Page 28 of Awaiting the Storm
He looks up, eyes flicking to the clock on the wall before coming back to me. “For you? Always.”
I take the chair across from him and lean forward on my elbows. “I ran into Albert Storm today.”
That gets his attention. He sets the mouse aside. “Yeah?”
“Saw him heading into Blackey’s Barbecue. Figured it was too good a shot to pass up, so I sat down with him. Talked to him about the land.”
“And?” Holland’s eyebrows are in his hairline as he watches me closely.
“He’s not opposed. Said he doesn’t like the idea of Matty running herself into the ground, and he’s open to whatever could ease some of that pressure. He told me if I put a fair proposal in front of her, he’d back it.”
Holland lets out a slow whistle and sits back in his chair. “That’s a big win.”
“It’s a start,” I correct. “He made it clear that Matty’s the one with the final say. And I’ve got a feeling she’s not exactly the type who’s gonna jump at the chance to hand over Storm acreage to some outsider.”
He nods. “You’re probably right. But if Albert’s behind you, she’ll listen differently. She won’t like it, but she’ll listen.”
“Maybe.”
We fall quiet for a moment.
Holland takes a long sip from his mug before setting it down. “I’m almost finished here. Want to grab some dinner and discuss your next move?”
I clear my throat and rub the back of my neck. “Actually … I’m calling it early tonight.”
His eyes narrow, curious now. “That so?”
“Ran into one of Matty’s sisters—Charli—at the pharmacy. She invited me out to The Soused Cow tonight.”
His grin spreads slow and wide. “Well, well, look at you, Mr. Social Butterfly.”
“It wasn’t exactly an engraved invitation. Hell, I might have invited myself now that I think about it,” I say, laughing. “I overheard her telling another girl that Matty was going, the band Wildhaven Junction is playing, and it sounded like the kind of event that gets half the valley drunk and dancing.”
“That’s because it is,” Holland says, pointing at me with his mug. “Locals live for a Friday night at The Soused Cow. Beer’s cheap, and the music’s good.”
“Sounds like a party,” I say dryly.
“It’s more than that,” he says. “It’s the perfect opportunity to get close to Maitland. She’ll have her guard down. Might even be in a good mood for once.”
“That’s what I was thinking.” And now that I say it out loud, something about that doesn’t sit right with me. I frown and shake my head. “I’m not trying to catch her in a vulnerable moment, Holland. I’m not playing with her.”
“You’re not playing with her,” he says. He sits back in hischair, and his eyes meet mine. “But don’t kid yourself. You’re not just going to The Soused Cow to shake your ass and sip a light beer. You’re going because she’s going. Because you want her to see you when her defenses are down. To like you.”
I stare at him, and for a second, I don’t answer. Then I exhale and stand, dragging a hand through my hair.
“I want to get to know her and to understand her. That’s not the same thing.”
Holland nods, expression unreadable now. “All right. Just don’t forget why you’re here. You’ve got a job to do.”
“I haven’t forgotten.”
But as I step out into the crisp air and glance toward the horizon, where the sky is just starting to blush pink and orange, I’m not thinking about acreage. I’m thinking about Matty in something other than work boots. I’m thinking about the way her voice softens when she talks to her horse. I’m wondering if she laughs like her sister does—sharp, unapologetic, honest.
I want to be the one to make her laugh.
And that’s not the kind of thing you can file under business.
I head to my truck and drive back to the cabin to clean up.
