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Katie held her breath as the older man scrawled his signature across the contract. She’d done it. She’d secured the future of Summers Family Trucking. She stood, reaching across the desk to take the papers.
“I look forward to working with you,” he said.
Katie tightened her grip on the contracts. “And my brothers.”
“But you’re the one with the vision. I like that about you,” he said, finally releasing the documents she’d been dying to get her hands on. “I feel confident that with you steering this ship, we stand to make a pretty penny.”
Forcing a smile, she nodded. Montana was sounding more and more impossible. Of course, they had not offered her the job. Yet. She’d aced the interview this morning. But still, if Brody had walked away from them when opportunity came his way after their dad died, she never would have finished college.
“Of course. And in time, I think you’ll find you like working with Brody. He knows this business inside and out.”
“I understand loyalty,” Mr. Fidderman said. “I respect what you’re doing for them. Keeping the company afloat. It’s not an easy thing to do in this market. I think we’ll make good partners. And if this helps prevent forest fires, I’m all for it. Lord knows I can’t afford another one on my land. The last one, about two years back, nearly wiped me out.”
Katie said good-bye and walked out of the Black Hills office clutching the contracts to her chest. She’d done it. Now they didn’t need Moore Timber or Liam Trulane. Of course she still needed to convince Chad and Josh that walking away from a million dollars—or more if Liam raised the offer—made sense.
In her back pocket, her cell phone vibrated. Setting the contracts on the hood of the car, she retrieved it and glanced at the screen. Montana. And there was only one person there who had a reason to call her—Carol Lewis, owner of the Safe Haven.
“Hello?” she answered, biting back the words: Did I get the job?
“Katie, this is Carol Lewis. I spoke with your sheriff. He told me about the horses you rescued last night.”
“Actually, my brother was home and accepted them,” she said.
“Because you insisted. Katie, I’m impressed with your knowledge of finance. But that’s not why I’m offering you the position. I want to leave the Safe Haven with someone who will always put the animals first. The business side is important. And heaven knows, I couldn’t run this place without donations. But at the end of the day, it is about loving the animals no one else wants.”
“It is,” Katie said, staring out at the mountains. On the other side of those peaks stood her family’s barn filled with misfit horses and goats. Animals who depended on her, who needed—
“Wait, did you just offer me the job?” Katie said.
Carol Lewis laughed. “Yes. I did. So what do you say?”
Yes. The word was on the tip of her tongue. “Thank you,” Katie said, closing her eyes. “I’m thrilled and honored. But I . . . I need a few days to think about it.”
“Of course. It is a big move and I don’t wish to rush you. However, I’m leaving soon and need to make sure the Safe Haven is in good hands.”
“I understand. I’ll have an answer for you soon. I promise.” Katie ended the call and set her phone down on the hood of her wagon beside the contracts.
“I got the job,” she whispered, staring out at the familiar scenery. But the triumph was bittersweet. Brody and her brothers needed her here. Part of her wanted to say yes, but she had a feeling that wasn’t the right thing to do for her family.
LIAM LEANED AGAINST his car, his phone in his hand. He texted Katie, telling her they were set for tomorrow’s trip to the cabin. He’d managed to push the fact that this was a “research” trip for his little sister’s bachelorette to the far corners of his mind. He was going for Katie. An entire night alone with her . . .
A response flashed on his screen. I’ll meet you at the reservoir dock. And I have a few surprises for you.
Grinning like a fool, Liam pushed off his car and headed for the front door to Moore Timber and down the hall. Surprises? As long as they didn’t interfere with his plans to earn her trust, to show Katie that he needed and wanted her in his life, he was game to experiment. They had been pretty creative under the twin fir trees seven years ago, but he’d learned a lot since then. He had a few ideas of ways to make her scream his name again and again.
“Whatever you’re thinking, I’m guessing it has little to nothing to do with Wilson’s widow’s land,” Eric mused, his shoulder resting against the doorway to his office.
Liam chuckled. “Nope. But we’re done over there. Josh Summers hauled the last load from the landing a few hours ago.”
“Good. Come in and have a drink. I need to fill you in on my chat with my friend Tim Granger. Remember him? He’s the number two at Black Hills Timber.” Eric returned to his desk chair and started leafing through papers.
Liam followed him, collapsing into one of the leather chairs across from Eric’s desk. “Yeah, I know Tim. Good guy.”
Eric walked to the mini-fridge and pulled out two waters, tossing one to Liam. “Turns out his boss just signed a contract with Summers Family Trucking to haul the excess from their harvests to the biomass plant.”
“That’s what the new trucks and the chipper are for,” Liam said, leaning back in his chair.
“With that deal, they’re worth more than we thought,” Eric said. “But I couldn’t figure out why they didn’t tell us about the pending contract. And then Tim told me who negotiated the deal. It was all Katie.”
