not unhappy,” he reminded her, and because he knew he could distract her, took her by the hand and pulled out a wooden chair. “My grandmother taught me to treat beautiful women with respect, so here, have a seat. I won’t take no for an answer.”
“There you go, charming me again. You’re trouble.”
“Don’t I know it. Now, sit.”
She slipped onto the cushioned seat with great resignation, but her eyes sparkled with pleasure. “It’s so good to have you here. Now my engagement party will be perfect.”
“It’s good to be here.” He found a pitcher of lemonade in the refrigerator. “Tell me more about this man you’re going to marry. When do I get to meet him?”
“Harold?” Nanna clasped her hands together. “Why, you’re going to love him!”
Noah snared two glasses from the cupboard. “He must be quite a man to win your heart.”
“He is! Oh, the plans we’ve been making. We’ve hired an architect and we’re going to build a new home, can you imagine? It’s a terrible big project, but oh, what fun I’ve been having. I’ve even decided on the house plan I want. It took a lot of looking, I tell you.”
A cold sensation settled in the pit of his stomach. “Will you be building here on your land?”
“Oh, no. Harold owns a large spread. A simply beautiful place. The mountain views he has are a sight to behold. I’ve got a place for the house picked out on a rise, so we’ll have views in four directions. There’s nice afternoon shade for a rose garden.”
Nanna’s eyes sparkled with pure happiness, lit from behind. Noah hated having to ask the next question, but it was for her benefit. Clearly she was so much in love, she might not see this Harold’s hidden agenda.
“So, what will you do with this place?” He said it casually as he set the glass of lemonade in front of her.
“Oh, I thought about renting, but you know how that is. I’d worry someone wouldn’t take care of this house I love so much. Your sister has her own home and I’m sure as can be you don’t want this land—” She stopped midsentence and squinted at him. “Do you?”
“You know I love New York.”
“I just knew you were going to say that. Well, you said it yourself, so I guess my only choice is to sell.”
“Sell?” Noah didn’t like the sound of that. “Is this your idea?”
“And whose would it be? It’s just common sense, young man.” She took a sip of lemonade. “Now, before you start, I realize there’d be taxes to pay, but that’s your job, handling my finances for me the way you do.”
“But you don’t want to sell?” he asked carefully.
“How could I want to sell? I have wonderful memories in this house, but it’s time to start something new for me. Maybe what this old place needs is a nice young family to fill these empty rooms. What do you think?”
“You’d make money off the place.” A few million, Noah didn’t add. “I suppose you and this Harold have talked about that.”
“No, we truly haven’t. We haven’t had the time. With the new house and our wedding plans, I’ve been a busy bee, I tell you.”
Just as he expected. Nanna didn’t suspect a thing. She didn’t even consider that the Harold she loved could be a fortune hunter.
“Would you be using the money from the sale to build the new house?”
“Noah, you and that finance mind of yours.” Nanna stood, and her chair scraped on the linoleum. Her hand settled on his arm. “I swear you’ve been working so hard and so long, you don’t know how to take it easy. ‘…all our busy rushing ends in nothing.’ My dear boy, stop trying to accomplish so much. When you’re in this house, you don’t need to prove anything to me. I love you just as you are. Perfect.”
She planted a kiss on his cheek.
His heart filled with tenderness for this spry, lively woman who loved him without condition. As he loved her.
“All right, I know you’re dying to tell me about bridesmaid dresses and colors of tablecloths or whatever it is you brides get to decide.” He took her hand and led her back to the table. “Are you happy now?”
“Overjoyed.” Nanna sparkled like a rare gem. “Sit and let me grab my books. I’ll show you the picture of the wedding dress I picked only yesterday.”
“I’d love to see it.”
For his grandmother, he’d do anything.
Noah took a sip of lemonade, wishing it was a double latte, and watched his grandmother hurry from the room in search of her wedding magazines. Alone in the kitchen, with the rain tapping at the windows, a rare peace swept over him. A comfort so strong, he was sure he was doing the right thing, watching out for his grandmother.
The pink and gold decorations were airy and romantic. The glitter streamers winked like stardust. Candles waited, ready to be lit, and the fresh flowers emitted a gentle, rose scent that made the room a dream.
Julie took a final look at their handiwork and satisfaction filled her. “This is like something out of a fairy tale. I couldn’t have done this without my friends.”
“Your grandfather is going to love it.” Susan put her arm around Julie and gave her a quick hug.
“Everyone is going to be wowed,” Misty added. “And speaking of impressing people, I’ve got to fly. If I want to impress the handsome, rich bachelor who’s going to be in this very room in just over two hours, I’ve got to beautify. I’m wearing that blue silk swirly dress I bought in Missoula. It’s the best thing I own.”
“Thank goodness I got my red shift dry-cleaned last week,” Susan enthused.
Julie couldn’t believe it. All this fuss over one man? “Just because he’s rich doesn’t mean he’s nice.”
“He could be nice. We don’t know that he isn’t,” Misty reasoned. “He might be a good dancer.”
“It’s an engagement party, not singles’ night.”
“It’s a Friday night. There’ll be a band. That means we’ll have to dance with him.”
“It’ll be tough, but someone’s got to do it.” Susan looked determined to suffer. “My theory is that you never know what God has in store for you. In my case, why not a billionaire?”
Julie laughed, she couldn’t help it. “Okay, believe Mr. Ashton is going to be your knight in shining armor. I’ll make sure to introduce you to the billionaire. Satisfied?”
“Absolutely.” Susan waggled her brows, looking full of trouble. “Maybe I’ll get my hair done, too. Since I’m getting dressed up, it wouldn’t hurt to dazzle him.”
“Why bother? I’m sure Mr. James Ashton has his pick of beautiful women,” Misty teased.
“You don’t think he’ll take a second look at me. Is that it?” Susan pretended to be offended.
“He could be looking at me instead.” Misty flicked her hair behind her shoulder. “Maybe the billionaire likes blondes.”
Susan and Misty laughed together, and Misty said goodbye. The outside door clicked shut as Julie snapped off the lights.
“I’ll be back in an hour to direct the caterers.” Susan grabbed her coat and purse from the dark corner. “Don’t you worry about a thing. You just make sure your grandfather is here on time.”
“You can count on that. Thanks, Susan.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Together they turned