Free A Moment To Love by Jennifer Faye

economy. He was already failing at the responsibility he’d inherited—saving Haggerty. And time was running out until foreclosure.
    His thoughts turned back to Lexi. She had more spunk than he’d originally given her credit for. He regretted that they were on opposite sides of this fight, because he found her gorgeous, strong-willed, and fiercely independent. Quite an intoxicating combination.
    And if he wasn’t careful, she could end up walking away with his legacy.
    ♥♥♥
    After an early morning phone call about her missing luggage, Alexis made her way to the front desk. Mrs. Sanchez glanced up from reading a glossy magazine. Her heavily made-up eyes gazed over the black rims of her reading glasses as she smiled.
    “Good morning. My, don’t you look like you’re ready for an adventure?”
    “Your suggestion of where to find some clothes to tide me over until my luggage shows up was very helpful. Thank you.”
    “Any time, dear.” Mrs. Sanchez laid the magazine on the counter. “You’ll find that Whistle Stop doesn’t have all the amenities of New York City, but it makes up for it with a friendly community spirit.”
    “I’ve noticed. Everyone has been so nice and helpful. I could get used to this.” And she meant every word of it.
    Mrs. Sanchez’s eyes widened. “Are you considering buying the Lawson land?”
    Alexis hesitated. Mrs. Sanchez was friendly, but she was also very astute. Alexis didn’t want to give away her plans before she was ready. But she wasn’t about to outright lie—that wasn’t her style.
    “Actually, I am considering it. From what I’ve seen so far, the Southwest is beautiful.”
    Mrs. Sanchez beamed as though Alexis had directly complimented her. “It really does have its charms. And we’d love to have you as a resident of Whistle Stop. I’ll have to introduce you to the girls in town. Let’s see, there’s Ana, the girl who owns the Green Chile Cantina. She’s about your age.” Mrs. Sanchez placed a red-painted fingernail against her chin as she got lost in thought.
    “Thanks. But you don’t have to bother.” Alexis didn’t want the whole town to get the wrong impression.
    “Why in the world not?” The woman gave her the strangest look. “If you’re shy, don’t worry. Everyone will make you feel welcome—”
    “No, it’s not that. It’s just that—well, nothing is definite.”
    “Oh. I understand. I won’t say a word until the deal is official. The holdup, it’s Cord, isn’t it? Is he being disagreeable?”
    Now she was the one who was confused. “What?”
    Mrs. Sanchez frowned. “He’s the reason you haven’t bought the land.”
    What exactly did this woman know? Something told Alexis that it was more than she was letting on. She was certain that Cord wouldn’t have said anything to her, but that didn’t mean Cord’s Realtor hadn’t let something slip after she’d run her idea for the resort past him to get an idea if the town would support her plan. Mr. Forbes definitely thought that would be the case. She sure hoped he was right.
    “Cord and I are talking, but nothing is definite.”
    Mrs. Sanchez leaned back on the stool that sat behind the counter. Her eyes glittered as though she were about to burst if she didn’t share a secret. “I have it from a very good source that he isn’t the easiest man to deal with. It’s been said that he’s unreasonable and has a temper with a short fuse.”
    “Cord? Really?” Alexis felt compelled to come to the man’s defense. Just because he didn’t want to sell his land to a developer didn’t mean he was a bad man. “That’s surprising. I’ve found him to be quite the opposite.”
    “Really?” Mrs. Sanchez leaned forward on the counter as though they were about to share a confidence, even though they were the only two in the office. “He’s not mean or rude?”
    “He’s been a perfect gentleman to me. In fact, he’s been quite friendly.” She thought of the way he’d taken the