Page 28 of The Heartbreaker Next Door

I held up my thumb, the faint blue smear of ink staining the pad.

“You had pen on your face.”

“Oh.”

One word.

So much disappointment packed into one tiny syllable that I nearly smiled.

Nearly.

Because I was still leaning over her. My hand was still hovering beside her face. And she was still looking at my mouth.

I rubbed my thumb against my forefinger. “What did you think I was doing?”

Her gaze snapped to mine.

“Nothing.”

Her cheeks turned pink.

“Uh-huh.”

She licked her lips nervously, and suddenly, wiping off that damn ink felt like the stupidest decision I’d made all day.

I cleared my throat as I walked back around to the desk. “There’s a situation with the north side boundary property line,” I relayed, and instantly regretted how cold and transactional it sounded. I tried again. “I got a call from Raymond Blackburn, the attorney handling Walter’s affairs. Apparently, he discovered some historical paperwork, and it affects grazing rights on a parcel we’ve been using for decades. He is still gathering information and plans on speaking to you once he has all the facts, but I didn’t want to wait. I wanted you to be aware of what was going on.”

“Okay.” I could see the confusion in her stare. “So, what does that mean exactly?”

I hesitated. “I was hoping you’d be willing to let us continue using it until the legality is sorted out. If you decide you want to sell it, we’ll pay above market rate. If you’d rather lease, I can draw up an agreement.”

“What agreement did my uncle have with the ranch?”

“As far as I know, none. It seems like he bought it and then just allowed us to continue to use it. I couldn’t find any monthly payments being made to him.”

She shrugged. “I don’t see any reason to change the arrangements.”

“The land belongs to you,” I repeated.

She thought about it for a second, and then her eyes lit up. “What if I had a third option?”

I braced for it, expecting some wild, unpredictable condition.

“I want your workshop,” she said, and, at my baffled blink, clarified, “The outbuilding next to the equipment shed and the piles of scrap lumber you’re always hoarding behind it.”

I’d run so many possible scenarios in my head, but this was nowhere on the list. “You want…us to sell you the barn?”

“No.” Her eyes widened, and she shook her head. “No, no. Not sell, borrow. There are a ton of things that I need to fix or replace at the house, and my bank account has made me a DIYer.”

I’d gotten my general contractor’s license because I didn’t want to get ripped off by trades when they came out to the ranch to do repairs, renovations, or new builds. I’d renovated my own home on the south end of the ranch, and renovated Dylan and Damon’s as well, who both also lived on the property. Renovations were no joke.

“Have you renovated a house before?”

She shook her head and a small grin tugged at the corner of her mouth. “No, but I have YouTube. You can learn to do anything on YouTube.”

As I stared at her, it occurred to me that the idea of Felicity wielding a reciprocating saw was as terrifying as it was arousing.

“You realize you could make a small fortune in lease agreements and buyout offers, then you’d be able to hire people to do that work.”