It was still both.
“This is different. This is management. God knows I’m not equipped to runthe hotel.”
“I’ve got you,” she said. “All the scheduling, vendors, logistics, I’m on it.”
“I know you are. Maybe a little too on it.”
“No such thing.”
He smiled. “Probably not.” His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he took it out. “Looks like they’re about fifteen minutes out. Want to go to the hotel and meet them?”
“I’ll have to catch them later,” Lila said, shaking her head. “I’ve got an appointment with Nolan.”
“Oh. I don’t actually want anything on the ranch to blow up today.”
“Neither of us is carrying dynamite.”
“It’s more the interaction between the two of you that creates the explosions.”
“We’re grown adults,” Lila said. “We can both behave ourselves.”
“Okay.”
“Oh, ye of little faith,” she said.
“I don’t have little faith, but I do have enough knowledge of human nature, and of the two of you, for me to have my concerns regardingbehavior.”
“You want a nature trail, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Logistics, Cody. You want me on logistics, and I’m logisticking. We’re working on the nature trail. A nice little flat loop for the people who don’t want to do any hiking. Something that’s a little bit more accessible. It’s all good. We have a common goal. We won’t kill each other.”
How did that common goal even come to be? He didn’t know, and he didn’t even really want to ask.
“Fine. Go do your thing. I’ll go do mine. Do you want to have dinner later?”
She wrinkled her nose. “I mean, are you cooking?”
“That was the offer.”
“Then yes. See you at dinner time.”
“See you,” he said.
He walked past her, going into the house and heading inside. He had done his best to make this place into nothing like his father, and into something for him and his brother and sister. Lila currently lived in a tiny house on the property, which was so tiny that she frequented the main house to get some space and access to a nicer, more modern shower, as well as meals. Walker lived in a cabin down by the creek that predated what had later become the main house.
He had spent the past year refurbishing it, and it was pretty good now.
As for this place… He had basically gutted it. Left no trace of his father or his father’s taste behind. Not because Cody cared so much about his surroundings, but because his father had liked his surroundings to look a certain way, and dismantling it, stud by stud, had been the closest thing to therapy Cody was probably ever going to get
It was also very different from the apartment that he had spent most of his childhood living in. Bright, with tall ceilings, and it had amazing views.
He went upstairs and stepped under a cold shower before changing into some fresh clothes. He didn’t need to meet new employees looking like he had just rolled in from a dust heap.
This was going to continue to be a working ranch. He was going to continue on with his passion, which was ranching, the land, and there was going to be this other piece to it that kept things running.
He rubbed his jaw, which was rough with stubble, and glanced in the mirror. It was going to have to do.
