Summer Days. Сьюзен Мэллери

her cheese. One that went beyond Fool’s Gold.

      She’d contacted a few stores in Sacramento and San Francisco about carrying her cheese. While they’d been interested, getting samples to the stores meant leaving the ranch and her goats. What she needed was a sales rep who could do the legwork for her. Someone with experience. Finding such a person seemed impossible. Give her a restless crowd and a game of ringtoss and she could take control in about fifteen seconds. But the business world was out of her realm of expertise. Something that hadn’t concerned her until now.

      “You named your goats after Greek goddesses?” Rafe asked.

      “I thought it would be fun for them and for me.”

      “They read the classics, do they?”

      “Oh, Rafe.” May shook her head. “You’ll have to forgive my son. He doesn’t have much of a sense of humor.”

      “I have a fine sense of humor.”

      Heidi tilted her head. “Yes, and all those people who try out for American Idol think they can sing.”

      Rafe turned toward her, his dark gaze settling on her face. His expression was unreadable, but she had a good idea of what he was thinking. Something along the lines of Who do you think you are, trying to take me on? Be prepared to be squashed, little bug.

      She squared her shoulders. He might be richer and bigger and a whole lot scarier, but that didn’t mean she would go down without a fight.

      “What do they eat?” May asked.

      “Good-quality hay and alfalfa. They need lots of water. They love to be out eating grass and pretty much any kind of brush. I move them around to different parts of the ranch. We also get calls all summer from people wanting to borrow our goats to clear land.”

      They left the goat area and went through the main barn, where most of the stalls were held together more by wishful thinking than actual wood. One section was still sound, and there Heidi boarded two horses, including her friend Charlie’s large gelding.

      The more they toured, the more Heidi became aware of the broken fence line, the weeds and the sad condition of nearly every building on her property. She’d been making steady progress. The goats had been her main concern. Now that they had the hooved equivalent of a five-star hotel, she planned to focus on the house and the barn. Or she had, before Glen had put them both so deeply into debt.

      Back in the house, Heidi served samples of her goat cheese.

      “Very nice,” May said, nibbling on her pieces, then taking seconds. “Really delicious. Tell me about the soap.”

      “I make it from goat milk. It’s mild and very moisturizing. The lower pH level can help with some skin conditions. I sell it to several mothers in town who have kids with eczema. It seems to help.”

      “I’d love to try a bar.”

      “Of course.” Heidi walked to the cupboard where she kept her inventory. She picked two scented with lavender and carried them back. She handed one each to May and Rafe.

      “Thank you,” he said. “I enjoy smelling like flowers.”

      “Maybe you should try it,” his mother told him. “Women might like it.” May turned to Heidi. “Rafe has a terrible time in relationships.”

      “Mother.”

      “You do. And now you’re dealing with that Nina person. A matchmaker. Can you believe it? That’s how bad he is at getting his own girl.”

      Heidi could practically hear Rafe’s jaw grinding. Rafe might be a pain in the ass, but Heidi had a feeling she was going to like May just fine.

      Keeping her expression as neutral as possible, she turned to Rafe. “There are a lot of single women in Fool’s Gold. Would you like me to ask my friends if they know anyone who would go out with you?”

      “No. Thank you, but no.”

      She had to press her lips together to keep from grinning. “You’re sure?”

      “Very.”

      May took another piece of cheese. “It’s all so beautiful here. My children grew up on this ranch.”

      “I’d heard,” Heidi said.

      Glen went over to the coffeemaker and started a pot. “One of these days I’m hoping Heidi gives me a great-grandchild. I’m still waiting.”

      Now it was Heidi’s turn to squirm.

      “You have three children?” Glen asked.

      “Four,” May told him, wandering across the kitchen, toward him. “Three boys and a girl. Shane breeds horses, and Evangeline is a dancer. Clay—”

      “Tell me about the goat manure,” Rafe said, interrupting.

      Heidi blinked at him. “Excuse me?”

      “You sell it?”

      “Yes. It makes a great fertilizer. Do you need some?”

      “No.”

      It took her a second to realize he wasn’t interested in talking about the goats as much as he’d wanted to change the subject. Talk about subtle avoidance. She replayed in her mind what May had been saying and realized he’d been keeping his mother from talking about Clay.

      “If you change your mind…” she murmured, wondering if there was bad blood in the family.

      Glen collected clean mugs from the cupboard.

      May smiled at him. “You know your way around the kitchen.”

      “I’ve been on my own for a long time. A man does what he has to. This one—” he pointed to Heidi

      “—showed up in my life when she was three. Cutest little thing ever, but her daddy was long grown, and I’d forgotten everything I’d known about raising kids. Not that I’d been around much for mine. I was the kind of man who’d taken off first chance he could. Not proud of that. Still, I muddled along with Heidi, and we became a family.”

      May sighed. “What a wonderful story. So many men wouldn’t have bothered.”

      Heidi held in a groan. While Glen had taken her in and raised her, she knew the story was more about impressing May than recounting the past. Her grandfather had always had a way with the ladies. Unfortunately, he didn’t exactly have much of a track record when it came to long-term romantic relationships. She was going to have to remind him that he’d already stolen two hundred and fifty thousand dollars from May. Breaking her heart on top of that wouldn’t be helpful.

      He poured coffee. Heidi collected milk from the refrigerator and asked if anyone wanted sugar. Rafe, of course, drank his coffee black.

      “Is it goat milk?” May asked, picking up the small pitcher and pouring.

      “Yes.”

      “I can’t wait to try it.” She took a sip and smiled. “Perfect. In fact, everything is perfect. From what I can tell, there’s no reason why we can’t work out some kind of compromise.”

      “Mom,” Rafe began.

      His mother waved him into silence. “I want this, Rafe. I want to be a part of the ranch, and I don’t think there’s any reason Heidi and Glen can’t be a part of it, too. There’s room for all of us.”

      Heidi liked the sound of a compromise, but she would reserve judgment until she heard all the terms. Or had the money to pay May back. Although she had a feeling that the latter was going to take a little longer.

      “What did you have in mind?” Heidi asked.

      “I want to make a few improvements,” May said. “The barn needs to be fixed and the fence lines. This house…” She glanced at the aging appliances. “Those were old when I lived here. I hated that oven.”

      “Me,