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The springs were walking distance from the Holidays’ house. What if Cloe had decided to walk? There were plenty of dangers on a ranch. During the day, you could watch out for snakes or potholes. At night, it wasn’t as easy. Figuring he’d just check to make sure she wasn’t lying hurt somewhere, he got a flashlight from his truck and scanned the area between the springs and the house.
Thankfully, he didn’t find Cloe. But that didn’t appease his concern. Especially when he noticed the light on in the upstairs window. It had to be Cloe’s. Her other sisters had left and he’d learned while getting ready for Sweetie and Decker’s wedding that her parents’ bedroom was on the main floor. He couldn’t see her grandmother staying up this late.
So if Cloe was up, why hadn’t she met him? Was she hiding in her room with a broken heart?
A trellis stood next to the window, covered in some kind of thick vines. Rome set down his flashlight and starting climbing. Halfway up, his brain kicked in and questioned his stupidity. The trellis was more than a little wobbly. Still, his curiosity got the best of him and he kept going. When he reached the window, he leaned over and peeked in. He barely registered the gardening hats hanging on hooks by the door when the window was thrown open and he was whacked on the head with something that hurt like hell.
“Pervert!”
Rome lost his footing, but still had a tight hold on the trellis. Unfortunately, his dangling weight proved too much for the fragile structure. With the sound of snapping vines, the trellis slowly started falling away from the house, Rome clinging to it like a scared squirrel to a broken limb. He hit the ground on his back, thankful for the thick lining of his sheepskin jacket. But it still knocked the air out of him. While he lay there with the trellis on him struggling to breathe, a beam of light came toward him, causing him to squint when it hit his eyes.
“Rome Remington?” Mimi said. “What in the world are you doing?” While Rome struggled to catch his breath, she figured it out on her own. “You thought it was Cloe’s room, didn’t you?” She didn’t sound at all angry. In fact, she chuckled with delight before she removed the light from his eyes and leaned closer. “You okay?”
“Y-Y-Yes, m-m-ma’am.” The words squeaked out of his mouth like slowly released air from a balloon.
“Knocked the wind out of ya, did it? I’ve had that happen a time or two. Give it a second and you should be fine. Although we should probably get that trellis off you.” Even though he was struggling to breathe, he didn’t want her trying to lift the heavy trellis by herself so he summoned enough strength to shove it off. She kept the light in his eyes the entire time. “You want to tell me what went on in that hayloft with my granddaughter? Cloe claimed it was nothing. But if that’s so, then why are you trying to sneak into her room?”
“I-I-I w-w-wasn’t sneaking.” He sat up and took a deep breath before he continued. “We were supposed to meet at Cooper Springs to stargaze, but she didn’t show up. I wanted to make sure she was okay.”
“So that’s why she isn’t in her room.”
She wasn’t there? Damn. He must have missed her on the way over.
He squinted in the light. “Do you think you could not shine that in my eyes, Ms. Mimi?”
She turned off the flashlight. It took a second for his eyes to adjust. Mimi stood there looking down at him with her white hair glowing like a half moon around her head. She wore a coat that hung open to reveal a WWE T-shirt with some screaming male wrestler on the front and a pair of flannel pajama bottoms that were tucked into rubber gardening boots with handles on the sides.
“Looks like you’re going to be fine,” she said.
He didn’t know about fine. The aches in his body said he’d have more than a few bruises in the morning. He slowly got to his feet and picked up his hat. “I’m sorry to have bothered you, Ms. Mimi. I better go see where Cloe is. I’m sure she’s waiting for me at Cooper Springs.” He started to leave, but Mimi stopped him.
“She can wait. I’d like to know your intentions with my granddaughter.”
Rome held up his hand. “My intentions are honorable. Cloe and I are just friends.”
“Are you telling me there’s no hanky-panky going on?”
“None.” Besides the accidental spooning and almost kiss. But he figured she didn’t need to know about those. “Cloe and I just struck up a friendship at the wedding.”
“So what did you do all night in the hayloft?”
“Slept.”
Mimi snorted. “That’s the same story I got from Cloe.”
“Because it’s true.”
Mimi sighed. “Well, that’s not what I was hoping to hear, but I guess being comfortable enough to sleep together is better than nothing. Of course, if you had had sex, we could have used the pregnant card so her daddy wouldn’t put up such a fuss when we tell him about you two getting married. After you saved his life, he doesn’t hate you anymore. But he sure doesn’t like you either.”
Rome blinked, thinking that maybe he’d suffered a concussion in the fall. “Excuse me? What did you just say?”
“You didn’t know that Hank doesn’t like you?”
Rome shook his head. “No, the other part. You think Cloe and I are getting married?”
“Is there another reason you’ve been following her around like a little lost puppy? You haven’t exactly shown interest in her over the years. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not mad at you for it—I know what a treasure Cloe is. But most folks don’t. Mostly, because she hasn’t discovered her worth yet. But mark my words, she will. When she does, she will shine brighter than those stars hanging over your head. But I figure, right now, your only interest in her is to get your hands on this ranch.”
Damn. The woman was much more perceptive than he’d thought.
