Page 24 of Worth the Trouble

Was that what Brent was getting at?

The sound of tires crunching along the gravel road drew the attention of them both. Jonny was arriving with his father. They both climbed out of the truck, but Jonny was the only one to approach with a beaming smile. “Hey, Brent!”

Ruffling the kid’s hair, Brent chuckled. “Hey, kid. Go get your helmet and let’s dive right in.”

Jason knew what he was trying to do. He was attempting to get the kid out of earshot so he could ask more. Or press on what he’d already attempted to learn. But Jason wasn’t having any of it. “I’m going to get a few more things set up for the next kid. Damon will be riding my horse around the corral when he gets here and I want to warm her up.”

Brent nodded, but didn’t say anything more.

Good.

He didn’t need to be a gossip like the folks in town. When Jason was ready to share this side of his life, he’d do so. Until that time, he fully planned on keeping it all to himself.

One good thing did come out of speaking to Brent, however. Jason wasn’t going to sit by and let the world pass him by. Brent might think that Tate’s happiness and Jason’s happiness went hand in hand. What he didn’t know was that the business was already further along than anybody knew. But the girl of his dreams would only be in Montana for a short while.

Priorities being what they were, Jason would focus on what was most important.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Cecelia swiped the screen on her tablet. Once again, the town meeting they’d attempted to push had been set back. The first one had been a disaster. Out of all the small-town projects her father had attempted, this one was shaping up to be the hardest. It was getting to the point where Cecelia had nearly suggested they cut their losses and move on to another option.

But then she’d think about the friends she’d made.

And Jason.

How he’d stopped by and watched a movie with her so they could decompress without any need for conversation.

She sighed and glanced up when her father emerged from an office nearby. His brows were furrowed, and he glanced over to another office door that was left open. Cecelia glanced over at the same time to see a young man emerge. He looked to be about her age if not a few years older. He had a trim beard, and his hair was slicked back away from his face. The boots he wore contrasted his suit in a way that would have made the typical woman take notice. He wasn’t unattractive, but he was nothing like the cowboy she was currently pining over.

She hadn’t heard from Jason since their unplanned movie night, and she was getting to the point where it might not be terrible to reach out to him. She wasn’t usually the type to chase after someone, especially when she knew her time was limited.

And yet all she wanted to do in her downtime was to chat with him.

The sound of her father clearing his throat drew her focus again. He wore a strange look as he glanced from her to the man who was now at a water cooler getting himself a drink. Then his features smoothed out, and he flashed her a smile.

Well, shoot.

She knew that look. Her father was about to pull out the big guns. And she had a sinking suspicion she knew exactly what that would entail. Before she could tell her dad that she wasn’t interested, he spoke up.

“That man over there,” he murmured low as he took a seat beside her on the stiff cushion. “He’s the mayor’s son, and he sits on the council. He’s the one who sets the meeting calendar and sends out the notices. His colleague suggested that we may be able to grease some palms and get our meeting set up so we can have an official vote.”

“That won’t help us if the town shows up in droves like it did last time,” Cecelia pointed out.

“No, but if a certain someone forgets to post multiple signs regarding a meeting, then not as many will show. It might be our only chance to get past the red tape.” He dragged a hand down his face and groaned as he settled against the back of his seat. “We’ve been to some pretty backward towns, but this one takes the cake. I’ve never seen so many rules and regulations when it comes to an outside business attempting to put a foothold somewhere.”

“Maybe,” she hedged. “Maybe it would be better if we pick a different location.”

His sharp look would have made a lesser individual flinch, but she was all too familiar with her father’s mannerisms. “Are you suggesting we pick up and leave town? Because a group of cowboys are throwing a fit about us using a piece of land that hasn’t been in use for decades?”

“Well, no. I mean we could, but I’m sure there are other parcels that would be better suited for what we want to build. This is a small enough town with plenty of space surrounding it. If I had to guess, I’d say⁠—”

“No. We’ve already sunk thousands into that company that comes out to map the possibilities. They’ve already calculated what it will take to get utilities out to the site, how it will affect the current animals’ habitats, and all that other nonsense you insist we need to have numbers for.”

“I only insist because of situations like the one we just had. You can’t expect people to welcome change with open arms.”

“Why not? People should be thrilled to get a first-class resort among other things. We’re doing them a service.”

She bit her tongue, knowing full well that telling him these people lived here because they loved it wouldn’t go over very well. Her father was stubborn. He had an eye for the future. Reginald Williams wanted to take the world by the horns and thrust it into a dispensation that gave people conveniences they never dreamed possible.