Wishing for the Rancher’s Love (High Country Ranch #5)

Chapter 10

10

“What were you thinking?” Grady tried to keep his voice level and low, but it rose anyway in the crowded workroom at the back of the store.

His dad plied open a crate of new merchandise. “I asked her if she could wait for you to escort her, but she said it would be awkward if you came along to visit the date you left at the dance last night.”

Grady leaned a hip against the worktable where a few new batches of Clementine’s candy were cooling. The waft of the sweets lingered in the air—a mixture of chocolate and nuts. “You could have gone with her.”

“And leave my customers and the store untended?” His dad pulled out a stack of mittens and hats from a shipment of winter gear. “Besides, I wasn’t expecting anyone to follow her around town during broad daylight.”

“I’d rather err on the side of caution than let something happen to her.”

“I would too.”

“Then keep a better eye on her.”

“I was trying—”

“She got another note.” Grady threw the newest fake flower onto the table.

Dad paused in his work and picked up the flower with the note dangling from it. As he read it, his brow furrowed. “The fellow is persistent.”

“And a fruitcake if he’s assuming Clementine will want to marry him after proposing to her this way.”

“It is an odd way to try to woo a woman.”

“Then we’re agreed. You need to watch her better in the store since the deranged idiot is obviously coming inside near her.”

“I’ll try, son, but I get busy and can’t always keep my eyes on her.”

“And no more letting her go out on her own.”

His dad paused in his unloading of the crate and shot him a look. “I can only do so much, Grady. Clementine is a strong-willed woman and quite the handful.”

“I know that full well.”

“I bet you do.” His dad’s voice filled with humor.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

His dad straightened, his eyes crinkling at the corners and his expression holding a happiness Grady hadn’t seen there in a long time. “Lots of people are talking about last night.”

“So?” Grady crossed his arms over his chest.

“So, it sounds like you had a handful of her last night outside the dance.” His dad waggled his brows. “If you know what I mean.”

“No, actually, I don’t.” Grady did know. But he forced himself not to give his dad the reaction he was looking for.

“Everybody’s talking about how you kissed her long and hard.”

“Long and hard. Really, Dad?”

His dad’s smile widened. “Okay, well, that’s my interpretation after everything I’ve heard.”

Grady should have known there would be gossip. After all, he’d hauled Clementine out of the dance over his shoulder, and even though he’d taken her away from the lodge, it had still been easy to spot them—or at least, Willa hadn’t had any difficulty finding them.

Grady sighed. “It didn’t mean anything. In fact, we were in the middle of a fight when it happened.”

“Then it meant exactly what it was supposed to mean.”

Grady bit back the question his dad was waiting for him to ask.

He didn’t have to wait long before his dad kept going. “It means you care about her and she cares about you.”

“If that’s what you want to think, I won’t stop you.”

“It’s not what I think ; it’s what I know .” His dad turned his attention back to the crate and retrieved a stack of scarves.

Grady forced himself to refrain from rolling his eyes.

Was all the gossip the reason why Clementine’s admirer had followed her this morning? Maybe he’d heard the rumors and was upset.

His dad placed the scarves on the table next to the mittens and hats. “Guess that’s one way to take the lead in our challenge. Does that mean if I kiss Mrs. Meriwether, I can regain my position?”

Grady didn’t want to think about his dad kissing the middle-aged widow and feeling all the heat that came with kissing. “Can we stop talking about kissing?”

“I’m not the one who made the town news this morning with the kissing. That was you.”

“It was a mistake, and it won’t happen again.”

His dad’s grin was still firmly in place. “For a mistake, it sure sounds like you enjoyed it.”

If he denied that he’d enjoyed it, his dad would see right through any excuses. Best thing to do was admit it and move on. “Of course I don’t mind a kiss now and then. What man wouldn’t?”

“But a kiss with the woman you’re crazy about? That’s something special.”

“I’m not crazy about her.”

“You can’t tell me you’re not counting the minutes until you can kiss her again.”

“I’m not.” Oh, he was. Which was why he’d hardly slept at all last night and why he was keeping well away from her today. Just the brief interaction in the livery and walking her across the street had overloaded his senses.

With mirth still lighting his face, his dad shook his head, clearly not believing him.

“Please. Let’s focus on how we’re going to keep Clementine safe.”

“Sure.” His dad settled a load of gloves on the worktable, then pushed the empty crate aside and gave Grady his full attention. “What else do you think we can do?”

Grady had been tossing around ideas during the long hours of his sleepless night. “She needs someone chaperoning her at all times until we catch the fellow who’s harassing her.”

He’d already gone over to the blacksmith’s shop and given Jeremy Usher a good look at his fist. Of course, just like John, the fellow had denied having anything to do with spying on Clementine and leaving her notes.

“You know what I’m thinking?” Dad’s voice was much too chipper, almost as if he was enjoying this whole affair.

Grady’s runaway thoughts came to a halt. Dad wasn’t behind everything, was he? In another attempt at playing matchmaker between him and Clementine?

Grady shook his head. No, his dad wouldn’t stoop to frightening Clementine, not even by making up the unnerving notes.

Dad sized up Grady. “I’m thinking there’s one surefire way to make this all stop.”

“Do I want to hear it?” Grady couldn’t keep the sarcasm from his tone.

His dad chuckled. “Of course you do.”

Grady waited, his arms still crossed.

Dad met his gaze head-on. “Best thing to do is marry her.”

Grady snorted and pushed away from the worktable. “If you won’t take this seriously, then I’ll have to figure it out for myself.” He aimed for the back door, frustration swelling in his chest.

“I am serious.”

“No. You’re not.” Grady tossed open the door.

“Hold on now, son.” Dad chased after him, his voice earnest.

Grady paused in the doorway but didn’t turn around. He didn’t have the time or patience for his dad’s meddling.

“If you’re not ready to marry her yet—”

“I’m not marrying her, Dad. Not now, and not anytime.”

“At least pretend to want to marry her or get engaged,” he rushed to explain. “If you do that, you might be able to draw out her stalker.”

Grady stared unseeingly out the back door to the alley. Was it possible they could draw out the stalker? Maybe bait him?

Steeling his spine, he turned around, closed the door, and leaned back against it. “Okay, I’m listening.”

Dad’s shoulders seemed to relax.

Guilt pricked Grady. He was being too hard on his dad. After all, Dad cared about Clementine too. And he only had their best interests in mind.

Dad glanced toward the hallway that led back to the store, as if making sure they were alone. “The best way to flush out something undesirable is to put pressure on it.”

“And pretending to get engaged will put pressure on the fellow?”

“Yes, since he made it clear he wants to marry her, he’ll likely be upset at the prospect of losing her. And he’ll come after you.”

Grady nodded slowly. He’d much rather have the stalker engage with him than Clementine. He would be ready and would teach the fellow a lesson he wouldn’t soon forget.

“You’d have an easier time figuring out who it is if you drew him away from Breckenridge.”

“How would I do that?”

“Take Clementine someplace for a few days. Maybe to Georgetown. And see if the fellow follows you.”

Grady’s mind began to spin. That was actually a good plan. They could stay in one of his dad’s hotels. It would be better than sitting around waiting for more creepy notes and more spying. If the secret admirer was really serious about Clementine, he’d probably try to follow her. At the very least, it would give her a break from the harassment.

“I’ll need a good excuse for leaving town with her.”

His dad shrugged. “We’ll tell everyone you’re running off to get married. It’s probably the only reason that will draw the stalker into following you.”

Grady gave a firm shake of his head. “No. I’m not starting that rumor—”

“It’s the best excuse, Grady. If word just happens to leak out that you and Clementine sneaked away to Georgetown to get married, he’ll be on your trail soon enough to try to stop you.”

“What if we tell everyone we’re going to Georgetown because Clementine is interested in expanding her candy business there?”

Dad surveyed the pans on the table, their contents in one stage of the candy-making process or another.

Clementine had talked about expanding her business. What she really wanted was her own little shop that she could call Clementine’s Confectionery. She’d told him that plenty of times back when they’d still been friends, and he knew her goal hadn’t changed. But with the way she gave her candy away to the widows in town, all her friends, and even complete strangers, she’d never be able to amass enough of a profit to purchase her own place.

But that didn’t matter at the moment. What they needed was an excuse for getting out of Breckenridge and traveling to Georgetown. One that preferably didn’t involve pretending they were running off and getting married.

“I stick by what I said.” His dad pinched off a piece of brittle candy and popped it into his mouth. “If you really want to catch her stalker, then you’ll need to make him believe he’s losing Clementine.”

“But who’s going to believe Clementine and I want to get married? With how much we fight, the stalker will realize it’s not true.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” Dad’s grin made another appearance. “Everyone will believe it because they all see what I do—that the two of you give off enough sparks to light up the whole town.”

Grady wanted to deny his dad, but last night there had been plenty of sparks. But even if the sparks were real and sizzling, they couldn’t last, could they?

“Besides,” his dad continued, “with the rumor of your kiss making the rounds today, it wouldn’t be that far-fetched if you decided to run off to Georgetown, get married, and have a little honeymoon away from town.”

Was his dad right? Maybe pretending to be engaged was the best option. “What will we tell everyone when we get back to Breckenridge? I don’t want people assuming we’re married.”

“Tell them the truth. That you had to put up a ruse so you could track down the stalker.”

“Good point.” Grady let the idea settle inside.

It had been a month or more since he’d ridden to Georgetown to check on the businesses there. Over the past year, he’d been shouldering more of the supervision because his dad intended to one day hand the businesses over to him entirely. Their solicitor in Georgetown took care of most of the financial aspects, and his dad had put in place several excellent managers who oversaw the daily details of the hotels, restaurants, stores, and more.

Still Grady liked to visit and take stock of things too. He wouldn’t mind getting in a trip before the snowfall made the forty-mile trek difficult. In good weather, he could make the ride in a day. Sometimes, if he got a late start, he stopped and stayed with a friend who lived in Summit Cove.

“The real question,” Dad said with a challenging glint in his eyes, “is whether you can get Clementine to agree to the plan.”

Grady pictured her upturned face from last night outside the lodge. He hadn’t needed to try too hard to get her to go along with the kiss. If he could do that, surely he could persuade her to go along with the plan to keep her safe.