Page 8 of The Cowboy’s Reckoning

“Are you acquainted with Burke Thurley?”

She shook her head, although she recalled Aubrey mentioning the name. Local wild man, she recalled.

“If you were acquainted with him, you’d understand.” His dark eyebrows came together. “Did you happen to turn those cattle? Because rumor has that some women did the job.”

“Maybe.”

He laughed, giving Lil the impression that he was a guy who naturally saw the upside of life. “Then we owe you a debt of gratitude. If you hadn’t done that, I’m sure we would have been chasing cows all over downtown Marietta.”

“You were lucky to have three women with ranch experience on the far end of the alley.”

“Trust me, it was the luckiest thing that happened all evening.”

“Did you get the cows out of town?” Lil asked.

“That’s on Burke. Washed my hands of the matter.”

They continued across the wide gravel swatch that separated house and barn, and Lil couldn’t help but notice that he didn’t seem that interested in his surroundings. Maybe he was already familiar with the place. Even so, if she were in his shoes and viewing her inheritance, she would have been drinking everything in.

After he said no to coffee and they’d taken their seats on opposite sides of the pine table her father had made decades ago, Lil opened the folder that held the printed copy of the lease and the list of needed repairs. As she pulled out the lease, she considered mentioning the coincidence of Jordan’s first name and his benefactor’s last name being the same, then decided to skip the small talk. It was time to get down to business.

“Carl Jordan’s property management company wasn’t responsive after he passed away. I hope that you’ll be better at honoring the conditions of the lease.”

Jordan’s expression shifted. The comfortable-in-his-own-skin cowboy suddenly didn’t seem so comfortable. “About the lease.”

Lil worked to keep her expression carefully neutral despite the twisting sensation in her midsection. The bad thing was coming.

“I’m going to sell this property.”

The bad thing had arrived, but she was ready, having discussed this possibility with her lawyer sister. “I understand,” she said calmly. “In the meantime—” She started to push the document across the table, but he put his fingers on the top page, stopping her.

“My potential buyer doesn’t want a lessee.”

And there it was. The really bad thing.

An odd calm settled over her as she leaned back in her chair. The calm of battle perhaps?

“That’s a shame, because they have one.”

“The sale is contingent on—”

“We’re staying. The language of the lease is solid. You can’t make us leave.” Thanks to Maya’s diligence, they were safe in that regard, but that didn’t keep Lil’s heart from thudding against her ribs as she faced off with the man across the table.

Jordan’s expression had gone dark, yet his voice was even, when he spoke. “I’m offering a buyout to break the lease and a reasonable time to vacate. I’ll help you find another place. Hell, I’ll help you move.”

“No.”

His gaze narrowed at her stony reply. “You want to hear me out?”

“You have rights. I have rights.” Lil spoke carefully. She had to work with this man, and she didn’t want to burn bridges. That said, she wasn’t going to be ramrodded into anything, and he needed to understand that. “You can sell anytime you’d like, and I can stay put for the next five and a half years. The owner of the property, whoever that might be, is responsible for repairs to the infrastructure.” Lil’s heart was beating harder as she passed him the list, but as far as she could tell she was maintaining her poker face.

To Jordan Matthews’s credit he actually glanced at the paper.

“When can I expect some action on this matter?” she asked.

Jordan pushed back his chair. “We can discuss this again after you’ve had some time to reflect.”

“I don’t need to reflect. I need to know when the repairs will be finished.” And didn’t she sound like the badass?