Free A Cowboy Comes Home by Barbara Dunlop

“I’ll be good if you will.”
    And then he found himself second-guessing the wisdom of that particular promise. Honestly, it might be worth letting her blow the sale if it meant they could flirt instead.

Five
    A t a window table at the Riverfront Grill, Mandy plucked the cherry from the top of her hot-fudge sundae. She considered it consolation food, since Caleb’s sales meeting was going so well. Frank Cummings had come prepared with everything from surveyors’ drawings to photographs and climate charts. Nathan Brooks, a fifty-something man from Colorado Springs, was enthusiastic and obviously interested in the ranch.
    She licked the whipped cream from the cherry and popped the fruit into her mouth, catching Caleb’s gaze as she chewed contemplatively and swallowed.
    “I’m sorry?” Caleb turned his attention back to Nathan. “Can you repeat the question?”
    “The upkeep of the house?”
    “Has been regular, thorough maintenance, from paint and fixtures to plumbing and electrical.”
    Mandy selected one of the dessert spoons. The waiter had provided four and set them in the middle of the table. She assumed it was to make her feel less self-conscious about being the only person at the table to order dessert. Not that she cared. It was only a chocolate sundae. Caleb was about to sell his birthright.
    She scooped up a mound of whipped cream.
    “The house is on a separate well?” asked Nathan.
    “A well for the house. One for the outbuildings, and a third for the staff quarters.”
    “Those cabins are all less than five years old,” Frank put in. “They’re a great draw for couples or families who are interested in working at the ranch.”
    “What about irrigation?” asked Nathan.
    “Two-hundred acres are irrigated and seeded to hay,” Caleb answered.
    “Four-hundred,” Mandy put in.
    Everyone looked her way.
    “They doubled it,” she explained, seeing no reason to leave the man with a misconception.
    “Thanks,” said Caleb.
    She waved her spoon in acknowledgment, then dug into the ice cream and warm fudge.
    “There are water rights on the river.” Frank produced a sheaf of papers. “Spelled out in the agreement with the state.”
    Mandy swallowed her smooth, cool mouthful. “You might want to tell him about the review.”
    Both Caleb’s and Frank’s eyes went wide. Nathan turned to look at her. “Review?”
    “The water rights are up for review.” She dug her spoon in again, going for a big glob of the thick, cooling fudge. “It’s a provision under the regulations. The first stakeholders meeting is this weekend. Here. In Lyndon. You must have seen the notices.”
    “Well,” Frank put in heartily. “I don’t think it’s so much a review of existing—”
    Nathan’s eyes narrowed across the table at Frank. “You knew about this?”
    Mandy stopped midbite, taking in the men’s expressions. Nathan looked angry. Frank looked like a deer in the headlights. While Caleb was glaring at her in obvious frustration.
    Okay, can of worms, she’d own up to that. But surely they hadn’t expected to keep the review a secret. The man deserved to know what he was getting into.
    Nathan pushed back his chair and threw his napkin down on the table. “Thank you for your time, gentlemen. Ms. Jacobs.”
    Frank quickly hopped up. “It’s not what you might think. If you’d like, I can email a link to the Colorado information site.”
    Nathan headed for the exit, with Frank hustling along behind.
    Mandy finished the bite of fudge sauce.
    “You did that on purpose,” Caleb accused, as he waved a waiter over to the table.
    “I did not.” She brandished her spoon. “But I hope you’re not going to sit there and defend a plan to keep Nathan Brooks in the dark about the water review.”
    “No one’s officially served notice to the property owners.”
    “You were going to keep him in the dark,” Mandy accused. She couldn’t believe it. She never would have expected it of Caleb.
    “And you