“It’s wonderful.” And expensive, and would only add to her bill should she win the case.
“Good. I was hoping you’d say that,” May told her. “I’ve spoken to Shane and mentioned the ranch to him. I’m hoping he’ll want to come here.”
“Shane?” Heidi pulled out a chair and sat down. “Here?”
She didn’t think she could survive a second Stryker brother. She was having enough trouble with Rafe.
“You’ll like Shane. He’s much more easygoing than Rafe. I’m sure that comes with not being the oldest.”
Heidi traced the drawing and knew there was no way to say no. The last thing she needed was May upset with her. But if she wasn’t careful, the Strykers would weave their way into every part of her world. If that happened, there would be no win—for any of them.
RAFE WATCHED YET MORE lumber being unloaded. Thanks to his mother’s grand plans for the barn, what had started out as a simple repair job had turned into major renovation. When she’d shown him her drawing the previous day, he’d made a few minor changes and promised to look into getting it done. This morning she’d informed him she’d spoken with Ethan, had hired his men for the remainder of the summer and had already ordered the necessary supplies. Now Rafe figured he would be lucky to ever get back to his office in San Francisco.
He should be annoyed and itching to return to the city, but somehow, he found himself not minding too much. He spent his mornings working with Ethan’s guys. After lunch, he dealt with his company, giving instructions to Ms. Jennings and talking to Dante about what was going on in the office. Around three, he went back out to join the guys and finished before dinner. Evenings were spent on his computer. Sometimes he and Heidi watched a baseball game or went for a walk.
Not exactly the life of a sought-after bachelor, he thought, pulling on gloves. No dinners out, no evenings at the theater. Pretty much the only thing he missed about his old life was hanging out with Dante and his season tickets at the Giants’ stadium.
He had thought he would be bored here. Restless. So far, he was enjoying himself more than he had expected. There were calluses on his hands and a pleasant ache after a day of physical labor. He and Mason took long rides together, to the point where Charlie had noticed that her horse had never been in better shape.
There was an honesty to the land, he thought, then chuckled. He’d better be careful, or he’d turn into the cowboy his mother had always wanted him to be.
The truck driver walked over with a clipboard and paperwork. “You keep goats here?” he asked as he handed Rafe a pen.
“Sure. Why?”
“I would swear I saw some goats walking down the road when I was driving here. You might want to make sure yours didn’t get out.”
Rafe scrawled his signature on the paperwork, then turned toward the house. He didn’t know where Heidi had taken the goats that morning. Before he’d taken more than a couple of steps, the back door opened and Heidi hurried out.
“The goats?” he asked.
She nodded. “My friend Nevada just called. Athena led three of them to the casino construction site. She did this last year and apparently remembered the way.”
“How do you get them back?” he asked, following her to the goat house.
Heidi ducked inside, then stepped back out with several ropes. “I catch them and walk them home. I don’t have a truck big enough to transport them. What I want to know is how she gets the gates open.”
He fell into step with her. “Think of it as forced exercise.”
“I’m worried about Persephone. She’s pregnant. I’m not sure that much walking is good for her.”
“Don’t goats travel in the wild?”
“Yes, but they eat as they go. When Athena gets a burr up her butt, it’s more a forced march. I’ll call the vet when I get back.”
He took the ropes from her. “I’m sure she’ll be fine.”
“I hope so. This is only her second pregnancy.”
“Why isn’t Athena pregnant?”
“Alpine goats breed in the fall. That’s one of the reasons I have both Nubians and Alpines—to stagger their pregnancies, so I never go without fresh goat milk. It’s less of an issue with the cheese. With the aging process, I always have cheese at various stages. But the fresh milk is important to several of the families in the area.”
“Today’s milk will be aerated by the walk.”
She smiled. “I’m not sure it works that way. I swear, Athena needs a hobby.”
“Too bad you can’t teach her to read.”
“I’d worry if she learned, she would take over the world.”
“You should put the goats with the llamas. If they really will protect the herd, then the llamas can keep the goats from getting out. Or at least alert you if Athena makes a run for it.”
“I could try. I haven’t wanted to put them together in case they get attached.”
Because one way or another, this arrangement was only temporary, and Heidi wouldn’t want her goats hurt by missing a friend.
Dante would say she was taking her goat responsibilities too seriously. A few weeks ago, Rafe would have agreed. Now he knew that Heidi was sensitive to those she considered to be on the outside. Those who didn’t belong.
They walked down the main road. About three miles from the ranch, a path cut through the trees. The branches overhead were thick enough to block direct sunlight. The temperature was a good ten or fifteen degrees cooler, and leaves and pine needles crunched underfoot.
Just when Rafe was sure she was lost, they stepped into a clearing and a whole other world.
The sound of large construction equipment echoed off the trees and the side of the mountain. From where he stood, at the west end of the site, he would guess about eighty or ninety acres had been cleared. The main building was massive—right now just poured foundation and steel beams—but he could see what it would be. Several stories, with a view of the mountains.
When he’d heard about the casino, he’d had Dante pull information and had studied it on his computer. Still, the renderings hadn’t prepared him for the sheer size of the project.
“Impressive, don’t you think?” She pointed to the far end. “That’s one of the parking lots. There will be a multilevel structure on the other side. The big building is the casino and resort. I’m not sure how many hotel rooms they’re talking about. At least a couple hundred, maybe more.”
She kept talking, explaining the layout and how the design had kept old-growth trees to line a walking path. That there would be a spa and several restaurants.
A pretty blonde woman with short hair and a ready smile joined them.
“You and your bad goats,” she said with a laugh. “What’s up with Athena?”
“I know.” Heidi gave her a quick hug. “She’d ride a motorcycle if she could get a license. Nevada, this is Rafe Stryker. Rafe, Nevada Janack.”
He shook hands with the woman, then glanced at the signs on the sides of the construction trailers. “Any relation?”
“I married into the family. Tucker’s around here somewhere. Come on. I’ll introduce you.”