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“Because if I were to accept Ferg’s terms, take him up on his offer to lend me money for a lawsuit against you, he could steal my land right out from under me.”
“A lawsuit? Good God, Rose, would you really have taken me to court?” Bull seemed more amused than angry.
“I still plan to. Whatever you did to alter that deed and get it recorded in your name, it couldn’t have been legal. When I subpoena the original deed, I should be able to prove it!”
“You can’t do that on your own. And a lawyer won’t be cheap. Where will you get the money?”
“I told Ferg I’d think about it. It wasn’t a no. I just have to figure out a way to protect myself before I agree to anything.”
Bull took a long, slow sip of his coffee. His arresting blue eyes were surprisingly calm. “Rose, why do you think I asked you to this nice breakfast this morning?”
Rose stared at him. “I don’t really know, do I? Suppose you tell me.”
“I have a business proposition for you.”
“What do you want from me?” Red flags of suspicion sprang up in Rose’s mind. This man had already stolen her land. How could she trust him now?
“Right now, I want you to fill your plate again and eat your breakfast while I talk. And no interrupting. Understand?”
“All right.” Rose was still cautious, but what did she have to lose by listening? Taking her time, she added more eggs and potatoes to her plate, along with a couple of sausages and another buttered biscuit with homemade jam. If Bull could wait, so could she. Besides, she really was hungry. And if things didn’t go well here, who could say when she’d have another chance to feast on Bernice’s cooking?
Bull finished his coffee and leaned back in his chair. “Here’s what I’m thinking, Rose,” he said. “There are two reasons I’ve hung on to that parcel—two things I insist on keeping. First, I must have access to the creek water for Rimrock cattle. Second, I need an ironclad guarantee that no Prescott can ever get his filthy hands on that property. If I allow you to deal with Ferg Prescott, I could end up losing both. Whatever it takes, I can’t allow that to happen.”
His words ignited a spark of interest in Rose. But she willed herself to keep silent and focus on her breakfast. When it came to dealing with Bull, the less she appeared to care, the better.
But what if he was about to offer her a compromise—one that could solve everything? The thought quickened her pulse. But she swiftly dismissed the idea as too good to be true.
“I admit to knowing that your grandpa meant to leave you the land,” Bull said. “But if I hadn’t stepped in and taken it over when I did, the Prescotts would have found a way to steal it, and you’d have no hope of ever getting it back.”
So do I have any hope now? Rose’s pulse was racing. She willed her expression to freeze to a mask of indifference.
“I always meant for you to have that land, Rose,” he said.
Sure you did, liar. Come on, what’s the catch?
“Here’s what I’m proposing,” he said. “I would be willing to deed you back your grandfather’s land, but with conditions attached.”
He paused, his riveting blue eyes pinning Rose to her chair. “First, I want your written, signed promise that the Rimrock will never be denied access to the creek water, for any reason.”
Rose suppressed the urge to nod. So far, so good. She could live with letting Bull fill the water basin from the creek, as long as she didn’t have his livestock trampling her yard.
“The second condition is that if you ever decide to sell the property, you will sell it to me and only to me or my boys. Your heirs, if any, will be bound by the same conditions. If you pass away without heirs, the property will revert to the Rimrock.”
“Anything else?” Rose could hear her heart pounding over the sound of her voice. This agreement could give her all she wanted. It was almost too good to be true. But she’d be a fool not to think it over carefully.
“That’s the gist of it,” he said. “But each of those conditions is a deal-breaker. It’s all or nothing.”
“And if we can’t come to an agreement?” Rose asked.
“Then we’ll be no worse off than we are now.”
Rose laid her fork on her empty plate and pushed her chair back from the table. “I’ll need time to think about this, of course.”
“Take all the time you need,” Bull said. “But you’re not leaving this room until you give me an answer.”
The set of his jaw told Rose that Bull meant what he said. She decided not to test him by trying to walk out.
“All right.” She took her seat again, realizing there was no need to stall for time. The answer had already come to her. “I might be able to live with your conditions,” she said, “but I have one of my own.”
