The Cowboy's Promise

by Macie St James

  “You’ll figure something out,” he said. “I have full faith in you.”

  She waited for what came next, sure he was going to regretfully decline selling to her once and for all. He didn’t, though. Silence fell between them, interrupted by the very sudden sharp sound of a musical ringtone from his cell phone.

  “Excuse me,” he said, grabbing the phone from his back pocket. He tapped on the screen and said, “Hey, Colton!”

  Colton. That was one of his brothers, but it was tough keeping track. She ran over it again in her mind. Reilly was the one she’d met and Jared was the one with the locked rental cabin. Colton owned the house she hadn’t yet seen.

  Suddenly, Clay turned and looked at Harley, phone still pressed to his ear. “Sure. Where? Your office? Okay, we’ll be there in a few.”

  Harley’s eyes widened. Whatever was happening, it sounded like it involved her, and she was sitting here in no makeup, her hair unbrushed. If she was going to someone’s office, she needed more than ‘a few.’

  “We’ve been invited to lunch on the square,” he announced. “I just need to change.”

  She blinked. “The square? We’re going to town?”

  He’d been half-turned, but her words stopped him. For a second, she backtracked in her mind to what he’d just said. Had she mistakenly assumed she was invited?

  “You ready to see downtown Canyon Falls?” he asked with a big smile.

  She smiled back. “Been waiting all my life.”

  For the first time in a long time, she felt like an insider, like she was somewhere she was wanted. She wasn’t sure what to make of that feeling because it felt a lot like…

  Home.

  10

  If he didn’t know better, he’d assume Harley had never seen a historic square before. Seattle certainly had its fair share of historic buildings, but nothing small and charming like this.

  No place was like downtown Canyon Falls. He hadn’t traveled as extensively as he would have liked up to now, but he did know that much. There was a charm here that was straight out of a movie. It was almost too good to be real.

  “It’s like Stars Hollow,” she commented as she stepped up in the gazebo that was a relatively new addition.

  “Say what?” he asked.

  “Gilmore Girls?” She seemed to realize quickly enough that she was barking up the wrong tree there. “It was the town on that show. You should watch it sometime.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, not going to happen.”

  “Do you come here often?” she asked. “If I lived here, I’d be hanging out here every morning. A big cup of coffee, sitting on that bench, people-watching for hours.”

  He shook his head. “Too cold.”

  The temperature was still warmer than it would be in a few weeks, but Harley was bundled up in her coat. He figured she had to be used to cold weather, living in Seattle and all, but she’d been wearing that coat all morning, even while sitting in his kitchen.

  He shrugged. “I come into town when I need to do my banking or mail something. Errands. Too much to do on the ranch, most days.”

  “You could sell your ranch and move downtown.” She pointed toward the second story of the buildings to their left. “Are those condos and apartments or something?”

  “I really don’t know,” he said.

  That got a look of surprise from her. “You don’t know? How do you not know?”

  “I try to mind my business,” he said. “That’s not my business.”

  “But it’s a small town. Everyone knows everyone else’s business. That’s the point.”

  “Nosy people, maybe,” he said.

  “I prefer to call them ‘curious people,’” she said with a smile.

  There was something so irresistibly adorable about her. The more time he spent around her, the more he felt that tug in her direction. He was trying to fight it, but he wanted to get closer to her. He wanted to recapture that moment outside the stables but see where it went if he moved his mouth toward hers. Would she meet him in a kiss?

  He vowed to find out.

  Colton’s law firm was across the street from the courthouse, which no doubt came in handy when Colton had to be in court. Unfortunately, many of his cases had him traveling to Helena or Billings. It was for that very reason Colton often talked about making the ranch profitable so he could focus on that rather than putting on a suit and standing in front of a judge on the regular.

  Continuing to try to prove himself to be a true gentleman, Clay opened the door for her and waited for her to enter first. Despite being in a hundred-year-old building, the interior was surprisingly contemporary. There was plenty of marble, of course, but the walls were painted in bright colors and the elevator ran smoothly. That last part was pretty darn important, as far as he was concerned.

  There were seven stories to this building, and Colton was on the top one. The penthouse suite, he always joked. Clay and Harley rode up in silence.

  He might be wrong, but Harley seemed nervous for some reason. She was bouncing on the balls of her feet and staring anxiously up at the display that ticked off the floor numbers as they ascended. There was no reason for her to be nervous to meet his brother unless…

  Unless…

  Was she eager for his brother to like her?

  Although the most likely explanation for her nerves was simply that she saw Colton as possible help with closing her deal, Clay had his hopes up that it was something else. That she wanted to impress his family because she was attracted to him. That was ridiculously arrogant and highly unlikely, but he couldn’t deny that the hope was there, whether he wanted it to be or not.

  “Always helps to have a lawyer in the family,” Harley commented.

  It seemed like she was making awkward conversation now. Another nervous tic? He hoped so. He wanted to go back to things feeling more natural between them.

  The elevator dinged and the door slid open. Again being a gentleman, he gestured for Harley to exit first, but this time she hesitated. She wanted him to lead.

  They stepped forward at the same time, which somehow managed to put her directly in his path. His chest landed squarely against her shoulder. Direct contact, even though she was wearing a thick coat. He felt like he should step quickly back, but he didn’t. Instead, he stayed exactly where he was.

  “Excuse me,” she said, looking up at him.

  That was when he really felt it. The heat between them was undeniable. She’d turned partway, putting her lips clearly in kissing distance. Just a slight lowering of his head, the gentle placement of his hand in the small of her back, and she’d shift around until she was on tiptoe, kissing him back.

  Or so he hoped.

  None of that happened, though. The doors in front of them slid closed again and the elevator started going back down toward the lobby.

  “Oh, no!” Harley said as though it were the biggest disaster ever. It wasn’t even a disaster. More time with her, stuck alone in an elevator, was actually a gift.

  Harley reached over and pressed the button for the fourth floor. That was the next floor they’d reach. The car whooshed to a gentle stop and the doors opened. Harley pressed the button for the seventh floor until it lit up and the doors closed.

  “You look like you’ve done that before,” he teased.

  She chuckled lowly. “I’ve accidentally gotten out on the wrong floor a few times. And circled the area so nobody would know what I’d done before pressing the button again.”

  He could see her doing that. Another adorable thing about her. He was going to have to stop seeing everything she did as so cute. It was distracting…and she’d probably see it as condescending or something when, in actuality, it was just him enjoying every second he was spending with her.

  The elevator dinged and the doors opened. This time there was a tall, bald man standing outside, staring in at them with a dull expression on his face. Clay wondered if he’d seen the two of them earlier, but if he had, he obviously was not amused
.

  Harley stepped out of the elevator without acknowledging the man, while Clay gave him a nod of greeting. For all he knew, the guy was one of his brother’s clients or colleagues. Clay stopped by the offices and even had lunch with Colton sometimes, but he would be darned if he could identify a single one of his brother’s co-workers.

  “Clay!” Colton called out the second Clay was out of the elevator.

  Sure enough, there stood Colton next to the door with his firm’s name on it. Clay hadn’t expected his brother to be waiting for him in the hallway.

  Colton grinned. “I saw you from the window. This must be your houseguest.”

  “Jared’s houseguest initially,” Harley said. “That didn’t work out so well, though.”

  Colton laughed. “Well, I’m sure Clay has been showing you some good old Briscoe hospitality. He always seems to step in to pick up the slack. Ready?”

  Silence fell over them. Clay stared at his brother quizzically. Something about the way he’d said that bit about always picking up the slack. Was there something they needed to talk about?

  “I’m ready!” Harley said.

  Her enthusiasm yanked Clay out of his thoughts. Focus on the here and now, he told himself. Just worry about spending time with Harley. She’d be gone in twenty-four hours and he could deal with everything else at that point.

  “So tell me a little about yourself,” Colton said as Clay slipped into the background.

  “I work for a real estate investor,” she said. “My degree was in business, but I really saw myself as an events planner or hospitality manager. I’m more into putting things together than into sales.”

  “Sales is a tough one,” Colton said. “But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you can easily get stuck in a career you don’t want. You have to do what you want to do when you’re young so you don’t get too used to that big money coming in.”

  Harley laughed. “No problem there. I’ve never seen ‘big money.’ But you’re still pretty young yourself.”

  “Sure,” Colton said. “But thirty is just around the corner and you end up getting stuck.”

  There was a desperation in Colton’s voice that didn’t sound all that unfamiliar to Clay. It had just been a while since they’d discussed Colton’s career goals. Everyone in the family knew Colton wanted something more, but he didn’t talk about it much these days.

  “You own a farm,” Harley said.

  “Ranch!”

  The word came from Colton and Clay at the same time, they were so used to correcting people on it. It was a common mistake, especially from people who didn’t spend a lot of time on ranches. But Cedar Tree Ranch did not involve itself in harvesting crops or even gardening, although his mom had once managed a small little garden outside the back door of their home. That lasted a couple of particularly cold winters before she gave up on it.

  “Ranch,” Harley corrected herself. “All kinds of business opportunities on a ranch.”

  Clay didn’t like where this was going. He needed to step in if she was going to launch into her sales pitch for turning their ranch into a dude ranch/fall festival-event venue combination.

  “Harley’s boss wants to buy us out,” he explained to Colton as they stepped onto the elevator. “You know, like the developers tried with Old Man Varney’s ranch?”

  “’Old Man Varney?’” Harley asked.

  Colton turned his attention back to Harley. “He lives down the road from us. He’s the only other rancher in the area holding out against the developers. It’ll soon be our two ranches and a bunch of junked-up strip malls.”

  “Actually, your area has very strict zoning regulations,” Harley said. “So far it’s only a very specific type of residential community and some business parks. I think you’ll be pleased with what becomes of the area. There are even ways you can develop land while still preserving green spaces.”

  All part of her sales pitch, he was sure. He was surprised she hadn’t rolled this part of it out on him yet.

  “Old Man Varney has had quite a fight on his hands,” Colton said. “We were just saying how lucky we were that nobody had come after our land yet, especially since we’re closer to town.”

  Nobody said it, but Clay figured they were all thinking it. Cedar Tree Ranch had escaped attention so far. But that all changed when Harley showed up, looking all hot in her fancy flannel shirt and strategically-ripped jeans.

  But Cedar Tree Ranch hit someone’s radar long before Harley showed up here. In fact, he’d be willing to bet that Harley’s boss wasn’t the first to identify the property as a good investment. He’d just been the first to send someone to make an offer.

  As they exited Colton’s building, Clay couldn’t help but notice they were still chattering away up there. He, meanwhile, was stuck trailing behind like he was some sort of third wheel. It was great that Colton and Harley were getting along so well, but he was pretty sure Colton had only called them here because Reilly had told him there was a hot woman staying at Clay’s house. So this getting-to-know-you was…what? Colton being nosy? Colton vetting her for suitability for him?

  Or Colton deciding if selling the ranch was a good idea.

  Frowning, Clay followed them into Brandi’s Diner, best place for burgers in town. Brandi Norcross, the owner, was the daughter of the guy who had owned the hardware store that was a Canyon Falls staple throughout his childhood. That store closed after Brandi’s father died, but he’d helped her start up this fifties-style diner in his later years.

  “There are my two favorite brothers!” Brandi shouted, wiggling around the counter. She was very visibly pregnant with her first child but somehow still worked on her feet until at least noon every day. She said her feet were so used to it, her ‘standing’ was everyone else’s ‘sitting,’ whatever that meant.

  “Hey, Bran!” Colton called out. “We brought a friend.”

  Brandi’s gaze landed right on Harley. Again with the assessment. Poor Harley was being scrutinized and summed up when all she wanted was to get her contracts signed and hightail it straight back to Seattle.

  “Business associate,” Clay corrected in an effort to put a stop to all the stares they were about to get. As it was, the cook was watching them from the kitchen, and he knew if he looked around, he’d see the occupants of every chair and booth seat in the place pretending they weren’t eavesdropping.

  Harley looked over at him with an expression he couldn’t quite decipher. He figured maybe it was gratitude, but he saw a little surprise mixed in. Odd. He’d figured she’d want the professional nature of her time here to be stressed more than they would.

  “Business, yes,” Colton said as they scooted into their usual booth in the far corner.

  As friendly and outgoing as Colton was, Clay was equally reserved and private. The entire Briscoe family knew he preferred to have privacy when he was out in public and they did things like choosing a back-corner booth to accommodate.

  Colton handed Harley a menu. “Exactly how much money are you offering for our property?”

  Neither Clay nor Colton reached for a menu themselves. At this point, everything in it was practically imprinted on Clay’s brain. Colton always ordered the same thing, so no need for a menu for him.

  “That’s outlined in the documentation I have at the house.” Harley opened the menu and started scanning its contents. “I’d be happy to go over it later today if you’d like. It shows the valuation and what you can expect as the sale goes through. You’ll be surprised how easy it will all be.”

  Colton was staring at her, eyes narrowed slightly. One thing Harley needed to know about Colton was that his BS meter was strong. He’d dealt with his fair share of it in his time working with clients at his law firm, and he didn’t take much from any salespeople they worked with on behalf of the ranch.

  “I’m well aware of our ranch’s valuation,” Colton said. “I’ve had my eye on it for a while. But I’d love to see how your numbers compare.”
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br />   Clay almost pulled a muscle from how fast he turned to look at his brother. “Wait, what? You’ve been keeping an eye on what our ranch is worth?”

  “Yep. Those numbers have been going up at the same time the numbers in your bookkeeping app have been tanking. I figured when it got bad enough, I’d have a talk with you about it.”

  Clay was just staring at his brother now.

  “Your numbers are likely very accurate,” Harley said, seemingly ignoring the tension that had suddenly fallen between the two brothers. “But my boss has full confidence in the property. I’m sure you’ll like his numbers.”

  Was it Clay’s imagination, or did Harley seem a little nervous about the fact that Colton knew his stuff? Colton’s admission had been like a punch to his gut, but there was also hope. The fact that Colton had an eye out for this stuff meant Harley’s offer likely wasn’t enough. After all, her boss would offer lower than market value so he could make sure he made a profit off the sale. This may be a way out of the deal with Harley…

  For now.

  Brandi plopped two mugs of coffee onto the table—Clay and Colton’s usual—and turned her attention to Harley. “I’m Brandi, by the way. And you’re Harley, I hear?”

  Harley looked surprised Brandi had known her name. Word spread fast around these parts even when they hadn’t left the ranch with Harley until now. But in this case, Clay assumed one of his two brothers was to blame for blabbing about their houseguest.

  “Yes,” she said. “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “What would you like to drink?” Brandi asked. “Or are you ready to order lunch?”

  “Maybe just a few minutes on the food,” Clay said as Harley picked up the menu with a panicked look on her face.

  “Just water to drink,” Harley said.

  “We don’t need menus,” Clay said, handing his and Colton’s menus to Brandi. He had no idea why he did that.