A Moment To Love (23 page)

“Thank you.” The mayor gave her a firm handshake. “You’ve certainly given us a lot to consider. And we appreciate you taking the time to come here and present it to us.” He turned back to the audience. “Let’s show Ms. Greer our appreciation.”

The mayor clapped solo. Then Mrs. Sanchez got to her feet and joined him. Then a few more people got to their feet to clap. And then the volume swelled, and Alexis smiled. She was certainly going to miss this place—and one special cowboy in particular.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

A
lexis yawned for the umpteenth time the next morning.

Not even a coffee from the Poppin’ Fresh Bakery was working its magic. She sat down on the edge of her bed and took another mouthful of the steamy brew. Between the stress of the town meeting, Cord walking out in the middle of her presentation, and the long string of questions by curious residents over coffee at Tilley’s Café until late the night before, she hadn’t slept much.

Her hand moved to the nightstand and grabbed her phone. No missed calls. No message from Cord. She was certain that he was upset about the meeting. But with the bank breathing down his neck to foreclose on his home, surely he’d come to his senses by now. No man would stand on principle or pride and let his home go into foreclosure, would he?

When she’d spoken with her father last night to update him on how the town meeting had gone, he’d asked if her heart was truly in seeing this deal through to the end—no matter how it ended. She’d remained quiet. She’d already deceived her father enough to last a lifetime, but she couldn’t explain to him how Cord wanted her to move permanently to Whistle Stop. Or worse, that she was tempted by the idea.

Her father said they were out of time. She knew what that meant. And she knew what had to be done for all of their sakes.

She finished her coffee but still didn’t feel up to taking a morning run. Instead, she headed for the shower. It did little to perk her up. The thought of what she was about to do left a sour taste in her mouth. She’d finished dressing and started applying her makeup when the phone chimed with the familiar classical tune. What did her father want this time? Hadn’t they covered everything last night?

“Morning, Father. What’s up?”

“I want to make sure you haven’t changed your mind.”

She stood on the cold tiles of the bathroom floor, staring at the dark circles under her eyes. Even concealer couldn’t help her this morning. “I haven’t changed my mind. I know what must be done. I’m getting ready to drive to the Brazen H right now.”

She held the phone with one hand while she dabbed the round powder puff at the compact. Her father continued to rehash what they’d discussed the prior evening. Like she needed to hear it all again. It’d been all she’d thought about last night.

“I know, Father. I’ll spell everything out for Cord. He’ll see it’s the only answer.”

“He won’t have a choice. You should have done this a long time ago and saved time.”

“I thought I could reason with him. But cowboys, they’re a different breed.”

She ran the powder puff over her chin. The thought of tightening the screws on Cord made the coffee in her stomach slosh to and fro nauseatingly. He didn’t deserve what was about to happen. He was a good, honest rancher who only wanted to save his family’s land and live in peace.

She stabbed at the compact too hard, and it went sliding right off the edge of the counter. It clattered to the tile floor.

“I’ve got to go, Father.”

She disconnected the phone and bent over. Some of the pressed powder had scattered, but it wasn’t the bits of powder dotting the tiles that bothered her. She picked up the compact and held it in front of her. She stared into the cracked mirror. This was not a good omen. Mrs. Baker would insist Alexis was in for seven years of bad luck. Alexis wasn’t so sure the stretch of bad luck would last that long, but she knew as sure as she was standing there that a bit of bad luck was due in the next seven hours.

She tried to tell herself she was being silly. She wanted to dismiss the superstition as a fun little saying, but she couldn’t shake the black cloud dogging her steps. She wouldn’t let it stop her. Today she had to do what she ultimately thought was best for Cord in the long term—even if it was painful in the short term.

With one last ace up her sleeve, she grabbed the phone. Her only hope was being able to secure that ghost town in Arizona. She selected the number for the Realtor pursuing the Arizona property. As the phone rang, she crossed her fingers for luck—if she’d ever needed some luck, it was now.

“Hello, Mr. Santos. It’s Alexis Greer.” She cut to the chase. “Have you been in contact with the owners of the Arizona property?”

The Realtor cleared his throat and paused, as though uncomfortable with delivering the news. “I thought your father would have told you. The Arizona property is now available, but it’s more than you’re willing to spend. And the sellers won’t negotiate on the price.”

She ignored the fact that her father had insinuated himself into this situation. She had bigger worries at the moment. “If they’re stalling in hopes to get me to raise the offer, it won’t work. I don’t have time to play games. Did you tell them this is our best and final offer?”

“Yes.”

“But they’re asking far too much for that property.” She muttered under her breath. “What about the 200 acres Cord has up for sale? Has anyone else shown an interest in it?”

Mr. Santos wasn’t personally handling the sale, but the man had inside contacts who kept him abreast of the property situation. “No nibbles yet. Are you considering going ahead with the purchase?”

She liked the man, but when it came to business she’d learned long ago to trust very few. “It’s still an option.”

She quickly ended the call. With no options left, she dialed Cord’s number and prayed he’d answer. If he had to hear the news, it was best if it came from her. After all, she was the one who’d located his ghost town in the first place. And then she’d been the one to sell the investors on Haggerty’s merits. Guilt gnawed at her empty stomach.

When Cord answered the phone, she dispensed with the pleasantries. “I have something to tell you.”

Her heart pounded in her ears. She was about to destroy any chance she’d have at a happily-ever-after with the cowboy of her dreams. This wasn’t something to do over the phone. She had to face him. He deserved that much.

“I have something to tell you, too.” His voice was warm and friendly.

“What would that be?”

“I’m glad you talked me into going to the town meeting last night. You came up with a really good idea about using the train to bring in more tourists.”

“You heard that? But I didn’t see you after my presentation about the resort. I thought…I thought you were angry about being pulled into the middle of the controversy.”

“I stepped outside so things didn’t get out of hand. But I did stick around long enough to hear your ideas of how to help the town. You really do care about Whistle Stop, don’t you?”

“I do.”
And I care about you
.

“Then come over. I think we need to talk.” When she didn’t respond, he added, “After we talk, I thought you might want to go for a ride. Maybe I’ll even saddle up Midnight Star.”

She closed her eyes, fighting back the storm of emotions colliding within her. Why did he have to wait until now to let his guard down?

“I’ll be right over,” she said, even though all she wanted to do was put off her part of the conversation for one more day…week…it’d never be long enough.

♥♥♥

If only there was another way…

Alexis searched her mind again for an alternative for what she was about to do. For the umpteenth time, she came up empty. Why did life have to be so unfair?

Her hand hovered inches from Cord’s front door. Dread consumed her, making her empty stomach roll. She had an ultimatum for him—an ultimatum he wouldn’t like, not one little bit. She took a deep breath and rapped her knuckles on the solid wood door.

When Cord opened the door, his hair was damp and unruly. Her fingers itched to reach out and comb through it. Her gaze met his and held longer than was necessary. She swallowed the lump that lodged in her throat. This was going to be so much harder than she’d ever imagined.

“Hi.” He smiled. It was a real smile that lit up his face, not one of those forced smiles he’d used when they’d first met and he’d been suspicious of her. Now he trusted her.

That knowledge shoved the sword of guilt a little deeper into her heart. For a moment, she truly considered turning tail and leaving. How in the world was she supposed to do her job now when she knew it was going to destroy this relationship that she and Cord had worked so hard to build?

“Come on inside.” He stepped back, allowing her entrance.

His pleasant mood was only amplifying her guilt. Once she got everything out in the open, he’d never again flash her one of those dynamite smiles that lit up his eyes. It’d taken them so long to get to this point. And in the next few minutes, it’d all be nothing but a bittersweet memory.

“Ladies should go first, so tell me what you want to see me about. Were you planning to sweet-talk me into another horseback ride?” His eyes warmed to a honey-brown shade.

When she caught herself smiling back, she gave herself a firm mental jerk. Now wasn’t the time to get sidetracked. But maybe it wouldn’t hurt just to see what he had on his mind. After all, once she said her piece, she’d never find out what he wanted. “What I have to say can wait. Tell me what you have on your mind.”

He approached her and placed a hand on either side of her waist. “Well, if you insist. But first, I want to do this.”

He placed a finger beneath her chin and lifted her head until her gaze met his. She wanted to fall into his embrace and promise him that they’d find a way to stay together. Yet, knowing it’d all be a lie, she didn’t say a word. She had to do what was best for Cord, and that meant making sure he kept his ranch—at least most of it. After all, what was a sexy cowboy without horses and cattle?

Without waiting for her to speak, he brushed her lips with his. She forced herself to hold back. His kiss was gentle and loving. She should pull away, but she didn’t have the heart to. She didn’t want this moment to end—ever.

As though sensing her inner turmoil, he deepened the kiss. Against her better judgment, she responded. She craved him with every fiber of her being. His tongue traced her lips before plunging inside. She draped her arms around his neck. With a needy moan, he tightened his hold on her until their bodies molded together like two halves of a whole.

He lifted his head long enough to whisper, “I never knew a kiss could be this good.”

“Me either.”

Her body reacted to his with a will of its own. Wrapped in his arms, she wasn’t a businesswoman trying to save her family’s company or the woman trying to save the home of her very own cowboy. In this moment, she was merely a woman with an overwhelming desire to follow his kiss wherever it led her…but she couldn’t.

What she had to say to him would prevent them from taking this relationship any further. And it wasn’t fair to let him go on thinking they were building something special. Dread pinched her heart in its steely grip.

She forced herself out of his arms. “We need to talk.”

Confusion clouded his eyes. “You mean about what you said at the town hall meeting?”

“Yes. And you aren’t going to like it.”

“Wait,” he said, taking her hands in his. “I want to tell you something first.”

She doubted anything he had to say would make her feel any better, unless he’d decided that building the resort was a good idea—surely she couldn’t be that lucky.

His steady gaze held hers. “Whatever you have to say, we’ll deal with it together. Because I love you.”

Those three little words had the power to knock the air from her lungs. Surely she hadn’t heard him correctly. Not now. Not today.

Happiness reflected in his eyes, and the lines of stress eased from his face. In that instance, she acknowledged that all of her stalling and trying to find a backup plan for the resort was due to the fact that she loved him, too. Her heart clenched, and she knew she’d never get a chance to say those words to him. She had to stop this madness. She had to do it now.

She stepped back. His admission drove home just how much she stood to lose this day. How in the world was she supposed to break the news to him now?

“I can’t do this.”

“Do what?” His brows gathered.

Ignoring the chain saw of guilt sawing through her heart, she blinked back the threatening tears. “I came here to tell you that…that if you don’t agree to the terms of the sale, your bank will be notified that HSG’s intent to purchase the land has been withdrawn. They’ll put your entire property in immediate foreclosure.”

His eyes darkened as his mouth settled into a firm line.

“After which the ghost town, this house…all of the ranch and your land will go up for auction. There will be no more extensions. No more chances to save your beautiful home. And no guarantee who will buy the Brazen H or what they will do with the place. Because by that point, it’ll be too late for HSG to make the purchase. Our investors have lost their patience.”

“No matter what I do, your company’s determined to get their hands on my land.” His voice was cold and cutting.

“I have tried to explain your situation to my father, but he’s the final decision maker and: To him, business is business. And besides, this isn’t just about my company getting what it wants. It’s also about you getting to keep your home.”

“You mean, your father doesn’t have time for those things. You’re here to do his bidding.”