Page 29 of Hometown Hottie

“Same,” I said, smiling. “Seems we still have a lot in common.”

“We both love the town we grew up in. That hardly seems like a big thing to share. I think most people love their hometowns, even if they don’t necessarily want to live there.”

I chuckled and held my glass up for a toast. “Here’s to loving Silver Springs and making it the place we both want to settle.”

“Hear, hear.” The glasses clinked as we brought them together. She held my gaze as we each took a sip. Once she’d swallowed, she tilted her head at me. “Is that why you retired so early, then? You got homesick?”

Surprised laughter tore out of me. “I guess you still don’t know how to ease into stuff, huh?”

She shrugged, humor sparkling in her eyes as she stared back at me. “Who’s got the time to ease into everything? If you ask me, people are too delicate about things these days. If I want to know something, I’ll ask. Why try to wrap it up in a pretty little bow?”

“It’s called tact, but you’ve never had that much of it,” I said. “Okay. I’ll play, though. Do you want the football answer or the life answer first?”

“Well, since I don’t want to be accused of not being delicate enough with you again, let’s go with the football answer. Something tells me that’s the one you’ve rehearsed the most.”

“I don’t need you to be delicate with me, but okay. The football answer is that ten years in the NFL is enough. As a player, you get knocked around like a punching bag. It takes a toll. I’m still healthy enough to play a few more years, but I wanted retirement to be my choice. I didn’t want a career-ending injury to force me out.”

She pretended to clap her hands in a round of applause. “All that rehearsing paid off. That was flawless. Now give me the real answer.”

“I got to the point where my heart was here instead of on the field. Vance and I talked about home a lot and the more we talked, the more we missed it. Eventually, I was counting the days until the season would end and I’d be able to come back home, and then I realized that I’d rather not have to leave again.”

Those gorgeous blue eyes drank me in before she nodded. “I think you were really being honest with me right then. First time?”

“Saying it out loud? Yep.”

She smiled. “I’m glad you stayed true to your heart, Carson. It takes a big person to walk away from something they love.”

“Sure, but that doesn’t mean I’ll never play again. I’m thinking of volunteering at the elementary school. It could be fun.”

“Elementary school?” she asked. “Don’t you think your talents would be better off at the high school?”

“Maybe, but I think it’s going to be a while before I’m ready for that. The stress. The pressure. The competitiveness. Before I dive back into all that, where hopes and dreams are crushed with one wrong hit, I think I’ll start small. Where it’s all fun and games.”

“Well, I hope that works out for you. I don’t think you realize how bored you’ll get with that, but go for it. The kids would love to have you.”

“Thanks. Speaking of kids, I seem to recall you saying you couldn’t wait to settle down, get married, and have a couple. Why haven’t you done that yet? Wasn’t that your dream? The house with the white picket fence and as many kids as you could handle?”

Her fingers wound together on her lap, and her eyes dropped to them as she drew in a deep breath. “Guess I’m not the only one with no tact, so yes. I’ll be as honest with you as you just were with me. That was the dream, but it’s not exactly one I can live all by myself. It hinges on finding the right guy to marry, and that just hasn’t happened for me yet.”

“It will,” I said confidently. Maybe it already has, but that’s a discussion for another day. “So I know I was joking about it earlier, but seriously, have you given more thought to using me in your videos instead of Ryan? Or have you guys come up with a different plan?”

“A different plan?” She shook her head. “There is no other plan. Nothing that will help as fast as we need it to, anyway. There’s a developer trying to buy the property to sell it to a client who’d probably turn the ranch into a hotel, and the problem is that if things keep going the way they are, we might not be able to keep it from happening for much longer.”

“It’s that bad?” I had thought everyone was exaggerating a little bit. The Murphys had been one of the families who’d founded this town, and people really cared about them. Because of that, I’d thought that it couldn’t be bad enough that they’d ever actually lose the property.

As I looked into Nova’s eyes now, it was dawning on me just how rocky things were. Money problems made people freak out like nothing else ever could. I’d figured things were rough but that it was more of a cash flow problem than anything else.

Of course, I’d also known about the developer and I hadn’t liked the thought of him sniffing around, but I hadn’t realized just how close he was to getting what he wanted.

While all these thoughts raced through my head, Nova let out a long, defeated breath and nodded. “It’s that bad. My parents really aren’t in a good place financially, and honestly, I’m not sure my dad truly understands the gravity of the situation.”

Suspicions and rumors now confirmed, I leaned forward and waited until she was looking right at me. “Whatever I can do to help, Nova, just tell me. Seriously. You can’t lose the ranch to this asshole. The town won’t survive becoming a tourist destination.”

Predictably, she waved me away. “We’ll work it out. I just wish I knew how to get my dad to see that this isn’t like all the other times. All ranches have their highs and lows. I get that, but this isn’t just a low anymore. It’s rock bottom. Ryan and I have been trying, but…”

“He doesn’t want to believe it’s true?” I guessed.

She shrugged a shoulder and took another sip of her beer. “That’s the biggest problem of all. There are so many ways to generate more money with that land, but if we don’t act fast, we’re going to run out of time and what little money is left to do them.”

I mentally ran through all the plans I’d heard of from them in just the last couple weeks, and I knew she was right. There were a few ways out of this yet, but they needed their father to be onboard. “What about your mom? Can’t you get her to veto him?”

“Nope. Mom would be game to try anything, but you know how stubborn my dad is. He’s got blinders on about the depth of shit we’re in and no one is going to change his mind. Not even my mother.”

I winced. “Shit. I’m sorry, Nova. I really hope he comes around before it’s too late.”

“Don’t we all.” She blew out another deep breath, then perked up and patted the bar. “Enough of that. I thought this was a celebration, not yet another pity party. Let’s celebrate, shall we? Things with the ranch will work out or they won’t, but there’s no point in talking it to death tonight. Tell me more about what it was like to play ball professionally. Was it as intense as you thought it was going to be?”

I looked at her and believed that she was actually interested. Just like always, she wanted to know about me and my real feelings. A lot of things might’ve changed about Nova Murphy, but the one thing that never would was that she made me feel more like myself than anyone else. For that, I would always want her in my life.

No matter how much her brother hated the idea.