“No.”
Cord’s pent-up breath blew out in a sigh. “Then why would we talk?”
“The woman, Alexis Greer, she stopped by the office today. She wanted some more information about the land—”
“Did you make it clear to her that it’s just the two hundred acres that are for sale?”
“Actually, she was telling me about her plans for Haggerty. In fact, she showed me the plans—you know, for the resort. They’re quite impressive.”
Was Lexi starting some sort of crusade to turn the town against him? His ex-wife had tried swaying him with public pressure—twisting his arm to sell the ranch. She’d painted such an awful picture of him that it’d been hard to brush off the whispers and stares when he ventured into town for supplies. He wouldn’t stand for Lexi making matters worse for him.
After a moment of silence, Mr. Forbes cleared his throat and hurried on. “Have you taken time to consider her proposal? She has some good ideas that would bring some much needed tourist dollars to town. If it all worked out, it’d solve everyone’s problems.”
Everyone’s problems but his. Cord’s jaw tensed, holding back a burning retort.
“Think about it.” Mr. Forbes cleared his throat. “This resort would give people job opportunities, and the economy would grow. And best of all, your ranch would be free of debt.”
How was Cord supposed to argue with logic like that? No matter what he said, he’d sound like the bad guy. No one understood his desperate need to cling to the land where he was a confident rancher—where he didn’t have to work to hide his dyslexia on a regular basis. On the Brazen H, he could just be himself.
Cord paced back and forth across the tiled floor. “She’ll have to build the resort somewhere else. I can’t sell her Haggerty.”
“Before you turn her down, you might want to hear what she’s proposing. The town really needs the jobs. It would keep the young people from leaving town in search of work. People would be excited—”
“Public pressure won’t sway me.”
Why was Mr. Forbes trying to make him responsible for the town’s welfare? It wasn’t like he was the town’s mayor. He wouldn’t stand a chance of even being elected dogcatcher. Not that he let it bother him. He got by just fine keeping to
himself.
Then a legitimate thought occurred to him. “Did you ever stop to consider the resort’s employees might not be locals? They could hire anyone, people from as far away as…New York.”
“Guess you have a point.” A defeated tone filled the man’s voice. “Perhaps you should find out more about this resort before you sell to her. You’ll talk to her, right? For the town’s sake?”
A protest hung in the back of Cord’s throat, but instead he said, “I’ll listen to what she has to say, but that’s all I’m promising.”
“You know by bringing jobs to Whistle Stop, it might undo some of the hard feelings people have been harboring for so long.”
“Their attitudes are their problem. Not mine.” Cord ended the call.
He refused to be held responsible for solving Whistle Stop’s struggling economy. He was already failing at the responsibility he’d inherited—saving Haggerty. And time was running out until foreclosure.
His thoughts turned back to Lexi. She had more spunk than he’d originally given her credit for. He regretted that they were on opposite sides of this fight, because he found her gorgeous, strong-willed, and fiercely independent. Quite an intoxicating combination.
And if he wasn’t careful, she could end up walking away with his legacy.
???
After an early morning phone call about her missing luggage, Alexis made her way to the front desk. Mrs. Sanchez glanced up from reading a glossy magazine. Her heavily made-up eyes gazed over the black rims of her reading glasses as she smiled.
“Good morning. My, don’t you look like you’re ready for an adventure?”
“Your suggestion of where to find some clothes to tide me over until my luggage shows up was very helpful. Thank you.”
“Any time, dear.” Mrs. Sanchez laid the magazine on the counter. “You’ll find that Whistle Stop doesn’t have all the amenities of New York City, but it makes up for it with a friendly community spirit.”
“I’ve noticed. Everyone has been so nice and helpful. I could get used to this.” And she meant every word of it.
Mrs. Sanchez’s eyes widened. “Are you considering buying the Lawson land?”