She heard the edge in his voice and it made her sad. “Just me and the horses.”
“That’s the way you used to like it,” he pointed out. “That’s changed with Gavin.”
It changed with Alex, actually. You just didn’t see it.
“What can I help you with, Jameson?” She was too tired to argue. Her emotions had been through enough the past couple of days, and her resilience was at an all-time low.
“I wanted to check on you. Make sure you’re still happy here.”
She turned to stare at her brother. “Still happy here? What do you mean?”
“Well, you’ve been spending time with that Jeffries character. He’s got a lot that could tempt a girl, even one as stubborn as you.”
“A lot being billions of dollars? Why does everyone think I’m some gold digger all of a sudden?”
Jameson rubbed a hand over his face, and Brenne realized he was just as weary as she was. “This is coming out all wrong. Look, what I want to say is, no matter what happens, you’re always a MacAllen, and I will always be here for you. If you decide to marry that billionaire and he levels Whiskey River, then I’ll not be happy. But I’ll always be your brother, and that’s too important to put anything ahead of.”
Brenne listened, realization dawning on her. While he might not have said it in the most eloquent fashion, Jameson was giving his blessing to her relationship with Gavin. Except they didn’t exactly have a relationship. Still, it was quite a gesture, and an unexpected one.
A sudden thought flirted with her consciousness, and she was quick to force it out again. If Jameson is willing to let me date his mortal enemy, would he have given the same blessing to his best friend?
Brenne approached and put her arm around her brother’s waist. Leaning her head against his shoulder, she smiled up at him. “Thank you. I love you too.”
“This doesn’t mean I want you to help him destroy the town now,” he was quick to add.
Brenne laughed. “I know.”
“I want this land to be here for the next generation of MacAllens, like Luke. For them and their children, and their children’s children, just like it was for us.” He stared out the wide stable door at the fields and rolling hills of the ranch. “I know I can’t stop progress, but in this little corner of the world, I want to hold on to the things that matter.”
Her brother’s words echoed in her head as she sat waiting for Peggy Parsons at the saloon that afternoon. She’d had Lou bring her some orange juice because alcohol was the last thing she needed. Her conversation with Jameson had made her introspective, and she was wondering what Whiskey River would look like if Gavin brought the IG HQ to their doorsteps.
I won’t let him take the ranch. I would never let him do that.
Brenne frowned into her glass. What power did she have to say what Gavin Jeffries would or wouldn’t do? They’d struck up a friendship, but he wasn’t the type of friend she’d ask a favor of. He was inscrutable, and she had no idea what lengths their cordiality extended.
She looked up when Peggy appeared at her table. The brunette signaled Johnnie at the bar, calling out her order, then took a seat across from Brenne. “Thank you for coming. And I want to apologize for the way I spoke earlier. It was clear my foot was deep in mouth territory then.”
“What did you want to talk about?” Brenne asked, taking a sip of her juice.
Peggy took a deep breath, then cocked her head and grinned. “Alex told me that you and Gavin Jeffries have been spending a lot of time together on the ranch. He didn’t say anything more than that, and I’m not implying that there is anything going on between the two of you.”
Brenne listened to the disclaimer and nodded. “I am not dating Gavin Jeffries, just so that’s crystal clear.”
“Right,” Peggy said, giving a jerky nod, then smiling gratefully at Johnnie when he handed her a glass filled with pink liquid. She took a sip, then set the glass down. Looking Brenne straight in the eyes, she asked, “Could you be, though?”
“Could I be?”
“Yes. Could you be dating Gavin Jeffries if you wanted to be?”
Brenne considered the question and didn’t know how to answer. “Well, sometimes I catch him looking at me a certain way, but it’s not something I would pursue exactly.”
“You’re not into him?” Peggy took another long drink and licked her lips nervously.
“It’s not that. He’s handsome enough. It’s just that we’re… friends, you know?”
“Look, I’m going to cut to the chase,” Peggy said, the words all coming out in a rush. “The town is in danger of being completely altered by IG’s arrival. We should be looking at any opportunity to change his mind about bringing their company here.”
Brenne opened her mouth to respond, but Peggy held up her hand. “I know what you’re going to say. The optics on this are extremely bad, I realize it, but you’re Brenne MacAllen. Self-confessed wild child. No one would blink twice if they heard you were dating a billionaire. They expect you to do something unexpected.”
Brenne thought about what she was saying. And I thought Gavin was unpredictable. Does the whole town see me like I see him? And if they did, how did that make her feel? “I don’t know, Peggy. I know the town is in danger and I’m not doing anything to push it off a cliff, but is it my place to tell him what to do with his billion-dollar business?”
“Yes. In this one instance, it is.” Peggy’s voice was full of certainty.
Brenne shook her head. “What are you talking about here? Me dating Gavin? You think he’ll fall so deeply in love with me that he won’t build his new headquarters in Whiskey River?”
“Yes,” Peggy said, the certainty still there. “If anyone in this town can convince him not to destroy us all, it’s you.”
“I appreciate the vote of confidence, but I think it might be misplaced. And say I do convince him to move his HQ elsewhere. Then what happens? I live happily ever after with Gavin Jeffries in New York City or San Francisco or whatever major metropolis he calls home? What if I don’t like it? What if I leave him and come home? Couldn’t he just decide to destroy the town out of spite?”
“That part remains to be seen, but I’m sure you can see why I’m asking you to do this?” Peggy’s expression was earnest, and she leaned in to squeeze Brenne’s hand.
“To be honest, I can’t. You barely come home anymore. Why are you so hellbent on saving Whiskey River?”
“Just because I don’t live here doesn’t mean I want my hometown destroyed,” she said, looking away.
Brenne thought she might be hiding something more, but she didn’t pressure her. She finished her juice, then pulled her hand out of Peggy’s grip. The other woman looked a little forlorn in that moment, and Brenne felt herself cave.
“Say I agreed to this scheme. How do you think I’ll get Gavin to fall in love with me? I’m punching way above my weight class here. He knows the president, for chrissakes. And the pope. And probably that queen in England. I’m just a cowgirl from north Texas.”
“If you’re worried about looking the part, don’t be. I’ll help you there. We’ll just give you a bit of a makeover so you fit in with the right class of people. Henry Higgins has nothing on me.”