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Sydney
I get the last of my clothes into the large suitcase and wheel it from the guest house behind me, smiling when I catch sight of Nathan leaning against the driver’s door. He gives me a smile in return, opening the door for me as I make my way over, and he grabs the luggage from my hand.
I’m more than aware of his father’s presence on the other side of the car, but I try my best to keep my gaze focused on Nathan instead. I’ve spent most of this week taking notes, while also casting lingering gazes in Brent’s direction when he wasn’t looking — talk about creepy.
Nathan walks up to me with his hands stuffed in the pocket of his jeans and I give him a quick hug. It’s weird, seeing him so carefree and happy, while his dad looks like he’d rather be anywhere but here. “You have me booked three months from now?” As far as Nathan is concerned, I loved this place so much while I was here that I want to come back again.
It’s not exactly a lie, but it’s not the entire truth either. I truly fell in love with this place while I was here, so I can’t imagine how I’d feel when I come back again. Not only the place, but the people are nice here as well. The other day while walking around I met one of the hands, Hector, who’s worked at Dudley ranch since Brent’s father was here.
Hearing stories about the ranch was a good way to pass time, while also giving me some of the information I need in regard to the project. I’ve been trying to decide if I should tear all that information out though, considering it was said to me in confidence.
“Everything’s all set, and you’ll be back in the guest house.”
“Three months?” Brent’s voice booms through the air and it sends goosebumps pebbling over my skin. “Why three months?”
I give him a small smile and shrug. “Work gets busy, figured three months is a good time frame to come back here.”
He eyes me curiously before spinning around and heading back toward the house. It seems as though that's his favorite thing to do when it comes to me and I turn to Nathan with a frown. “He doesn’t seem very fond of me, huh?”
Nathan chuckles. “Don’t let it get to you, he’s been a grouch ever since the barn incident.”
That was a story I didn’t want to hear because ever since then I’ve been wondering if gathering information on their property is the best thing for me to do. They love this place, that much I’ve gathered after being around for a week, and what kind of person would I be if I help take it away from them?
It’s not something I can be concerned about though, not when my job is on the line if I don’t finish this. Well, I would still have my job, but I’d get pushed that much further back from eventually being promoted in the company.
“Well,” I say with a sigh, then slip through the open door and sink into the leather seat in my car. “I should get on the road. I’m sure I’ve got plenty of work waiting for me.”
Fortunately, Alicia only had to direct two calls to my cell, but other than that I was free all week — aside from the note-taking — and it was nice to be able to relax. I got to just enjoy nature a little bit as I walked around the large space.
“Drive safe,” Nathan mutters, his hand resting on the door before he shuts it softly and backs away with a small wave. While he makes his way toward the main house, I peel out of the drive before my eyes can betray me any more than they already have this week. Even though I catch movement from the corner of my eye, I tighten my grip around the steering wheel and keep my gaze locked on the driveway in front of me.
* * *
Alicia is already sitting in my office when I walk in, smiling in my direction and walking over to the window sill with a satisfied smile. Her hand gestures to the plant she was in charge of and she says, “Look, you never had to worry about a thing.”
I roll my eyes, but smirk because she knows me entirely too well. “Do you blame me?”
One time is all it took for me to question her on everything. All she had to do while I was on a work trip was make a trip to my house and feed my fish. Next thing I know, I walked through the door and every single one of them was upside down in their tank.
It’s been hell trusting her with anything else since then, and the entire reason I haven’t gotten a dog yet — even though it’s one of the main things I truly want in my house. I think it would be an amazing feeling to walk through the door to a little puppy wagging its tail at me, ready to catch the ball I throw.
She groans. “Are we ever going to let that go?”
“I had to give them a proper funeral, which consisted of flushing a toilet, no we can’t let it go.”
“Whatever,” she mutters before walking over to me with a frown. “These are some of the messages that were left for you. I have them stacked from most important to least important, figured you would appreciate that.”
I nod. “You’re a lifesaver. Think you could head to the cafe across the street and grab me a coffee? All that driving has me exhausted.”
Just as I’m about to sit down, there’s a tap on my door and Heath pokes his head in it. “Hey, you ready to give me an update?” This man never lets me breathe, I swear.
I roll my eyes, but stand from my spot at my desk with a smile and walk over to him. There’s a sense of pride that rolls through me when I hand over the work and a smile forms on his face, as if I finally did something right, then he heads toward the office door. “Good work, can’t wait to see what you get next time.”
“Hey, Heath, what’s so important about this ranch?”
He shrugs and waves the papers in the air. “Just know that it’s a very good investment for us, at least according to my father.”
“And you’re just trusting his judgment?” I ask, hating how easily Heath is bending at his beck and call — this isn’t what he usually did.
