Page 5 of A Montana Childhood Promise (Sagebrush Ranch Sweethearts #3)

CHAPTER FOUR

The last month had been a whirlwind of craziness. Jane knew it was a lot of work to put together a gala of this caliber—but she’d naively figured that it would be a step or several down from the ones she’d read about taking place in bigger cities.

Nope. No such luck.

Bo Reese had been insistent that they could handle a huge event like this one. He’d told her to tell her boss and the higher-ups that this would be the party of the century—at least for the state of Montana.

When she’d assured him that they had the options to scale back, he’d refused.

So here she was, spending most of her day prepping for the gala at the ranch. After tomorrow, she’d have to supervise clean-up. They got word from the higher-ups that they wanted the ranch to be pristine when they were done.

She’d figured they had rules for that sort of thing. Policies and procedures would be in place. But the fact that the people in charge told them to ensure it happened made her wonder if a different gala had ended poorly.

Either way, she’d been the one selected to supervise the clean-up process.

She didn’t mind. Was she a higher up? No.

Did she make most of the decisions? Also no.

But that was why she’d come out here, right?

There had been no room for growth at the other location any time soon, and she needed the money.

No one knew about the sacrifices she’d made to take care of her grandfather.

He’d served in the military, too, but things turned out differently for him when he was diagnosed with early onset dementia.

It cost a whole lot of money to have him in a facility that could help him.

They called it memory care. And it was nice to see they were putting priority on making sure he remembered to eat and get up in the morning.

Still, she hated that she’d had to move as far as she had just so she could help pay for it.

Her parents had insisted that she didn’t have to help—they wanted her worrying about her own life. But Jane knew that was just code for they were disappointed they couldn’t take care of her grandfather on their own.

Maybe that was the reason they didn’t blatantly tell her how disappointed they were she hadn’t started a family. The guilt could be a massive factor in that.

Jane stood firm in her decisions. She wasn’t going to let her parents tell her what to do.

She loved her grandfather, and this job was one of the only reasons they could afford the care he was getting.

If she stopped sending money, they would have to send him to a place that not only smelled funny but was also in a bad part of town.

She shuddered to think of it and turned to her clipboard. Her only job today would be to check off what had been done and make any notes for what would be needed tomorrow morning. The gala would be in the evening, and then she’d be taking charge of clean-up.

Her manager had left already, making sure to use his skill to delegate.

Jane rolled her eyes. It was fine, though. She was good at the organizing and checking her list. She could usually see when something wasn’t quite right.

Like now.

Jane frowned as she moved closer to the platform they’d built. It was a large area with a railing all the way around save for a few areas that had steps down to a gravel path. The path lead in two directions. One to a beautiful garden area. The other to where parking would be located.

The platform in question had tables and chairs at its perimeter with an open area for dancing in the middle. This gala was one where people paid per table to be in attendance, and there would be a live performance by a country music star who had grown up in this area.

Jane’s family had never really gotten into that sort of thing, so she didn’t know who the performer was.

The problem with the platform was that it was high enough to create a problem when it got dark. The railing would help, but she knew something had been missing, and now she’d figured it out.

She snapped her fingers to one of the cowboys who was helping with wrapping lights around the railing. He glanced up at her then wandered over. “Yes, ma’am?”

“Do you have enough of those lights to drape them around the base, too? I think it’d look much better to have the whole thing look like it was floating. Lighting it there,” she gestured with a wave of her hand, “would be breathtaking in the dark.”

The cowboy nodded curtly. “I’m certain we have enough. And if not, I’ll call Bo. He can get some more sent over from town.”

She smiled. “That would be wonderful.”

There were lights strung up overhead, lanterns that would glow and add the right kind of ambiance to the whole event.

She’d seen the guest list. There were people from several of the larger companies that were based in Billings but also in California and New York.

She didn’t know how they’d managed to get such a broad guest list, but she wasn’t going to complain.

Those people had deep pockets. They had the entitlement to go with it, and she’d always wondered if the entitlement came before or after they came into money.

It was one of the biggest reasons she steered clear of anyone who had enough money to buy a car or a house with cash. Something told her that money would be the driving force that would change who she was, and she didn’t want the temptation of it at all.

She moved around the setup, crossing off items and scribbling notes. They still needed to set up the catering tent nearby. They’d already covered their bases when it came to restrooms and hand washing.

Jane felt a presence behind her before he spoke. The sound of his warm, gruff voice sent shivers rocketing down her spine.

“It looks great.”

She didn’t turn, didn’t acknowledge him with more than a nod as she kept her eyes trained on the clipboard. Her body had betrayed her one too many times. Noah was off limits as far as she was concerned, though for what reason, she had none.

He was Mack’s younger brother.

But that shouldn’t bother her. She’d never been romantically involved with Mack.

Maybe it was the age difference. She’d always imagined marrying someone who was older than she was.

But with Noah standing a good four inches taller than she was, Jane couldn’t help but feel like that was a terrible excuse.

Noah came to stand beside her, his arm brushing against hers in the most delicious way. “You did a good job. I hope your bosses recognize your skillset.”

She scoffed and shot him an unimpressed look. “I hardly did anything. I’m an underling.”

He lifted a brow then gestured to the clipboard. “You look pretty official to me.”

Jane shrugged.

Noah made a show of looking closer at her notes. “I don’t think an underling would go above and beyond like that. You’re finding holes in this whole thing.”

She moved the clipboard beneath her arm and turned to face him. “Did you need anything?” It was difficult to accept praise from anyone—especially someone like Noah for some reason. She’d have to investigate those reasons another time.

He shook his head, that infuriating smirk crossing his face as he watched her. The way his eyes drilled into her did strange things to her that she wasn’t ready to study too closely. So she shifted the focus from her to something else— anything else.

With a wave of her hand, she let out a sigh.

“This place does all the work. I mean, look at it. How can you live on a property like this and wish for anything. I would have loved to grow up here. It’s simple and elegant and beautiful in a way that you can’t get anywhere else.

” She glanced at him, noting he was staring again.

Dang it. She cleared her throat. “It just makes me think about how people live when the most important thing in their life isn’t money.

They don’t have to worry about the next paycheck or where food is going to come from—because they can grow it themselves. ”

At her frown, he startled and turned his focus to their surroundings. “You know, it’s not as simple as you might believe.”

“Oh? Are you talking about getting up in the morning and milking the cows? Or about weeding the crops and growing food you put on the table.”

That adorable grin tugged at his lips. “In part.”

“Then what else are you referring to?”

He faced her again, studying her with an intensity that forced her to fight a shiver. “You realize that my family—my extended family—they’re one of the wealthiest families in this town.”

She hated the way she balked at him, her mouth falling open and her eyes widening. Jane wasn’t dumb. To own property was a privilege that the wealthy had the opportunity for—one most had to shed blood, sweat, and tears for. And the more she thought about it, the hotter her face became.

Of course they’d have a lot of money. Even so, they’d probably have to worry about making ends meet because it wasn’t just about putting food on the table. It was feeding the animals and the crops.

She’d been so na?ve to let herself believe for even one second that the people here weren’t ruled by finances, too.

There was no escaping it.

He reached out and slid a knuckle down her cheek, and she jumped. “Sorry,” he mumbled, taking a decided step backward.

Jane’s flesh felt cool where he’d touched, his hand stealing away the heat that had been there moments ago. She blinked and ignored the strange sensation. “I can’t believe I didn’t see it.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, well, it wasn’t always that way. They had to claw themselves from nothing generations ago. It does take hard work, and that part of their lives can be… simple… I guess.”

She blushed again and forced out a laugh if only to stop herself from making a bigger fool of herself by saying something really stupid. “I guess in that case, I wouldn’t want something this big.”

His expression became unreadable save for a little curiosity in his eyes, so she continued.

“What I mean is that I don’t want a life where money is the biggest focus.

I want simple. I want humble. I want to make sourdough bread on Saturday morning so we can have fresh grilled cheese sandwiches at lunch.

I think money changes people. It’s needed, don’t get me wrong.

” She sent a sweeping gesture at the area where they’d have the gala.

“But it’s only needed in so much as the good it can do for others. ”

Noah frowned at her. It was short-lived because the second she caught it, he smoothed his expression to a blank one. Had she offended him? He probably liked the fact that his cousins were well off enough to invite him here to stay.

She cleared her throat uncomfortably. “What I’m trying to say is that I don’t want it because I don’t want it to change me.

I don’t see myself as being one of those stuffy heiresses who throws money at problems to make myself feel better about what I have.

” She craved knowing if he understood where she was coming from.

In fact, she nearly asked him outright—but then she stopped herself.

Jane didn’t need his validation. She knew where she stood.

Still, he looked somewhat wounded. She opened her mouth to apologize, but he cut her off.

“You know, you could take me up on our pact and live here… simply, of course. I’m sure you’re aware that the Reese family wealth doesn’t spread to each of the cousins on the premises.

Of course, you might be required to get up at the crack of dawn to gather eggs, and milk a few cows while you’re at it. ”

She snorted, though secretly not hating the idea. He was right. The money clearly belonged to the people who owned the ranch. Mack had said it was like a family compound, and his uncle had invited his family to share in the prosperity he’d garnered.

Jane cut a glance at Noah, only slightly surprised to find he seemed to be completely serious about his offer. She rolled her eyes and bumped her shoulder to his. “You really have to quit asking me to marry you. One of these days, I might say yes.”

His voice lowered as did his lips to her ear. “And maybe that’s exactly what I’m hoping for.”

Goosebumps rose along her arms, and the hairs on the back of her neck prickled with a different sort of feeling. It would have almost been pleasurable if she wasn’t so terrified he wasn’t teasing her.

Was Noah being serious? It was the second time he’d brought up their pact like it was a legitimate possibility.

Jane faced him and pressed two fingers to his chest to get him to back up a step. “I’m good. But if things change, you’ll be the first to know.” With that, she brushed past him and headed toward the platform for another sweep.