Page 29 of The Best Friend's Billionaire Brother
“Who knows. Probably an animal or something.”
“Yeah, makes sense.” His lips turned down, and his brow creased. “At some point this was a really nice house, but it’s a wreck now. Wonder how many dust storms this place has seen.”
She laughed. “By the looks of this kitchen? A lot.”
Nodding, Wyatt inhaled and slowly let it out. By the sounds of it, they were both thinking it would need a lot of work.
They toured the rest of the house, and much like the kitchen, there was a layer of dirt on everything. The curtains were in shreds, and they found evidence of a nest in one of the bedroom closets. The bedroom nearest the living room was in the worst shape as the damage had spread to it because it shared a wall. The trim along that wall was warped, along with the floor. After surveying the rest of the home, they returned to the kitchen.
“So much work. It’ll basically need to be gutted, an electrician called out, and then put back together.” Gabby’s shoulders sagged. The dollar signs had added up to a point where she’d stopped calculating it. Even if she still had her job, there was no way she could help fix it up.
Wyatt sighed and nodded. “It would definitely need to be gutted, and that’s a good call about the electrician. There’s no telling what critters hid out in here or what they might have chewed on.”
“These cabinetsmightbe salvageable, but I don’t know that anything else could be. And if that’s the case, would it be worth saving them?”
“It might.”
For a billionaire maybe. Sure, they’d talked about doing this when they were younger, but that was when they were kids. Not only were they ignorant about financing something like this, but they were equals at the time finance-wise. Fifty-fifty meant they contributed equally. If Wyatt was footing all the costs, it was no longer a partnership but a sole proprietorship.
Wyatt walked to the back door and stood there a second. “Let’s check out the trees. From what I could see from the truck, they’ll need pruning for sure.”
“I had the same thought,” she said, but the excitement waned with every dollar added to the project.
As they made their way to the first row of trees, he pointed out several that looked dead. “Those will need to be replaced.”
“Yeah, they’ve been neglected a long time. Overall, it’s not too bad.”
“I agree. Neglect is the issue. I think with some attention, they could be back in shape within a season or so.”
Gabby smiled. “Yeah.” She scanned the area. “It sure is pretty out here. I bet people would love to come here in the winter and take horse-drawn sleigh rides, drink hot cocoa, and enjoy the peace and quiet of the place.”
“With the amount of work needed to fix the house, there’s no reason it couldn’t be turned into a bed and breakfast. People could come, check out the ranch, and have a little slice of country.” The lines around his lips deepened as his smile widened. He glanced at her and winked. “The place isn’t perfect, but it sure could be.”
“I think so too, but…”
He turned to her, his gaze boring into her. “But what?”
She toed the ground. Should she tell him she was jobless? No, he wouldn’t care. “I can’t afford it even if we were being serious about starting the orchard project. I have a little in savings, but…” She motioned toward the house. “This is way more than what I’ve got.”
“I have the money. I’m not worried about that. Bear would be thrilled for us to be a part of the ranch. That’s what he’s wanted all along.”
Gabby held his gaze a second before shaking her head. “Wyatt, no. You may think it doesn’t matter now, but what about later? What if you begin to think that I only see you as a piggy bank?”
He set his hands on his hips. “I’d never think that.”
“You say that, but it only takes one little bit of doubt to ruin things. I can’t. I won’t.” She turned to walk away, and he grabbed her by the arm. “I need to get back.”
“I’m not done talking.”
The conversation was over as far as she was concerned, and she was cold.
“Well, I am,” she said, trying to free her arm. “I’m cold, and I want to go back to the house.”
“Fine, but this isn’t over.” He released her and stomped to his side of the pickup. Opening the door, he said, “You coming?”
The entire West clan was so stubborn. She marched to her side and got in. “Let’s go.”
Wyatt started the truck and gunned it a little to get the engine heating. “So, about this orchard. We—”
