grumbling as much as he savored the occasional victory.
“I’ll be there,” she agreed.
“Eight o’clock too early?”
“Perfect.”
“I’ll see you then, young lady. I’ll be looking forward to it.”
Done, she thought with a little sigh of satisfaction as she hung up. By this time tomorrow she would be on her way to being back in business and settling in Los Piños for the foreseeable future. It seemed that fate had known what it was up to when she’d been stranded nearby.
“Daddy wants you to stop by the house this morning,” Cody told Hardy when he found him in the bunkhouse dining room at seven-thirty, taking a break between chores.
“Why?” Hardy asked, genuinely perplexed. It wasn’t as if he and Harlan Adams were buddies. And if it had something to do with ranch business, Cody would be passing along the orders.
“Far be it from me to question my father’s motives,” Cody said. “He works in mysterious ways, but he is still the boss around here. If he wants to see you, that’s all that matters to me.”
Hardy had a sinking sensation in the pit of hisstomach that the command performance had nothing to do with the ranch and everything to do with his personal life. He also knew there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in hell he could wriggle out of going.
“What time?” he asked with a resigned sigh.
“Eight,” Cody said. “You might as well take off and head up to the main house now. The sooner you get it over with, the sooner you can get back to work.”
“If you need me—”
Cody chuckled. “Oh, no. I’m not taking the blame for you not showing up. Obviously Daddy has some bee in his bonnet that concerns you.”
Hardy heaved an even deeper sigh and headed for his pickup. When he reached the main house, Janet Adams answered his knock.
Harlan’s wife was a handsome woman. With her high cheekbones and black hair streaked now with gray, there was no mistaking her Native American heritage. She carried herself as regally as a queen. One look at him, though, had her shaking her head, her expression amused. “I should have known,” she murmured.
“Known what?” Hardy demanded, perplexed.
“You’ll find out soon enough. He’s expecting you. He’s in the dining room having breakfast.”
“I can wait till he’s finished.”
“Heavens, no. He wants you to come right on in and join the party, I’m sure,” she said, that twinkle back in her dark brown eyes.
She led the way to the dining room, then gestured for him to go in. “If you need rescuing, give me acall,” she said in an exaggerated whisper as she turned and walked away.
Only then did Hardy hear the voices, one deep and masculine, the other feminine and familiar. A baby’s whimpers counterpointed the other two. So, he thought, that’s what this was about. Harlan had set him up…again.
Before he could beat a hasty retreat, the sneaky old man caught sight of him.
“There you are,” he boomed. “Come on in, son. Grab yourself some breakfast.”
“I wouldn’t want to intrude,” Hardy said, his gaze locked on Trish and the baby even as he spoke to Harlan. Patches of color blossomed in her cheeks, proving that she, too, had been caught by surprise.
“I invited you, didn’t I? Now get some food before it gets cold and have a seat. We have some planning to do.”
“We do?” Hardy and Trish said in unison.
“Of course we do,” the old man said, undaunted by their reaction. “If Trish here expects to get her store up and running soon, there’s a lot of work to be done.”
Trish’s gaze shot from Hardy to Harlan Adams. “Sir, with all due respect, any work that’s to be done is my responsibility.”
“I’m the landlord,” Harlan countered. “I can’t have you moving in when the place is a mess, can I? Now I’ve been thinking. You’ll want it painted, of course, maybe some bookshelves built in, a counter for your cash register. What else?”
Trish looked stunned. She also looked as if
“I’ll be there,” she agreed.
“Eight o’clock too early?”
“Perfect.”
“I’ll see you then, young lady. I’ll be looking forward to it.”
Done, she thought with a little sigh of satisfaction as she hung up. By this time tomorrow she would be on her way to being back in business and settling in Los Piños for the foreseeable future. It seemed that fate had known what it was up to when she’d been stranded nearby.
“Daddy wants you to stop by the house this morning,” Cody told Hardy when he found him in the bunkhouse dining room at seven-thirty, taking a break between chores.
“Why?” Hardy asked, genuinely perplexed. It wasn’t as if he and Harlan Adams were buddies. And if it had something to do with ranch business, Cody would be passing along the orders.
“Far be it from me to question my father’s motives,” Cody said. “He works in mysterious ways, but he is still the boss around here. If he wants to see you, that’s all that matters to me.”
Hardy had a sinking sensation in the pit of hisstomach that the command performance had nothing to do with the ranch and everything to do with his personal life. He also knew there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in hell he could wriggle out of going.
“What time?” he asked with a resigned sigh.
“Eight,” Cody said. “You might as well take off and head up to the main house now. The sooner you get it over with, the sooner you can get back to work.”
“If you need me—”
Cody chuckled. “Oh, no. I’m not taking the blame for you not showing up. Obviously Daddy has some bee in his bonnet that concerns you.”
Hardy heaved an even deeper sigh and headed for his pickup. When he reached the main house, Janet Adams answered his knock.
Harlan’s wife was a handsome woman. With her high cheekbones and black hair streaked now with gray, there was no mistaking her Native American heritage. She carried herself as regally as a queen. One look at him, though, had her shaking her head, her expression amused. “I should have known,” she murmured.
“Known what?” Hardy demanded, perplexed.
“You’ll find out soon enough. He’s expecting you. He’s in the dining room having breakfast.”
“I can wait till he’s finished.”
“Heavens, no. He wants you to come right on in and join the party, I’m sure,” she said, that twinkle back in her dark brown eyes.
She led the way to the dining room, then gestured for him to go in. “If you need rescuing, give me acall,” she said in an exaggerated whisper as she turned and walked away.
Only then did Hardy hear the voices, one deep and masculine, the other feminine and familiar. A baby’s whimpers counterpointed the other two. So, he thought, that’s what this was about. Harlan had set him up…again.
Before he could beat a hasty retreat, the sneaky old man caught sight of him.
“There you are,” he boomed. “Come on in, son. Grab yourself some breakfast.”
“I wouldn’t want to intrude,” Hardy said, his gaze locked on Trish and the baby even as he spoke to Harlan. Patches of color blossomed in her cheeks, proving that she, too, had been caught by surprise.
“I invited you, didn’t I? Now get some food before it gets cold and have a seat. We have some planning to do.”
“We do?” Hardy and Trish said in unison.
“Of course we do,” the old man said, undaunted by their reaction. “If Trish here expects to get her store up and running soon, there’s a lot of work to be done.”
Trish’s gaze shot from Hardy to Harlan Adams. “Sir, with all due respect, any work that’s to be done is my responsibility.”
“I’m the landlord,” Harlan countered. “I can’t have you moving in when the place is a mess, can I? Now I’ve been thinking. You’ll want it painted, of course, maybe some bookshelves built in, a counter for your cash register. What else?”
Trish looked stunned. She also looked as if
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