Page 39 of Hometown Hottie

19

NOVA

Afew days after the storm, the ranch was finally starting to look better. We’d all been hard at work with the cleanup and all the hours we’d put into it were paying off.

The only remnants now were ditches in the dirt roads that had been formed by the water. Ryan would be dealing with those next week, which meant my extra work was basically done.

As I strode to my parents’ house to check if there was anything else I could do to help with the damage, I should’ve been smiling at how well the ranch had held up against the onslaught of the elements this time around.

High winds and that much rain might’ve destroyed some of our infrastructure without all the maintenance we’d been doing, and I should’ve been proud that our patch jobs had stood up to it all, but I wasn’t. I didn’t feel much of anything, really.

Ever since Carson had walked out of the bakery that morning, I’d been listless. Glum, as my mother had put it when she saw me yesterday.

As much as I was trying to shake off what had happened between Carson and me on that dark, stormy night, I was having trouble forgetting those kisses. I was having even more trouble forgetting how I’d felt during and then how very badly I’d felt after.

Yet, despite the emotions constantly swarming around deep inside me, fighting for dominance over which deserved my attention more, I was weirdly numb. Like I just hadn’t been able to keep up and had shut down a little instead.

Sighing as I got to my parents’ house, I tried to put a smile on my face, intent on keeping up appearances while I was here. As soon as I pushed open the door and heard Ryan making some kind of heated argument, however, all of those other worries faded and my heart leaped into my throat.

“That’s a huge chunk of the property, Dad,” he was saying. “Not only that, but it’s the part that includes Nova’s house, the bakery, and the parking lot, which, in case you missed it, is where she holds the market.”

“Yes, I realize that,” Dad said gruffly while I felt like I’d been punched in the stomach by a jackhammer. “We can always build another cottage, though. There will be more than enough space on the land we keep to build her an even bigger, better place, and we’ll have the money to do it.”

“I don’t want a bigger place,” I said as I stumbled into the room, my knees threatening to give out.

My parents looked stricken when they realized I’d overheard them. My mother’s mouth dropped open and my dad grimaced.

“Let’s just get you into a chair and then we’ll talk about it, honey,” Dad said.

Mom shot up and took my arm, sympathy and understanding shimmering in her eyes as she led me to a chair and sat me down. Once I was there, she offered me a sad smile. “None of us want any of this, sweetheart. I’ll bring you some iced tea, okay? Just talk to Daddy.”

I blinked stupidly, my brain unable to process what I was hearing. Dad turned his gaze back to Ryan’s, his expression becoming as hard and stubborn as my brother’s as they faced off with one another.

“Both of you have been on me for months about doing something to save the ranch, and Frank has given us an offer we’d be idiots to refuse. I thought you’d be happy about this. Relieved. This is what you wanted, isn’t it?”

“Frank?” I whispered. “I thought you said you’d never sell to him.”

Dad glanced at me, a heaviness in his eyes I’d never seen before. “I wouldn’t have, and I know you don’t think I’ve been listening to you, but I have been and you’ve made me see things clearly, darling. I’m only sorry it took me so long, but at least it’s not too late. Frank has a buyer who’s willing to purchase that strip of land from us immediately.”

Tears rose from deep inside, making my throat hurt with the effort of holding them back. “Why that part? Why would you sell off my bakery? My house? Why does it have to be that?”

“With the money we make from the sale, we could relocate the bakery to a storefront in town,” he explained. “I tried to negotiate about which portion of the land we’d be willing to sell, but Frank insists that the buyer wants that part in particular.”

“What for, though?” It made no sense to me. “If this buyer has so much money, can’t they build their own renovated barn for whatever they want to use it for? Their own cute cottage? That’s my bakery. My home, Dad. I know it’s your property, but it’s my home. I don’t want a storefront in town or a bigger house.”

Ryan was beside himself with rage. He rolled his fingers into fists at his side and shook his head. “Just hold off on this, would you? Don’t sign anything yet.”

“I’ll hold off as long as I can.” Dad heaved out a long sigh and brought his hands up to scrape his palms across his salt and pepper beard. “I just don’t know how long we can afford to wait. If this buyer is as serious as Frank has made him seem, he’s going to want the paperwork as soon as possible. Maybe we can convince him to wait, but I don’t know. I’ll do what I can.”

Dad gave Ryan a look that made me think he felt sorry for him for some reason. Sure, we were all feeling sorry for ourselves, but this was different. This was like Dad thought Ryan should’ve known something that he didn’t.

“Who’s the buyer?” I asked, feeling desperation well in my chest. It mingled with the confusion created by that look.

Dad’s gaze darted to mine. His shoulders tensed and his spine slowly straightened as he looked into my eyes. “It’s Carson Drake.”

My head started spinning, my ears rang, and my heart turned to stone. Ryan saw red, letting out a burst of humorless laughter and turning an unhealthy shade of purple. “No. Fuck no.”

He took off then, not saying another word to our father as he stormed out of the house. For a moment, I didn’t move a muscle. I just sat there, frowning and wondering where on earth he was going. Then I realized that wherever it was, it wouldn’t be good.