Free A Cowboy Comes Home by Barbara Dunlop Page A

were going to behave yourself at this meeting,” he countered.
    The waiter stopped beside their table.
    “Glen Klavitt, on the rocks. A double,” said Caleb.
    “I can’t believe you would intentionally keep a buyer in the dark.”
    “Hey, I’m not his nursemaid.”
    “But you know the water rights are under review.”
    “I also know it’s a routine review. And we’re talking about preliminary discussions to determine if there should even be an official review.”
    “You’ve been doing your homework.” Despite her disappointment in his principles, Mandy had to admire that.
    “Which is what Nathan Brooks ought to have done. And what he likely would have done, after he’d seen the ranch and maybe fallen in love with it. And at that point, he would have been far more interested in making a compromise and listening to reason.”
    Okay. Mandy had to admit, when you looked at it like that, Caleb wasn’t completely amoral.
    “You don’t lead with your flaws, Mandy.”
    The waiter set Caleb’s drink down on the table.
    Caleb nodded his thanks. “Marketing 101.”
    “I never studied marketing,” she told him, scooping up another bite of ice cream, feeling a little like celebrating now. The sale was dead. She had some more time to find Reed.
    “Did you study manipulation?” Caleb asked.
    “They didn’t have it as an elective at Metro State.”
    “Too bad. You’re a natural.”
    “Do you really think I did that on purpose?” She hadn’t meant to scare Nathan off. Then again, her heart wasn’t exactly on the side of selling, either.
    “I think you were very effective.”
    She made a show of shaking her head. “You must have studied paranoia.”
    He took a swig of the scotch. “Are you trying to tell me, you had no idea telling him about the review might scare him off? None at all? It never occurred to you? Not for one second?”
    Okay, so as the words were coming out of her mouth, particularly when she saw Caleb’s expression, of course it had occurred to her. But it didn’t seem prudent to admit that now. “I was simply providing information.” She stuck to her original story.
    “Serves me right,” said Caleb, polishing off the drink. “I never should have brought you along.”
    Mandy battled a twinge of guilt, setting down her dessert spoon, deciding she’d had enough of the sweet concoction.
    Frank returned to the table. “I’m afraid we lost him. Permanently.” Then his affable expression hardened as he focused on Mandy. “And you. I trust you learned a valuable lesson—”
    “Leave her out of it,” Caleb immediately put in, tone dark.
    “But—” Frank began. The he took in Caleb’s expression and cut himself off.
    “Win some, you lose some.” Caleb tossed his credit card on the table. “Thank you for your time, Frank.”
    “I…” Frank snapped his mouth shut. “Right. I’ll be in touch.”
    Caleb nodded a dismissal, and Frank deliberately straightened his suit jacket, tugged at the sleeves and headed for the exit.
    “You didn’t need to defend me,” Mandy felt compelled to point out. Caleb standing up for her made her feel even guiltier than she had a few moments ago.
    The waiter came by and smoothly accepted Caleb’s credit card.
    “It’s none of his business what you do or do not say.” Caleb swirled the ice cubes in his glass. “But it is my business. And it’s my responsibility to make sure you’re never in a position to do anything like that again.”
    The intensity of his expression made a shiver run through her. “That sounded like a threat.”
    He tapped his fingertips against the white tablecloth. “I don’t threaten. It’s a waste of time. I just deliver.”
    “In this instance—” she couldn’t seem to stop herself from asking “—what exactly are you going to deliver?”
    While she waited on his answer, he helped himself to one of the extra dessert spoons and took a scoop of the sundae. “You, Mandy Jacobs, are off the list.”
    Okay, that