Page 5 of Worth the Trouble

He had to pray that he’d run into his beautiful stranger again. The town was small enough. And there were only so many places she’d be staying. It was a matter of time before they bumped into each other again.

CHAPTER THREE

There was a low hum from the guests coming and going from the lodge. The open sitting area where Cecelia had decided to set up shop was the perfect place to work. There was a large fireplace in the center of the room that could be seen from both sides. Tables and chairs, loveseats, and couches offered plenty of options for people to visit. There was a small bar area that served anything from soda to coffee.

During the winter, Cecelia would wager this place was brimming with guests. The large windows opened out onto a beautiful landscape, the very same landscape she’d chosen to run through.

Perhaps she’d go for another run before bed this evening.

Eyes were on her. She glanced around the lodge and found more than one person looking at her. This was normal. At least it was back in the city where everyone knew who her father was. She anticipated the same would end up happening for the folks around here. Only, they wouldn’t know who she was, but rather what she was doing there. Eventually, everyone would recognize her father as the man who wanted to change their way of life. They’d associate Cecelia with him as his assistant. The locals wouldn’t trust her. They might shun her. No one would smile like that man at the sweets shop.

She turned her focus to the task at hand, not bothering to hide the smile that came every time she thought of him. He was a great deal taller than she was, and a local if his attire was anything to go by.

He had on a worn cowboy hat, a T-shirt and a delicious pair of jeans, and boots that were well-loved. Her eyes had locked on his strong, clean-shaven jaw when she’d first seen him, but the second she met those warm chocolate eyes, her reservations had gone out the window.

Cecelia was normally so cool and collected. When she spoke, she said exactly what she needed to in order to get the point across. Thinking about that embarrassing encounter had her cheeks flushing. She pressed cool hands to her face.

Once again, she’d gotten sidetracked. It was time to focus. She was here on business, after all.

Reginald Williams didn’t visit small towns like this one to be unsuccessful. The plot of land he was interested in would become a luxury resort, helipad and all. The whispered objection in town was that Rocky Ridge already had the Overlook Grand, and it was as fancy as anybody here wanted to get. Cecelia had run into that all the time.

It had never once held.

The problem at hand was getting the folks from this town to see the potential this place had to offer. Just because her father wanted to develop some of this space didn’t mean they were the bad guys.

Business was business.

She slid her finger over the pad at the bottom of her screen and went through the reports her father had requested. Months ago, they’d sent a surveyor out to make sure there was enough space to do what he wanted. They’d gotten plenty of data about how it would affect the current infrastructure and what changes would need to be made to make it work.

The council had assured her that they were willing to update the roads that would lead to the property, but ultimately it came down to a town vote.

She sighed, already preparing for the onslaught of angry community members. If they knew what her father looked like, they’d go on a witch hunt. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind.

Someone plopped down in the chair across from her and grinned.

Cecelia blinked. “Good afternoon.”

The woman flicked her blond hair over her shoulder and leaned in almost conspiratorially. “I heard about you.”

Cecelia sat up straight. “What?”

She had the bluest eyes Cecelia had ever seen. They were large and framed by long lashes. Everything about her screamed she wasn’t the same as the other people around Rocky Ridge. On her left hand a diamond sparkled, and her cat-who-caught-the-canary smile had Cecelia’s walls coming right up. “You’re with them, right?”

“Them?”

She waved a dismissive hand. “You can tell me. I won’t breathe a word to anyone. Especially not my sister. Brooke would throw a fit if she found out I was talking to you.”

“I’m sorry.” Cecelia dragged her hands down her blouse and straightened in her seat. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

The woman laughed then held out her hand. “Kelsey Cook. I live up on the hill at Twisted Rivers Ranch.”

She waited as if Cecelia should know what that meant. Her blank stare must have been enough to spur Kelsey on.

“I know what you’re going through, is all I was going to say. You’re an outsider, right? Well, when my sisters and I moved here, people treated us differently, too. You need tough skin.”

“Oh, I’m not moving⁠—”

“Semantics. You’re here to make a change. Ruffle some feathers. Honestly, I couldn’t care less what you want to build on that property. Sure, the Dennison family is going to throw a fit, but then you’re right there at their gates, aren’t you?”