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She drafted an email with one target in mind, adding a few pictures she knew would entice. If she brokered a private sale, it would give the lies she’d told her father credence. Not only that, but the commission would be a financial cushion she could use to relocate.
Roderick had joked about buying the country house on his very first visit. More than once, while they dated, she’d been sure he stayed with her simply for the long weekends they spent out there.
Once she’d hit Send, detailing the ideal offer, she fixed herself a cup of tea. She should’ve done this first. If she had, she never would’ve found Regina with another man. Instead she’d been determined to prove she had skills, not just connections; that she was beautiful, but had a brain, too. Of course, she hadn’t been eager to speak with her ex about anything. Now she was desperate.
Weary of her own problems, she turned her attention back to Jarvis’s search and refused to watch the clock. With the names from the land deeds, she continued to wade through history, pleased to discover more records about when various parcels of the current ranch were purchased from the government or landowners who’d given up on taming the territory.
* * *
Jarvis worked his way through his daily assignments, not looking forward to going to Selina’s house again. He knew Asher passed those calls to him, hoping the woman would open up more about the leverage she had on Payne. He wanted to help his cousin, but Jarvis couldn’t bring himself to flirt with the woman anymore. One night playing the role of sexy accessory had been more than enough.
After spending time with Mia, Selina’s presence felt even more cloying. According to Asher, Selina had a problem with the lighting on her patio. He hoped it was something simple as he cantered across the ranch from the stables to her house on Duke.
“Jarvis!” Selina called as he looped the reins over the fence rail edging her patio. “You always know just how to dress. Can I get you a drink, cowboy?”
It was the opening Asher would expect him to sidle right through. He gave her his best smile and tipped his hat. “Better if we wait until I know what the trouble is,” he said.
“The trouble is you won’t drink with me.” She winked and then gave him what he assumed was supposed to be a sexy pout. She touched him as if she had the right, her glossy, hot-pink fingernails tracking the line of his forearm. Her eyes were clear, despite the drink in her hand. Too bad. If she was drunk, it might be easier to distract her away from him.
He turned his thoughts to Mia, but that only made it worse. He’d rather be with her than anywhere else and he was stuck in the female equivalent of a tar pit.
“What do you need, Selina?” He didn’t have much time before he was supposed to meet Spencer at the police station and he didn’t want to be late. Mia needed him to have that meeting so she could get back to her life. “Asher mentioned something about a lighting issue?”
“Did someone put a burr under your saddle, cowboy?” She walked around him and made a humming noise as she eyed his backside. “Nothing obvious. Want me to take a closer look?”
He moved out of reach before she sank those hot-pink claws into his backside.
“You’re no fun today.”
“Lots of work on the schedule.” He hoped to get through it all before his meeting in town so he’d still have some time to poke around a new site for Herman’s box.
Selina sipped whatever was in her glass and arched a perfect eyebrow. What had Payne ever seen in her? From one moment to the next, her entire body language changed. The overblown flirt was gone and a sensible woman in her place.
“It is the lighting.” She flipped the switch near the outdoor kitchen. “That section in the middle is broken or whatever.” She gestured with her glass.
Why did people want to ruin a gorgeous view of a starry sky with strands of white lig
hts? “I’ll take care of it. Do you have a ladder?”
“I thought you came fully equipped,” she said.
He laughed, despite himself. “Stepladder, Selina.” They kept basic tools here for times just like this one.
She made a moody noise and cocked a hip. He didn’t take the bait. With a shake of her head, she set her glass on the nearest table and sauntered toward the storage closet cleverly built into one of the stone pillars that framed the outdoor kitchen.
“You’re seeing someone new?” she asked, opening the door and holding it for him.
The question set his teeth on edge. “I’ve been working too hard to see much of anyone,” he replied.
“Oh, that’s not what I’ve heard at all.”
He ignored her, more than happy to use the stepladder as a shield between them.
“I heard some new cowgirl has you wrapped around her little finger.” She crooked her own pinkie and wiggled it at him.
Cowgirl, no. Mia was more like a big-league hitter. He grinned, thinking of Mia and the stick she’d been all too willing to employ.
Her lips formed a surprised O. “It’s true.” She lifted her glass. “Cheers and congratulations to the happy couple.”
