Your Ranch Or Mine?

Anna didn’t care about the rules. She’d waited thirteen years to make amends and by God, she was going to seize this opportunity.

“Mitch.” She kept her fingers wrapped tightly together, resisting the urge to reach out and touch him. “I—”

“Before I moved back to Sweet River, I had my own architectural firm in Chicago,” he said in a tone you’d use with a stranger. Before she could get another word out, he told her about several of his favorite commercial projects before mentioning that he’d recently started designing custom log homes.

She listened to him extol the many facets of an architect’s life. As he spoke he kept his gaze focused on a spot over her left shoulder. Despite his cool attitude, she heard the pride in his voice as he described several of his designs. This wasn’t just a career for him, but a passion. A passion he’d obviously had since boyhood. Why hadn’t she known this was what he’d always wanted to do with his life?

Because you never asked. You were always too busy talking about yourself.

“Time to switch,” Stacie announced.

Switch? Anna pulled her brows together. “I didn’t get my turn.”

“Sorry,” Josh said with an easy smile. “You can catch up with Mitch later.”

Anna turned back, fully prepared to be a rule-breaker, but Mitch had already risen and moved to the next table. Disappointment rose inside her. Still, Anna consoled herself with the knowledge that once the game of musical chairs was over, she’d have her chance.

But when she finished her last spiel about Alex’s law practice and looked around the room, she realized there would be no second chance with Mitch. Not tonight. The handsome man with brilliant blue eyes had disappeared. And he’d taken the former volleyball captain with him.

Chapter Three

For seven days after the Young Professionals meeting, Anna stalked Mitch Donavan. Okay, perhaps stalked was too strong a word. But whatever you called it, she made it her business to find out more about him. And the YP meeting was her springboard to all things Mitch.

Whenever she ran into someone who knew him, she’d bring up the YP meeting. She’d start talking about who was there and make sure she mentioned his name.

That’s how she found out he was living next door to Pastor Barbee while his log home at the foothills of the Crazy Mountains was being built. It was how she discovered he worked from home. And that he was now coaching the football team of Cassie’s thirteen-year-old.

That last bit of information had given her pause. Until she reminded herself that Mitch’s personal life was none of her concern. She was merely trying to right a wrong, not hook up with the guy.

Anna flipped open the vanity mirror of her Jeep. Since she’d been small, looking her best had given her comfort and helped still her anxiety. She studied her reflection with a critical eye. From the beauty pageants she’d competed in as a teenager, she’d learned that lips could usually benefit from more color. She pulled a small silver tube from her purse and performed a quick touch-up.

Dropping the lipstick back into the bag, Anna snapped the mirror shut. She’d been parked in the alley behind Mitch’s house for almost twenty minutes. She wasn’t sure what his plans were today. What she did know was the longer she procrastinated, the more likely it was that her visit would conflict with something on his schedule. Not to mention Alex was expecting her to open the office at eight and it was already ten minutes past seven.

Taking a deep breath, Anna opened the car door and headed up a stepping-stone path to Mitch’s house. His temporary home was a small one and a half story built shortly after WWII. The neighborhood surrounding it was filled with similar houses. The plethora of mature trees and flower gardens gave the area a warm, friendly feel.

As Anna climbed the steps of the back deck she could hear sounds of movement coming from the kitchen. While she was relieved Mitch was at home, a knot formed in the pit of her stomach. Would he open his heart enough to see that her remorse was genuine? Or would this trip be in vain?

She’d almost reached the door when a beagle came barreling out of Pastor Barbee’s house. The moment the dog saw her, he skidded to a stop. Before she could say “nice doggy,” the animal began barking as if this was jolly old England and he’d spotted a fox.

While Anna loved animals, a dog acting as a neighborhood alarm clock was a complication she hadn’t envisioned. In fact, she’d parked in the alley specifically to avoid drawing attention to her early-morning visit.

She could only hope that once she got inside, the beagle would stop its incessant yapping. Anna knocked and waited for Mitch to open the door. Five seconds passed. Then ten. She knocked again, harder this time. At twenty seconds the dog put its paws on the step of the deck and began to bay.

Anna dropped her gaze. After only a momentary hesitation, she grabbed the knob. It turned easily in her hand. Her lips lifted in triumph as she pushed it open and stepped inside. The smile wavered when she found herself face-to-face with Mitch Donavan.

Yesterday’s five o’clock shadow darkened his cheeks and his hair looked enticingly disheveled. But it was his attire—or lack of—that sent adrenaline spurting through her veins. “Hello, Mitch.”

An odd breathlessness crept into her voice, a breathlessness that only intensified when her attention slipped from his bare chest to the well-worn jeans.

It was odd she’d never realized that a pair of jeans could be so sexy.

“It’s been a while since I lived in Sweet River,” Mitch said.

Anna jerked her attention to his face.

“Last I knew, when a person knocked, they waited for someone to come to the door and invite them inside.”

Though “breaking and entering” wasn’t her style, if he was trying to make her feel guilty, it wasn’t going to work. She could still hear the beagle barking, but thankfully the door muted most of the sound. Anna lifted her chin. “Desperate circumstances call for desperate measures.”

He crossed his arms, drawing attention to his muscular chest.

Anna’s heart stuttered.

“Desperate?” he asked.

“If I’d waited any longer, Barky Von Beagle would have awakened the entire neighborhood.” Anna’s heart resumed a normal rhythm. She gestured with one hand toward the back door, but Mitch didn’t even glance in that direction. Instead his gaze remained riveted on her.

“Most visitors come to the front door,” he said. “Why did you come to the back?”

A simple question. An easy answer. “I didn’t want anyone to see me.”

Mitch lived next door to Pastor Barbee. He knew how Mrs. Barbee loved to talk. He would understand Anna’s desire not to fuel the gossip mill.

But no look of understanding crossed his face. Instead his gaze turned frosty and the temperature in the room plunged twenty degrees. “Why are you here, Anna?”

Considering the way they’d parted, Anna had feared this conversation might be difficult. And from Mitch’s tone, it appeared her fears had been well-founded. Still, she was a woman on a mission. She was determined to apologize, to ease the bad blood between them. But for that to happen she had to find a way to erase the tension so he’d stop glowering and listen to her.

Anna made a great show of sniffing the air. “Coffee smells wonderful. Is there enough for me?”

Mitch hesitated for a second then gestured toward the cupboard. “Extra mugs are in there.”

When he made no move to get one for her, Anna sauntered in that direction, her heart sinking. Perhaps she shouldn’t have come. Maybe some things were better left—

“Cream is in the refrigerator,” he added.

The summer they’d been together he’d often teased her about her fondness for cream with a little bit of coffee. Anna’s steps faltered and she flushed with pleasure. “You remembered.”

His face was a mask, giving nothing away. “What did you want to discuss?”

“Coffee first.” With renewed optimism, Anna chose a mug and filled it with coffee. As she slowly added the cream, she cast surreptitious glances at Mitch. She couldn’t keep her eyes off him. His bare chest with just a smattering of dark hair was turning out to be a distraction she didn’t need. Anna brought the cup to her lips and forced a casual tone. “If you want to get dressed, I can wait.”

For a second she thought he might actually do as she’d suggested. Until he glanced at his jeans and hooked a thumb in a belt loop. “I don’t understand the problem. You’ve seen me in a whole lot less.”

Anna flinched. In all these years she’d never spoken of their relationship to anyone. Though they were the only two in the room, she felt like putting a finger to her lips and telling him to shush.

“Nobody knows that.” A thought suddenly struck her. “You haven’t told anyone, have you?”

“I kept my mouth shut,” he said. “That was the deal.”