By the time she finished her explanation, she was out of breath. Her excitement would have been infectious if she were dealing with anyone else, Cole imagined. But it was him she wanted to convince, and so far, she was failing. “That’s not how ranchestypically make money,” he said. “You want to run a ranch, just run it like a ranch. Why take all these extra steps?”
“Because it’s what I’m good at,” she said, the insistence clear in her tone. “I know what I’m good at, and I’m playing to my strengths.” She didn’t even give him time to think before she concluded, “Anyway, if you think it’s a good price, I’ll go ahead and make the offer.” And she marched off without waiting for him to follow.
After the purchase was made, which included delivery of the animal, she happily drove back to the ranch. If Cole didn’t know any better, he’d have said she was downright smug. Maybe she was. Either way, while she drove, she elaborated on her scheme. “We’re going to get a couple sheep, some calves, and I was thinking something small, too—rabbits or chickens or something. Ooh, maybe I should get a peacock.”
Cole could only shake his head. “All this for a petting zoo? I wouldn’t recommend the peacock in that case.”
“It won’t just be a petting zoo, silly man,” she said, and he couldn’t help liking the sound of it. Something about her talking down to him in just that way reminded him of a tiny, hissing kitten. Spicy but cute. She continued her explanation. “I’m going to have modular cabins built around the property, so people can stay for a while. We’ll have activities for children and adults, and a gift shop. We could sell wool mittens made from our sheep, cheese made from our cows and goats.” She paused, and he could almost see the lightbulb flicker to life over her head. “Oh, Fabergé eggs for the holiday season! How cool would that be?”
Cole flipped on her blinker for her when she failed to do so before turning. “You’re like a woman possessed. All these ideasare well and good in the city, but here? No one’s going to come out here for vacation. There’s nothing else here.”
“That’s the whole point,” she said, not even a little discouraged. “People in the city need a break from the city. Believe me, I know. They want to get away from it all, and this is about as far from it all as you can get without going into the wilderness.”
“How’s anyone going to know it’s even here?”
She nudged him and winked when he glanced over at her. “Now, that is my specialty. The trick is to create a social media platform. We grab their hearts with our animal rescue videos. We build anticipation with our work-in-progress clips for the hospitality part. We grab their imagination by selling them on a life-changing experience. And then we sell them useful, homemade products to remember it all.”
Everything in Cole resisted her idea. It was ridiculous, and he knew it. He wanted to debate her more on the matter, to keep her from making this massive mistake. She wasn’t a bad person at all, but she was naïve. She thought people would come to an old ranch to… What? “What kinds of activities are you thinking people will pay for here?” he couldn’t help asking.
She shrugged. “Educational ones. Like milking cows and goats, horseback riding—you know, all the stuff you said I couldn’t do. So, that’s where you come in, I guess.”
Cole felt the frown invade his face before he could do anything to stop it. “I don’t do hospitality or customer service.”
“Then teach me how, and I’ll handle it. You can do behind-the-scenes stuff instead.”
She was so sure of herself, but Cole knew he would have to leave as soon as guests started visiting the ranch. Outing himself wasn’t a risk he was willing to take, at least not yet. For now, he’d play along. Watching this lost kitten start to explore her world, pouncing on problems with the confidence of a full-grown tiger, made him start to feel optimistic for the first time in a long time. It was too good of a show to walk away from, especially not when he had front-row seats. Even if she failed—and he was pretty sure she would—he knew she’d do it in the most spectacular way. She was right. She was good at selling experiences, and truth be told, Cole was desperate to buy this one.
CHAPTER 8
KAT
Kat woke up beside herself with excitement. Several things were already going her way. She had construction crews on the property, and they were very happy with the build sites she’d chosen. She had already started landscaping around her cabin, which she was also renovating inside and out. She hadn’t decided whether she would turn it into another rentable building or if she was going to continue to live in it and expand it somehow. Either way, right now, it was home sweet home.
Tony was feeling a little better and praising her for learning as quickly as she did. Cole was critical as always, but some nice eye candy either way. For some reason, she just liked having him around despite how often they clashed.
To top it all off, the calves were coming in today, and Kat was so excited to receive them. She’d never met a calf before, but as far as she could tell, they were cute as could be. When the trailer finally pulled up the driveway, Kat leapt up and ran toward it like an excited child. “They’re here!” she called out to anyone who could hear her. “They’re here!”
She greeted the driver the second he put his truck in park, and he circled around to the trailer to open it up for her. “Where do you want ’em?”
Before she could answer, Cole strode over to offer his opinion, no doubt. “What’s all this?” he asked, adjusting his hat until it shaded his face well enough for his liking.
“The calves you purchased,” the driver said.
Cole turned to Kat and arched one eyebrow at her.
“What?” she said. “We need livestock, don’t we? So I bought baby cows.”
“Are they all female?” he asked.
The driver answered, “They are.” He seemed to be under the impression that Cole was here to ensure the delivery was correct. “These are the same calves Ms. Naylor chose.” He opened the door to the trailer, and Kat’s eyes went wide when she saw the calves.
“Oh my gosh, aren’t they just the cutest things?”
“Where do you want them?” the driver asked.
“Oh, in with the goats is just fine,” she answered.
“Absolutely not,” Cole said, putting himself between Kat and the calves. “Where did you get these from?” he asked her. “Did you do any kind of research on the place before you bought them? Do you even know whether they’re healthy? Do you have an isolated area to keep them while you wait to see if they’re sick?”