“It’s showing everybody. Because Samantha Ford wants to get married on your ranch. And you could turn her down, if you wanted to.”
“No. Letting her do it is so much more rewarding.”
“Agreed.”
He didn’t keep going, but there was more to it. He had the power to be a good boss. He had the power to turn this place around. Hell, he’d given Marlowe that truck to use, and he hadn’t asked for anything in return.
His dad would have.
Because his dad had been a prick.
And Cody might be an asshole sometimes, but he had honor.
“I suppose I should go check on her. Make sure that the moving men are doing their job. Because if they don’t, she might need some help lifting things.”
Walker chuckled. “Help lifting things?”
“Yes,” Cody said. “I might not be good for much, but I can lift some things.”
“Cody, your biggest problem is that you’re good for too much. People don’t appreciate it, they take advantage of it, and they don’t see the real you.”
Cody didn’t feel like that was true. But he didn’t want to bother his brother about it anymore. Didn’t want to keep talking about it. It wasn’t exactly his favorite topic of conversation. Because what was there to say?
He’d never been a big one for relationships, and on the occasion when he had attempted to have one, it had all ended the same way. He was closed off, he was inaccessible. Wasn’t emotional enough. And he made it very clear he was never going to be more of any of those things. Always a non-negotiable. He could understand that. Relationships were about compromise.
Which was why he didn’t like relationships. Cody Grayson wasn’t one who liked to compromise.
“Better get on over there,” Walker said, grinning.
Cody shot his brother a middle finger as he rode back toward the barn, putting his horse away and then getting into his truck.
“Chivalry,” he muttered. “This is goddamn chivalry. And I’m not taking shit from a guy who wouldn’t know chivalry if it bit him in the handsome face.”
But, he also knew he was lying. He wanted to be near her again, even though it was a bad idea. Even though he had made an ass of himself only a few hours ago. I’m your boss.
He pulled up to the front of the hotel, which had the beater truck, a moving truck, and Cara’s car parked in the lot,and even though he was preoccupied, he did take a moment to admire the place.
The black paint and honey colored wood beams and accents made a sharp-looking silhouette against the backdrop of all the glorious nature around it. The soft, bark-lined paths that ran around the property, the tall pine trees. They had lavender planted in the front, but it wasn’t blooming yet, because it was still too cold and too early.
Eventually, it would be a riot of color and nostalgia. It had been his mom’s favorite.
She would love this place. Would’ve wanted to stay in it.
If she had just lived a little bit longer. If he could’ve given her this life. The money that he’d earned.
If he could’ve just done more.
He swallowed down the lump in his throat and all the regret in his body and walked beneath the covered area in front of the hotel lobby and pulled on the wooden handle, slipping inside.
Marlowe, Cara, and two moving men were standing inside, next to a diminished pile of boxes and a small couch.
“It does say fourth floor, but the actual access to the unit is too far away,” the one guy was saying.
“Ididn’t know that because I’ve never been here, I imagine that’s not totally uncommon.”
“We can bring it all here, but we’re not taking it up there. We have another house in the truck, and we have to get on the road.”
“Hang on,” Cody said, crossing his arms over his chest. Everyone in the group looked at him. “What does the agreement say?”
