Page 60 of The Cowboy’s Reckoning

“Thank you, Sara,” Jordan said.

“Glad to help,” the woman said before ending the call.

Jordan looked at Lil who simply shook her head.

“None of this seems worthy of shooting a cow,” she muttered.

“Unless R. F. Weston’s plans are being resurrected.”

*

“You should have let him take on the bobcat,” Jordan said as the gray and white kitten launched yet another attack on his boot, wrapping himself around the leather shaft then kicking with his hind feet while biting the lace.

“I’d save you, but his little teeth are really sharp.” Lil forked the last bit of straw from the goat pen, then set the fork on top.

Jordan waited for the kitten to spring free before making his escape. The little guy resumed attack position, but Jordan managed to sidestep him. He opened the breaker box and flipped a switch as the kitty regrouped. “Give it a try.”

The lights came on and stayed on.

“Let’s hope I got it this time.”

The kitten sprang at Jordan again, then darted off to disappear in a crack between hay bales as Meg came in through the man door. “I’m taking off,” she said.

After her sister disappeared, Lil ambled over to Jordan’s side. “I’m going to spray along the road.”

“Want me to come with you?”

“I want you to fix the broken boards on the windbreak.”

“That’s done.”

“Then I guess you’ll just have to spend the morning relaxing.”

Right. “Maybe you could help me with that later.”

She patted his chest and gave him a look that made him want to relax right now. “I think I can work it in.”

Less than ten minutes, after Lil headed off in the ATV towing the sprayer, Jordan’s phone, which he’d left in the trailer while he worked on the barn’s plugged rain gutter, rang. He jogged to the trailer to answer it, hoping he was about to hear on the mortgage.

Instead, it was Jim Reed, Wade’s neighbor.

After saying hello, the man didn’t appear to know how to continue. He was clearly uncomfortable.

“Is there a problem?” Jordan asked.

“I just got an offer on the property I sectioned off for sale. It’s over the asking price.”

“How much over?”

“Fifteen percent.”

Jordan’s gut tightened. Did it make sense to match a price that much over market? “Did you list the property?”

“No.” Jim said adamantly. “I told you that I’d hold it for two months and I am, but gossip gets around.”

Jordan thought back to the courthouse and Sara mentioning that she’d worked on the subdivision. It wouldn’t be a huge leap to go from subdivision to sale.

“Who made the offer?”