“I appreciate your concern, sir, but you don’t need to worry. My wife is the best thing to happen to me. She supports the ranch and loves my kids. She even organized my office.”
“God bless her. If your office is anything like mine at home…” he chuckles as he pulls out a gold lighter engraved with his initials. “Would you care for a cigar? I always carry an extra one. It’s from my personal collection I import from Cuba. Nobody smokes them right anymore. You need a soft flame to light them. This lighter here has a split flame valve to accommodate the width of the cigar.”
“I’d better not. You enjoy it.” Itching for this conversation to be over, I hold out my hand. “Thank you for the talk. It’s nice to know you have my back.”
We shake, and he tilts his head. “So I’ll see you in, what, nine days?”
“It’s circled red on my calendar.” I can’t fucking wait to repay this loan. I hate lying to Harlan. Granted, Paige and I are working out, but I don’t like being dishonest.
Nodding, he leans forward. “Good because I don’t give extensions. I have another project I’m looking to invest in, but I’d like to have your loan repaid first. Our bank is different because I always make sure we have plenty of capital on hand. Call me old fashioned, but my grandfather started this bank and weathered the Great Depression by not taking on too much risk.”
“Harlan, I appreciate you taking a chance on me. I won’t let you down.”
And I mean it.
36
PAIGE
“I’m thrilledyou and Rhett are doing well,” Judge Tate says as she wraps me in a hug. “Call me next week so I can add you to our quilting group.”
“I’ve only made a baby quilt, and it wasn’t fancy,” I admit.
She waves her hand. “Sylvia Reyes says you’re a fantastic seamstress. You’ll learn advanced techniques in no time.” Leaning in, she whispers, “We call it the Sewers and Sippers Society because we like our margaritas.”
I laugh. “Sounds like fun.”
After I jot her number in my cell, I go in search of fried dough. The festival is getting crowded, and as I weave around a large group, I run into Irma and Ty. My stomach tightens, and I force a smile. “Hi. How are y’all?”
Ty gives me a genuine grin. “Great. I just finished selling off the rest of our puppies. I’m making bank.”
I hate that he’s running a puppy mill. “What about the mama dogs? How much time do you give them between litters?”
Irma rolls her eyes. “They’re just dogs.”
“Mom, don’t talk like that.” Ty shakes his head. “This is my last batch. I’m getting tired of cleaning up crap all the time. I’m gonna invest the money and do something else.”
I’m relieved he’s not continuing with his original plan. “I’m so glad to hear that.” It’s great to see my brother. I know we’re not full siblings, but he’s the only blood relative I have left. “Ty, we should grab lunch sometime.”
He nods. “I’d like that.”
We make plans to hang out later this week. Irma doesn’t look happy, but that’s too bad.
Baylee waves me over, and I join her by the churro truck. “Sean is a hottie.”
We watch him dance with one of the nursing home gals, and Baylee nods. “He’s great. I really like him.” She points to the caramel corn. “Want to share an order with me?”
I sniff the air, and my stomach turns. “I was going to eat some fried dough, but the smell is grossing me out.”
“How about a brownie? My mom is manning the Fudge Delight table, and she made a few batches of her Better than Sex brownies.”
I chuckle. “I can’t believe she calls them that.”
As we wait in Aunt Sylvia’s line, I watch everyone dance. I sigh happily when Rhett asks Mrs. Campbell for a spin. She has to be ninety years old, but she eagerly hops out of her wheelchair when he holds out his hand.
Tonight feels perfect. Amber isn’t here to ruin it, and talking to Ty made me feel like I can really set down roots here again. And I’m ridiculously excited about the quilting group. The icing on the cake is knowing Rhett’s going to get a great price for his cattle next week, so we can build a life together.
Baylee loops her arm through mine. “Did you say the Fletchers finally moved out?”
