Page 9 of Unexpected Sweetheart
"And I hear you're running the ranch now? Your daddy would be real proud of you for stepping up in his stead. This town just wouldn't be the same without Sweetheart Ranch, so I hope you’ll have it back up and running at its full potential soon. You know, there are some families around here who feel a little lost without the work the ranch provided." She’s talking about the full-time ranch hands I had to let go. I couldn’t afford to pay their salary and pay the bankandeat. So, something had to go.
“That’ll have to be up to the next owner,” I say.
“Oh. You’re still selling?” She tilts her head like this is new information to her.
“I am.” There's no way she doesn't know it's still on the market. In a small town like this, I just have to sneeze in front of the diner for the people in the post office down the street to start saying I have a cold. News travels fast, and speculation is rife. I do my best to stay out of it.
“Such a shame. We all thought seeing you rush that pretty brunette into Doc’s might be a sign of change.” See what I mean? “But then, she was wearing those thousand dollar boots my daughter, Tilly, always drools over. So, what is she? A prospective buyer? Your girl?” She tilts her head and smirks. “No. She looked far too young for a man your age. Probably young enough to be your daughter.”
“She’s twenty. I’d have been a young father if she was my kid.”
A grin curves her lips, and I kick myself for giving her any gossip-fueling information. “So sheisyour girl?”
My neck heats. "She's the daughter of an acquaintance. I'm simply helping her learn about ranch life. She’ll be gone in a few weeks."
"Well, aren't you a saint? What a kind thing you’re doing."
"I wouldn't go that far," I say, clearing my throat as I step away. "It was nice talking to you, Elaine. But I really need to get going."
"Wait, Ryan. Before you go, I was hoping that maybe you could help me out with something. You see, your father used to chaperone the Sweetheart dance every Valentine’s at the high school—you remember that, don’t you? I thought that maybeyoucould step in seeing as you're here filling his shoes and all."
"My father's shoes are far bigger to fill than I’m capable of. I have my hands full just keeping the ranch afloat. So, I’m afraid you'll need to count me out."
"But it's Valentine's Day. You can't work on Valentine's Day."
I step away and offer her my most charming smile to mask my annoyance. "You might need to discuss my work hours with the cows. Good day, Elaine."
Tipping my hat, I spin on my heels and manage to make it the rest of the way to the beauty parlor without being stopped again. As soon as I get inside, I’m met with a commotion as Lorelai dumps the contents of her purse on the counter while the three stylists exchange alarmed looks.
"Try another one," Lorelai says, shoving a platinum-colored card in Reina’s face. "Try them all again. One of them has to work!" There's an edge to her voice that is bordering on hysteria, and my protective instincts kick in. I'm quick to rush to her side, placing my hand on her arm so she looks at me.
“Lorelai.”
When her eyes meet mine, my heart skips a beat. Her face almost crumples before she schools her expression with a stuttered breath. "There’s something wrong with the machine,” she says, picking up the myriad of credit cards and dropping them back on the counter. "None of them are working and this…womanis refusing to run them again."
“We ran them five times,” Reina, one of the stylists, says, empathy in her eyes as she tries to keep her voice low.
“OK,” I say, reaching into my back pocket to pull out my wallet. "How much do we owe you?"
Reina rattles off the amount, and thankfully I have enough cash to cover it. She hands me the receipt and change then I help Lorelai gather her things and drop them back into her purse. She's on the verge of tears as I steer her out of the beauty parlor and onto the street. "Come on. I'll bet you're starving; I’ll buy you lunch."
“I don’t need your charity.” She sniffs.
“Oh, it’s not charity, heiress. I’ll make you work it off.”
She gives me a half-hearted laugh, and I place my hand in the center of her back, restraining myself from tucking her against my side as I guide her across the street to the truck. We get in, and after a short drive to the edge of town, we pull up outsideThe Stop,a truck stop diner, but home to my favorite human in all of Sweetheart.
“As I live and breathe.”
“Alice.” I nod to the older lady who runsThe Stopand greets me like I’m a ghost she wasn’t expecting to see—even though I saw her just last week.
“I thought you’d be well on your way back to Sacramento by now.” She walks around the counter and meets us with menus as we slide into a booth.
“I would be if I could be,” I say, repeating the same thing I’ve said to this query every week since I returned to Sweetheart. It’s a game we play. She thinks I’ll fall in love with the place again and stay. I think she’s got love hearts for eyes.
Alice chuckles. "What can I get you and your friend today?" Her eyes move to a shellshocked Lorelai who’s just staring at the menu with her brow knitted tight. I’m guessing the reason her credit cards aren’t working is because her father has cut her off to prove a point. I also imagine going from billion-dollar baby to penniless ranch hand will take a bit of adjusting.
“How about you just get us each a burger with fries and one of those malted chocolate shakes you make with a little extra whipped cream on top?"
