“I never studied marketing,” she told him, scooping up another bite of ice cream, feeling a little like celebrating now. The sale was dead. She had some more time to find Reed.
“Did you study manipulation?” Caleb asked.
“They didn’t have it as an elective at Metro State.”
“Too bad. You’re a natural.”
“Do you really think I did that on purpose?” She hadn’t meant to scare Nathan off. Then again, her heart wasn’t exactly on the side of selling, either.
“I think you were very effective.”
She made a show of shaking her head. “You must have studied paranoia.”
He took a swig of the scotch. “Are you trying to tell me, you had no idea telling him about the review might scare him off? None at all? It never occurred to you? Not for one second?”
Okay, so as the words were coming out of her mouth, particularly when she saw Caleb’s expression, of course it had occurred to her. But it didn’t seem prudent to admit that now. “I was simply providing information.” She stuck to her original story.
“Serves me right,” said Caleb, polishing off the drink. “I never should have brought you along.”
Mandy battled a twinge of guilt, setting down her dessert spoon, deciding she’d had enough of the sweet concoction.
Frank returned to the table. “I’m afraid we lost him. Permanently.” Then his affable expression hardened as he focused on Mandy. “And you. I trust you learned a valuable lesson-”
“Leave her out of it,” Caleb immediately put in, tone dark.
“But-” Frank began. The he took in Caleb’s expression and cut himself off.
“Win some, you lose some.” Caleb tossed his credit card on the table. “Thank you for your time, Frank.”
“I…” Frank snapped his mouth shut. “Right. I’ll be in touch.”
Caleb nodded a dismissal, and Frank deliberately straightened his suit jacket, tugged at the sleeves and headed for the exit.
“You didn’t need to defend me,” Mandy felt compelled to point out. Caleb standing up for her made her feel even guiltier than she had a few moments ago.
The waiter came by and smoothly accepted Caleb’s credit card.
“It’s none of his business what you do or do not say.” Caleb swirled the ice cubes in his glass. “But it is my business. And it’s my responsibility to make sure you’re never in a position to do anything like that again.”
The intensity of his expression made a shiver run through her. “That sounded like a threat.”
He tapped his fingertips against the white tablecloth. “I don’t threaten. It’s a waste of time. I just deliver.”
“In this instance-” she couldn’t seem to stop herself from asking “-what exactly are you going to deliver?”
While she waited on his answer, he helped himself to one of the extra dessert spoons and took a scoop of the sundae. “You, Mandy Jacobs, are off the list.”
Okay, that didn’t sound too dire. “There’s a list?”
He took his time savoring the mouthful of ice cream. “The list of people who are invited to my meetings with perspective buyers.”
She took his lead and retrieved her own dessert spoon. “I thought I added value to the conversation. I was the one who knew about the four-hundred acres.”
“I’ll give you that,” he allowed, scooping into a swirl of whipped cream. “You were doing great, right up until you blew the entire deal.”
“There’s another way of looking at this, you know.”
“And, how is that?”
“A second chance.”
“Didn’t you hear Frank? That buyer is gone for good.”
She concentrated on mining a vein of the gooey fudge. “I didn’t mean a second chance with the buyer. I meant, a chance to make the right decision.”
“The right decision?”
“To change your mind about selling the ranch.”
He rolled each of his shirtsleeves two folds up his forearms. “I can’t wait to see how you try to sell this.”
She licked her spoon, gathering her thoughts. “I don’t think you can discount the possibility that this was fate.”
“You telling Nathan Brooks he might not be able to water his cattle was fate?”
“Exactly.”
“Please tell me that’s not the end of your argument.”
“First,” she counted, “Nathan asks for a meeting with Frank. Second, you and I happen to be in Lyndon. Third, I happen to be free for dinner. And fourth, the subject of the water rights came up in conversation. Those are either four separate coincidences, or it’s fate.”
Caleb waggled his spoon. “Wow. You really had to reach for it, but that was a pretty good spin.”
“Thank you.” She took a bite.
“I’m not changing my mind.”
“I’m only asking for a few more days, maybe a couple of weeks.”
“I don’t have a couple of weeks.”
“Sure, you do. You’ve put this false sense of urgency on a situation that doesn’t-”
“The Brazilian government is the one with the sense of urgency.”
“I’ll look after the ranch,” she offered. “I can do it. You know I can. And then it’ll be waiting when Reed-”
“Reed made his choice. And you have your own ranch to run.”
“Travis’s there to run-”
But Caleb was shaking his head. “Your family needs you, Mandy. And I’m not chasing after Reed like some preschool nanny. I’ve made my decision.”
She set down her spoon, struggling to hold her temper, and struggling to stay calm. “Your decision is wrong.”
He set aside his own spoon. “You might not like it, but it is the right thing to do. And there’s nothing to be gained by prolonging it.”
“Caleb-”
“No. I’ve listened. I’ve considered your perspective-”
“You’re joking, right?”
The man hadn’t considered anything. He was being closed-minded and reactionary. And he was going to destroy what was left of his family.
But Caleb’s jaw went hard. “I’ve considered your perspective, Mandy. And I disagree. And that’s that.”
Now her temper was taking a firm hold. “And that’s the end of the discussion?”
“That’s the end of the discussion.”
“I see.” Mandy rose to her feet, and Caleb instantly followed suit.
She drew a sharp breath, looking him square in the eyes. “Then, thank you for dinner. I can find my own way back to the ranch.”
“Is this your version of a temper tantrum?”
Mandy clamped her jaw tight.
“It’s dark outside, Mandy. And it’s starting to rain.”
She didn’t respond. She was an intelligent, capable, functioning adult. She didn’t need a man to escort her home on a rainy night.
Before he could say anything else, she turned on her heel and headed for the exit. At the very least, there were buses. She’d hop on a bus, and Travis or one of the hands could meet her at the end of the ranch road. They wouldn’t mind.
“I’m getting us cottages at the Rose Inn,” Caleb’s deep voice came from behind her. “We’ll drive back to the ranch tomorrow.”
“Go away.” He might be a sexy, intelligent, compelling man, but he was a stubborn jerk, and she didn’t want anything more to do with him.
