“But, they’re tourists. They don’t know anything about ranching.”
“I didn’t either, and Karen was telling me the other day how she and Lee didn’t have much experience until they started coming here. People who signed up to come here would have the best teacher, though. And, they’d be paying you to do the work, not the other way around.”
“Hey, I liked the movieCity Slickerslike everyone else, but it’s a movie. This is real life.”
“Which people are craving. So many office workers are tired of slaving away over laptops. They want to do what you do, even if it’s just for a week. Again, I have to stress, they’d be paying you for the experience. More than likely, they’ll also do our advertising for us when they go back home, bragging about what they did. This could be our gold mine.” The enthusiasm in Maisie’s eyes shone like the sun. Normally, Drew was a sucker for the woman’s eyes, but the use of a certain phrase was like a thorn in her boot.
“Gold mine?” It was the type of thing Drew’s mother would’ve said. It had a lot in common with gold digger.
“Do me a favor. Don’t shut it down before you think about it. If you’re brave enough, I’ve put a presentation together of all my other ideas that I’d really like to run past you.”
“You tossed in the word brave so I wouldn’t run screaming from the room,” Drew guessed.
“I sure did.”
“You’re using your intimate knowledge of me against me.” Drew couldn’t suppress a goofy grin. For some reason, the idea that Maisie could do that tickled her.
“Not yet, I’m not.” Maisie waggled her eyebrows. “I was saving that for the trip to the cabin this afternoon.”
“Fine.” Drew gave an exaggerated sigh, even though part of her was curious what Maisie would present. The woman was a wonder when it came to innovative ideas, even if Drew thought they were insane when she first heard most of them. “I won’t say no right away. But—”
“No buts either. Not until you go over everything.” Maisie cast a glance at the kitchen doorway before leaning over to risk giving Drew’s thigh a squeeze. “Be open to change. Embrace it.”
“I don’t like change, though. Not one bit.”
“I know, but you not liking it doesn’t stop change from happening. It’s the one constant in life. Everything can change on a dime. How you pivot to confront it determines whether you survive or not.”
Drew was about to answer when her phone, which she’d set on the table during their conversation, alerted her to a new text. She picked it up, expecting a message from Cord, or maybe her father, asking what the hell was taking her so long getting back to work. Instead, she saw the number for the hospital. She went cold from head to toe as she opened the message.
Drew read the text once and then four more times just to be sure. The words were clear as day, but she simply couldn’t believe them.
“What’s wrong?” Maisie stood, coming around Drew’s chair to place a hand on each of her shoulders.
Drew closed her eyes, focusing on Maisie’s touch instead of the hole in her heart.
Maisie gave her a little shake. “Drew?”
“It’s Bob. The stroke was too… It was…” Tears stung Drew’s eyes, and she squeezed them even tighter, fighting down a sob. “He didn’t make it.”
“Oh, Drew.” Maisie draped herself over Drew’s back, pulling her into an embrace. “I know you were close to him. I’m so sorry.”
Drew nodded, numbness settling over her. “His death is going to change things around here.”
CHAPTERTWENTY-FIVE
AttendingBob’s memorial service had seemed to Maisie the most natural choice. Though she hadn’t known him, she felt connected to him by the small role she’d played in getting him help, and the prospect of Drew having to attend without her felt cruel. It was only when she was standing in a roomful of strangers after the service, a reception held not at Whetstone but at a different neighboring ranch, that Maisie realized the flaw in her plan.
People.
There were so many people, all obviously trying to get a look at her without being caught staring.
“I feel like an exotic animal at a zoo,” Maisie whispered, moving close enough to Drew to be heard but still far enough away not to get anyone’s tongue wagging. “Don’t they ever see new people?”
“Not frequently.” Drew’s eyes swept Maisie’s body, and there was no hiding from her grin. “Definitely not wearing a killer dress like the one you have on.”
Maisie gave the too-low neckline a discreet upward tug. She’d had a choice between a dress with a short hemline and no sleeves or a longer dress with short sleeves but a low-cut neckline. In the end, she’d flipped a coin. “My wardrobe choices for a funeral were limited. At least, it’s black.”
“You don’t hear me complaining.” Drew’s eyes remained glued to Maisie’s cleavage.