Page 25 of The Cowboy’s Reckoning

Jordan turned his felt hat in his hands. “Yeah. I’ve thought about it. Deal’s off.”

*

An hour later, Jordan let himself into Bailey’s trailer, now his home after Estelle had finally relented and moved in the day before. But only for a few days, she said.

All three of the Matthews brothers wondered about that one. There was a different vibe in the house. The mini-standoffs that had been going on between her and Wade since the day she’d been hired to manage the house while he convalesced almost a year ago continued, but the fallout wasn’t the same.

Or all three of them could be imagining things.

On the drive back home, Jordan had settled some things in his head. He might not unload the Willow Creek Ranch as soon as he wanted, but he and Wade could talk to the banks again about a raw land loan for Jim’s land. They agreed that a mortgage on the Tree Fork was out of the question because no one was willing to risk losing the generational ranch. But with his inherited ranch as collateral, he could get them to reduce the down payment, extend the length of the loan. His previous stabs at that hadn’t been successful, but with Connery waiting in the wings with his potentially lucrative deal, Jordan hadn’t pushed that hard.

Jordan hung his hat on the hook near the door, stretched, then opened the fridge and pulled out a beer. He’d barely settled on the alleged sofa with his unopened can when his phone rang.

Burke. What now?

“Hey, you busy?”

Jordan rolled his eyes. “I’m not in the mood to chase cows through the city streets.”

Burke laughed. “That was a kick.”

Oh yeah.

“No. I called because your name came up last night.”

“Where?”

“Wolf Den. Do you fucking own the Willow Creek Ranch?”

Jordan had kept his inheritance on the down-low on purpose. He just wasn’t ready for the questions, or knowing that people were speculating behind his back.

“Not something I want to talk about, Burke.”

“You do! Hol-y shit.”

Jordan didn’t answer. It was best not to stoke the fire when Burke was involved.

“How? I mean, did you buy it? You had a good job and all, but I never thought it was that good.”

He didn’t know it was an inheritance, which meant no one did.

“How did you come to hear that I owned it?”

Burke paused for a moment. It was beyond possible that he hadn’t had all his senses when he’d heard the big news, so it took a moment. “A guy came in …” He started slowly. “He was talking to another guy at the bar next to me.”

Jordan looked at the ceiling as he waited.

“His little brother works on the Willow Creek and is worried about the new owner,” Burke finished in a rush. “You. You’re the owner he’s worried about. He said your name and everything.”

“Okay.”

“Thinks you’re going to fire him.”

Like he had that power. More likely the guy in question was worried that the sisters would be forced out and then his brother would have to find another job.

“Did you say anything?” Jordan figured it’d be best to find out exactly what had transpired.

Burke’s help was sometimes disastrous.