“Hank will tell me what he wants me to know when he wants me to know it.”
She drew a deep breath and extended her hand in the age-old gesture of peace. “Right now, I just want to offer my sincere apology. I haven’t been very friendly to you and I’m sorry.”
Lulu shook her hand warmly. “Apology accepted, and one given in return.”
And just that quickly they were on their way to being what Ally had never dreamed they could be in a million years-friends.
HANK THOUGHT ABOUT THE things Ally and his brother Jeb had said all night. By morning, he knew they were right. Ally had every reason to be upset with him. So did his parents.
If there was ever going to be a change for the better, it had to start with him. He called his parents and asked to meet them at their ranch.
“I know you’ve been worried about me,” he began, as the three of them sat down to talk. “And a lot of it is my fault. In my efforts to be the kind of stand-up, I-can-handle-anything sort of guy I was raised to be, I haven’t been very forthcoming about a lot of things.” He paused, looking them both in the eye. “I realize that has to change.”
His parents welcomed his confession. “We’re at fault, too,” Greta said quietly, reaching out to take her husband’s hand. “In our efforts to protect and help you, your father and I realize we’ve been in your business a little too much.”
Shane nodded. “We should have trusted that you are capable of starting a ranch and running your own life- without our interference.”
Hank didn’t want to appear ungrateful. “I know you’re both here for me, in whatever way I need, whenever I need it. And I appreciate it.”
“We just don’t want to let you down,” Greta said.
Shane concurred. “Not ever again.”
Hank grimaced. “About that.” He knew it was past time he took his parents step by step through the decisions he had made. To his relief, his parents were equally candid. By the time they had finished their heartfelt discussion, Hank understood his parents as well as they understood him. The tension between them was gone.
They promised to maintain their transparency, then hugged and said goodbye.
Relieved that it had gone so well, Hank headed for his next destination. He turned into the driveway leading to the Mesquite Ranch just in time to see Graham Penderson come out of the house. The agent shook hands with Ally as if they were sealing a business deal, then got into his car.
Hoping that didn’t mean what it looked like, Hank returned the other man’s wave of acknowledgment and then parked in front of the ranch house.
Ally was still on the porch, looking radiant in a cranberry-red dress and black suede boots. His heart in his throat, Hank approached. “Do you have time to talk to me?” he asked.
She nodded, looking as reserved as he felt. “Come on in.”
In the foyer was a case of champagne, with a gift card that said “Merry Christmas from Corporate Farms.” Beside it was a manila folder holding what looked like legal papers.
Had she sold the ranch? At the end of the day, did it matter?
Ally waved a hand. “I haven’t sold Mesquite Ridge, if that’s what you’re wondering.”
Relief mixed with the anxiety he felt about their future. “But Corporate Farms is putting the pressure on,” Hank guessed, following her into the living room. At once, his eyes were drawn to the angel atop the beautifully decorated tree. It was as lovely and delicate as the woman who had put it there.
Ally reached out and took his hand. “They presented me with yet another bid, two percent higher than the last one.”
Hank’s throat closed. He looked at her with all the hope his heart could hold. “And?”
Ally’s green eyes were steady, but her lower lip trembled. “I told them I was no longer interested in selling the house and the barn.”
Which meant she hadn’t changed her mind-she was keeping her link to Laramie County.
“Graham said both had to be part of the deal,” Ally continued in a rusty-sounding voice. “I said, ‘No way.’”
Hank clasped her fingers tightly. “So it’s over?”
Ally regarded him shrewdly. “He’ll be back, just like you said, until the land is sold. Then he’ll look elsewhere.”
Here was his chance to show her what she meant to him. What he cared about, and what he didn’t.
And most important of all, to say what he should have said when she had been upset the evening before. “First off, I want to apologize because you were right. I
Ally matched his steady gaze, with obvious regrets of her own. “And I should have trusted you-even without detailed explanations,” she said softly.
She meant that, Hank realized with gratitude. His spirits began to soar. Suddenly, the future was looking a lot brighter. Once everything that had kept them apart was out of the way, that was. Knowing a lot more than a simple apology was required to completely fix things here, he pushed on, “Second-about Mesquite Ridge…and the way you feel…”
Again, she cut him off, this time by going up on tiptoe and pressing her index finger against his lips. Ally looked him right in the eye. “I’ve talked to Lulu,” she said softly. “Whatever the two of you want to do in terms of business is fine with me.”
Hank eyed her in surprise. “You’re serious.”
Ally released his hand. “You need a partner.”
“Yes,” Hank agreed, catching her about the waist and pulling her flush against him, “I do.” He looked down at her tenderly. “And that partner is you.”
Ally splayed her hands across his chest. “I don’t understand.” But for the first time, she seemed willing and ready to listen, with a completely open mind and heart. Encouraged, Hank continued.
“Lulu plans to expand her father’s barbecue place into a state-wide chain. She’s already selected the locations and she’s got venture capital lined up, to begin construction immediately.”
Ally’s eyes widened. “You’re part of that?”
Proud of what he had negotiated, he explained, “I’m supplying the mesquite to fuel the smokers. Hopefully, it will come from your ranch. That is, if you agree to lease me the timber rights to the property.” Hank pulled papers from his pocket. “That way the land will be cleared at no charge or bother to you. And I’ll get enough money from the harvesting of the mesquite to provide the down payment I need to make a serious bid on the ranch and/or the timber rights.” He locked eyes with her. “But if you don’t want to do that, then Lulu plans to make a deal with you directly. In either case, you’ll have the option to do a controlled burn and get rid of the mesquite permanently, hence increasing the value of the land for ranching or keeping it producing indefinitely, for harvesting.”
Ally listened intently to everything he was saying, but he couldn’t quite read her expression. “In the meantime,” he continued, “you’ll have a buyer for your wood, a steady stream of income and a way to pay the mortgage and the taxes on Mesquite Ridge for as long as you want to stay.” He handed her the proposal he had meticulously drawn up, down to the last penny. He hoped it was enough. “It’s all here, in black and white.”
Ally stared at the numbers as if he had just given her the best gift she had ever received in her life. “This is very generous of you.”
Ally looked at the papers and began to laugh. “You’re not going to believe this,” she admitted ruefully. “I’ve got a proposal all printed out, too.”
She went to get it, came back and thrust it into his hands, her cheeks flushed with excitement. “I was going to let you live here and run a herd of cattle for me, in exchange for land.”
Sounded good, Hank thought. Very good. And generous, too.
“Every year, you and I would split the profits on the cattle, fifty-fifty. Instead of a salary, I’d pay you in acreage. At the end of thirty years, you’d own it all. Or sooner, if you could pull together the cash.” Before he could express his delight, Ally added quickly, “Except for the ranch house, that is.” Firmly, she continued, “I’ve decided I want to
