“Maybe we could go fishing sometime.”
“Maybe.”
“The other foot just came.” Her awed whisper caught him off guard.
He’d forgotten all about poor Penelope.
Within an hour they had the calf standing.
“So sweet.” Teary-eyed, Landry watched the calf find its legs, the mama nuzzling it along. “Can I name her Petunia?”
“Go for it.”
This was supposed to have tested her mettle. But again, she’d risen to his challenge. He couldn’t let his guard down, though. He had to shake her down if he wanted to keep his family’s ranch in the family. Not in the hands of the interloper his sister had forced on him.
* * *
By lunchtime, Chase’s stomach growled as he smelled the aroma of garlic, onion and tomato sauce drifting from the kitchen. But he didn’t have time to stop and eat. Monday brought lots of errands to run.
From looking at Landry Malone, dainty, pristine, girly, he never would’ve imagined her willingly tackling messy jobs. Nor could he have redone the website if he’d tried. He’d have to do better if he planned to trip her up today. But he was running out of ideas.
In the kitchen, his parents and Landry wore matching food prep hats while they worked.
Mom cleaned the buffet warmer. Dad scrubbed the grill. Landry disinfected the counter, a smile on her face. As if they’d worked together for years. A team. And they had been, several years ago. Back when he’d let his family down—done his traveling thing—Landry had been here to pick up his slack.
But the only thing he knew for certain about her was that she was beautiful. Even with her wavy mane covered by the goofy-looking cap.
He looked over at his mother and saw that she was measuring him. “Have you eaten lunch?”
“I’ll grab something in town.” He cleared his throat. “I have to pick up the new bedspread and run several errands. Need anything?”
Both his parents shook their heads.
Landry bit her lip. “Could I come along?”
No. He did not want to haul her around. “Sure.”
“I need a few things, and I can’t really remember the layout of the town. Is there a Walmart?”
He chuckled. “Thirty minutes away in either Boerne or Kerrville. We have a Dollar General and a grocery store.”
“That’ll work. Just let me get my purse.” She hurried past him, leaving a cloud of flowery perfume mixed with fruity shampoo in her wake. Despite the fact that she’d cooked manicotti and a host of other spicy dishes for lunch.
He followed and waited in the foyer while she went to Granny’s private quarters. A few minutes later she was back, her purse slung over her shoulder.
“I’m ready.” She’d pulled her hair into a ponytail. He’d never been a fan of the style, but she made it look good.
“Let’s go.” He strolled to the door, opened it for her.
Once in the truck, her flowery smell intensified. His vehicle would never be the same.
“So, tell me how you came to live here for a while.” He chanced a glance at her, then backed out of his parking spot. “Back when you were in culinary school with Eden?”
“They never told you?”
“Might have.” He pulled onto the highway. “But I probably wasn’t listening. It’s a guy thing.”
“At least you admit it.” She snickered. “I learned a long time ago—if you don’t talk about trucks, sports, business or livestock, men don’t listen.”
“Brothers?”
“No. Just a sister. A dad. Male cousins. Ranch-hand coworkers.”
“Isn’t Aubrey close to Dallas?”
She kept her eyes on the road. “It is, and I could have gone to school in Dallas. But I was eighteen years old and had never been away from home. I wanted to spread my wings, so I chose the San Antonio option.”
“And Eden invited you to live at the dude ranch?”
“Not exactly. I saw her in class, but we didn’t ever meet.” Her voice filled with reverence when she mentioned his sister. “I had an apartment with a roommate, but our lifestyles didn’t gel. I needed a job, and despite wanting to experience independence, I was lonely.”
“Not once you met Granny, I bet.” Granny always took in strays.
“Definitely not.” She stared out the passenger window. “I saw a help wanted ad for a dude ranch, so I called the number and officially met Eden and Granny. I ended up working for room and board for a year and a half until I finished school. They were like my family away from family. And the dude ranch was home away from home.”
But they weren’t her family. It wasn’t her home.
“What happened to all the trees?”
Dead or dying live oaks lined each side of the road. “Oak wilt. It transfers from tree to tree through the root system. Takes no prisoners, doesn’t stop until everything in its path is dead.”
“That’s so sad. I always loved driving through this area with the twisted, gnarled trees.”
“Looked like they’d stood up to the dry, rocky Texas hillsides for decades and could survive anything. But not oak wilt,” he said as he turned onto Main Street.
“Wow. That was quick.” She scanned the storefronts lining the highway. Ancient rockwork buildings, motorcycles and cars parked in front of each, people strolling along, unhurried. “I could have walked here.”
“I have to go to the log furniture store, get gas for the tractor and hit the hardware store.” He parked halfway between his three destinations. “You can look around if you want.” He checked his watch. “And meet me back here at four.”
“Is lunch in there somewhere?” Her stomach growled and she winced.
“Didn’t you just cook half the day?”
“I can’t eat when I’m cooking. Too many smells.”
“I was gonna just grab something on the go.” He climbed down from the truck. “But tell you what. Let me go to the furniture store, and then we’ll do lunch. Go look around and I’ll call you when I’m ready.”
She met him on the sidewalk, stood there like a lost puppy. “Can I just hang with you?”
What? “It’ll be boring.”
“But I don’t know a soul here. You can introduce me around. I promise not to get in the way.”
“You lived here for eighteen months.” He did not need her tagging along. Looking pretty. Smelling good. Vulnerability shining through. All tempting him to trust her motives. “There are probably folks you knew still around.”
“I never came to town when I lived here except for church. I worked, studied and went to school. Period.”
He squashed a sigh. “Let’s get moving, then.”
“Thanks.” She grinned like he’d just given her the exact gift she’d wanted on Christmas morning.
* * *
Landry could hardly take it all in as she followed Chase through the store. A log dining table with a massive slab of wood for the surface. A log dresser with tree bark drawers. A rocker with a massive log frame and thick, comfy cowhide cushions. She’d thought she’d