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Wait, that sounded kind of rude. Even if he worked for the Knotts, her mom would want her to be polite. Or maybe not. If her dad had been alive, he would probably kick the guy off the property.
Clayton nodded and looked down, lifting the hand holding the folder. He stared down at it like he was trying to find the right words. Finally, he looked up at her and spoke.
“The Knotts have retained me to represent them in a legal case.”
Right. He was a lawyer now. Georgia still thought of him as that teenager who’d moved here from Oklahoma and immediately been the talk of the school. She’d thought he was cute at first, but then he’d taken a job working for the Knotts, and that was the end of that.
She had a friend who’d dated him—Lucie Cooper—but Georgia could never go out with the group when he was involved. It was more of a nuisance than anything.
And it wasn’t his fault. But still, just the sight of him annoyed her to this day. Annoyed and intrigued her all at once.
Okay, so he was attractive. Extremely attractive. The kind of attractive that would have every woman turning her head to look at him when he walked into a room. He was tall with blue-gray eyes and a smile that went straight to her heart.
He looked like he belonged in a catalog modeling western wear. You could take the lawyer off the ranch, but you couldn’t take the cowboy out of the lawyer. Even now, he still dressed like a cowboy, from the broad-brimmed brown hat to the matching brown snakeskin boots. In between, he wore a pair of blue jeans and a button-down plaid shirt covered by a thick bomber jacket.
“Legal case?” she asked, looking down at the folder.
Did this have something to do with their ranch? It must. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be here. Or maybe it was personal. Maybe the family was suing her or her mother for something.
“It seems there’s a dispute over ownership of these two properties.” He handed the folder to her, and she immediately opened it. “I’m sure you’re aware of that.”
Georgia was shaking her head before she could think through how to respond. She shouldn’t be giving away how little she knew about her parents’ business dealings. Her role was to run the inn and keep guests happy. Her mom took care of the books.
“My grandfather passed this land down to my dad when he died,” she said. “It’s been in the family since long before we were born.”
That was all she knew about it. She didn’t know how her grandfather came into the property. She just assumed he’d bought it at some point. To be honest, she never really thought about what this town had been like before she was born.
Eyes narrowing slightly, Clayton stared at her. He was studying her. Even though he was delivering bad news and obviously representing the enemy, there was kindness in his eyes. She’d never noticed that before because she’d tried so hard to avoid looking at him.
Finally, Clayton spoke again. “There’s a lot you and your brothers don’t know. I’m not even sure your mom knows.” He gestured toward the folder. “It’s all in there. I can recommend a lawyer if your family needs one.”
Eyes wide, Georgia closed the folder and held it in front of her. She was truly speechless, and that didn’t happen often. She usually had plenty to say.
“I’ll look it over,” she said. “But I’d suggest you get out of here before one of my brothers spots you.”
Again, he was staring at her. Studying her. That was starting to bug her.
What did he see? Was he impressed? Disappointed? Had he ever even noticed her before today?
No, she was pretty sure he hadn’t. He’d probably always followed the same rules her family had. Don’t look at or speak to anyone having anything to do with the enemy.
Finally, Clayton gave a nod and glanced back at his truck before returning his attention to her. “My business card is attached to the back of the folder, if you have any questions.”
Then, with one last smile, he grabbed the brim of his hat and gave a downward tug, along with a nod. Tipping his hat to her like a true cowboy gentleman. All she could do was stare as he walked back to his truck.
Only when she turned to go back inside did Georgia realize her coat had been open, the bright pink doughnut-covered PJs clearly visible. He’d gotten a glimpse of that, no doubt—probably the whole time they’d been talking.
2
Cowboys weren’t meant to be cooped up in an office.
That was Clayton Mills’ overwhelming thought as he stared out the second-story window at the square below. Mom’s Place, the restaurant where he ate most of his meals, was just across the street. Next to it was a furniture shop that had been there before he moved to town in his sophomore year of high school.
And next to the furniture store was the courthouse, which didn’t stay very busy. Cupid Ridge was a mostly peaceful town, even though it had grown a lot in the last decade or so. In fact, he’d gone away to law school and come back to find houses where land had once been and banks where locally owned businesses once thrived.
Sighing, he turned back to his laptop, positioned in the center of his desk. He had a lot of work to do with the Knott case.
Knott versus Ludington. Once word got out that one family was suing the other, the whole town would be buzzing—among the old-timers, anyway. The newbies liked to pretend the two ranches didn’t even exist.
