“Well, from what he’s told me, he’s been juggling a lot. He looks at the numbers every day, and that can give a person tunnel vision.”
She nodded, frowning. “Yeah, he needs to offload some of it to an accountant, but that’s Josh. He feels like he always has to do everything himself.”
We were silent for a beat, staring out at Belle in the distance. There was a light breeze and the mare lifted her head and tossed her mane.
“I need to head out; gotta see a lame cow.” I glanced down at my phone. “How do you want to go about this… partnership?”
“Well, we’ve both got a lot going on during the day,” Shannon said. “Why don’t we grab some drinks and strategize tonight, so we’re not interrupted? Just something casual.”
Having drinks with Shannon didn’t sound casual; it sounded like a date. Part of me wanted to protect my peace of mind and just say no. But I knew that her idea to partner up was a good one, and I needed her help. I’d have to suck it up. I had only two months to win over a hell of a lot of ranchers.
“Sure, that works.”
“How about the Rooftop? The weather’s too nice to sit inside.”
I was going to suggest the Squeaky Wheel, the local watering hole with a sticky floor and cold beer. I’d never been to the Rooftop, but I knew it was a classy spot. I’d have to break out my clean jeans.
“I’ll meet you there at seven,” she said, erasing my concerns about the date vibe. She didn’t want me to pick her up. It was a business meeting, nothing more.
“Great.” My phone rang and I could tell by the number that it was my next appointment. “Looking forward to it, but for now, I gotta run.”
I was happy for the distraction, lame cow or not, because all I could think about was hanging out with my new brainstorming partner.
SEVEN
SHANNON
Iarrived at the Rooftop Bar twenty minutes before we were due to meet so I could grab a good table. I was second-guessing every decision I’d made, from the fact that I’d suggested what amounted to a date restaurant, to what I’d worn. Of course, I hadn’t had much say in my wardrobe. As soon as they found out my plans for the evening, Zoe and Fiona had climbed into my closet to make their selections and not allowed me in. If it had been just Zoe, I might have been able to stand my ground. My long-time best friend and future sister-in-law could usually be reasoned with. But my little sister was a force of nature and arguing with her was about as productive as herding cats. I was reminded of that the other night at the Squeaky Wheel.
So now here I was in a sleeveless navy silk top and dark jeans that sold the date vibe way more than anything I would have chosen. I worried that it was too dressy just to talk business, even though Fiona had assured me she’d wear the same thing to pick up groceries. I had drawn the line when my sister had suggested wedge sandals, opting for ballet flats instead.
The sun was setting in the distance, filling the sky with pink and blue stripes. I grabbed a high table overlooking Poplar Spring’s downtown, where we wouldn’t be too close to the rest of the two-tops. It was Thursday night at one of the coolest bars in town, of course it was filled with people on dates.
I gazed around the rooftop deck, realizing that the smarter idea would’ve been to hit the local dive bar, the Squeaky Wheel, with Declan. We might’ve run into some of the ranchers and could’ve wound up having easy, organic conversations to help them realize what a great guy he was and what an asset he’d be to the area as the new vet. Or even the Bite and Brew; although that might generate some unneeded gossip. But no, I’d stupidly opted for the cool spot, wanting to impress him. Fiona had told me about it and since I never had the chance to gooutout, I’d jumped at the chance to try it without my sister and Zoe in tow.
Except, itwasn’ta date, despite how I looked or where we were.
I sipped the water a server had dropped off, trying to be in the moment instead of spinning out over the fact that Declan and I were about to spend the evening together.
Talking business—I had to keep reminding myself of that.
I realized that my part of our little arrangement was going to be easier than Declan’s. He was an amazing guy, and even from the brief examination of Belle, I could tell that he was a talented vet. The rest of the town just needed the chance to get to know him and then they would quickly get behind him. I doubted I’d have to do much more than facilitate a couple of introductions. Declan would be able to handle all the rest of it himself. But when it came to him helping me, every time I tried to envision the changes he was going to suggest to my program, I felt my hackles rise.
I hated change.
My phone sounded off in my purse and I dug it out, happy for the distraction. It was an email from Mary Dugan, the woman selling Sunshine, saying that she was finally open to offers. The horse was perfect for the Lost Valley breeding program, and the mare wasn’t a hot property that was going to attract a ton of bids, so I felt relatively safe even though I wasn’t able to put in a bid right away. I started writing a response when a voice came from behind me.
“Hey.”
I jumped and turned around, then wanted to jump again when I saw Declan standing there.
He’d obviously gotten the memo about the expected dress code for the spot, and was dressed in a slim fit blue button-down, pressed jeans, and the cleanest cowboy boots I’d ever seen.
“Wow,” he said, giving me a quick once over that made me sit up straighter. “Looks like you’ve never seen the inside of a barn in that outfit.”
I blushed. “I’m way overdressed, but I don’t get out much, so…”
“Well, that’s a sin,” he said, sliding into the chair across the table. “That means you’re working too hard.”
