“You have two years yet.”
“It goes by fast.” Jamie’s gaze went to the laptop. “Were those Halloween pictures?”
“Hey.” Rachel made a face. “They’re from my last birthday.”
“You’re joking.” Jamie stared at her. “Come on, let me see.”
Rachel got it. All she wore were jeans and oversize flannel shirts these days. Perfect for the ranch. “All right, look, you can’t say anything to Cole, or anyone else.”
Jamie shrugged, obviously confused. “Okay.”
Rachel opened the laptop and brought up the pictures, surrendering the computer when Jamie reached for it.
“You were still in Dallas last year, right?” Jamie studied the image of Rachel in a snug pink top, short black leather skirt and glittery charcoal-colored stilettos. She was wearing full makeup, her fuchsia lips puckered in a kiss she was blowing to the camera. The same pink color as her top wove through her bangs.
She nodded, even though Jamie was too absorbed with the radical image to look up. “I was working on my master’s and sharing a house with three other women.”
Jamie clicked on the picture of Chloe, Katy and Liz, who all looked effortlessly big-city chic. “Your roommates?”
“We met while living in the dorms, then found a house we could afford right before senior year. My share didn’t cost any more than a dorm room.” Only when Jamie gave her a curious look did Rachel realize she’d sounded defensive.
“They threw you the party, I assume.”
“Um, no party. We were getting ready to go club hopping when someone snapped these. The fun started much later.”
Jamie grinned at the champagne toast they were making in the next photo. “Please tell me you didn’t get hammered too early.”
“Why do you think we had to chronicle the night?”
Jamie laughed. “Seriously?”
“No.” Rachel smiled. “I was fine. If nothing else, those ridiculous heels kept me in line.”
“You mean those weren’t part of your normal attire?”
“More than you might think. I have three other pairs.”
“You wild woman.” Jamie eyed her with amusement. “You know you’ve totally destroyed my image of you, right?”
Rachel sighed. “Absolutely.”
Jamie angled the laptop toward her. “Cute. Who’s this?”
She glanced at the photo. “Tom. We hung out for almost a year, when we weren’t too busy.” He was ambitious, so was she, and they’d been good together until they weren’t. Neither of them had had a problem with saying adios when their schedules got too crazy.
“So you guys still keep in touch, or is it over?”
“Both. He wrote me when he passed his bar exam, and then when he moved to join a law firm in Denver.” Rachel paused. Explaining too much was tricky. No telling what Cole had revealed about the Sundance’s beleaguered financial situation. “We knew that eventually we’d each go where our careers took us.”
Jamie frowned a little, half closed the laptop and studied Rachel’s face. “You weren’t planning on staying here,” she said, lowering her voice.
Rachel glanced over her shoulder. “Swear you won’t repeat anything I tell you,” she said, turning back to Jamie. “Not even to Cole.”
“Of course I won’t, but that doesn’t mean you have to tell me anything. Really. I won’t be offended.” Jamie passed the laptop back to Rachel. “We all have secrets.”
Sighing, she offered a smile. “I’m sorry. I know you wouldn’t betray a confidence. That was just me being insecure.”
“You? Insecure? Uh-uh. But I know, we all have those days.” Jamie started to get up.
“Wait. This isn’t some top secret thing, it’s just that I don’t know what Cole told you about why we opened for guests.”
Jamie settled down again. “He mentioned the Sundance was struggling financially and that the dude ranch was your idea. Which was brilliant, by the way, but I also understand it’s not easy for everyone in the family to accept.”
“At this point, I think the guys have made peace with the idea. Especially since they know it’s a temporary solution and we’ve already seen a profit. But part of the deal was that I handle that side of the business.”
“And you feel stuck.”
Rachel gave a small shrug. “I wouldn’t say I’m stuck, but it did alter my plans somewhat.”
“Meaning?”
Rachel let out a rush of air. “I was only going to stay for part of the summer, spend time with my mom while I decided between two hotel chains that had tried to recruit me.”
Jamie’s eyebrows went up. “Um, I think that qualifies for more than somewhat. Wow. I don’t know if you remember a conversation we had last August about you staying at the Sun-dance, but I figured something was off.”
“I remember.” The conversation had been about whether Rachel could be happy staying home. “I’m not looking for sympathy. This is exactly where I’m supposed to be, doing exactly what I’m meant to be doing. I owe my family. If I have to stay here another five years then—”
“Oh, God…you and Cole and your hyper sense of responsibility….” Jamie’s lips twitched in a wry smile. “Must run in the family.”
“You don’t understand. Cole paid my tuition every semester, then agreed to graduate school, even though the ranch was in trouble.”
“And yet the Sundance is still here. There’s food on the table every night.” Jamie touched her arm. “You think he would do one thing differently?”
“I don’t know. No.”
“Do you think Cole or the rest of your family would want you to sacrifice your future for the sake of the ranch, or for them?”
Boy, was this turning out to be a shitty birthday. Rachel rubbed her eyes. “I know it’s hard for you to understand, Jamie.”
“Because I don’t have siblings? Or because my parents were more concerned with serving their country than raising me?”
Rachel gasped. “I didn’t mean it like that.” What was wrong with her? She knew Jamie’s background and of course she would jump to that conclusion. “I swear I didn’t—”
“Relax. Even if that’s what you were getting at, you’d have a point.” She waved dismissively. “It’s just that I’m pretty sure your family never thought you went to college so you could open a dude ranch.”
Rachel smiled. “I promise you my brothers haven’t given it that much thought.”
“Hmm, yeah…okay.” Jamie let out a short laugh. “I’ll give you that one. But your mom?”
Rachel slumped against the back of the couch. “I’ve spent a few sleepless nights worrying about that. Tiring as it is, she loves having guests to look after and chat with, and she’s probably hoping this will be enough for me to stay.” She sighed. “I’m really glad you’re here, and when Shea makes the move it’ll be even better, but I need new scenery. I need a challenge.”
The expression on Jamie’s face made Rachel feel worse, and a little defensive again. Clearly she also wanted Rachel to stay. But Jamie couldn’t fully understand. Her situation was different. She was a travel blogger. Sure