“Yes. It makes a great fertilizer. Do you need some?”
“No.”
It took her a second to realize he wasn’t interested in talking about the goats as much as he’d wanted to change the subject. Talk about subtle avoidance. She replayed in her mind what May had been saying and realized he’d been keeping his mother from talking about Clay.
“If you change your mind…” she murmured, wondering if there was bad blood in the family.
Glen collected clean mugs from the cupboard.
May smiled at him. “You know your way around the kitchen.”
“I’ve been on my own for a long time. A man does what he has to. This one—” he pointed to Heidi
“—showed up in my life when she was three. Cutest little thing ever, but her daddy was long grown, and I’d forgotten everything I’d known about raising kids. Not that I’d been around much for mine. I was the kind of man who’d taken off first chance he could. Not proud of that. Still, I muddled along with Heidi, and we became a family.”
May sighed. “What a wonderful story. So many men wouldn’t have bothered.”
Heidi held in a groan. While Glen had taken her in and raised her, she knew the story was more about impressing May than recounting the past. Her grandfather had always had a way with the ladies. Unfortunately, he didn’t exactly have much of a track record when it came to long-term romantic relationships. She was going to have to remind him that he’d already stolen two hundred and fifty thousand dollars from May. Breaking her heart on top of that wouldn’t be helpful.
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