Summer Days Read online

  He poured coffee. Heidi collected milk from the refrigerator and asked if anyone wanted sugar. Rafe, of course, drank his coffee black.

  “Is it goat milk?” May asked, picking up the small pitcher and pouring.

  “Yes.”

  “I can’t wait to try it.” She took a sip and smiled. “Perfect. In fact, everything is perfect. From what I can tell, there’s no reason why we can’t work out some kind of compromise.”

  “Mom,” Rafe began.

  His mother waved him into silence. “I want this, Rafe. I want to be a part of the ranch, and I don’t think there’s any reason Heidi and Glen can’t be a part of it, too. There’s room for all of us.”

  Heidi liked the sound of a compromise, but she would reserve judgment until she heard all the terms. Or had the money to pay May back. Although she had a feeling that the latter was going to take a little longer.

  “What did you have in mind?” Heidi asked.

  “I want to make a few improvements,” May said. “The barn needs to be fixed and the fence lines. This house…” She glanced at the aging appliances. “Those were old when I lived here. I hated that oven.”

  “Me, too,” Heidi admitted. “One side doesn’t heat.”

  “So you have to keep turning everything. I remember. There’s painting to be done and maybe new floors.”

  “Slow down,” Rafe told her. “Let’s take things one at a time.”

  May set her mouth. “I’m sorry, Rafe, but I’ve been waiting to get back to this ranch for twenty years. I’m here now. At my age, I can’t afford to slow down.”

  “At your age.” Glen shook his head. “You’re barely out of your teens and too young for me. More’s the pity.”

  May ducked her head. “I have four grown children.”

  “Even looking at Rafe here, I can barely believe it.”

  Rafe’s jaw twitched. “Maybe if you made a list.”

  Everyone stared at him.

  “Of what you’d like to do at the ranch,” he clarified.

  “Good idea,” his mother said.

  “Even a blind squirrel finds an acorn from time to time,” he muttered.

  Heidi hid her grin behind her mug and thought maybe she’d been a bit hasty in judging Rafe’s sense of humor. As much as she liked May, she could see that the older woman wouldn’t be all that easy to deal with. The combination of sweetness and determination could be daunting. Not that Glen was any less complicated.

  May put down her mug. “Rafe and I should be going. I want to get right on making that list. You know where we’re staying, right? At Ronan’s Lodge? Oh, let me give you my cell number, and I’ll take yours.”

  “You’re staying in town, then?” Heidi asked.

  Rafe answered. “Yes. Until this is settled, we’re not going anywhere.”

  More threat than promise.

  “Lucky us.” Glen took May’s hand in his. “I look forward to seeing you again, very soon.”

  “Me, too,” May whispered back, her gaze locking with his.

  Heidi didn’t know if she should leave the older couple alone or insist on being a chaperone. Either way, she was going to have a very long talk with her grandfather.

  Even as she wondered how she was going to convince him to see reason, she saw Rafe studying Glen. Because they weren’t in enough trouble already, she thought grimly, confident he would continue to protect what was his. She could only hope his matchmaker person found someone fast. With Rafe distracted, she might have a prayer of surviving the disaster that was her life.

  * * *

  HEIDI WAITED UNTIL RAFE and his mother had driven away, then walked into the family room and stood in front of her grandfather. Glen had already settled into his favorite chair to watch TV.

  “Not so fast,” she said, taking the remote from him. “We have to talk.”

  “About what?”

  He sounded so innocent, she thought grimly. “May Stryker. You have to stop it. I can see what you’re up to.”

  “She’s a beautiful woman.”

  “Yes, she is, and not someone you can get involved with.” She sank onto the ottoman in front of him. “Glen, I mean it. Don’t do this. Don’t mess with her. You know what will happen. You’ll sleep with her a few times, get her to fall in love with you and then you’ll lose interest.”

  “Heidi, that’s harsh.”

  “Maybe, but it’s true. This is important.”

  “I know.” He leaned toward her. “I’m not playing around.”

  “You’re flirting.”

  “I like her.”

  “You like all women.”

  His expression turned serious. “No. I like her. This is different.”

  She stared at his familiar face and wondered if she was strong enough to shake some sense into him. “There’s no way you’re going to get me to believe this would be more than a fling. All my life you’ve told me that love is only for the foolish and weak-minded. That if I felt myself falling in love, I should run in the other direction.”

  “I know, I know.” He held up both hands. “You’ve got me dead to rights on that one. But I’m getting older, Heidi. Even I have to admit that. And growing old alone is starting to feel like an unnecessary mistake. What if there’s something to this ‘till death do you part’ thing—with the right woman.”

  Heidi shook her head. “No. You don’t get to suddenly announce everything you believed in was wrong.”

  “Why not? People once thought the world was flat. That’s not true. Like I said, maybe I was wrong. And May’s not like any other woman I’ve met. I can’t ignore that.”

  Heidi covered her face in her hands. “Don’t do this to me.”

  He leaned in and kissed her forehead. “You’re a good girl, Heidi. I love you. You know that, right?”

  “Yes, Glen. I love you, too.”

  “Then have a little faith.”

  * * *

  “MARGARITA WITH AN EXTRA shot,” Heidi said.

  Jo, the owner and main bartender at Jo’s Bar, raised both eyebrows. “You’re not an extra shot kind of girl.”

  “I am tonight.”

  “You driving?”

  Some people would find the question annoying or presumptuous. Heidi loved it. The concern, the meddling, were all vintage Fool’s Gold and only one of many reasons she and her grandfather had wanted to settle here.

  “Glen dropped me off,” Heidi said. “He’ll be picking me up when I call.”

  “Okay, then. An extra shot it is.”

  Jo left. A few minutes later, Annabelle and Charlie walked in together. They scanned the place, saw Heidi had already claimed a booth and hurried toward her.

  “You won’t believe the rumors,” Annabelle said, sliding in first. “Did the judge really order you to sleep with Rafe Stryker?”

  Heidi choked. “No. Of course not.”

  “Too bad,” the petite, redheaded librarian said with a sigh. “I saw him yesterday. He’s delicious.”

  “Is that really the rumor? The sleeping part,” Heidi added. “Not him being delicious.”

  Charlie rolled her eyes. “No. Annabelle, I swear, you need a man. You’re getting desperate.”

  “Tell me about it. I promised myself that I was done with relationships. The good guys never fall for me. I just didn’t think the sex thing through. Do you think the judge would order Rafe to have sex with me?” She brushed her long, wavy hair out of her face and turned to Charlie. “You know everyone in town. Could you ask her?”

  Charlie groaned. “You probably shouldn’t have alcohol tonight. Lord knows what you’d do.”

  “I’m a librarian,” Annabelle said with a sniff. “Haven’t you heard? We’re very prim.”

  “I think that’s a stor
y put out by the librarian council to distract people from the truth,” Charlie muttered. “You’re all a little wilder than you want people to know.”

  Heidi chuckled. This was exactly what she needed. Time with her friends. People who cared about her and made her laugh. The perfect combination.

  Nevada Janack joined them. “Am I late? Tucker’s in China, and we were talking and I lost track of time.”

  “Spare me the annoyance of those who are in love,” Charlie said.

  Heidi shifted to make room and Nevada slid in next to her.

  “I won’t apologize for having the perfect husband,” she said, her eyes dancing with humor. “But I am sympathetic toward you for not having Tucker.”

  “Too bad there’s only one of him,” Annabelle said with a sigh. “Or Rafe.”

  Nevada turned to Heidi. “I’ve been hearing rumors.”

  Jo returned to the table. “Margaritas all around? I’ll warn you, Heidi wants hers with an extra shot.”

  Heidi held up both hands. “In a few minutes you’ll all know what’s been going on, and then you’ll be sympathetic.”

  “Okay,” Charlie said. “I can’t wait for details. Margarita for me, no extra shot.”

  The others agreed. They ordered their usual food—chips, salsa and guacamole, and a couple of plates of nachos. Not exactly nutritious, Heidi thought, her stomach growling, but still extra-right for the occasion.

  She and Glen had only been in town a few months when she’d become friends with the other women at the table. Nevada, one of the Hendrix triplets, had married the previous New Year’s Eve, in a ceremony she’d shared with her two sisters. Although Nevada was as friendly as ever, there was a difference now. She had Tucker and they were madly in love. Heidi didn’t begrudge her any happiness, but sometimes it was hard to be around happy newlyweds. Every touch, every stolen glance, was a reminder of her own desperately single state. Not that she was looking for someone in the judicial system to order her to sleep with Rafe Stryker as a remedy.

  Thank goodness for Charlie and Annabelle. They were all in the same position, and that reality had only enhanced their friendship.

  Conversation flowed around her. For a second, Heidi let herself remember another friendship—one that had been nearly as good as the camaraderie she shared with these women today. Melinda, her best friend for years, would have been turning twenty-eight now. But Melinda had died six years ago. A senseless and tragic loss.

  “You okay?” Annabelle asked.

  Heidi nodded and pushed the memories away. She would mourn later—when she was alone. For now, she would appreciate the time with her friends.

  Jo returned with their drinks and promised the food would be delivered shortly. When she’d walked back to the bar, Annabelle leaned toward Heidi.

  “Start at the beginning and tell us everything. What did the judge really say?”

  Heidi sipped her margarita. “Basically that we have to share and play nice until she decides what to do about the problem.” She went over the details of the temporary plan, including the fact that “improvements,” as May called them, were allowed.

  “I don’t get it,” Charlie said. “Why would May Stryker want to pay for stuff at a ranch she might not own?”

  “I think she’s pretty confident in the outcome,” Heidi admitted, trying not to wince as she thought about losing her home. “I tell myself the good news is May is a sweetie, and at least Glen isn’t in jail.”

  “Why is she so hot for the ranch?” Annabelle asked. “Why not buy something somewhere else?”

  “They used to live here,” Nevada told them. “It was a long time ago. I was a kid, and I don’t think any of the Stryker boys were in my class. I think the youngest boy, Clay, was a year older.” She wrinkled her forehead in thought. “There’s a baby sister, too. I don’t remember much about her. What I do remember is that the family was dirt poor. I mean going-without-food poor. My mom wanted to send over clothes my brothers had worn, but by the time they’d worked their way through all three of them, there wasn’t much left in them. She did take over food, though. And toys. The town kind of adopted the family.”

  Heidi couldn’t imagine the very proud Rafe accepting charity from anyone. “That must have been difficult for all of them. In court, they said that the old man who owned the ranch promised it to May when he died. But he left it to distant relatives instead. Now she’s been cheated out of the place twice.”

  Nevada gave Heidi a quick hug. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Glen did. I know he was trying to help a friend, but now you’ve put yourself on the line for him. You’ll get through this and we’ll be right here with you. Tell us how we can help.”

  Heidi appreciated the assumption that they would simply do what had to be done and the problem would be fixed. It was one of the many reasons she loved Fool’s Gold and why she would fight for her home. The fact that Rafe and his mother had more resources wasn’t going to matter. She had heart on her side.

  “My attorney wants me to sleep with him,” she admitted, then downed her extra shot. The tequila burned a pleasant path to her stomach. When she swallowed, she saw all three women staring at her.

  “Did she say why?” Charlie asked.

  “She thought it would soften him up toward me.”

  Charlie raised her eyebrows. “If you’re softening him up, you’re doing it wrong.”

  The four women looked at each other and then burst into laughter.

  When she’d caught her breath, Annabelle sagged back in her seat. “You must be really good. I can’t see anyone paying two hundred fifty thousand dollars to have sex with me.”

  “Do you have a price you’re comfortable with?” Charlie asked Annabelle.

  “I don’t know. Maybe a couple of thousand. Of course, if you started an affair, and added up the number of times you did it…” She stopped talking. “What?”

  Nevada cleared her throat. “I think Heidi’s attorney was speaking in more metaphorical terms. That if Heidi slept with Rafe, he might forgive the debt. I doubt she was suggesting a sexual installment plan.”

  “Oh.” Annabelle flushed. “Sorry.”

  “No, it’s fine,” Heidi said, grinning. “But Charlie’s right. You have it bad. You need to find a man.”

  “Show me a good one who’s interested and I’m so there. Or not. It probably wouldn’t go well. But back to the issue at hand. Maybe we should find Rafe a woman. Distract him. He would be so busy falling in love that he would forget to be mean to Heidi.”

  “It’s not a bad idea,” Charlie murmured.

  Jo returned with plates of food. Heidi was already feeling a pleasant buzz. But she knew the danger of drinking on an empty stomach, so she picked up a chip and dug it into the guacamole.

  “Who are you thinking of sacrificing?” Nevada asked, reaching for the nachos.

  “You make the most sense,” Charlie said.

  Heidi paused in the act of dipping a second chip into salsa, then realized Charlie was looking at her. In fact, they all were.

  “What? No. Not me.”

  “You’re there,” Nevada pointed out. “The two of you will be spending time together on the ranch.”

  “He hates me. He looks at me with contempt. He’s some big-city rich guy. I loathe that type. He thinks he’s better than everyone else.”

  “Maybe on the surface,” Annabelle said, “but if he grew up poor, it may just be a facade. Maybe you could find out about the real man lurking beneath.”

  “You make him sound like a sea monster.”

  Annabelle grinned. “I’m saying it’s worth a shot. What have you got to lose? The guy is hot.”

  “Okay, sure. Ruggedly handsome with broad shoulders,” Heidi said.

  “Don’t forget his ass,” Charlie told her. “I’ve seen him walking a
round town. Very nice.”

  “It would be for a good cause,” Nevada added.

  “Sleeping with the enemy? Wasn’t that a movie and didn’t it end badly?” Heidi asked.

  Annabelle grinned. “Only for the guy. He’ll be overwhelmed by your charms.”

  “I don’t have any charms. If I did, they got lost in the move. Rafe isn’t going to fall for me. I’m not his type. He’s certainly not mine. I just need to get through this transition without making things worse. And coming on to him would definitely be worse.”

  She also needed to figure out how to earn two hundred and fifty thousand dollars to pay May back, but that wasn’t anything she was going to discuss with her friends. Comfort was one thing, pity was another.

  “You really could seduce him if you wanted,” Annabelle said. Nevada and Charlie both nodded in agreement.

  Heidi clutched her margarita in both hands and laughed. “I appreciate the vote of confidence, however misplaced.” She raised her glass. “To the best friends ever.”

  * * *

  THANKS TO SEVERAL GLASSES of water, aspirin and her grandfather’s secret remedy, Heidi woke the next morning feeling perfectly fine. No headache, no upset stomach. Maybe she should forget about goat cheese and sell his formula instead.

  After working her way through her usual chores, she headed for the barn. Last night, Charlie had mentioned she wouldn’t be able to make it to the ranch for a couple of days. That meant Mason, Charlie’s big gelding, would need to be exercised. Hardly a chore, Heidi thought, anticipating a ride in the cool but sunny April day. She could take Mason out for a couple of hours and still be home in time for lunch. Later, she would take Kermit, their other boarder, on his ride.

  “Hard work but someone has to do it,” she murmured happily to herself as she pulled on riding boots. She slathered on sunscreen, picked up a cowboy hat, then headed for the front door. As she stepped onto the porch, a familiar Mercedes pulled up by the house. Instantly, her good mood vanished.