him. She smiled and her eyes danced. Then his parents showed up and broke the spell.
Trying to change her opinion was an idea that wouldn’t leave his mind. At this moment in time, he’d like nothing more. But he had to do it right.
The quartered potatoes on his plate released steam as he poked them with his fork. Taking a bite, he contemplated what it would mean if he only half-heartedly focused on the competition and instead focused on his friendship with Kate.
They could be friends and not have anything further, right? Dakota’s warning niggled in the back of his mind. But staying away from her only meant romantically, not as future partners of the ranch. He could do that. Friendship would be easy.
He glanced at her from across the room. She was visibly frazzled. He couldn’t deny how much fun it was to tease her. It was too easy. As long as he didn’t make any advances toward her, he’d be fine, Dakota would be happy, and Kate—well, Kate would get exactly what she deserved out of this life. She’d have a family and a place to call her own.
A tightness in his chest wouldn’t go away. From the moment he’d seen Ella galloping toward the barn riderless, he hadn’t been able to get the discomfort to leave his body. But Kate was safe now. So why did he feel like something was wrong?
AJ glanced around the room to his parents, smiling and chatting about the day they’d had. Kate looked more at ease with them in the room. He should be happy too. So why couldn’t he get rid of the displaced feeling in his heart?
Sucking in a deep breath, AJ turned to his father. “I’m ready to tell you what I would change about the ranch.”
Ethan’s brows rose and he shifted his attention to Kate and back to AJ. “That may be, but Kate might not be ready yet.”
“You can give her more time if she needs—”
“I don’t need it.” Kate sat up in her seat. “I mean, you might want to have a more detailed report for what I’m proposing, but I can give you a good rundown of what would help most at this time.”
Ethan grabbed a napkin from the solid maple coffee table and dabbed at his mouth, contemplating both of them before rolling back his shoulders and setting his plate down. “Very well, we can go over both proposals tonight, then.” He turned to AJ. “Arthur, you may go.”
AJ shook his head. “Ladies first.”
Kate blinked and shifted again. She winced with the movement. AJ fought the instinct to reach for her and help her get comfortable. Kate was a grown woman and he had no claim on her; she probably wouldn’t want his help anyway.
She put down her plate and took a deep breath. “Marketing.”
AJ’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t recall Terry Hill doing anything big when it came to marketing.
“Terry Hill ranch does a wonderful job with passing out flyers and spreading the word. But one thing I’ve noticed since we partnered with Bolton Farms and Hickory Hollow is that we get a lot more customers out here when their ranches are involved. I think they put forth more in terms of marketing. We could reach so many more customers for our smaller services that would make a much bigger impact overall.”
Ethan rubbed his jaw. “Well, I’d like to see some numbers—financials, if you could.” He nodded to his wife. “Hazel did mention we needed to do something about how we sell our cattle each year.”
Hazel nodded. “I’d prefer finding a buyer before going to auction. We’re getting too old for that kind of stuff.”
Kate’s grin lit up her face, causing AJ to smile too. He leaned back in his chair. “I think it’s a great idea.”
A fleeting blush crossed her cheeks.
Ethan turned to him. “What’s your proposal?”
AJ waved him off. “Kate beats me hands down. I withdraw from this round.”
Kate’s eyes widened. Ethan shifted, his expression tightening as he glanced at Kate. Was he worried Kate would catch on to the conversation he had with his father earlier?
“That’s not how any of this works, Arthur,” his mother pointed out. “You wanted this competition. Just because you drop out doesn’t make it revert back to the original plan.”
AJ shrugged. “I wouldn’t ask you to do that.” Then he glanced at Kate. “Maybe I’m just giving her a head start so she can’t complain you were being partial to me.”
Kate shook her head and