she said. For a moment they stood on opposite sides of the room. The awkwardness was becoming palpable and Gabe realized that she didn’t know what to do with him now that he was in her house. That deal about making friends slowly, no doubt. The last thing he wanted was her to feel self-conscious around him, so he smiled and said, “I’m glad you called. If everything’s okay now, I’d better get back to what I was doing. I have a deadline.”
“You need to work on your vacation skills.”
“I’ll make a note.”
“With an alert?” she asked mildly. “Practice vacation skills from nine a.m. to ten a.m.?”
“Something like that.” He paused at the door, debating for a split second before he said, “Call if you have other issues, okay?” When her expression started to close off, as if he was getting too familiar too fast, he added, “I’d jump at any chance to procrastinate from my project.”
He reached for the doorknob and her features relaxed—because of what he said, or because he was almost out the door?—and she took a few slow steps toward him as he walked out onto the porch. She stopped at the door, putting a hand on the frame. “I appreciate you coming. Sorry if my hostess skills are rusty.” She gave a soft snort, then smiled at him. “Who am I kidding? I was never a good hostess. That was for my sisters to handle.”
“Well, I’ve never been a big fan of anything fancy.”
“Your car says otherwise.”
His eyebrows lifted. “Touché. But there’s no getting around the needs of the Y chromosome.”
She laughed at that, a dimple appearing in one cheek close to the edge of her mouth, charming the hell out him. And making him very aware that he needed to get out of there a winner. “Good night, Dani Brody,” he said in a low voice before forcing himself to step outside. He needed to leave because it would have been too easy to stay and he was not going to blow this by overstaying his welcome—even if she had called him.
“Good night.” The door was closed before he looked back, but he’d definitely heard a husky note in her voice.
All in all he’d made some decent progress...but truthfully, he was glad she’d called for other reasons. The standpipes and the horse concerned him.
* * *
DANI STOOD BY the door, waiting until she heard the fancy car roar to life. Then she wrapped her arms around herself and took a few slow paces through her empty living room as the low rumbling purr disappeared into the distance. She shook her head. Dani, Dani, Dani. Get a grip.
This was the time to focus her energy on building and establishing her business, not being distracted by the hot vacationing guy next door.
You called him.
Indeed. And he’d been nice enough to come over and lend a hand. And that was where it stopped. A little neighborly help.
She still had mixed feelings about calling dispatch. Maybe this did need to be reported, but now Kyle would know something was up. Kyle, who had nothing to gain by sabotaging the place. So if it wasn’t Kyle, the only person who had anything even resembling a reason to vandalize the place, then...
Then it had to be a fluke.
She just wished she could still the small voice echoing what Gabe had said—two snapped standpipes?
* * *
EARLY THE NEXT MORNING, Dani went to Lacy’s pen, feeling ridiculously relieved to find the gate closed and the horse still there. During the long night, she’d let paranoia get the better of her, wondering if someone was sneaking around her place causing mischief, but now, standing in the warm sunshine, her fears felt overblown.
Lacy stood stock-still while Dani approached and crooned soft words as she moved closer, but when she raised her hand to pet the mare, the horse jerked her head back.
“It’s okay,” Dani murmured, leaving her arm outstretched until Lacy finally moved forward to touch the back of Dani’s hand with her nose. When she thought of what a trusting, confident animal Lacy had once been when she sold her, it was difficult to tamp down the anger. People like Len Olsen shouldn’t be allowed to own animals. But they did and there was nothing she could do about it, except try to rescue Lacy, bring her back to where she’d been.
“Ah, Dad,” she muttered. It would have hurt him as much as it did her, to see the only offspring of his favorite mare in this condition.
* * *
“I MADE CONTACT,” Gabe told Stewart during their first touch-base call early the morning after Dani had called him about the standpipes.
“It went well?”
“Yeah.” Not entirely according to plan, but he wasn’t going to argue with success. He also wasn’t going to tell Stewart that his car had almost gotten totaled by a horse or that he was making repairs on the Lightning Creek Ranch.
“What’s your read?”
“That this will take time.”
“How much time?”
“If I act too soon, my gut tells me the deal isn’t going to fly. Ms. Brody is...not quick to trust.” To put it mildly. “I can’t slap money on the table and be assured the Brodys will take it.” And if he made his move too soon, there was a good possibility that he wouldn’t get a second chance.
“I want this done soon,” Stewart said before coughing and then clearing his throat for the second time in their short conversation. “I need it done soon.”
Which concerned Gabe. He’d worked with Stewart for several years and had never seen the man impatient, which in turn made him feel edgy. “I’m confident that I can bring Ms. Brody around to our point of view.”
“The sooner you do, the sooner I’ll sleep at night.” A rare admission from a guy who made it a point to never show weakness. “But no pressure,” he added in a way that made Gabe feel like the vise had just been cranked another notch.
“Right,” Gabe said drily. “I’ll be in touch.”
No pressure. Gabe ended the call, then walked to the window and clasped his hands at the back of his neck as he stared out across the fields at his target.
Were the standpipes still standing? The horses in their pens?
Was Dani all right?
She was playing at the edge of his thoughts in ways that weren’t associated with property procurement. She was attractive and he sensed she’d be fun once she let her guard down. He liked her and that made him want to make certain that she felt as if she was making the right move when she decided to sell to him. He had no doubt it was the right move. Granted, she currently had a property she could live on rent-free while she started her business, however, that place needed a lot of work. If she sold, she could buy a smaller, nicer property with her share of the proceeds. A place that didn’t need work and would allow her to funnel all of her money toward her business and herself. Hell, she could probably even afford some furniture.
And
