Page 23 of Hard to Love
“Yep. That’s the best way to get good ideas. Just have them and go with it.”
Alex dug in his heels, momentarily stopping their forward progress, and stared at her. “And you think that’s a good business strategy?”
“It’s better than thinking and mulling and waiting. Waiting for someone else to agree the idea’s a good one, pat me on the head, and tell me to try it. I make my own decisions, Villanueva.”
He nodded down at her boots, the toes now dusty from the stroll through the barn. “Thought those were supposed to tell you how to live the rest of your life.”
“It’s not like a roadmap. They don’t point you directly toward the best life you can live. They just make it possible. And since it’s possible for me, I’m damn well going to make it happen.” And if he—or anyone else—didn’t like the idea, he could just step back and watch her.
Outside, she gazed across at the grove of oaks and other hardwoods separating the barn from her dad’s house. Thecentury-old trees created a cool haven filled with the scurrying of squirrels and the sweet chirp of the birds. This could be a perfect picnic area for visitors. No tree cutting, just a little underbrush clearing and some tables, and they’d be set. But if she was thinking picnic area, that meant at least one food vendor.
Maybe Sawyer would be interested. Raylene too. Greer would work it out. If she was passionate enough about this project—which she already was—the whole thing would come together.
“I need to go to my brother’s house.” She scooted into her car and Alex followed.
“If you’ll just drop me back in town, I’ll—”
“It’s a quick cut across Deerlick Road to Cal’s. Promise I won’t take long.” At least she hoped it wouldn’t take much time to convince her brother to get on board with her idea. And then she would persuade Alex to become a founding artist at…at… “What do you think of the name Wild Card?”
“For what?”
“My new artisan village.”
“You don’t have a village. You have an old, empty barn.”
“Not for long.” Because she would fill it with talented people and their artistic energy.
Cal’s tidy little farmhouse sat off the road. The house itself was recently painted, pristine white with blue trim, but the picket fence around the yard was a conglomeration of bright colors—baby blue, butter, mint, carnation, and creamsicle. That was what Delaney had inspired when she’d come back into Cal’s life—hope for a bright future. They were on their way.
And now, so was Greer.
She and Alex found Cal sitting on his back deck, feet up on the rail, looking out over his acreage and snacking on a sandwich. He spotted Alex and threw a questioning look in Greer’s direction, his feet immediately dropping to the ground. “Wasn’t expecting visitors.”
“I want to talk with you about using Dad’s barn.”
“Okay.” But his attention never strayed from Alex, who stood separate from them and made a show of checking out Cal’s pasture.
“Okay, I can or okay—”
“The place is half yours, Greer.”
“I guess I don’t know which half is mine.” She wandered around the deck looking for a little piece of wood to pick at, but like everything her brother built, it was quality.
When she came near, Cal caught her by the arm, stopping her nervous walkabout. “Whichever you want. What’s this all about?” He threw another pointed look at Alex, who caught it this time.
“You know what?” Alex said. “This is a family thing, so I’ll just wait in the car.”
“Maybe before you slink off, you could tell me what you’re doing with my sister.”
Alex’s face went hard, and it was suddenly easy to see why her brother was acting like he was her daddy. But she was a grown woman. “Because I asked him.”
Alex pushed away from the railing and approached Cal. “Look, man. I don’t know what the hell your problem is. I’m just here to talk to your girlfriend about a tooling contract. I’m sorry if me walking into your pretty little town somehow upset your perfect world, but I can promise you I have no plans to stick around, so no need to worry about me messing with your sister.”
Oh my God, he was good. Few of the guys she’d brought around since she began dating had ever made it past her dad and Cal.
Then again, Alex wasn’t exactly a potential prom date. But she had a feeling he was a critical element in her future. In Wild Card’s future.
One side of Cal’s mouth twitched almost imperceptibly, and he held up a hand. Apparently, Alex had just passed some weird testosterone test. “Hey, every guy has a right to be an asshole when it comes to his little sister, right?”
