Yes, he’d like it if she quit after the second day. Landon was attractive and had been flirting with her, but that didn’t mean she could trust him. Despite his easy smiles and charming slow drawl, he wanted to take her family’s land. She needed to remember that. “You and my grandfather must have been close for him to consider leaving the ranch to you,” she said casually.
“You could say that.” Landon reached down and scratched Missy’s ears. “Cal and I were cut from the same cloth—the type who prefer to work outdoors instead of cooped up in some office.”
Kate’s eyes narrowed, not in anger but because she was trying to figure Landon out. She wouldn’t have ever described herself as cut from the same cloth as her grandfather—that would be some hard and unbending cloth. “Do you really think he was a good man?”
Landon met her gaze without hesitation. “I know he was.” He tilted his head in question. “Are you still smarting because he yelled at you for kissing Jax? Because if so, it’s long past time to let go of that resentment.”
Easier said than done. Landon made the incident sound small and trivial. It hadn’t been, at least not for her. She leaned back into the couch cushions with a huff. “Do you remember your first kiss? I bet your grandfather didn’t accuse you of committing sin after it.”
“I don’t recall Cal ever using the word sin.”
“It took me two years to kiss anyone else. Every time a guy tried, I had post-traumatic flashbacks.”
Landon settled into the cushions too, matching her stance. “Think of it this way: waiting until you were seventeen for the next kiss probably saved you from a lot of trouble in the long run.”
He was determined to be unsympathetic. Kate crossed her wrists. It was the closest she could come to folding her arms in irritation. “Maybe youarecut from the same cloth as my grandfather. As I recall, on the cattle drive, you jumped to the wrong conclusions pretty fast and refused to budge.”
“Oh? What conclusions do you think I should’ve jumped to when I found my brother lying on top of you, giving you kissing lessons?”
“See, you’re still doing it. The whole incident was completely innocent.”
Landon raised his eyebrows, an expression that indicated he thought she was in self-denial.
“The point is,” she went on, “thanks to you and my grandfather, I had the worst first kiss experience ever. I was probably permanently scarred.”
Landon nodded in sympathy. “Well, if you ever need someone to help you work through your kissing issues, I’d be happy to oblige.”
She was not going to let herself blush at the suggestion. “How thoughtful of you.”
He shrugged. With his broad shoulders, even that little motion looked attractive. “I contributed to the problem. Only seems right I help with the solution.”
“You are nothing but considerate, Mr. Wyle.” And tempting.
“Since you won’t be able to slap anyone for a few more days, I can speak my mind.” His eyes went serious, his teasing gone. “You really do need to forgive your grandfather for the past. I can assure you that he gave Jaxon a worse grilling, and Jax managed to put it behind him. He had a good relationship with Cal. Audrey used to love coming over here with him. You, on the other hand, missed the last seven years of your grandfather’s life.”
Landon’s words were as good as an accusation that she’d been petty. Still, she answered calmly. “I’m not the one who ruined our relationship. Grandpa did that on his own. He was too judgmental, and after he judged a person, he didn’t change his mind.”
“You think he was judgmental because he was upset his fifteen-year-old granddaughter was found underneath a seventeen-year-old boy?” Landon held up his hands to stop her from interrupting. “And it might be the truth that the incident was more innocent than it seemed, but you can’t blame people for believing what their eyes tell them.”
“Mightbe the truth?” she repeated. “Do you think I’m lying about it?”
“No. I know how my brother was back then. He could’ve engineered a fall.”
Doubtful. She’d been the one to stand up while holding the blanket that was wrapped around them. She sighed in resignation. “I guess there’s no point now in trying to convince you that you can’t always believe your eyes. Anyway, Grandpa didn’t even give me a chance to explain. He immediately thought the worst, humiliated me, and sent me home.”
Landon pressed his lips together. “It shouldn’t bother me that you never understood him, but it does.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “When Jaxon was seventeen, he was girl crazy and making bad choices. Cal knew that about him. After the way things went with your parents, you can’t blame him for worrying.”
Kate frowned. “What do you mean ‘the way things went with my parents?’”
Landon’s gaze shot to hers, his eyes suddenly uncertain. She could tell he was reading her expression, judging her reaction.
“What did my grandfather tell you about my parents?”
“Cal wasn’t gossiping. Back when Jax found out his girlfriend was pregnant, Cal told him about your parents as an example of a couple who’d made things work. They had a happy marriage and a good life.”
Had she heard him right? Kate’s jaw went slack and it took her a moment to snap her mouth shut again. “Are you saying my parentshadto get married?”
Landon muttered a curse and straightened. “I’m sorry, Kitty. I thought you knew.”