Joel greeted Chase with his kind blue eyes creasing and thin lips turned up into a welcoming smile. He offered his hand. “Chase, it’s good to see you. How are things?”
“I can’t complain.” Keeping Houdini tucked safely in his arms, Chase returned the handshake. “You?”
“Busy as hell,” Joel said, his voice gravelly from too many years enjoying whiskey and cigars. “And who is this fella?”
Chase gave Houdini a quick look. He stared back with bright eyes. “A houseguest for a few days.”
Joel patted Houdini’s head then drew his hand away, shoving both hands into his pockets, his big, flashy gold belt buckle drawing Chase’s gaze. “How’s the build at the ranch coming along?”
Chase glanced up into Joel’s curious eyes. “Things are rolling right along. We’ve got our inspection on Monday. And with the grand opening in two weeks, we’re right on track.”
“Excellent news,” Joel said with a soft smile and a certain gleam to his eye. “What are your plans after this project? I could use someone like you on my team.”
“As nice as that would be, and you know I respect the hell out of you, Joel”—Christ, Joel was the top builder in Colorado, having designed and built hotels all over the state—“I’m afraid I’m finally taking this opportunity to go out on my own.”
“Ah, well, I tried.” Joel smiled. “That’s a good plan you’ve got. You needed that one big push to get you off the ground, and it looks like the ranch has given you that. I’ve got no doubt the work you’ve done will showcase your talents.”
Chase nodded. “That’s what I’m hoping for.”
Joel leaned forward, scratching Houdini’s head again. This time, Houdini growled. Joel chuckled and pulled his hand back. “I’m looking forward to the grand opening. You’ll send me an invite?”
“Of course.”
“Attaboy.” He cupped Chase’s shoulder, eyes softening. “Your father would be proud of you, son.”
Son.
A sudden rush of tension tightened Chase’s chest, even if Joel didn’t mean the word in the context Chase took it. He missed his father terribly. The world still did not seem quite right without the head of their family. “Thank you, Joel.”
Joel tipped his cowboy hat, then walked away toward his white truck with BRECKENRIDGE CONSTRUCTION written on the side.
A squeak had Chase glancing down again. Two sparkling eyes stared back at him. “Come on, Houdini. You better put on all your charm. My mother needs to fall madly in love with you.”
* * *
Later that afternoon, in the middle-class neighborhood only a ten-minute drive from Main Street, Harper carried a taped box into the living room, placing it on top of the others stacked there. The yellow curtains around the bay window caught her eye, even the oak wood end tables and the matching coffee table were all the same since she was a child. The brown recliner in the corner across from the television also hadn’t changed. That’s where her father used to sit to watch the football game. She could almost see her mom sitting near him on the flower-patterned couch, working on a new knitting project. Harper was sure a psychologist would claim that she and Brody were trying to hang on to the past.
Maybe they were.
Through the window, she spotted Brody’s truck pulling into the driveway. An interrogation was imminent. She sighed, hurrying by the small rectangular-shaped kitchen with the plain-white cabinets, and headed into her tiny bedroom and grabbed another empty box off the floor. After placing the box on her white metal-framed bed, she returned to her small closet, fetching more dresses on their hangers.
By the time she pulled the hanger off one dress and began folding the thin fabric to place into the box, Brody stood at her doorway. “You didn’t come home last night.”
“Nope, I didn’t.” She paused, considering, then thought it wise to add, “I won’t be coming home for the rest of the week either.”
Brody’s hesitation was longer this time. She dared a quick look, surprised he wasn’t seething. From what she could tell, and she’d become good at reading her big brother, he seemed genuinely concerned. “Why not?” he eventually asked.
“Because I’ll be staying with someone else.”
“Who?” Brody crossed his arms and straightened his spine. “Emma?”
“No, not Emma.”
“Megan?”
Harper sighed, dropping the next dress into the box, addressing this head-on. “Do you really want to have this conversation? I have a week left in River Rock. Please let me spend it with who I want to spend it with. No interference. Then I’ll go to Vegas.”
The muscle working in Brody’s jaw was indication enough that he knew she was talking about Chase. They’d only ever addressed how she felt about Chase once. Brody had demanded she stop hitting on his best friend. She’d refused. That had been the end of the conversation.