professionally. Now, for the details. The menus have been approved. I have to say I love Texans. I never get a string of impossible dietary demands here like I did in New York. No lactose-intolerant vegans who can only eat based on the cycle of the moon. Anyway, we have our usual catering and housekeeping staff ready. The rooms are clean in the guest cottages.”
Izzy turned to Nick. “Did I know about cottages?”
“Not a clue.”
“You have cottages?”
“Six cottages,” Aaron told her. “And a building with another dozen rooms. That has the main dining room, along with the meeting space.”
“That’s a lot of real estate,” she said.
“It’s a big ranch.”
“But you only do retreats every few weeks. What happens the rest of the time? Does everything just stand empty?”
“Except when we have a few kids through,” Aaron said. “We have some scheduled in a couple of weeks.”
She’d heard about the kids. They’d been abused or injured in some way and came here for a few days of healing. The horses were a main part of their therapy.
“What about the other days?” she asked. “You have facilities and beds. Why not do something with that? Get a manager in for a B and B. If you already own the buildings and the land, the marginal expense would be minimal. If nothing else, keep the rooms in use. Studies show an empty house actually breaks down faster than one used. You’d be protecting your investment while bringing in income.”
There was silence. She glanced between the two men but couldn’t see enough to know what they were thinking.
“What?” she asked.
“I guess you really are a Titan,” Nick said slowly.
“Like I was lying about my last name?” What did that have to do with anything?
“He means you have business sense in your blood,” Aaron told her. “You rattled all that off without thinking about it. Do you have a degree in business or something?”
“No. I’ve never been to college. It’s not a big deal. Everyone knows this kind of stuff. It’s common sense.”
“Not as common as you’d think,” Aaron told her. “Interesting.”
But Nick was quiet and Izzy wished she knew what he was thinking.
“Okay, enough about what Nick should do with the ranch,” Aaron said. “Everyone focus on me. Nick, you’ve worked out what you’ll be doing for the team-building?”
“Uh-huh. Same as the last two.”
“Good. Izzy will assist you. I’ll be in charge of standing around looking good.”
Izzy laughed. “I’m sure you’ll excel.”
“I always do.”
She turned to Nick. “How will I be helping?”
“I’m going to send you up the ropes first,” he said. “And across the bridge. When the guys see a girl doing it, they’ll be forced to participate.”
“Okay. Sure.” While she appreciated the psychology behind his plan, she was a little worried about the actual execution of the plan. “Will I, um, get to practice ahead of time?”
“If you want.”
“It’s probably for the best. So I know what I’m doing.”
“You two work this out among yourselves,” Aaron said, as he pushed back his chair. “I have calls to make.”
He left the room. Izzy turned to Nick. “What else happens at the retreats?”
“Nothing that interesting. The company human resource departments always have their own ideas about different activities. Holding hands and singing. That kind of crap.”
She chuckled. “Stop holding back. Tell me what you really think.”
“Yeah, I know. I’m sure it works fine for them. The rest of it is easy. Climb the tree. Cross the rope bridge. A little rappelling. Nothing too challenging. Every now and then someone wants a fire walk.”
She straightened. “Seriously? Walking on hot coals? Can we do that?”
“It’s not a big deal.”
“I’ve never done it. I’ve heard it’s actually pretty easy. I’d love to try.”
“Don’t get out the barbecue set. You need special coals and some training by someone who knows what he’s doing. Maybe next time.”
“I’m going to tell Aaron to book a retreat with a fire walk,” she said, wondering if not being able to see the coals would make it more or less scary.
“Just my luck. He’ll probably listen.”
“I hope so. And don’t sound so disgruntled. Aaron is an important part of your business.”
“I see he’s been talking about himself. His favorite topic.”
“Aaron is great and you know it.”
“Maybe.”
“You’d be lost without him.”
“Don’t make it more than it is.”
She heard the affection in his voice. “He says he’s responsible for growing your business to where it is today.”
“Of course he does.”
“How did you meet?”
She wasn’t sure why she asked the question. Aaron had told her the story, but she suddenly wanted to hear it from Nick’s point of view.
He hesitated. “In Dallas. He was in a bar.”
“You two went to the same bar? The same
“It wasn’t a gay bar,” he growled. “It was a regular kind of place. I was with a friend.”
“Girl or guy.”
“Not the point.”
She couldn’t see for sure, but she would guess he’d clenched his teeth. Nick was amazingly easy to mess with. Which probably should have made her guilty for pushing his buttons, but it didn’t.
He sighed. “I went into the bar with a friend and Aaron was…” He hesitated again. “He stood out. I could see there was going to be trouble, so I got him out of there.”
Izzy frowned. “And then what?”
“We talked and he seemed like someone who knew what he was doing, so I invited him here to see what he could do with the business.”
The story was light-years away from what Aaron had told her. What about the part where he’d been beat up and Nick had saved his life? Someone wasn’t telling the truth.
She was about to say that, when another possibility occurred to her. Maybe Nick didn’t want to admit what had happened. Because he was embarrassed? No, that didn’t make sense. Guys loved to brag about how they saved the world. Or at least their little piece of it. Then what? Why wouldn’t he want her to know he’d been incredibly heroic? Was it just his style?
Once again not being able to see frustrated her because she had a feeling Nick’s eyes would give her plenty of hints. That she would be able to read the truth on his face. The disadvantage annoyed her. It was like the kiss. How was she supposed to know what he’d been thinking? Had he enjoyed himself or had it just been a mercy kiss?
“Izzy?”
It was her second impulsive act in five minutes, only this one wasn’t about speaking. She put one hand on the side of his face to guide her, the other on his shoulder, then leaned in and kissed him.
He wasn’t expecting the contact. She felt his surprise in the tension in his body. For a second he didn’t react, but she held her ground, moving her mouth against his. Teasing. Promising.
One heartbeat. Two.
