“A small one. Imagine the free advertising for both the town and your ranch.” Her eyes glittered with excitement. “Think of all the businesses that would benefit. Wasn’t Ella saying she wanted to re-envision The Marmot as a classier place instead of a bar where fights break out every Saturday night?”
“You said this was a great place to get away and unplug, and now you want to bring in film crews?” I shook my head. “I don’t think I understand your vision at all. Let me guess, you want to put in a runway for private planes so folks can swoop in and out of here with ease, right?” I’d seen this happen before, ranches building small runways for private jets so their resort would be more accessible to millionaires and billionaires. That had never sat well with me. Couldn’t they fly into the regular airport like everyone else instead of contributing to global warming and destroying the peaceful atmosphere that made this place so special?
“The secluded nature of the ranch is a serious obstacle to people coming here, so we would probably need to consider that. See, these are the ideas we’d need from you, Matthew.”
I closed my eyes and shook my head, horrified that she actually thought I’d suggested putting in a runway. “I can’t believe this. A few days ago, you were complaining about your husband wanting a small piece of your family business, and now you want to buy mine and turn it into something that I wouldn’t even recognize.”
Lauren’s jaw dropped, like this was news to her. “This is not the same situation at all. You said you were going to have to sell the ranch because you couldn’t afford to keep it going anymore. If I bought it, you’d still be able to run the ranch and keep a connection to it. I want you to be our ranch manager.”
“Oh, wow, thanks!” There was no keeping a lid on my temper now. “So if Freddy wanted to buy Ms. Match and keep you on as managing director, you’d be cool with it? Is that what you’re saying? He’d call all the shots, and you’d just carry out his orders?”
“Of course not. If Freddy bought Ms. Match, I’d have to leave, but that’s because I don’t trust him, and I certainly don’t want to be around him. If we were going out of business and you wanted to buy our company…” She had the decency to stop and think about what that would actually feel like. “I don’t know what I’d do, but I certainly hope I wouldn’t let my pride get in the way when I made my decision.”
Everything was crumbling apart. “It’s not just my pride that’s hurt, Lauren. I grew up here, and this place is part of my identity. I thought you understood that.” Sure, my pride was taking a hit, but it was my heart she was breaking.
Tears swam in her eyes. “And I thought you’d appreciate my interest in keeping your family’s ranch alive, so I guess we were both wrong.”
I pulled off my cap and tugged at my hair. “Do you care about me at all, or did you come here looking for a business opportunity?”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Matthew. I didn’t come out here to buy a ranch, and of course I care about you. You’re part of this. We can rebuild this place together. Can’t you see that?”
“And what if the relationship doesn’t work out?” I asked. “What happens to your new business venture, then? What happens to me?”
“I know we’d be taking a risk here, both of us, but I think it’s worth it. There are still details to work out?—”
“That’s just it. You figured out all the details on your own. I’d just be here to help you smooth the way to a totally different Silver Sage Ranch that looks nothing like the wonderful place my parents put their blood, sweat and tears into.”
“Matthew.” She was crying now, and I was choking back emotion myself. “I’m not trying to destroy your parents’ hard work. I’m sorry if I caught you off guard with all of this.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “I didn’t expect it to upset you this much.”
I set my jaw and nodded tightly. “I guess I need to get used to fielding offers on the ranch. I sure didn’t expect one coming from you today, that’s all.” A few hours ago, I’d been thinking about telling Lauren I was falling in love with her, and now I wasn’t even sure who she was.
She pulled back her shoulders and swiped away her tears. “I think we should put a pin in this conversation. Let’s take some time apart, and we’ll talk again later.”
I nodded slowly, feeling like a deflated balloon. “Alright. I think some time and space is definitely in order.”
“Okay.” She smiled through her tears. “I guess I’ll see you around the ranch then.”
“Yeah, I’ll see you around.”
I felt numb as I listened to the front door of the office shut behind her, and I let my head drop into my hands. All I could think about was what a fool I’d been. How could things get any worse?
Less than two minutes later, the front door creaked open again, and I craned my head to see who had entered. Was it Lauren? Instead, Tyler shot toward me like a firecracker going off.
“We have a problem, boss.”
CHAPTER25
MATTHEW
“Ifound Damon.” Tyler was out of breath and wild-eyed. “Drunk. In a hammock.”
My stomach plummeted. “How drunk?”
“Passed out cold.”
This was bad. Cataclysmically bad. We could prop up a slightly intoxicated chef for the dinner service by infusing him with black coffee and putting a few extra hands in the kitchen, but if he was unconscious? Hell, there was no way around that.
“Shit, shit, shit.” I ripped off my baseball hat and slapped it repeatedly against the desk. Then I stared at it before shoving it back on my head. “Well, that didn’t help.”
