Liam knew he should be pissed that she’d hidden this from him, but his pride in her swelled. “All by herself?”
&
nbsp; “Maybe. I think her brothers know, but they still want to sell. I suspect Brody thinks the company is holding his siblings back, Katie in particular. And he’ll want to do what is best for his family. He’s always put their interests first.”
“Then Katie’s the driving force behind the counteroffer too.”
“That’s my guess.” Eric placed his elbows on his desk. “After talking with Tim, I can tell you one thing. Any deal we negotiate with Summers Family Trucking should include her.”
Every muscle in his body tensed. “You want her to work here? For Moore Timber?”
Eric nodded. “Her forward-thinking business sense makes Katie one of Summers Family Trucking’s biggest assets.”
“She’s not going to like that. She plans to take that job in Montana if they offer it.”
“Maybe not, but I get the feeling she’ll understand. You’re seeing her this weekend, right?”
“I am.” Liam frowned. “But I wasn’t planning to talk shop.”
“I’m not asking you to discuss mergers and acquisitions over dinner. I don’t want to tip our hand until Monday’s meeting, which by the way needs to include her. But it would be great if she had another reason to stay in Independence Falls.”
Liam lifted his bottle of water to his lips and quickly drained it. He needed to make the right decision for Moore Timber. His best friend since grade school had trusted him with a piece of the business. Liam damn well better do right by Eric.
But the thought of spending Saturday night with Katie and not telling her about Eric’s offer—it felt wrong. And when it came to Katie, he’d already screwed up.
“There is a lot of money to be made in this area,” Eric continued. “I don’t have the connections. Hell, I spoke out against it at the state loggers’ association years ago when it was first introduced. My father was against it and I followed his lead. Most of the leaders in this area probably wouldn’t take my calls.”
Liam lowered his empty bottle. “But they’d talk to Katie.”
“They would. The industry has changed. And we need to move with it,” Eric said. “I plan to hand Moore Timber over to Nate one day. And when I do, I want it to be a thriving company.”
“I get it man, I do.” Liam wanted to leave a piece of this business to his kids one day too, not just a pile of bills marked overdue like his dad had left behind. “But I can’t hurt her again.”
“I’m not asking you to trick her into selling, working here, or even staying,” Eric said. “Just move up your timetable. Do whatever you need to do to make her see that she has a future here.”
As if his friend’s words had opened a window to his dreams, Liam pictured Katie living with him in the house he planned to build on the land. They’d keep her animals. All of them. His imagination ran wild, adding a barn to the property for her horses and riding trails cut through the woods.
He wanted to turn that fantasy into reality. But if she suspected he’d tried to manipulate her, even for a minute, she’d walk away and never look back.
Liam turned and headed for the door. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Chapter 11
KATIE STARED OUT at the smooth surface of the lake. The water level was low, but Liam’s friend had agreed to let them take the boat. She’d reserved a “luxury” cabin on the other side, though she suspected that clean sheets and hot water were the owner’s definition of lavish amenities.
And an outdoor shower. The boudoir photographer had pointed that out to her. Apparently Clive Jones from Stolen Moments Photography loved working with water.
She glanced over her shoulder at the empty parking area. Both Liam and Mr. Jones should be here any minute. She planned to take the boudoir photographer with them, let him check out the location, and determined if he was a creep. Then they would take him back. And she would seduce Liam at the cabin.
In her postage stamp of a hometown, it wouldn’t take long for word to get back to her brothers that she’d spent the night with Liam. It had taken less than twenty-four hours seven years ago.
Of course, she could play cards with Liam all night and still probably spark her brothers’ tempers. Once the rumors started, what really happened in the cabin wouldn’t matter. But the thought of being alone with Liam and not touching him . . . impossible. Not with the memory of that orgasm in Big Buck’s burned into her memory.
The sound of tires hitting the gravel parking area drew her attention. Spotting Liam’s truck, she forced a smile and waved. He pulled into the space beside her wagon, opened the driver’s side door, and hopped down.
“Hi, honey.” The familiar endearment, the low timber of his voice that had been part of her life for so long—and her fantasies—pushed at her guilt. He’d apologized for the past. Offered explanations. They had both been young, stupid, and hurting.
Maybe she should abandon her plan. After all, she had the signed contract with Black Hills.