Page 95 of Hometown Hottie

Vance groaned. “So he interrupted the lovey dovey cuddling after? Somehow, I feel like that’s even worse.”

“It’s not.” I thought about Nova on her knees between my legs and what he would’ve walked in on if he’d been just a few minutes earlier, and that would’ve been much, much worse. “You really think I should keep my distance?”

He nodded slowly and moved his gaze back to the mountains in the distance. “It doesn’t need to be forever, but you owe him some time to get used to the idea of you and Nova together as adults. Both of us owe him a lot more than that, but it’s probably a good place to start.”

I snorted. “I just let him hit me, like, two hours ago. I doubt I owe him anything else.”

Vance arched an eyebrow at me. “In case you’ve missed it, he’s not happy with us. At all. Can’t say I blame him.”

“You can’t? Because I do. He seems to blame us for everything, but⁠—”

“But nothing. You kissed his sister and left. I left with you. We stayed away for a decade, hardly ever made time for him, and now you’re back, kissing his sister again, and his family is in all this trouble despite the sacrifices he made. He has a right to be pissed.”

“None of that is our fault,” I said. “Except the kissing. That’s my fault, I guess, but it’s not just a fling, Vance. It’s more than that. I just don’t know why he can’t see it that way.”

He shrugged. “Maybe he will, but he’s going to need time.”

“Nova is stressed out enough already.” I sighed deeply as I thought it over. “This isn’t going to help, is it?”

“Nope.”

“So I’m keeping my distance,” I decided out loud, not liking it but knowing he was right. “The last thing I want is to cause her pain. I want her to be happy.” I didn’t want to be away from her for any period of time, but at this point, my presence in her life was just making things worse. “I’m still going to help her, though.”

He groaned. “What part of keeping your distance do you not understand?”

“I don’t have the luxury of keeping my distance when it comes to the business end of things,” I said, shaking my head. “George is going to accept that other offer if I don’t do something. Neither of the Murphy siblings can change that, and neither can Ryan’s feelings about me. I need to help her while I still can. If I wait, their dad will sell the ranch and there won’t be a damn thing we can do about it.”

“Wait,” he said slowly, drawing out the word. “In the past, it was all about helping them. The family. Now, all of a sudden, it’s only about her?”

“No, it’s not like that,” I explained. “You know how much I’ve been wondering how I can help them and how I don’t want them to lose the ranch, but then I realized that what I wanted to do before would’ve been tantamount to a handout.”

“Which is what we’ve all been saying, but I’m glad you finally realized it.”

My eyes rolled. “They were going to pay me back, which is why I didn’t see it that way, but I don’t know if I ever believed they would actually pay me back. Which got me wondering what all these big plans for the ranch are.”

“I’ve wondered the same thing,” he admitted. “Big property like that has got a lot to offer in the right hands.”

“Exactly, so I asked her.”

“You did?”

I laughed. “You don’t have to sound so surprised. I have learned a thing or two about investing.”

“Sure. Keep telling yourself that.”

“I will. Thanks, dick.”

We laughed.

He brought his beer back to his lips but gave me a pointed look before he took a sip. “So, what are the plans? Anything that might work?”

“Yeah, I think so.” I laid it out for him, and excitement stirred inside me. Sure, things were a bit of a clusterfuck on a personal level with the Murphys right now, but this was business, and Nova’s plans were solid. “If I can help her by investing in legitimate businesses, it won’t be a handout and I’d get to support her in doing what she was meant to do. It’s the best of both worlds.”

“If it works, it could be a huge moneymaker for the ranch and the town.” Vance paused. “Have you spoken to your financial advisor about it yet?”

“No, but I’m going to. I’m looking at putting some serious money into this, so I can’t just swipe my card and hope for the best.”

He gave me a conspiring look. “If you need someone else to invest, hit me up. This is a really good opportunity, even without the personal connection.”

I chuckled, and pain exploded across my entire face, making me feel like my bones had caught fire. “Again, you don’t have to sound so surprised, but I’ll let you know when I’ve spoken to my guy.”

“Do,” Vance said easily, leaning back and looking out at his spectacular new view again. “I know you’ve had a bumpy landing, but it’s damn good to be home, isn’t it?”

I took in the sprawling green fields and the mountaintops jutting into the clear blue sky. “Yeah. Yeah, I guess it really is.”

The knot that had been in the pit of my stomach since earlier evaporated. I hadn’t made a mistake by coming home. This was where I belonged. I would work things out with Ryan or I wouldn’t, but I had meant it when I’d told Nova I wasn’t going anywhere. I was home now, and I was here to stay.

Even if her brother would never like it.