The Rancher's Second Chance (11 page)

She sank back into the seat, the shadows hiding what he assumed was a disgruntled expression. “Let’s just pretend none of this ever happened. There would be no point in either of us pursuing this.”

He frowned and took a sip of the hot chocolate. Then he scowled. The hot chocolate was spiked.

When Gage pulled up in front of the house, the front door swung open and Mrs. Harris was frantically waving at them. “Oh, my dears, you’re back home nice and safe!”

Melanie stood and then wobbled. He grabbed her forearm until she steadied. “Wow, I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” she said. He had an idea.

“Take it easy; I’ll help you down. Try not to put any pressure on that ankle.” He stepped out of the sleigh, his boots sinking into the deep snow, and then lifted Melanie out.

“You’re welcome!” Gage yelled at their backs as they climbed the stairs. “Don’t worry about me or the horses. I’ll just go back to my place tonight.”

“Thanks, Gage,” Melanie called out over her shoulder, the movement almost toppling her over again. “I think I had too much whiskey,” she whispered as she leaned into him.

“Come inside,” Mrs. Harris squealed, enveloping Melanie in a big afghan.

He slammed the door shut behind them, not bothering to look at his friend. He wasn’t an idiot. He knew exactly what these two were up, to.

“Oh you poor thing.” Mrs. Harris was cooing as she ushered Melanie over to the sofa in the great room. Cole scowled.

He looked around the room. Fireplace was boasting a massive fire. Candles lined the mantle and all the side tables. A buffet of God knew what filled every last inch of the coffee table. “Why aren’t the lights on?”

“The power went out,” Mrs. Harris said, not looking in his direction. “Now enough questions and come and have some of this delicious—”

“We have a generator.”

She frowned up at him. He glanced over at Mel whose eyes looked all glassy. She was toasted.

“That hot chocolate was delicious.”

Mrs. Harris looked visibly swelled with euphoria. “Would you like some more?”

Cole tossed his jacket onto the front bench. “No, she wouldn’t.”

Melanie frowned at him. “You can’t tell me—”

“I have a feeling if you have one more cup of that concoction, you’ll be passed out in five minutes.”

Mrs. H grabbed Melanie’s forearm and practically threw her onto the couch. “Enough about that; why not have some beef stew?”

“With all this beef you people eat, do you actually have any left to sell?”

Mrs. H clasped her hands together. He had never seen the woman so animated. By the looks of things, she’d dipped into the hot chocolate, too. “Oh we do. Cole is such a hard worker. Quite a mind for business and up at the crack of dawn. But it’s too much for one man.”

Cole walked over to her. “All right, we’re done here.”

Mrs. Harris peered around his shoulder. “I hope he wasn’t feeding you that jerky, dear.”

Melanie nodded. He sank into the couch beside her while his housekeeper-turned-sloshed matchmaker spooned out a heaping bowl of stew and biscuits, handing it to Melanie. Melanie inhaled and his stomach dropped as he studied her.

“It’s good jerky,” Cole grumbled as he accepted the bowl Mrs. Harris shoved at him.

Then she stretched her arms in a theatrical display. “Well, I’m just beat. I hope you don’t mind if I run off to bed?”

Melanie was shaking her head, mouthful of food.

Cole smiled at Mrs. Harris. “No, no, you go right ahead. I know how tired you must be, especially with all that hot chocolate running through—”

“Good night!” she yelled, rounding the corner and then disappearing down the hall.

“Wow, she seems a little off tonight, don’t you think?”

“Luckily she can drink and cook,” he said, enjoying the stew.

“I wasn’t aware she was drinking.”

“That hot chocolate you’ve been guzzling is spiked.”

Her gasp had him laughing. “You people are far too liberal with your drinking. I’m going to have a total hangover tomorrow.”

“I think she’s getting a little bored and trying to spice things up around here.”

“By intoxicating your guests?”

He shrugged, trying not to laugh. If Melanie only knew what else Mrs. Harris had been up to lately.

She set down her bowl of stew, her brows knit together. “I hope she’s okay. I mean, she is getting on in years and the other night instead of giving me normal pajamas she gave me lingerie.”

He couldn’t hold back the laughter now. “That was the best damn move Mrs. Harris has made in years.”

She raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms, but he could see that she was holding back a smile. “Really? So you think it’s acceptable she’s dressing your women houseguests in lace?”

“Hell yes, when you’re the only houseguest we have.” This time, he leaned forward and captured her smile with his lips. Melanie tasted like chocolate and rum and dreams, the kind he had when he believed in forever. But he didn’t want to think about that now or what that meant. He just wanted to feel her. He gently grasped a handful of her silky hair as she molded herself to him.

She fit against him in a way that confirmed every single feeling he had.

He captured her mouth in a hungry kiss, exploring with a need that startled him. “I’m thinking of picking up where we left off at the cabin,” he said against her lips.

She gave a sexy, half sigh, half moan. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. It was all the whiskey.”

“So now we can blame it on the hot chocolate.”

“But Mrs. Harris is upstairs.”

He shifted on the couch so he was lying down and she followed. “Trust me, Mel, she won’t be coming down here any time soon.”

She paused for a second, glanced at the staircase, and then turned back to him. Her eyes traveled over him for a moment and reached out to touch him. Her fingers were soft, her touch excruciatingly light. He sucked in a breath when she leaned over him. “Cole?”

“Yeah.”

“If you ask me to repeat what I’m about to say in broad daylight tomorrow, I feel you should be forewarned that I will blame it on the whiskey and the hot chocolate.”

He tugged her up to him so that he could see her face and have her mouth against his again. “Duly noted.”

She closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them, staring into his, through him. “You are much hotter than I ever thought you’d be,” she murmured against his mouth.

He groaned and pulled her in closer. “I knew you’d be this hot.”

“This is crazy; I have work tomorrow.”

“Me too,” he said catching her earlobe gently between his teeth. “I have to prepare for a meeting next week. I’m about to secure a deal with Anderson Food Group.”

Melanie stiffened in his arms and pulled back so quickly that if he hadn’t caught her, she would have fallen from his lap. He frowned as she scrambled off him and stood. “What did you say?”

He stared at her. Her eyes were clear now, sharp, but her lower lip quivered and her arms were wrapped around her waist as though she felt ill.

“Cole, what did you say?” she whispered again.

“I’m going to secure a deal with Anderson Food Group.”

Chapter Eight

Cole stared out the large window in his office.

Three days ago he was walking up to the chapel with Melanie.

Three days ago he was becoming intoxicated by the first woman to intrigue him in five years.

He hadn’t stopped thinking about her since. He shifted in his leather swivel chair behind his desk, waiting for Phillip Anderson and the man’s future son-in-law, Ron, to join him.

He was supposed to be thinking of the upcoming meeting and instead was thinking of Melanie. Cole’s mind wandered to the memory of Melanie in the hallway wearing lingerie, Melanie refusing to ride a horse, Melanie asking him if there were wild animals out during the blizzard, Melanie wiping tears from her eyes as he spoke about Sarah, Melanie drinking whiskey straight out of the bottle, kissing Melanie, tasting Melanie…and then Melanie barreling out of his arms, claiming exhaustion. And then the next morning, she was gone before he woke.

He didn’t get it. After Mrs. H had pried out what few details he had, she surmised that she was probably feeling like they had no future, that he was still in love with his wife. He didn’t like that he’d given her the impression he wasn’t ready to move on, or that she didn’t matter. That everything that had happened between them at the cabin could be ignored. He couldn’t get any of it out of his mind. Or her. He could still taste her, the sweetness of her. Her scent had still been on his clothes the next morning, the feeling of emptiness filling him. He’d experienced loss, true loss, and he’d sworn he would never do it again. But things were changing. He was changing.

He also needed to know about her, who she really was. He’d known she was going to be complicated. He hadn’t counted on liking it, or finding her complications intriguing. Like the tyrannical dictator she’d mentioned in her nightmare.

He’d called her to make sure she’d gotten back to Passion Creek okay and that her ankle was feeling better. He could hear the surprise in her voice, but she’d seemed distant and preoccupied.

A large black sedan rolled to a smooth stop outside the front of the house. Cole rolled his shoulders and stood. It was time to make things happen. First the meeting, then Melanie. He walked to the front door and opened it wide. Cole shook off his personal thoughts and focused on the two men in front of him. He needed to get his head together.

Phillip Anderson was about to make something very important happen for him. This man represented Sarah’s dream of making their organic, grass-fed beef available in the mass market a reality. He owned one of North America’s largest chain restaurants and wanted them to be the exclusive supplier. They were looking to introduce beef that was ethically and sustainably farmed, which was the foundation of their ranching practice. The cattle industry wasn’t easy and Cole knew it was only because of his family’s reputation and many years in the industry that they were still able to maintain their market share. But this would mean a lucrative deal and the fulfillment of a dream.

Phillip Anderson and Ronald Westbourne greeted him moments later. They shook hands and Cole ushered them into his office. Once coffees were poured, he gestured them to the leather wingback chairs in front of his desk. He settled in himself, trying to concentrate on the required small talk before they got down to business.

“I’m looking forward to showing Ronald around the ranch,” Phillip said. Cole had already given Phillip a tour on their last meeting, but he knew he’d want his future son-in-law to look around as well. “Cole, I think we’ve got ourselves the makings of a fine deal,” Phillip said, smiling at him. “At the root of Anderson Food Group is family, and our customers are everyday Americans, families. We want to give them a menu that shows we care. We care about what they feed their children. It’s no doubt the organic movement is growing, that people are looking for beef that’s been raised without hormones or steroids. We want to be the forerunner, the first in a chain of our size to make this available to our customers.”

Cole nodded. “I think you’re right on. You’ll be ahead of the game, and you won’t find a better product out there, I can guarantee it.”

“This is going to work out very well for all of us,” Ronald Westbourne said with a smile that didn’t seem quite genuine. He had no idea if it was just that they were from different worlds, or what, but there was something about him. Cole had a pretty good sense of people, and while these gentlemen’s reputations were stellar, there was something about them on a personal level that made him slightly cautious. But none of that mattered. He never mixed business with pleasure. He wasn’t looking for friends; he was looking for investors.

“I feel this will be a good fit for both of us. I can see that family is just as significant to you. That was one of the traits that set you apart from the competition. Our restaurants are family restaurants, and you’re a brand we’d like to be associated with,” Phillip Anderson said. Cole was proud of his company’s reputation and he was pleased to hear they were highly regarded.

“I’m looking forward to doing business with you,” Cole said, rising. Normally he wouldn’t mind lingering a little, but right now he had a hell of a lot to do. This was going to be a damn fine day. Cori’s fiancée had texted letting him know they would be flying home as soon as possible.

The minute this meeting was over he was heading into Passion Creek to see Melanie. He was not about to let her go. He had laughed more times than he could keep track of when they were holed up in the cabin together. He’d enjoyed talking to her. He actually told her things about Sarah he’d never confided in anyone with. And his one taste of her was not enough. When she’d said good-bye, the emptiness consumed him again. He wasn’t a stupid man. He knew what was happening, even if he’d never admit it out loud. He was interested.

“We’ll have the papers drawn up and sent to our respective lawyers,” Phillip said, rising and extending his hand. Cole nodded and shook it.

“Excellent. I’d love to spend more time, gentlemen, but I’m going to be hosting a wedding here this week,” Cole said walking toward the door from his study to the main foyer of the house.

“Congratulations. We’re going to be hosting Ronald’s wedding to our daughter next month. There is nothing more important than family,” Phillip said, his face pulled into a tight smile.

“Absolutely,” Cole said with a smile. He glanced down at his watch. He didn’t want to appear rude, not asking the man anything about his family. “How many children do you have?”

“Just one. One beautiful daughter.”

“Well, that’s great. Good luck with your wedding, Ron.”

“Thank you. I’m marrying a wonderful woman.”

Cole watched them leave, feeling satisfied. What he’d accomplished today was the perfect way to end one chapter of his life and begin another. In one week’s time, his little sister would be married, and he will have expanded their family business. He was ready to move on with his life.

…

“Hey, there.”