himself that he’d been right to keep it all along.
Without steady revenue, he had to rely on what was left of his savings to float the business. Jax had stopped taking reservations months ago and Emma was right...no one was beating down their door to get in. They hadn’t been for more than a year—and the instant the ranch had taken a downturn, she had swooped in and offered to buy it.
Emma bordered between a vixen and a cherub. Her intelligence coupled with her persistence had hooked Jax from their first meeting. At five and a half feet, she wasn’t overly tall or bombshell curvaceous. Instead, the brunette had a wicked grin that usually ended in a friendly wink. She exuded charm along with a street-savvy wit that left those around her intoxicated by her performance. And it was a performance designed to lull potential sellers into a euphoric sense of everything would be wonderful once they closed the deal. She was a brilliant saleswoman and Dylan understood why she was so successful, but he could also see right through her.
Today, her perfectly manicured facade had a crack in it. But that crack made her appear more natural and she wore it well, despite her obvious discomfort. She winced for the second time since her arrival. The ranch should be the least of her concerns, and she had to be the least of his. He didn’t have the patience to deal with a pushy pregnant woman, let alone one who should be relaxing at home choosing baby names.
“Isn’t your husband worried about you?”
“Thanks for the concern, but I’m not married, attached or otherwise. It’s just me and the butter bean.”
“Butter bean? That’s what you call your kid?”
Emma rubbed her belly and smiled up at him. Any man worth his salt could get lost in her bourbon-colored eyes if he wasn’t careful. Good thing he’d sworn off women with kids years ago.
“I have craved butter beans since the beginning of my pregnancy. That’s how I found out I was expecting. A friend jokingly asked if I was pregnant. Biggest surprise of my life.”
“And the father?” Dylan held up his hands. “No, I’m sorry. That’s none of my business.”
“It’s no secret. He left two seconds after I told him.” She tilted her chin up defiantly. “I had his parental rights terminated shortly thereafter. He didn’t fight it and my baby is better off this way. I’d never force my daughter on a man who wants nothing to do with her.”
“I give you a lot of credit.” It pained him whenever he heard a man had relinquished his paternal rights to a child. Dylan had wanted kids and a family more than anything. He’d lived that dream, and then he lost it after he’d partnered with Jax on Silver Bells. His ex-wife had warned him she wouldn’t like living on a ranch. Stubbornly, he thought he’d change her mind. Lauren had tried her best, but living in an outdated log cabin away from her family and friends proved to be too much. She packed up his two step-kids and moved back to Bozeman. No way would he raise another man’s child again. It was too heartbreaking when it didn’t work out.
Lauren and the kids leaving, coupled with his father’s death a few months later, damn near broke him. From then on, he devoted every waking hour to the ranch. He and Jax had updated what they could afford to, and the Silver Bells did great until more guest ranches cropped up nearby. They couldn’t compete with the new.
“It’s all good,” she said.
Her robotic response told him otherwise, but he couldn’t allow that to matter. Dylan squatted next to her chair and rested a hand on her arm. He immediately regretted the close contact, even though her bulky sweater separated her skin from his palm. It was bad enough her almond-scented shampoo left him wanting to bury his face in the long silky strands. He found this vulnerable side of Emma endearing when he knew to avoid her. She was off-limits in far too many ways.
“I admire your strength and fortitude to see this deal come to fruition but, Emma, it won’t happen. I went along with my uncle because he owned the majority stake in the business. I didn’t have a choice then. There are a few options I’m mulling over, but selling to you isn’t on the list.” Dylan stood and walked to the windows overlooking the ranch. “This is a guest ranch where people come to be cowboys and cowgirls for a week or two. It will never be the luxurious five-star spa resort you want to turn it into.”
“Um, excuse me. Some help over here,” Emma called behind him.
He turned to find her struggling to stand and couldn’t help but laugh a little. She was cute when she was vulnerable. He closed the distance between them and offered both his hands. Their eyes met as he pulled her to her feet and inadvertently against his body.
“Sorry,” he mumbled before stepping back.
A tinge of pink flooded her cheeks as she smoothed her sweater. “Would you rather turn your employees out on the street?”
The woman didn’t miss a beat. “You and my uncle already have.” Dylan headed toward the front desk, sensing her close behind him. “Some already left to secure work somewhere else. When my uncle announced that the ranch would close its doors on January 1, many of our employees began searching for work elsewhere. Some found positions, while others planned on staying until the end. I’ve already told them Silver Bells isn’t closing, and I’ll do whatever I can to keep them employed here. We have families living on the ranch. Did my uncle tell you that? And some of my employees worked on my father’s ranch before his death. I’ve known many of these people my entire life.”
Emma shook her head. “I didn’t know.”
“I can’t tell you how many marriages have taken place amongst the Silver Bells employees. We have another in a few days, don’t we, Sandy?” Dylan wrapped his arm around a dining-room server who had been passing by. “Sandy’s the one getting married. Her fiancé, Luke, is a ranch hand here.” Dylan continued into the kitchen. “Hopefully this won’t be the last wedding. Many babies have been born here, too. Some of the kids raised on Silver Bells are raising families of their own on the ranch and you want to take that away. I can’t understand why my uncle agreed to any of it. I just thank God he hadn’t finalized anything.”
“We were scheduled to in fifteen days.” Emma lifted her chin. “And your employees can reapply once the renovations are completed.”
Sandy scoffed at her statement. “Your company refused to guarantee us employment. You can’t expect us to go without any income or health insurance for six months.”
“Many of the people working here live paycheck-to-paycheck,” Dylan said over his shoulder as he walked to the pantry. His father had taught him to treat his employees like family and the thought of them suffering aggravated him further. He needed distance from Emma before he said something he’d regret.
“I’m sure we can work something out.” She followed him, unrelenting. “Maybe a severance package.”
“To cover six months? I highly doubt that.” He hoisted a case of water onto his shoulder and faced her. “Listen. I’m not going to change my mind. So please, catch the first flight out of here because you’re wasting your time pursuing this further. If you’ll excuse me, I have a lot to do since we’re shorthanded.”
“Uh, Dylan? She’s not going anywhere,” Sandy said from the kitchen doorway. “Harlan just called. They closed all the roads because of this storm and we’re expecting another foot of snow by tomorrow morning.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” But he knew she wasn’t.
