“So, uh.” Iverson clears his throat. “Jamison told me what this is about.”
Makes sense she’d know, as the Hawthorne Ranch’s accountant. “What’d she say?”
He blows out a breath, and my interest perks up. Aren’t we just meeting about providing bar services for a special event?
“You remember Campbell’s ex?” he asks.
“That dick who thought we were all too hick to understand his job?” He’s an insurance broker. I might not have gone to college, but I can do research. “The one who left her for her cousin?”
I don’t like the cousin either. I met her at Iverson and Jamison’s wedding, but I can’t put my finger on why she’s like a splinter you want gone ASAP.
“They’re getting married.”
Figures. That has to be hard for Campbell to hear— Wait. “Is that why Campbell was getting wasted last night?”
He slides his gaze to me, then back to the road, unsurprised. If Campbell got a ride from Jamison, the news of her staying at my place would’ve made it to Iverson. “Probably. And probably because they want to have the wedding at the guest ranch.”
“You’re fucking kidding me.” Anger explodes from me so fast I nearly spit my words.
“That’s not all. They want Campbell to plan it.”
I’m dumbfounded. No one can be that callous. “And she told them to shove it so far up their?—”
“William thinks it’s a good idea, but he’s leaving it up to Campbell.”
My fury mingles with my astonishment. Then compassion seeps between the cracks in my resentment toward Campbell. She was drowning some emotions last night, and for once, I can’t blame her. No wonder she didn’t want to go home wasted.
“So, anyway,” he says gruffly, “thanks for taking careof her last night. Hate for Hawthorne Ranch to lose its newest event coordinator,” he finishes bitterly.
“No problem.” The event coordinator was gone from my house before I went home for lunch. I didn’t tell Iverson how bad she was, only that she didn’t want to go home. Must be why he thought to share the news about the meeting.
A meeting Campbell apparently has today too. Good thing she cleared out early.
I didn’t think to tell her not to bother her sister, but she must have called Jamison anyway. She probably would’ve forgotten my warning before she woke with the world’s worst hangover anyway.
She wasn’t in my house long, but her presence was stamped on everything she touched. She left my shower smelling like strawberries and sunshine. The whirlwind that went through the bathroom didn’t take me long to clean this morning, but when I stopped home for lunch, I had to tidy the guest room too and throw away her banana peel. Why not take a few extra moments to look for the garbage?
She’s not my problem anymore.
“What’s Natalie going to think about your overnight guest?” Iverson asks, his hand draped over the steering wheel.
Now would be the perfect time to tell him Natalie has no reason to care. “She probably won’t be worked up about it. I don’t take advantage of drunk women, and she knows I have issues with Campbell’s level of responsibility.”
He gives me a sidelong look before turning down the winding road that’ll take us to the front of the lodge. “Did Natalie ever tell you what she’s doing after school? Getting a third PhD?”
I snort. If she had, would I have waited through another three or four years? “She’s been getting offers here and there.”
“Are the ‘here and there’ offers anywhere near Montana?” he asks.
“There’s a faculty position in Bozeman she’s waiting to hear on.” My stomach ties into a knot as if I’m lying, but I’m not, technically. She did apply, only it no longer matters.
“Yeah? In what?”
“Molecular biosciences.”
He coughs out a laugh. “Shit.”
Yep, she’s a smart girl. And I was the laid-back guy she wanted for a while.
