instead.
“Nothing. I was just thinking that, after what you did for Lord Woolham, maybe you could help with this Kismet thing, too.”
“Hettie, investing in Hugh’s business was a good idea. He had a revolutionary, patented improvement to the industrial weaving process that was practically guaranteed to give me a return on the investment. But The Kismet is…” His voice faded out.
“What is it, Dash?”
He sighed. “Well, it’s sort of like the Painted Corner Stables. It’s a nice idea but it’s never going to make anyone rich.”
“You don’t need to become rich. You’re already richer than anyone else in town.”
“That’s not the point.”
“Isn’t it?”
Dash didn’t respond. He focused on unbuckling the right side of the saddle. He lifted it off Wing’s back, then turned and lowered the saddle and pad to a rack sitting outside Wing’s stall.
“Dash, if you really want to change the way folks around here see you, you’ll think about this. Last Chance is in the middle of a mini revival. We’ve got more jobs here than we’ve ever had before. We’ve got new people moving in. Those people need a business district that they can be proud of. Not some ghost of ages past. You could do something for this town, too.”
He stared at Hettie for a very long moment. If he did this for her, would she change her mind? And if he put himself out there, would she hurt him again?
“Savannah doesn’t strike me as the kind of person who has the first idea of how to write a business plan,” he said. He knew it was a lame excuse even as the words left his lips.
Hettie bent over, pulled up Wing’s front left hoof, and attacked it with her hoof pick. “Well then, you can teach her.”
“But—”
“No buts. If we let her leave town without giving her a helping hand, we might never be able to do anything about that eyesore right in the middle of town. This is our chance, Dash, and like it or not you, me, Rocky, and Tulane Rhodes are the people who have to step up and become the town’s economic boosters. Rocky is all for this thing. She’s been introducing Savannah around town, and people like her. You should have seen the way she turned things around at the book club last night.”
“Of course everyone likes her. That’s how she lures people in before she strikes.”
Hettie put the horse’s leg down and straightened up. She gave Dash a smile that could still melt his heart. “Dash, you need to get over whatever happened between you and that woman when you were children. And besides, it would make me happy if you did this. So, won’t you please do it? For me?”
God in Heaven, she looked like the debutante he’d fallen in love with when he was seventeen.
He should walk away. She had hurt him so many times before. Like everyone else he had loved. But Dottie Cox had been right on Monday night. If he didn’t do something to make a change, then he would be alone for the rest of his life. And besides, he would do anything for Hettie. He loved her that much.
So he squared his shoulders and looked her right in the eye. “Okay, Hettie. I’ll do it for you.”
CHAPTER 5
Savannah pulled the biscuits out of the oven and began transferring them to a basket lined with a red-and-white-checked napkin. She loved cooking in this kitchen where she had learned at the elbow of her grandmother. It almost felt as if Granny were standing right beside her telling her how to roll the dough and cut each biscuit.
“Good gracious, that smells good,” Miriam said as she shuffled into the room. She was leaning heavily on her cane today.
“Did you have a good nap?”
“I rested.” Miriam sat down at the small kitchen table. “I declare, when I opened my eyes I thought, for just one minute, that Sally was still alive.”
Savannah looked over her shoulder. “I was just thinking about how close I feel to Granny when I’m cooking in this kitchen. I wish I had a kitchen this big in Baltimore. Of course, a big kitchen would be wasted, since it’s just me and Todd most nights. But still.”
“Sugar, I thought we’d decided you were staying and reviving The Kismet.”
“Bringing The Kismet back to life is more than I know how to do. It’s a mess, and I have no money. I don’t know what I was thinking. I guess I was just dreaming.”
“And