To Tempt a Cowgirl

by Jeannie Watt

  Gabe didn’t say anything. He’d read the article and Jeffries’s quotes had pissed him off, so he could well imagine how Stewart had taken the implication that Timberline’s roaring success was due to the fact that Jeffries had left Widmeyer and followed his own vision. He’d been stifled at Widmeyer, but once he left—success!

  Neal sighed into the phone. “So anyway, that’s where things are now. He goes back next week for a blood pressure test to check the effectiveness of the meds.”

  “Keep me posted.”

  “Yeah. Will do. Serena’s on the other line. Talk to you later.”

  The phone went dead and Gabe let out a curse of his own as he set the phone on the table.

  He needed to do his job and that meant he had to focus on being Dani’s neighbor, not her lover. He’d do this thing for Stewart and then deal with his own issues and needs later.

  * * *

  THE HOUSE WAS just too empty without the armoire. It had been stark before, but now it was pathetically barren. Amazing what a giant-ass piece of furniture could do for the place. Apparently sensing that Dani wouldn’t lend a hand, Kyle had brought two of his buddies to help him move and load his new prize. Dani had stood back and watched, arms crossed, thinking that the armoire was a small price to pay for Allie’s peace of mind.

  Now she stood looking at the faded spot on the floor where the piece had stood for decades—long before Allie and Kyle had moved in. The rain beat on the roof, making it impossible to work outside for the first time since she’d moved home. She’d worked on her books, oiled a saddle, made a slow-cooker dinner that was now simmering away in the kitchen. She’d spent some time pacing, feeling caged, and couldn’t help thinking that she might not have felt so restless if she wasn’t trapped in an essentially empty house. It was one thing to sacrifice for financial goals, and another to have a place that was so uncomfortable that she felt trapped when forced to spend time indoors. When she considered heading through the rain to the tack shed, she figured it was time to face facts. She needed to make this place more of a home, as it had been when her family had lived there. Winter was coming and here she’d be, alone in an empty house.

  Decision made, Dani grabbed her purse and coat, told Gus to behave and started for the door only to be stop when her phone rang in her pocket. Gabe.

  “I just wanted to make sure you weren’t going to need me today.”

  “Not unless my horses grow fins.” The corral had a good foot of sand in it, so the footing would be all right, but she didn’t fancy getting drowned as she worked. “Thanks for checking.”

  “Not a problem.”

  “I’m going furniture shopping.” Dani had no idea what made her blurt out the words as if they were a confession.

  “You finally broke, eh?” There was a smile in his voice.

  “I did. It was the armoire. Now that it’s gone, the room is just too empty.”

  “No, Dani, it was too empty before. Now it’s bare.”

  “I have a chair.”

  “Almost bare,” he amended.

  “Would you like to come with me?” This time Dani didn’t try to figure her motive for issuing the invitation. It was obvious—she wanted to spend time with him.

  There was a brief moment of silence and Dani was about to retract the invitation, when he said in a low voice, “Yeah. I would.”

  “Shall I pick you up?”

  “That depends—which truck are you driving?”

  She let out a mock sigh. “The good one.”

  “I’ll be ready whenever you get here.”

  “You caught me going out the door, so how about now?”

  “I’ll be ready.”

  Dani hung up with a smile, then went to her bathroom and took a few seconds to put on lipstick and mascara. After all, she was going out in public. With a hot guy she shouldn’t have designs on, but did... She was so weak.

  Said hot guy came out of his stone-and-glass house as soon as she pulled up to the end of the walkway. He flipped the hood up on his anorak and trotted through the rain to the truck. Once inside he pushed the hood back off, grinning as a few drops of water landed on her face. In the close confines she suddenly became aware of the scent of freshly showered guy. Just exactly what she needed—something to distract her while she tried to focus on driving in the driving rain.

  “Do you know how tempting it was to bring the old truck?” she asked as she put the Ford into gear.

  “But you didn’t because it’s not street legal?” he asked.

  “Something like that.” She shot him a glance. “And I like my passengers to be comfortable.”

  “Someday I’ll take you for a ride in my car and show you comfort.”

  She liked the idea of that, probably more than she should, but right now—no, for the entire day—she wasn’t going to worry about making safe choices. She was going to enjoy her rainy day. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes for a moment.

  “Don’t go to sleep on me,” she said.

  “No worries.” He spoke easily. “I’ve adjusted my work schedule. I’m in bed by midnight.”

  “I know,” she said.

  “Checking on me again?”

  “When I get up during the night, your lights aren’t on anymore.”

  “Still having trouble sleeping?”

  “Too much hydration during the day.”

  “Ah.”

  She gave a low laugh. “Too much information?”

  “Never.”

  And she had a feeling that was true. He wanted to know about her, but wasn’t so comfortable sharing his own life. But he had, and apparently more than was the norm. She wasn’t going to ruin her day getting seized up wondering about the implications of that small fact.

  “Where are we going?”

  She cut him a sideways glance. “Depends on how much time you have.”

  “All day. I can’t face being trapped in that house in the rain.” Her lips curved. They were in sync there.

  “I thought we’d drive into Missoula and I’d look at new furniture, get disgusted at the prices and then go to the thrift stores.”

  “Let me buy lunch.” It was more of request than a statement and Dani nodded.

  “If you want to.”

  “You gave me a reason to get out of the house on a nasty day. It’s the least I can do.”

  “If you don’t like being inside, then Montana winters might be rough on you...although I guess you may not be here for the winter?” He didn’t answer immediately, which was in itself an answer.

  “Any idea when you’re leaving?” she asked.

  “I’m taking it day-to-day,” he finally said.

  “Me, too, I guess.”

  “Don’t get me wrong...” She glanced over when his voice trailed off. “I like it here. That’s why I haven’t left.”

  “But there’s no chance you’ll stay.”

  Something shifted in his expression and she had the strong feeling that he was forcing himself to retreat, to keep things from becoming too intimate.

  Why? What had changed?

  He reached out to put his warm hand over hers where it lay on her thigh, sending her senses into overdrive. He squeezed her fingers before she gently pulled her hand away and put it back on the steering wheel.

  “Dani?” She took her eyes off the road for a moment. “I’m just trying to be fair to both of us. Given the circumstances, maybe this isn’t the best time to be anything except friends.”

  “Without benefits,” she stated in a remarkably blasé tone, given the way her body was crying out, No...you want him!

  “Benefits muddy waters.”

  “Yes, they do,” she said. “I understood. I agree. It makes perfect sense.”

  She kind of hated it.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  STICKER SHOCK WAS killing Dani.

  Gabe tried not to smile as she flipped over yet another tag and gave yet another small squeak of outrage. He was going to miss the hell out of her when he lef
t, but as soon as he finished doing this job for Stewart, he was going back to Bloomington. As things stood now, his feelings for Dani and his reason for being in Montana in the first place were tied too closely together to not affect one another. He needed to take a step back, review his objectives and get his head on straight, and hanging around Dani made that difficult. He wanted her to be happy. He wanted Stewart to be less stressed. He wanted the world to be logical again.

  “Look at this,” she hissed. “This dresser is stapled together. Stapled! How can they ask for this amount of money?”

  “Because people will pay it?”

  “I won’t.”

  They were three stores in and still hunting for a sofa.

  “I’m sorry I dragged you along,” she said as they left that store and she consulted her phone to discover their next target.

  “I don’t mind,” he said honestly. Dani shot him a suspicious glance, then, apparently satisfied, went back to her phone.

  “You seem preoccupied,” she said.

  “Look who’s talking,” he shot back, not liking how easily she’d just read him. “And yeah, I am, I guess. I have a contract and I’m not sure yet how to tackle the job.”

  “Ah,” she said as she pocketed the phone. “More vacation job stress.” For the first time since she’d turned over her first price tag, there was true amusement in her eyes.

  “Exactly. Now, shall we go find you a sofa?”

  “Yes,” she said matter-of-factly. “I think we should.”

  Dani eventually found a sofa marked down to half price that she liked. They’d hit the thrift stores and she found a couple of hardwood end tables that needed to be stripped and refinished and a brand new cedar chest that cost more than she’d intended to spend, but since it was well made and worth the money asked, she’d bought it, too.

  He waited until they’d finished lunch at a small Italian restaurant before asking if the furniture shopping was over for the day.

  “I need to be careful not to spend too much of my severance pay,” she said as she leaned back so that the server could refill her coffee cup.

  “Saving for that indoor arena.”

  “Yes.” She smiled softly, making it difficult for him to resist reaching across the table to take her hand in his. Their day was winding down. The rain had stopped, the sofa, chest and tables had been loaded into the back of her truck and were covered with plastic and roped down. Furniture shopping was over and it was time to get down to business.

  He took a deep breath and dived in as smoothly as he could. “You know how you mentioned that you and your sisters came close to selling your ranch at one point?”

  “Yeah?” Dani said, glancing up cautiously.

  “I’ve been in contact with a friend who’s looking to buy a piece of property in the area.” He lightly tapped the table with his long fingers. “He’s looking for almost exactly what you have in the Lightning Creek and he’d pay top dollar to avoid hassles.”

  “What kind of hassles?”

  “He’d like to do a private sale.”

  Dani blinked at him. “Sell the Lightning Creek?”

  “I’m just passing on information. Since you guys were so close to selling at one point and this could be a done deal with no real-estate-agent commission...” He gave a shrug and reached for his coffee.

  Dani frowned, started to speak, then frowned and stopped.

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  “No. It’s just...a surprise. That’s all.”

  “My friend has been looking for a while. His needs are pretty specific. He thought he’d found a place a couple years ago, but that fell through.”

  “There are a lot of places for sale in Montana.”

  “I know.” Another casual shrug. “He wants something in this area. Lots of acreage, access to skiing, water running through it.”

  “And you told him about the Lightning Creek?’

  “Only that he missed a prime opportunity.”

  Dani pursed her lips as she focused on her coffee, then her gaze shot up as he reached across the table to cover her hand with his once again. He gave a slight squeeze and she turned her palm up to link their fingers.

  “It’d be a bitch setting up my business elsewhere.”

  “But maybe all your buildings wouldn’t need to be roofed.”

  She cocked her head. “Any idea what his idea of top dollar is?”

  “Only ballpark, but I know that if the property suits, he’d pay a fair price. Perhaps a shade more. He’s been looking for a long time. Like I said, he had a place he thought was perfect, but lost it. He won’t mess around this time.”

  She frowned down at the table as she slipped her hand out of his grip. When she looked back up at him, she said, “My oldest sister worked in real estate for quite a while. I wonder what she thinks would be a fair price in the current market.”

  “Ask her.”

  “I might,” she said. “Not to get your friend’s hopes up, but, hey, you never know what my sisters would say if a solid offer was put in front of them.”

  Gabe fought to keep a wide grin from spreading across his face. “I won’t say a word to him. Like you say, no sense raising false hope.”

  * * *

  SHE HADN’T HATED the idea. Gabe paced through his house, pausing occasionally at his drafting table to stare down at his sketches. He was ridiculously relieved. It was important to him that Dani feel good about that deal. Really good, because that meant at some point in the future, he could reappear in her life, see where this attraction took them. But for now, until the deal was landed, he was keeping his distance. Friendly but not overly friendly. That was what she wanted, too. Or at least what she said she wanted—the way she kissed said otherwise, but he wasn’t going to dwell on that.

  Things had turned out better than he’d hoped, but Gabe wasn’t going to call Neal or Stewart with an update until he was more certain of the outcome. If Dani said no deal, he didn’t know what his next move would be, but hopefully he wouldn’t have to address that issue.

  Say yes, Dani. Convince your sisters. Find a new place to buy.

  A simple solution for all involved. The best solution for all involved. Lightning Creek would be in good hands, the sisters that needed money would have it. Dani and Jolie could buy a smaller, more manageable place to build their training facility. Yes. Win, win, win.

  Gabe stared at his reflection in the windows. A lanky guy wearing a loose flannel shirt over a T-shirt and jeans stared back. Barefoot, wearing glasses instead of contacts. He didn’t look much like his professional self, but he felt a hell of a lot better in a lot of respects. Yeah, he’d gone a bit stir-crazy here in the beginning, but now...now he was getting into working in solitude for a good part of the day, and spending the rest of it with Dani. That left only the lonely nights...

  There might be a cure for that, eventually, but not until the deal was settled and he’d had some time to think.

  * * *

  “I’M JUST THROWING it out there for you to think about,” Dani said into the phone. She heard Jolie give a low growl on the other end.

  “I didn’t want to sell before and I don’t want to sell now. Why do you?” she challenged.

  “Allie and Mel?”

  “Mel agreed to go with the majority.”

  “And Allie? You know how she hates this place now. Wouldn’t it be a lot easier if we sold? She wouldn’t have to face it ever again.”

  “No offense, Dan, but Al needs to man up. She had a rotten time on the ranch, but that’s because of Kyle, not the place.”

  “When I mentioned that, she said Dad died here.”

  “And I feel like he’s there with us.”

  Dani sighed. She and Jolie were so alike. “Me, too. But Mel and Al don’t feel that way. If they had the money from the place, Allie wouldn’t have to take out student loans. Mel could pay off her loans and maybe sink some into KC’s ranch. We could pool our share and buy another place. One where
we aren’t playing catch-up with the repairs.”

  “Is this a for-sure thing?”

  “It sounded like it. I mean anything can fall through, but...yeah, it sounded that way.”

  Jolie went quiet. Dani was about to say her name, when she said, “I’ll think about it.”

  “That’s where I am, too. Thinking. I’m not saying a thing to Mel or Al until you make your decision.”

  “Thank you. I don’t feel like being the bad guy again.”

  “You weren’t the bad guy—just the odd man out.”

  “I love Lightning Creek, Dan.”

  “I know.” Of all of them, Jolie loved the ranch the most. It was as if she came alive when she was there and she was the only one who’d ever planned on moving home permanently—or she had been until Chad revealed himself to be an asshole and SnowFrost went belly up, thus setting the stage for Dani to move home, too.

  “I’ll think about it. No pressure. Okay?”

  “There’s not. Gabe just tossed the matter out there. I don’t think he’s going to bring it up again unless I do.”

  Jolie blew out an audible breath. “All right.” She cleared her throat then said, “And what about this Gabe guy?”

  “What about him?”

  “You’ve mentioned him a couple times and I was just wondering...”

  “There’s nothing to wonder about,” Dani said casually, wishing it was so. The truth was she was wondering. Wondering what she was thinking, forging ahead as she was. But just as with the land deal, there was no pressure. Gabe showed up every day to work on his computer while she trained. Sometimes when she worked late, he stayed on for dinner—always a slow-cooker meal—and he always offered to do the dishes. Dani would say no and he would go home, leaving her feeling alone.

  Maybe that should be a red flag, but it didn’t feel like one. It felt like another step in a natural progression.

  “All right,” Jolie said in a skeptical tone.

  Dani didn’t bother protesting. The gist of her stilted response was that she didn’t want to talk about it and Jolie was respecting that...for the time being anyway.