next five minutes, Rodriguez,” Macy said as she checked off one of the last remaining items on her to-do list. “If anyone actually does show up, they’ll be arriving soon and I do not want to have to explain why there are no otters in this first-rate model of Otter Lake.”

  “But the head is so heavy and so big,” Rodriguez whined. “It’s going to mess up my hair.” He ran a hand over his closely cropped curls. Macy had learned his hair and the buzz cuts several of Phil McKesson’s crew preferred were more about safety than fashion. Fighting fire was no place for flowing locks.

  “I’m thinking the otter isn’t the only thing with a big head.” Macy raised both eyebrows at Rodriguez to make sure he caught her drift. “Seems I remember you campaigning for this job, something about how your girlfriend would never forget it.”

  “That was before I put the head on.” Rodriguez held it up. “Thing must weigh twenty pounds.” Macy could hear her time slipping away, so she spun around, cupped one hand to her mouth and shouted, “Cho! Ronald James Cho. Report to the photo background.” She craned her neck until Cho split through the crowd of rangers gathered around to see how his waterfall worked.

  “You shouted.” He propped his hands on his hips, the twitch of his lips the only sign that he was ready to laugh at her.

  Macy waved her clipboard. “I don’t have time to wrangle this man into his otter costume. You do it.” Over his shoulder she could see the trays of cookies Christina was carrying. Was she going to put them out now? It was too early, much better to wait until the crowd arrived.

  As she walked away, Macy shouted over her shoulder, “Next year, we’re going to need you to engineer a lighter head for Rodriguez, Cho.” She barely hesitated as she realized how that
sounded and then decided she’d fix that after she straightened out the food and drinks.

  As soon as she stopped in front of the table, Christina said, “No notes. I don’t want any notes on how we’re doing this. It’s hot chocolate and cookies, Macy.” The hard expression in her eyes convinced Macy to move on. “You and I are destined to be friends. Don’t ruin it by starting a fight over snacks, you hear?”

  Brett Hendrix waved a walkie-talkie at her and motioned her over to the fire engine. “We had three groups leave from the Yanu trailhead thirty minutes ago. I expect them to be back in the parking area in the next half hour or so.”

  “And then they’ll come here.” Macy nodded firmly.

  “Or else,” Brett muttered grimly.

  Macy blinked. “Are you making fun of me?”

  He immediately shook his head. “No. No way. I’m too scared of your ruthless leadership to make fun of you.” He held up both hands. “These three days of working with the firefighters have made you mean.”

  She started waving her clipboard at him.

  “I’m joking.” Brett muttered, “A little.”

  Macy nodded and checked off food and drinks on her to-do list. There was only one item left. “Where are the Kingfishers?”

  Brett hesitated and then said, “They’ll be here.”

  Macy hoped so. What would she do if this open house, the one she’d wanted to be a boost to the ranger station and a kind of gift for Ash, failed? If Sweetwater picked up the boycott for some reason, she’d never get a shot at doing this again.

  “I’ve come to defend you.” Christina slid under Brett’s arm. “Is she trying to organize you?”

  Macy lowered her clipboard and studied the rosy sky. The firefighters were arranging two campfires in the fire pits near the overlook. From here, she could see Phil McKesson standing behind the s’mores table. His arms were crossed, but he was surveying the ranger station, ready to hand out skewers and marshmallows as needed.

  The law enforcement rangers were pacing slowly next to the Reserve SUV parked on the other side of the lot, the lights along the top lit but not flashing yet.

  The campground diner’s table was ready. The guys from the marina had set up a fishing game where kids could catch plastic fish and exchange them for candy.

  Every area of the Reserve had shown up for her; what if Sweetwater didn’t?

  “Should I be able to hear my heart pounding in my ears?” Macy asked herself as she stepped away from Brett and Christina.

  She’d be stronger if Ash were here. She’d have to pretend that poor attendance was nothing but a bump in the road for his sake. Without him, would she be able to pull on armor and pretend that everything was fine?

  It was fine. Win or lose at the open house, she had a great new job. Ash and Winter had no doubt conquered the board of directors, but she hadn’t heard from either yet. Two days he’d been gone. That was one day more than she was comfortable with. In the end, where Ash worked was less important than how soon she could kiss him hello. The success of this event wouldn’t stop the sunrise or sunset or anything about the big picture.

  “Three good things.” Macy concentrated on the crowd around her. “I have friends I didn’t know I had.” Brett and Christina, the fire crew, Chief McKesson... They’d all shown up when she’d asked. “Desserts. We’ve got cookies, s’mores and hot chocolate. The world is pretty all right.”

  Then she realized the third good thing.

  Her last-minute flash of brilliance was arranged close to the sidewalk in front of the ranger station.

  “Hold this. Don’t lose it.” Macy smacked her clipboard on Brett’s chest and headed over to make sure Leanne Hendrix was okay. The way she fidgeted in her chair worried Macy. Would she bail before the party even got started?

  “Are you all ready to paint some faces?” Macy asked in the perkiest voice she could imagine.

  Leanne straightened all her paints and cleared her throat. “Last chance, Macy. You should rethink this. No parent in Sweetwater is going to want the town’s original wild child painting their kids’ faces.” She glanced nervously over her shoulder to where her children, Parker and Riley, were charming the fire chief into the night’s first s’mores. “Face painting is easy. You could do it. Anyone could do it.”

  Stung at Leanne equating her talent with just any person’s, Macy paused.

  “I could have done every single thing in this open house myself, Leanne. I could. But that doesn’t mean I can do it the best or that I could do it all at the same time.” Macy plopped down in the folding chair opposite her. “I get it. You aren’t sure you can do it.” Reverse psychology worked nine times out of ten on Macy. Her grandmother had perfected it. Was Leanne susceptible? “Make me your first living canvas.” So she was going to spend the rest of the night with a butterfly painted across her face. It was fine. It matched all the butterflies in her stomach.

  “He’ll be here.” Leanne shook her head as she evaluated her brushes. “Whoever you’re looking for, he’ll be here.”

  Macy tipped her chin up. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I have to make sure everything’s in place and—”

  Leanne closed Macy’s mouth by tilting her head back with one hand under her chin.

  The tickle of the brush was so quick that Macy only managed two thoughts.

  What kind of animal was Leanne painting?

  Did face painters only do butterflies?

  That had been her plan because she wasn’t sure she could manage much else.

  It didn’t matter. Leanne smiled as she worked, so some of the jitters must have faded away in the short time she was painting. Riley Hendrix appeared and studied Leanne’s work. “Dope, Mom.”

  Macy noted Leanne’s amused expression. “Kids don’t really say that anymore, do they?” Leanne asked.

  “Have a dope marshmallow, Mom,” Parker yelled as he raced across the parking lot. “Chief wouldn’t let me keep the sharp stick, but he gave me a spare graham cracker.” Parker spun in a circle and then shouted, “Paint me like a snake. I want to be a snake!” He bent down to hover next to Leanne as if he’d wait right there until she was done as the first car in a short line of traffic pulled into the parking lot.

  “Looks like you’re going to have a party after all.” Leanne smiled at Macy. “And you were nervous.”

  Caught off guard by her own laugh, Macy clapped both hands to her chest. “Nervous? Me? No.”

  “Uh-huh.” Leanne motioned with her head. “Out of my chair. My next customer is ready.”

  Macy was ready to march over to meet the family of four that had climbed out of the first SUV, but a man-size otter with an enormous head skipped over to intercept them and guide them to the fire engine.

  “I should have warned him not to steer every visitor toward the fire team’s displays.” The law enforcement rangers would be peeved; since they had handcuffs, it wouldn’t do to annoy them. Things could get out of hand. Macy shook her head as she watched the second family arrive and head over to the hot chocolate table. Christina was pointing here and there at all the activities and Brett stepped up with a sweeping motion toward the ranger station.

  That was the point of the whole event, to show off the new educational panels Ash had imagined, commissioned and managed the installation of.

  “And he’s not even here to see it.” Macy pulled her phone out of her pocket, glad she’d insisted on auxiliary lighting for the parking lot. The sun was setting, the better to show off the bonfire and to encourage people to step inside the ranger station, but the temperature was also dropping. This party needed to get rolling and soon.

  “Checking to see how soon you can leave your own party?” Ash asked from behind her.

  More relieved than she wanted him to know, Macy turned slowly. “You were pushing it, Kingfisher. I have most of the Reserve’s resources at
my fingertips, including fire engines and cop cars with sirens and flashing lights.” Macy stepped close enough to feel the heat of his skin. “I missed you.”

  He cupped her cheek. “Not nearly as much as I missed you.” He glanced left and right to check the crowd. “I want to kiss you.”

  Macy tipped up to press her lips to his and smiled at his laugh. “I don’t have the patience to wait tonight.”

  “Yeah, you never have been good at waiting.” Ash ran his thumb over her cheek. “I like it.”

  Macy frowned. “You were going to be here to help me set up.” She wished she had her clipboard. She could show him all the fun he’d missed out on.

  “I had a couple of unexpected stops to make.” Ash pointed over to the ranger station. His mother and father were talking with Janet Abernathy. “My dad insisted we bring some baskets.”

  Macy laughed. “He and Janet are already negotiating the art show, then.”

  Ash pursed his lips. “If by ‘negotiating’ you mean my father asking how many Janet wants and my mother trying to double the number, yes.”

  Macy patted herself on the shoulder. “I’m a genius. You make sure both your parents know that I arranged that meeting.”

  Ash studied her face. “Oh, they know, but why does it matter that you get the credit?”

  “I’m hoping to be invited back to dinner.” Macy’s smile grew into a huge grin as Ash reached down to tangle their fingers together. “Think you could make that happen?”

  “Probably, as long as you’re prepared to drink my portion of rosehip tea as well as your own.”

  “Did you learn to negotiate from your mother or your father?” Macy wasn’t sure she was getting the better end of the bargain or not. Twice the health but also twice the tea.

  Ash laughed, the low, rough sound a caress that started a warm glow in Macy’s chest.

  Then she frowned. “You’re a civilian, right? What’s with the uniform?”