Glen had defrauded an innocent woman, and there was no way to make that okay.
“He took me in,” she said, keeping her gaze on the beautiful, untamed land around them. They were riding east, with the mountains in front of them. Snow was still visible. The snow line would move higher throughout the summer, but it would never completely disappear. The Sierras were too high for that.
“He told us that, but it’s not going to change my mind about him.”
She sighed. “I’m pointing out that he’s not a bad man. And why I’m not furious with him. I’m frustrated, but I know he’s basically a good person. My parents died when I was three. I don’t remember much about them. I’d only met Glen a couple of times, so he was a stranger to me. But he didn’t even hesitate to become my caretaker.”
“What did he do?”
“He was a carny. Working for a carnival. It comes through here every year, which is how I knew about Fool’s Gold.”
“I don’t know much about carnival life,” he admitted.
“It’s a unique world. Transient and insular at the same time. We’re always in a new place, so we find a sense of home with the people we work with.”
“How did you go to school?”
“There were a few kids around, so different adults took on various subjects. Glen taught math.”
“That had to have been interesting.”
“He was actually pretty good. My friend Melinda aced the SATs and got into a great college.” Heidi hadn’t been interested in getting a degree, but she and Melinda had still stayed close. If only she’d gone to college with her, maybe everything would have been different.
She told herself not to think about that now. That she couldn’t afford to be distracted around Rafe. Not if she wanted to hold her own.
She turned her attention to the man. He rode easily, looking as if he spent daily time in the saddle.
“You weren’t kidding about having grown up on a ranch,” she admitted.
He patted Mason’s neck. “It’s coming back to me. Maybe being here won’t be so bad, this time around.”
“Or you could, you know, leave.”
His dark gaze settled on her face. “Not likely.”
“You can’t blame a girl for trying.”
“I can but I won’t.” He straightened. “It’s unfortunate we both want the same thing.”
She nodded. “Home and a place to belong.”
“I was thinking more of the land.”
“One means the other. At least to me. That’s all I wanted. Somewhere to settle, a place for Glen and me. And the goats.”
“You’re not going to get rich raising goats.”
“I never needed to be rich. Until now.”
* * *
AFTER LUNCH, RAFE WENT into town. While he’d been out riding with Heidi, his mother had thoughtfully put together a list of projects she would like to see him take care of over the next few weeks. When he’d pointed out he still had a business to run, she’d actually patted him on the head and said he would figure out a way to get both done.
He loved his mother. He really did. But there were days, and this was one of them, when he would cheerfully walk away from his entire family and never have anything to do with them again.
He parked by the lumber supply yard, but instead of going inside the small office, he headed for the center of town. Stiff muscles protested the walking. As his ride with Heidi had only been an hour at best, he was going to have to step up his workouts when he got back to San Francisco. Weight training and miles on a treadmill didn’t prepare a man for life on a ranch, and according to his mother, he was going to be here for a while.
Despite how much he didn’t want to be anywhere near Fool’s Gold, he’d found himself enjoying being on a horse again. Riding in the sunlight, surveying relatively untamed land, had been kind of nice. Either the pleasure was primal, or he’d been watching too many Westerns.
He ducked into a Starbucks and bought a drip coffee and a scone. As he stepped outside, he had the thought that he should have brought Heidi along with him. She would have—
He paused in midgulp of the hot coffee, then nearly choked. Brought Heidi? Into town? What? So he could make friends with her? She wasn’t a friend, she was trouble. All sweet and pretty, with those damn, big green eyes. Yesterday he’d nearly bought into her innocent act. Sure, maybe she hadn’t known what Glen was doing, but he still couldn’t trust her. Or her goats.
He ate the scone and tossed the paper bag into a nearby trash can. He wasn’t going to think about Heidi. Not how good she’d looked on the horse, or how she’d smelled like vanilla and flowers when he’d given her a hand up to the saddle. Not the way her eyes crinkled when she smiled, or how he’d been aware of her body moving with each step of the horse. Nope, not him. Not the least bit aware. She was someone in his way—nothing more.
He turned to walk back to the lumber supply yard when an older woman came toward him. She was well dressed, wearing a dark blue suit and pearls. Her white hair was carefully styled in that poufy bubble old ladies seemed to like.
When she smiled at him, he came to a stop.
“Rafe Stryker.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I’m Mayor Marsha Tilson.”
The combination of her name and the steady gaze of her blue eyes triggered a memory. Rafe frowned. “You’re the lady who gave me the bike.” She was also part of the group that had regularly delivered food and clothing to his mother, but as a kid, the bike had been more significant.
Her smile widened. “Yes. I’m delighted you remember.”
“You were kind to us. Thank you.”
The words were tough to get out. Even after all this time, he didn’t like to recall the past—when he’d gone hungry and his mother had cried all the time.
“You were an impressive little boy,” the mayor told him. “So determined to take care of your family. So proud. You made sure your brothers and sister didn’t have to worry.”
He cleared his throat, not sure how to respond to her statements. “I did what had to be done.”
“You were nine or ten. Far too young to be shouldering life’s responsibilities. Now, I understand, you’re a successful businessman.”
He nodded.
“Fool’s Gold needs men like you.”
“I’m not here to stay. I’m helping out my mother.”
The mayor’s eyes twinkled. “Maybe we can change your mind. We have a very progressive business climate here. In fact, there’s a new casino and hotel going in right outside of town. The Lucky Lady.”
That caught his attention. “I hadn’t heard.”
“You should take a look at what they’re doing. The developer is Janack Construction.”
“I’ve heard of them,” Rafe admitted. Janack was multinational. They took on massive projects, like suspension bridges in developing countries and high-rises in China. If they were building something here, it was significant.
“I appreciate the information,” he told her.
“You could fit right in here, Rafe.”
Unlikely, but rather than say that, he wished her a good day and