Page 9 of The Cowboy’s Reckoning

He got to his feet and Lil also stood.

He was maybe four inches taller than her, tall enough that she had to tilt up her chin to meet his dark gaze. “I’ll make it worth your while to move.”

“Why?”

“Simple,” he said, his expression blanking out. “I want to get rid of this place as soon as humanly possible.”

Chapter Three

“You know you don’t have to fix anything.” Wade Matthews poured two cups of coffee and set them on the oak kitchen table that had somehow survived Jordan and his brothers’ childhoods. Wade’s housekeeper, Estelle, had put a lot of energy into restoring the faithful old table to its former glory.

“According to the lease, I do. She handles fences, roads, and pastures. I’m responsible for buildings, electrical, and water systems, all of which have problems.” He’d left the Willow Creek Ranch that day without settling much else.

“If you refuse to do your part, her only recourse is to terminate the lease.”

“Or to sue me.” Jordan frowned at Wade. “When did you become so cold-blooded?”

“I’ve always been cold-blooded.”

“Oh yeah.” That was why, as a single guy then in his thirties, Wade had taken in four-year-old Jordan, fostering him shortly after adopting Trev and Hayes, his dead brother’s kids. Twenty-five years later, due to injury, Wade had lost some of the spring in his step, and he’d gone gray, but he was still the sturdy block of a man who’d been the epitome of security for a lost four-year-old. A man Jordan could still depend on and would do anything for.

“Okay,” Wade relented. “I don’t want to pick on the woman, but you’re offering a good deal. She’s going to have to leave eventually, so why not take advantage now when she has help finding a new place and a payoff?”

“Maybe she thinks things will change in five years and eight months.”

“Yeah,” Wade muttered darkly. “Something will change all right. The Reed property will have been snapped up by some rich guy who wants to build a Montana castle overlooking our ranch.”

That was a danger. Their neighbor, who leased their fields, wanted to sell a parcel abutting the Tree Fork Ranch to cover family medical expenses. The undeveloped ground needed to be cleared of timber, and was difficult to access without crossing Tree Fork property, but was perfect for Jordan to build his own base of operations as an engineering consultant and expand those of the Tree Fork. A year ago, he would have cashed out his investments and put the money down on the property himself. That was no longer an option due to a major miscalculation on his part. The sure-thing startup he’d invested in had sputtered and died as new and better technology unexpectedly hit the market at just the wrong time. He had enough savings to comfortably cover his costs until he started his business, but nothing close to the lump sum he’d need to put a down payment on the Reed property. His brother Trev had applied for a raw land loan and been shot down due to risk. Right now, everything was riding on the sale of the ranch he’d inherited.

“I plan to talk to her again,” Jordan said.

He’d spent the last four years of his life handling drillers, accountants, and management types who’d reacted like Lil McAllen when confronted with information they weren’t ready to process. Or didn’t want to process.

“She didn’t see this coming. She needs time to think.”

Wade considered. “Yeah. I tend to say no until I get some time to think.”

“Then you still say no.”

“Then you would do whatever you damn well pleased.”

Jordan couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah, maybe.”

“What’s she like?” Wade asked.

Jordan’s first read of Lil McAllen had been entirely superficial. Long dark hair, striking blue eyes, a face that could have graced one of those natural beauty ads. He liked her smile but had only seen it once or twice during their meeting. She wasn’t tall, she wasn’t short, and she had a lithe build, like an athlete. Working a ranch did tend to keep one in shape.

His second read had to do with the sense of caution that radiated off her. She’d been composed during the meeting, but there’d been a lot bubbling beneath the surface. Understandable, given the circumstances. Then she’d laid out her position on the matter of the sale, stuck to it, and there he was. Wondering what his next move might be.

“She seemed businesslike,” he finally said.

Wade nodded, then cleared his throat. “I have something to run past you.”

“Yeah?”

“Any chance that you could share a room with Trev again?”

“In the bunkbeds?” Oh hell no.