“Last week.”

“Unfortunately, the seed we sent you has developed a problem. It’s technical so I won’t get into the details right now. Suffice it to say that it’s poisoned.”

Charlie blinked. “What?” she asked, bad-seed references running through her head.

Miles kept his gaze on Clay’s suddenly unreadable face. “It has to come out, Mr. Stryker. As soon as it germinates. And not just the seed. The soil, as well. It’s been contaminated. I brought specific instructions with me, along with information about our insurance. We will, of course, cover the cost for removal and returning your farmland to its previous condition. We’re going to get this right. It will just take a little time.”

Charlie leaned against the back of the sofa. “It all has to go?” she asked.

“Yes,” Miles told her. “Along with eight inches of topsoil. I’m very sorry.”

Clay hadn’t said a word. He stood there, not moving. Taking it all in, she thought sadly. Watching his dream be destroyed before it had even begun. First the burial site, then Nate and now this. He must feel like his Haycation dream was cursed.

“Hand it over,” Clay said.

Miles gave him the paperwork and Clay walked him to the door. When the other man was gone, Clay looked back at Charlie.

“I need to go deal with his,” he told her.

“Are you okay? How can I help? I want to do something.”

He looked resigned. The next words came out slow. “I’ll be fine. We’ll get this fixed and then I’ll plant a new crop next spring. It’s not important. Not like I was feeding people.”

“Clay, don’t. You have a great idea. The Haycations are going to work out. This is a setback.”

“A hell of one,” he muttered. He leaned in and kissed her cheek. “I’ll be in touch.”

He left. She didn’t try to stop him—not sure if she should. While she knew that offering comfort was part of the dating relationship, she wasn’t sure about anything beyond that. Should she have insisted he stay and talk? Forced him to verbalize what he was feeling? She was figuring out the girlfriend thing as she went and not doing that great a job, she thought grimly.

She did believe that too much was coming at Clay too fast, which could send him to a bad place. What she didn’t know was how he would act when he got there. Or what it would change about them.

* * *

“I’VE NEVER known anyone who lived in a hotel before,” May admitted. “It seems so decadent.”

Dominique poured tea into the cups and then set down the pot. “If I were to buy a house, I would need staff. Someone to clean and do the cooking. Someone else for the yard. This seemed easier.”

May smiled at her. “You don’t cook?”

“I don’t like to cook. The food here at the Lodge is good, so why not let them take care of the details? With a suite, I have all I need. Meals are delivered and housekeeping takes care of everything else.”

They were seated in Dominique’s suite at Ronan’s Lodge. She’d ordered afternoon tea for herself and her guest. Not just a luxury, she thought with a sigh as she passed over a plate of cucumber sandwiches. A necessary stand in the battle of civilization over chaos.

“I don’t mean to pry,” May said, “but isn’t it expensive to live in a hotel?”

Dominique took a sandwich for herself and placed it on the delicate plate in front of her. The hotel had lovely china for their tea service. Traditional and just fussy enough to be feminine.

“Money isn’t a problem,” Dominique said quietly. “I did well in my career and I’ve been even more fortunate with my investments. I could live in hotels for three lifetimes and never touch the principal balance. But as I’m sure you learned a long time ago, money might buy security, but it doesn’t buy relationships. Besides, I believe that me living in a hotel helps Charlie. It makes my time here seem less permanent and therefore she’s less threatened by me having bought the dance studio.”

“Impressive,” May said, then sipped her tea. “Looking at it from her point of view.”

“It seems to help.”

Dominique had come to see that she still had a long way to go when it came to understanding the mother-daughter dynamic. But progress had been made. Charlie took her calls and reacted favorably when Dominique suggested they get together. It would be some time before they were truly close, but Dominique was willing to do the work. When she was around her daughter, she felt a sense of belonging she hadn’t experienced since Dan had died. Her only regret was the years she’d wasted being so self-centered and foolish.

“You’re doing well,” May told her.

“I hope so. Once I started to understand what I was doing wrong, I was able to make progress.” She smiled. “I do miss talking about myself, though.”

May laughed. “That’s why you have friends like me.”

Dominique smiled and reached for a sandwich, but her hands shook a little. Were they friends? she wondered. That would be nice. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a real friend. Someone who cared about her without being tied to her business.

“Rafe and Heidi are due home,” May said, obviously not aware she’d said anything significant. “Their flight arrives late Friday. I’m thinking of having a football party on Sunday.”

Dominique tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

“People come over to watch football.”

“On purpose?”

“Yes, on purpose.” May said the words with a smile. “All three of my boys will be there. Heidi, of course and Annabelle. I suspect Clay will want Charlie there. Glen wouldn’t miss it. Why don’t you come? You don’t have to understand the game to have a good time. There will be plenty of food and you can hang with Charlie without there being any pressure.”

Dominique liked the sound of that. Hanging, as May called it. Just being one of the group.

“Thank you. I’d like to bring something.” She smiled impishly. “I’ve gotten to know the head chef at the restaurant. Her sister was a huge fan and danced for several years, so we have that in common. I’m sure she could come up with something delicious.”

May laughed. “Bring dessert. I’m providing everything else. It’s just easy finger food. Nachos, chicken wings and a few other appetizers.”

“Perfect,” Dominique said, thinking about everyone sitting around watching a game on TV. “Easy food means easy conversation. I see where you’re going with that. Very sensible.”

May patted her arm. “You haven’t been around many families, have you?”

“No. I was always traveling or rehearsing or attending class. The world of dance is demanding. When I was on the road, the company had instructors travel with us so we wouldn’t miss practice.” She smiled. “When I know you better, I’ll let you see my feet. Dancers’ feet are not pretty. Between the broken toes, the bruises, the years of abuse, we end up with battered and twisted feet.” She held out her leg, showing off her sensible pump. “All concealed under the finest leather.”

“You worked very hard for your success.”

“I did,” Dominique said easily. “The effort was the easy part. Being away was difficult. When I was married, I desperately missed Dan. After he was gone, I couldn’t seem to grasp he wouldn’t be home waiting for me. I’ve never been so sad.”

“That was a long time ago.”

“I’ll never stop loving him.”

“I know the feeling. I lost my husband, as well. It took me nearly twenty years to find Glen.” May’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. “I never thought I’d be in love again. Certainly not at my age. But there he was and I couldn’t resist him.”

Dominique had heard that people could fall for someone else. She didn’t envy them. No one could come close to Dan and missing him was better than loving anyone else.

“I take it you’re not ready to start dating,” May said with a gentle smile. “I shouldn’t introduce you to one of Glen’s friends?”

“No, thank you. I’ve taken lovers a few times, but never enjoyed the experience. There’s only been Dan. I was blessed to have him in my life. I’ve been blessed in many ways. My career and now I’ve been given a second chance with my daughter. It’s more than enough for anyone.”

* * *

CLAY HELPED RAFE pull the sofas around to face the big TV. His older brother straightened and stared at the big screen mounted on the wall.

“Nice,” he said. “Just in time for the season.”

“Because you watch so much football,” Clay said.

“I could always do more. Heidi likes it and Dante and I always used to watch the game together. I need to keep up the tradition.”

“So your partner doesn’t sulk?”

Rafe grinned. “Dante would never admit to sulking.”

“I should have taken a picture while you were gone. He’s not a happy guy.”

“I got that from his emails.”

They shifted the coffee table and then brought in the kitchen table and put it against the wall. Their mother was going for more Super Bowl party than casual Sunday-afternoon game day, but Clay wasn’t going to complain. Not with all the smells coming from the kitchen.

When they’d finished, Rafe glanced around at the big room. “It’s good to be back.”

“Didn’t love Paris?”

Rafe grinned. “I loved being with Heidi. The city was less interesting. But she liked it.”

Clay could have teased him about being led around by his nose, or his dick, but he was more envious than mocking. When he’d been married to Diane, he would have acted exactly the same. He’d gone to see Broadway shows because she liked them. He’d taken her shopping, visited museums. All to see her eyes light up as she enjoyed herself.

Charlie would be different, he thought with a grin. She would find pleasure in car races and hiking. He doubted she could make it all the way through a ballet or opera without wanting to kill someone. Qualities he found appealing.

“I heard about what happened with the seed and Nate,” Rafe said, tossing him the tablecloth they were supposed to put on the table. “You okay?”

Clay’s good mood faded. “No. I’m pissed and confused. First the graves, then Nate, then the seed. I’ll admit the seed and the graves are just bad luck, but I’m the one who picked Nate. I went with experience over my gut and I was wrong. What gets me is that he was screwing around in town. I want to live here for a long time. I don’t want parents mad at me because my farm manager has a thing for teenage girls.”

“You handled it. He’s gone. The situation is resolved.”

“I still feel like an idiot.”

“Next time you’ll listen to your gut.”

“Agreed. I keep waiting to find out how else I’ve screwed up. With the seed, I’m playing a waiting game. It has to sprout before it can be pulled out. Something about the toxicity. My schedule will get pushed back, which I don’t like, but can’t do anything about.”

“No fall alfalfa?” Rafe asked.

Clay faked a punch. “Shut up.”

“I’m being sympathetic.”

“Yeah, sure you are.” Clay told himself to shake off his mood. He was going to see Charlie. That was worth smiling about.

“Hey, I was going to send flowers.”

“Are you two fighting?” their mother called from the kitchen.

“Who us?” Rafe yelled back.

“You two boys get along, you hear me? Charlie and her mother are joining us and I want you to make a good impression.”

Clay thought about last night in Charlie’s bed. She’d wanted to be in charge again—a circumstance he found he enjoyed. She was learning more and more about what she liked and what they could do together. Good thing he worked out regularly—otherwise her energy could kill him.

“Charlie, huh?” Rafe asked. “When did you start seeing her?”

“While you were gone.”

“She’s good people.” His older brother frowned. “Don’t screw with her.”

Clay knew what Rafe meant and he liked that Charlie had people to care about her. “She’s important to me,” he said, then he grinned. “And she can’t get enough of me.”

“Then you’re a lucky man.”

“I know.”

“I can’t remember the last time you brought a girl around.”

“I was still a teenager when I headed to New York,” Clay reminded him. “I did most of my dating out of town.”

“We all liked Diane, but it’s good you’re moving on.”

Clay nodded. With Charlie, there was a growing emotional connection. He knew her and respected her. He wanted her, but that was easy. They were good together. It wasn’t love, but it was more than he’d ever expected.

They finished setting up the table, then went into the kitchen. Shane and Annabelle were collecting ingredients for nachos. Glen was in charge of the barbecue, where he would cook the wings. May had just put a large tray of stuffed mushrooms in the oven.

The old-fashioned kitchen was crowded and loud. There were plenty of “excuse mes” and “coming throughs.” Still, it was warm and Clay knew he’d been right to come home and settle here. Sure, Nate had been a mistake, but he’d made it right. He’d already put a call in to Ty and they were going to talk about the farm-manager job.