I held back from telling him that it was because no one was asking me.
“Nice place,” he said, glancing around. “Crowded.”
“Yeah, I hadn’t considered how busy it would be, especially on a Tuesday. If you’d prefer, we could go somewhere else?” My bad decision was making me feel itchy. “The server is in the weeds.”
“I’m fine to hang here if you are,” Declan said. “I sort of like the view.”
It felt like he held my eyes a beat longer before he looked out at the skyline.
“We’re here to work, so let’s get to it,” I said, ignoring what couldn’t possibly be a flirty moment. Even if it had felt like one. “I think a great strategy is to hit up several of the ranchers at once; kind of a planned coincidence, you know?”
“And how would we do that?”
“I know for a fact that a bunch of the guys go to the Bite and Brew for a late breakfast after the Cattlemen’s Association meetings, so we could show up there. Oh, and there’s a big community planning meeting coming up on the sixteenth for the rodeo Amy Thorne is organizing to raise funds for the community center rebuild.Everyoneis going to be there. You should come to that too. Show that you want to be involved in the community, not just work here, you know?”
“As long as it’s off hours or I can work it in between appointments, I’m in.”
“That’s just off the top of my head, but I know there are other ways you can win folks over. Ooh, like the carnival! Maybe you could set up a booth where you do demos, or have a raffle for free checkups?”
Declan shook his head in amazement. “Wow, you’re going to keep me busy. But Ruth will have made up her mind by the time the carnival rolls around. I only have two months to convince her.”
“That’s right,” I said with a furrowed brow. “We need to work fast.”
“Yeah, speaking of working, let’s talk about you a little. You’re going to be busy too.”
I flapped my hand at him and wrinkled my nose. “I’ll be fine.”
Declan frowned. “Wait, hold on a minute. Are you saying you don’t want my help now? I don’t want this to be a one-sided partnership—and I really do think I can help you start to turn things around.”
“I guess it depends on what you suggest.” Just talking about it made me feel uncomfortable. I’d looked at the templates Zoe had set up for Josh, but I wasn’t sure how to incorporate them into my program. The financial spreadsheets made my head hurt.
“I already told you, nothing that goes against your core values, I swear. I’ll start slowly, with a few apps. I promise you’ll be happy.”
“Ooh, did I just hear Dr. Declan Morris say that he wants to make you happy?”
As soon as I heard the voice, I immediately shifted into a defensive posture. It was Becca Johnson, carrying a neon-blue drink as she sashayed up to us. She was in stilettos and tight jeans, paired with a sheer white top that dipped low in front. Her tan looked good now, but I knew in ten years she’d be paying the price for it.
Hopefully, she’d also be paying a price for a lifetime of being a petty, manipulative bitch, but I wasn’t holding my breath on that.
“Oh, hey, Becca,” Declan said with a smile that pissed me off. Didn’t he know howfakeshe was? Of course he didn’t. Much like every guy I encountered, Declan looked like he was mesmerized by Becca. “We’re just talking about the Lost Valley breeding program.”
Becca put her drink down on the table, still barely acknowledging me. “Oh my gosh, Declan, speaking of breeding programs, I need to get you out to my place again soon. That mare we weren’t sure about? Well, the pregnancy took! I swear, there must be something in the water at Black Hat Ranch, because every horse we touch turns to money.”
“Is that all that matters over there?” I murmured into my water as I took a sip.
“I’m sorry, did you say something?” Becca asked, fluttering her lashes at me.
I shook my head. “Nope.” At least, nothing she’d ever do anything about with her need to put money before the health and safety of your horses.
Becca immediately lasered back in on Declan. “Anyway, the next time you come, we need to focus on the horses instead of spending so much time catching up. Got it, mister?” She poked his arm playfully and giggled. “We had too much fun!”
“Yeah, it definitely wasn’t easy for me to get my work done,” he answered in a vague way that made me wonder if there was something going on between them. He’d barely talked to me during the appointment with Belle. So why did Becca get the chatty Declan and not me?
“I’ll call you to set something up real soon.” She glanced between us. “So sorry for interrupting yourdate,you crazy kids.”
Becca hovered as if she was waiting for confirmation or denial. I certainly wasn’t planning to give her the satisfaction… but Declan jumped in.
“Oh, no, this isn’t a date,” Declan said quickly. “We’re talking business. I’m helping Shannon with some modernization plans for her breeding program. Working on efficiencies, maybe some new apps and computer programs, that sort of thing. Brainstorming ways to streamline admin stuff so she can spend her time where it counts.”
