Rocky Mountain Brides: Raising the Rancher's Family

Tim Keenan looked at Holt. “Holt, nice to see you could make it.”

The two shook hands. “Your daughter can be pretty persuasive.”

Tim winked. “She gets that from her mother.”

Claire Keenan appeared. “I heard that.” She offered her daughter a kiss and one for Corey. She surprised Holt and hugged him. “Holt, it’s nice you’re here.”

He glanced around. “It looks like a big turnout.”

“It is,” her mother said. “And a perfect opportunity for Tim to introduce you around.” She nudged her husband and the two men walked off together. “And, Corey, there’s someone I want you to meet.” Claire glanced around then motioned at someone. Suddenly a dark-haired boy about eight years old appeared.

“Corey, this is Mason Langston. Mason, Corey Haynes. Mason, Corey is staying at the Rawlins Ranch. He hasn’t had much of a chance to meet anyone. Do you think you could show him around?”

“Sure, Mrs. K.” He looked at Corey. “Hey, do you like chocolate chip cookies?”

Corey shrugged. “Yeah.”

The boy motioned to follow him. “Come on, before Kenny Dorsey eats them all.”

Leah watched the two boys run off.

“Not to worry, they’ll be fine,” Claire told her.

“I know, but Corey’s very vulnerable. He’s been through a lot.”

“And Mason is a good boy. He’ll be nice to Corey.” Her mother turned her attention to her husband and Holt as they made their way around the hall. “The two older boys seem to be getting along nicely, too.”

Leah was glad that Holt was meeting people. “Holt should know his neighbors,” Leah said. “He’s going to live here.”

“He seems to be attracting the ladies, too.”

As much as Leah tried to ignore that comment, she noticed that Kaley Jenkins Sims was standing very close to him. “Kaley hasn’t changed since high school. She goes after any good-looking male. I heard she’s divorced now.”

“About a year ago,” her mother said. “She has a sweet little girl.”

Leah found she didn’t like seeing Holt and Kaley together. “Well, it looks like she’s on the hunt for number two.”

“Maybe you should stake your claim,” her mother suggested.

That got Leah’s attention. “What? I’m not going to stake any claim. I’m committed to my job. Besides, the man has a lot of baggage. The last thing Holt wants is a woman in his life.”

Claire Keenan smiled. “You can always change your career. And all men claim to be loners before they realize they can’t live without us. From what I can see Holt Rawlins is interested in you.”

Leah couldn’t consider that possibility. She had a feeling, whether intentionally or not, the man could hurt her.

Holt looked up from the conversation and glanced across the hall at Leah. He knew she was enjoying this. He’d met so many people tonight he’d never be able to remember their names.

“I hear that you were a financial advisor in New York.”

He turned to the blond woman named Kaley something. She was attractive in a too-made-up sort of way. Her jeans were a little too tight as was her tank top that carried one of those sayings that he didn’t dare attempt to read.

Luckily the mayor was walking their way. He reached for her arm and pulled her into the circle. “Hello, Morgan.”

“Holt, it’s nice that you could make it,” she told him with a smile that reminded him of Leah.

“Your sister thought it was time I met a few people.”

“I, for one, am glad he came,” Kaley said as she moved in a little closer.

“So am I,” Morgan said. “Holt, if you have a minute, I need to speak with you.” She glanced at Kaley. “If you’ll excuse us for a moment …”

Kaley frowned, but finally managed a tight smile. “I guess I can let Holt go…for a while. Maybe later we can share some refreshments.”

“Maybe,” Holt said as he took Morgan’s arm. “What do I owe you?” he said when they found a deserted area.

“Sorry, Kaley is a little…overeager.”

“You’re too nice. If you hadn’t shown up she’d be naming our children.”

Morgan laughed. “Well, she’s used to men giving her attention. But I only want to discuss a little business.” She took a breath. “First, I want to say that, speaking for the town, we’re glad you’ve decided to stay in Destiny.”

“Thank you. I’m glad I’m staying, too.”

“And secondly, I want to talk to you about a section of your property. Maybe Leah has already mentioned it to you.”

He shook his head. “No, she hasn’t said anything. So what’s this about my land?”

“I’m been looking for a way to bring revenue into town, and it seems logical that we build a ski resort. The town owns an ideal parcel of land, but we just need access from the highway before we can develop the area.”

“Where is this land?”

“It’s Silver Wolf Pass.”

Holt knew the location. It would cut right by Hidden Falls. “You want to build a road through my property?”

Morgan raised an eyebrow. “It’s not as drastic as it sounds. Maybe you should come by my office so you can see the plans.”

Holt didn’t like being blindsided like this. Was Leah supposed to butter him up so he’d be more agreeable when approached? “Did you ever talk about this with my…with John?”

“I did, in fact.”

“And what did he say to your idea?”

“I’m afraid we didn’t have much time to discuss it, but he did promise to think about it.”

“Well, I’m not going to think about it, because I don’t want anyone building a highway across my land. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to find Corey.” Holt knew he was being rude, but at this point he wasn’t sure he could contain his anger. Had Leah planned to get him to agree to this?

Before he could reach her, Leah was cornered by another group of people just as the meeting was called to order.