Delivering His Gifts (Mountain Men of Liberty #10)- K.C. Crowne Page 0,28

lit up as if a lightbulb went off in his head. “Oh yes, that’s right,” he said, leaning back in his chair. He steeped his fingers in front of his face and a smile curled at the corners of his lips. “You’re Greg Stern’s woman. I have to admit, Skyler looks so much like her daddy.”

“I’m not his woman,” I said through clenched teeth. I gripped the corners of the chair so hard my nails turned white. “We split up. A long time ago, in fact.”

“Oh, of course you did. I wouldn’t expect the wife of one of the wealthiest men in Utah to be sitting in my office asking for a loan, after all.”

I swallowed my pride. He was possibly my last resort, and I couldn’t just walk out of there, as much as I wanted to.

“Well, Greg is a good friend of mine. We go way back,” Jim said, stroking his mustache. “I even knew his dad, before he passed. Often did the books for his company when they were just starting out. Greg Senior was one hell of a businessman, let me tell you.”

Nothing at all like his son, I thought to myself.

I smiled politely without speaking. I couldn’t care less about the history of the Stern family legacy, but again, I didn’t have many options.

“Anyway, about that loan, how much do you need?”

I handed over the paperwork I’d prepared, including the amount I’d need. It was enough to pay off three months on the property - catch up on the back payments and pay for the upcoming month as well. I also included some business expenses for repairs. Jim scanned the document.

“I’ll have an insurance check coming, as noted here,” I said. “I’ve included proof of insurance and the amount that I’m owed on page two.”

Jim didn’t even flip to the second page. He placed the documents on the table and said, “You’ve got yourself a deal, Ms. Baker.”

“What? Just like that?” I stammered.

“Well, no, there will be terms you have to agree with - the interest rate on the loan is higher than a typical bank loan since I carry more risk, and I will ask for collateral. But I couldn’t turn away the mother of Greg’s daughter. Not when it comes to keeping a roof over your heads.”

My stomach turned. I hated owing anything to a man. But at least this was a business transaction, one that I knew what was expected from me up front. It would all be in the contract.

“Let’s get started then,” I said, feeling like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

Ooo000ooo

“Ice cream!” Skyler took off ahead of me toward the ice cream shop.

I quickened my pace, and my stomach rumbled. I hadn’t felt well all day but told myself it was the stress. But now that I was done with the hard part and was relieved to be out of debt to the bank, I should have been feeling better. But I wasn’t.

Skyler got to the door before I did and tried to pull it open herself. It was a heavy, metal door and she couldn’t quite get it open. I stepped up behind her and laughed as we opened the door together.

“Good afternoon,” a woman’s voice greeted us from behind the counter. Mabel was a pudgy woman with her grey hair pulled back in a bun. Her smile was warm and welcoming. Such a welcomed respite after meeting with Jim King. “What can I get for you two fine ladies?”

She knew us fairly well, and she likely had Skyler’s order memorized, but she asked anyway. Mabel’s little ice cream shop had been a staple in the community ever since I was a young girl. She always seemed to remember exactly what I had wanted back in the day, but she knew that Skyler enjoyed ordering for herself, which was why she asked.

“Strawberry! Strawberry!” Skyler shouted as she bounced in front of me.

She’d been so good all day, sitting still to the best of her ability during my meeting with Jim. She could finally let out all that energy. She was so happy, and I loved seeing her happy.

“Strawberry it is!” Mabel said. “In a cone or a cup?”

“Cone, please,” Skyler said.

“Sugar or waffle?”

Skyler looked to me for that answer. To her, an ice cream cone was an ice cream cone, she didn’t know the different varieties yet.

“Sugar cone, please,” I said.

“And for you, Danielle?” Mabel asked.

I looked down at the ice cream options in front of