Page 217 of Ironwood Ranch Cowboys

“And if he lies?” I demand. “If he twists things? If he tries spinning the records?”

“We have proof.”

“I understand the proof better than anybody else in this room.”

They know that’s true.

I see the exact second the argument starts collapsing behind Cody’s eyes.

Silas notices too. “Cody.”

“She’s right,” Cody says.

Silas looks personally betrayed by this development.

Duke mutters, “Traitor.”

“I’m not saying I like it,” Cody replies. “I’m saying Jake’s more likely to talk if Annie’s there.”

“Why?”

“Because he underestimated her.”

That settles heavily into the room.

Because yeah. He did. Everybody did at first.

Blue hair, piercings, temporary contract worker. Easy to dismiss if you weren’t paying attention.

Unfortunately for Jake Dorsey, I’m very difficult to outthink once I start paying attention back.

Silas rubs a hand across his jaw slowly. His exhaustion shows harder tonight, worry carved deep around the edges.

Finally, he looks at me again.

“If you come,” he says, “you stay beside one of us the entire time.” I nod. “And the second I tell you to leave, you leave.”

“We’ll negotiate that later.”

“Annie.”

“Fine. Probably.”

Duke groans softly. “You are genuinely the most stressful woman alive.”

Warmth flickers briefly through my chest despite everything.

Then thunder cracks overhead hard enough to shake the windows and the feeling disappears again.

Business mode. Fear mode. War mode. Whatever this is now.

We find Jake near the barn office. He might have cleaned up his office, but he hasn’t gone anywhere. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not.

Rain falls around us as we cross the ranch yard together. Mud slicks beneath my boots. Wind cuts through my cardigan despite the hoodie Duke practically forced over my shoulders before we left the house.

And there he is.

Jake Dorsey stands beneath the overhang outside the barn office like he’s waiting for a fucking dinner reservation instead of the collapse of his entire life.