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Drake didn’t like letting her confront the guy by herself, knowing that Josiah Cranston wasn’t a particularly honorable person. But he could see this meant something to Fleur.
Reluctantly, he nodded. “I’ll be right here if you need me.”
Still, tension knotted in his shoulders as he watched her walk away to speak to him. Did she have any idea how tough it was for him to let her go alone? Not that he expected the surly rancher would lash out physically or anything. But Drake recognized that his protective streak had strengthened since his parents’ deaths. It wasn’t easy for him to watch people that he cared face anything he perceived as a potential danger.
That’s why it had been impossible for him to let Colin marry Fleur without saying something. Even Emma had needed to tell him to back off sometimes. Now, with Fleur, the need to be by her side was even stronger. And what did that say about his feelings for her?
He ground his teeth together, reminding himself he had a clear view of them, at least. As a distraction, he picked up his phone and opened up a message to Jessamyn Barclay.
The idea of buying the Crooked Elm Ranch lands, but not the house, had seemed so promising he thought he’d run it by her, especially since Fleur already seemed open to the idea.
Tapping out a text, he reminded Jessamyn that his offer to buy the acreage would mean he’d take care of any citations from the local land management agencies. Surely that would make the proposal all the more appealing if they were anxious to resolve the issues. He hit Send, hoping the Barclay sisters would agree to his plan.
That way, his pledge to his parents’ memory would be fulfilled, and the only thing keeping him from exploring the attraction with Fleur was an obligation to disclose a relationship to his brother.
Drake still didn’t know how to do that. But Colin wouldn’t be in town for the wedding for a few more days, so he still had time to figure it out. And as Fleur walked toward the truck, her meeting with Cranston apparently finished, Drake was very ready to focus on convincing her that their one night together wasn’t nearly enough.
Back at Alexander Ranch an hour later, Fleur stole a sidelong glance at Drake as she walked toward a recently restored barn with him. She was still surprised to acknowledge this rugged rancher was no longer her adversary.
“Are you sure you’re not hungry yet?” he asked, pausing outside the old barn.
The clean scents of pine and straw were strong here, the minimalist gray barn pretty enough to be on a magazine cover. Tall purple flowers she didn’t recognize were planted on either side of the huge sliding door.
“I’d like to see the wedding venue first,” she insisted, and while the answer was honest, she also knew she felt a little nervous about the evening meal she’d agreed to with Drake.
Something had shifted in his demeanor toward her since their night together. Which shouldn’t surprise her, since she considered sleeping together a big step, too. And yet, she still hadn’t figured out what it meant for them. What she wanted it to mean.
“Fair enough.” He pivoted so that he faced her, meeting her gaze head-on. He spread his arms wide, his smile a hundred-watt level. “Prepare yourself for the site of the catering event that’s going to launch your cooking career into the stratosphere.”
She laughed, grateful for the moment of levity. Between the confrontation with Josiah Cranston—which had gone as well as could be expected, even if he hadn’t been pleased—and the tension mounting about her evening with Drake, she appreciated the distraction.
All the more so when his nearness stirred a hunger to touch and taste him. To indulge all the pent-up longings that were part of her complicated feelings for this man.
“Let’s hope you’re right.” Her voice sounded a little too breathless, but she tried to hide it by continuing, “The barn restoration is beautiful. I’m not surprised Emma wanted to have her wedding here.”
She felt Drake’s gaze linger on her a moment longer before he moved away, pushing open the huge door.
“Thank you. My father had notes for restoring everything on the ranch, from the buildings to the land. His plans emphasized sustainability and efficiency, from energy and materials to structure and design.” There was a serious note in his voice that she hadn’t heard before. Or maybe it was the expression on his face as he peered up at the gray timber exterior capped by a dark roof covered with solar panels on one side.
“You continued to follow your father’s plans with the barn?” She found herself looking at the space with new eyes. Because she could see now that it was more than a wedding venue for Drake.
This building had been a tribute.
“Yes, I did.” He stepped forward into the barn, stretching out an arm to flip on overhead lights. “His outlines were meticulous about everything from the kinds of recycled materials he wanted to use to the rainwater collection systems he envisioned for the house and barns.”
Her step stuttered. “You restored other buildings, too?”
“Everything.” His clipped answer somehow spoke volumes about how important that had been to him. “The house interior will be completely different from any memory you might have from when you were younger.”
She hadn’t been inside the Alexander home when she’d had dinner with Emma on the patio, she realized, other than to carry a few things outside from an enclosed porch.
Still, she didn’t step inside the restored barn, her attention too fixated on this discovery about Drake’s remodeling activity. Had his siblings minded? she wondered. How might they have felt about changes to the places in their home where they might have had special family memories? She recalled how much it meant to her to step into Gran’s kitchen and have it look exactly the way she remembered.
“That must have been a tremendous undertaking.” She found herself wanting to explore the whole ranch more carefully, now that she knew as much.
“And I’m not done yet.” The determination in his eyes was unmistakable. “Reviving the waterway was supposed to be his crowning achievement.”
Understanding dawned. His drive to buy Crooked Elm was rooted in something so much deeper than she’d imagined. Pushing her to sell hadn’t simply been a way to chase her out of town or throw around his net worth. He’d wanted to fulfill his father’s vision.
