picture. “Oh, my God, is that you?”
“Um, yep.” Rachel set the laptop to the side and closed it. “What’s up?”
“Let me see.” With an elbow, Jamie nudged her over, then dropped to the couch beside her. “When was that taken?”
Rachel really liked her brother Cole’s girlfriend and was thrilled she’d moved to the Sundance just last week. They’d become fast friends even before the move, while Jamie had been a guest. But Rachel wasn’t sure she wanted to share this other side of herself yet. Her family didn’t know about her wanting to leave and they’d be hurt. “It’s pretty boring stuff since you don’t know anyone.”
“I know you. Happy birthday, by the way. That’s why I came looking for you.”
“Thanks. I think.” Rachel put her hands on her cheeks and tested the elasticity of her skin.
“Oh, please.” Jamie snorted. “Now you’re just gonna piss me off. Wait till you’re twenty minutes away from the big three-0.”
“You have two years yet.”
“It goes by fast.” Jamie’s gaze went to the laptop. “Were those Halloween pictures?”
“Hey.” Rachel made a face. “They’re from my last birthday.”
“You’re joking.” Jamie stared at her. “Come on, let me see.”
Rachel got it. All she wore were jeans and oversize flannel shirts these days. Perfect for the ranch. “All right, look, you can’t say anything to Cole, or anyone else.”
Jamie shrugged, obviously confused. “Okay.”
Rachel opened the laptop and brought up the pictures, surrendering the computer when Jamie reached for it.
“You were still in Dallas last year, right?” Jamie studied the image of Rachel in a snug pink top, short black leather skirt and glittery charcoal-colored stilettos. She was wearing full makeup, her fuchsia lips puckered in a kiss she was blowing to the camera. The same pink color as her top wove through her bangs.
She nodded, even though Jamie was too absorbed with the radical image to look up. “I was working on my master’s and sharing a house with three other women.”
Jamie clicked on the picture of Chloe, Katy and Liz, who all looked effortlessly big-city chic. “Your roommates?”
“We met while living in the dorms, then found a house we could afford right before senior year. My share didn’t cost any more than a dorm room.” Only when Jamie gave her a curious look did Rachel realize she’d sounded defensive.
“They threw you the party, I assume.”
“Um, no party. We were getting ready to go club hopping when someone snapped these. The fun started much later.”
Jamie grinned at the champagne toast they were making in the next photo. “Please tell me you didn’t get hammered too early.”
“Why do you think we had to chronicle the night?”
Jamie laughed. “Seriously?”
“No.” Rachel smiled. “I was fine. If nothing else, those ridiculous heels kept me in line.”
“You mean those weren’t part of your normal attire?”
“More than you might think. I have three other pairs.”
“You wild woman.” Jamie eyed her with amusement. “You know you’ve totally destroyed my image of you, right?”
Rachel sighed. “Absolutely.”
Jamie angled the laptop toward her. “Cute. Who’s this?”
She glanced at the photo. “Tom. We hung out for almost a year, when we weren’t too busy.” He was ambitious, so was she, and they’d been good together until they weren’t. Neither of them had had a problem with saying adios when their schedules got too crazy.
“So you guys still keep in touch, or is it over?”
“Both. He wrote me when he passed his bar exam, and then when he moved to join a law firm in Denver.” Rachel paused. Explaining too much was tricky. No telling what Cole had revealed about the Sundance’s beleaguered financial situation. “We knew that eventually we’d each go where our careers took us.”
Jamie frowned a little, half closed the laptop and studied Rachel’s face. “You weren’t planning on staying here,” she said, lowering her voice.
Rachel glanced over her shoulder. “Swear you won’t repeat anything I tell you,” she said, turning back to Jamie. “Not even to Cole.”
“Of course I won’t, but that doesn’t mean you have to tell me anything. Really. I won’t be offended.” Jamie passed the laptop back to Rachel. “We all have secrets.”
Sighing, she offered a smile. “I’m sorry. I know you wouldn’t betray a confidence. That was just me being insecure.”
“You? Insecure? Uh-uh. But I know, we all have those days.” Jamie started to get up.
“Wait. This isn’t some top secret thing, it’s just that I don’t know what Cole told you about why we opened for guests.”
Jamie settled down again. “He mentioned the Sundance was struggling financially and that the dude ranch was your idea. Which was brilliant, by the way, but I also understand it’s not easy for everyone in the family to accept.”
“At this point, I think the guys have made peace with the idea. Especially since they know it’s a temporary solution and we’ve already seen a profit. But part of the deal was that I handle that side of the business.”
“And you feel stuck.”
Rachel gave a small shrug. “I wouldn’t say I’m stuck, but it did alter my plans somewhat.”
“Meaning?”
Rachel let out a rush of air. “I was only going to stay for part of the summer, spend time with my mom while I decided between two hotel chains that had tried to recruit me.”
Jamie’s eyebrows went up. “Um, I think that qualifies for more than somewhat. Wow. I don’t know if you remember a conversation we had last August about you staying at the Sun-dance, but I figured something was off.”
“I remember.” The conversation had been about whether Rachel could be happy staying home. “I’m not looking for sympathy. This is exactly where I’m supposed to be, doing exactly what I’m meant to be doing. I owe my family. If I have to stay here another five years then—”
“Oh, God…you and Cole and your hyper sense of responsibility….” Jamie’s lips twitched in a wry smile. “Must run in the family.”
“You don’t understand. Cole paid my tuition every semester, then agreed to graduate school, even though the ranch was in trouble.”
“And
