by Debra Holt
“Not you,” she ground out. “It must be nice to know that soon you’ll be able to get your hands on this land.”
The sapphire gaze came alive with smoldering fire as he rounded on her. “That’s a low thing to say. It may come as a surprise to you, but I neither want nor need this property. But you do. Or have you decided that it’s too tough after all and want to cut your losses and head to the big city?”
There was fire sparking from her eyes then, and her hands went to her sides, palms balling into fists as she faced him head on. “This is my home. I’ll fight to my last breath to keep it, no matter what.”
His gaze softened in its regard of her, as did the hard set of his jaw line. “That’s more like it. There’s the spirit and the fight I was counting on. You’re in a bad spot right now, and I think you realize you’re out of options if you want to keep this place. And, while I wish I could say that was all the bad news, I can’t. I need to explain that it isn’t exactly me who has the say-so over the calling of the loans. So, if you’ll let me finish, we can then discuss options that will, hopefully, keep this ranch in your name.”
“There’s more bad news? What more could there be?” Her eyes narrowed as she watched him. What was he up to? Did he really have a way to help her keep her home? Why would he? No matter, if it was a viable plan, she’d listen. He was right about one thing…she had no other options at the moment.
“The loans are due. You can’t get money from anyplace else to pay them off before they default. I may sit in the head chair at the table, but I have trustees to answer to, also. They expect the loans to be repaid, or equal value compensated for them. So I can’t just void them. You need an infusion of money, but that takes Mother Nature cooperating, with a wet spring and a good herd of calves. You don’t have the time for all that to happen.”
“Tell me something I don’t already know. Just get to your plan.”
“Don’t interrupt and I will do just that.”
She bit back her retort. It was a hope to keep her home, and she would listen, for whatever it was worth.
“I’ll give you an extension on your notes and place my own funds in your ranch account to cover expenses for a year. You’ll satisfy the trustees. I’m placing a bet, if you will…on your abilities to put this place into the black. At the end of that year, if you have brought the ranch back into the black, then I sign off on the loans and guarantee the board will be agreeable. All you have to do is say yes.”
Josie blinked a time or two. Had she missed something? She wasn’t certain she had heard him right. She was rendered speechless, until wariness caused her to look directly into the steady gaze for what might be lurking there.
“I can’t believe what I just heard. Why would you do that? Are you serious? What’s in it for you? What strings are attached? You’ll give me the money to make the bank note payments and keep the ranch going. Then, after a year, you’ll forgive them, and all will be just fine. And I am supposed to believe all of that?”
“You can believe it. I would do it because I believe this place is worth it, and I think you can turn it around with a little help and time. I want you to have the chance to prove it. There are other reasons, but this is business. And, yes, I am very serious.”
He watched her with a look in his eyes that she couldn’t fathom. Chance Braxton was a good businessman…everyone knew that. His ranch was a premier operation, and his word carried weight in a lot of areas in their part of the state and beyond.
“You say you don’t want the land. I keep wondering what’s in it for you? What do I have to say yes to?”
He looked at the fire again and silence lengthened. Josie noted how the firelight flickered over his face…a face that she felt she was seeing perhaps for the first time, with its strong cheekbones, square jawline, and high forehead. A solid face, and too handsome for a female’s peace of mind, in a rugged cowboy way. Strange, she hadn’t really noticed that about him before. Her eyes gravitated to the mouth that had kissed her so unexpectedly and her gaze quickly darted away from it. She didn’t need any thoughts of a personal nature clouding this discussion. He turned his eyes upon her at that moment, and she was drawn into the dark blue depths, as warmth crept through her, and her breathing became a little more difficult to maintain. His warm tone drew her in.
“You love this ranch. You’d never survive away from it…it’s your heart. I’ve been buried in my own ranch, building it up and maintaining it. For what? I have no one to leave it to when I’m gone. Dev certainly doesn’t care for it…he’d sell it in a heartbeat to a developer, who would cut it to shreds. You and I have more in common than you think. Time is passing us by. But there’s a way we can help each other out. I’ll help you keep your home, Josie, by giving you the time you need to prove it can be done. In return, you’ll help me make a home…a legacy.”
She slowly shook her head, trying to comprehend. “You lost me on the last part. How can I help you leave a legacy?”
“By marrying me. We’ll be each other’s family.”
Silence was deafening. The chiming of the grandfather clock in the hallway cut through the thickness. Josie closed her eyes for a moment thinking her brain would clear itself and all would be sane when she opened them again. When she did, Chance stood watching and waiting. He wasn’t an apparition, and he actually did just say those words to her. He had proposed? Never having a proposal before, she didn’t have much to compare it to, but she was fairly certain it wasn’t the way most of those things went. Marriage? To him?
“We could stand here and waste a lot of time, with you pointing out what an idiot you think I am, and how ridiculous this idea is, and a lot more, but the bottom line is really simple and won’t change. If you can come up with a better option, I’m listening. Marry me and you’ll get what you want and so will I.”
“What about love?” She wished she could take back those words the moment she had spoken them. The look on his face became unreadable. “I mean, what if you…or I…what if we find we fall in love with someone else? How could you live your life with someone you don’t love?”
“I’m willing to take my chances. Stranger things have happened…friends have been known to fall in love. Maybe I’ll grow on you.”
Was he trying to be funny? “You can’t be serious. This can’t be happening.”
“This is very serious. You need to make a decision. Make no mistake, Josie…if you choose to not agree to these terms, then the loans will be called in by the trustees. I can’t help with that once it starts. However, you also need to know something about me,” his voice grew softer, as did his gaze, reaching a place deep inside her that responded without hesitation. “I mean what I say and, when I give my word, I keep it. This marriage won’t be just a business arrangement. It’s a commitment I’ll be prepared to make to you for the rest of my life. I made a promise to your mother, and I make the same promise to you…I’ll always be here for you. I’ll do everything in my power to give you a good life…one you’ll never have reason to regret. Once upon a time, you used to think I wasn’t such a bad guy. I think we can find that again. It’s something to build on.”
“You said you’d give me a year to put the ranch in the black. If I did that, then the loans would be cleared. What happens at the end of the year if we’re married? If I want a divorce?”
His eyes and his demeanor both became unyielding in that moment. “Fair is fair. You put the ranch into the black, and if at the end of the year, you find you want out of our marriage…I won’t keep you. You’re taking a gamble on keeping your ranch…and I’ll take a gamble, too.”
“You and my mother talked about all of this? She knew? That’s why she made you executor?”
“This was part of what we talked about, yes. It gave her peace in the end…knowing you would be taken care of and not have to lose this place you love so much. It wasn’t that she didn’t have faith in your ranching abilities, Josie…it was just that the hole was too deep for you to climb out of b
y yourself. As for the marriage part and my agreement to give you your freedom at the end of a year if you want it…that’s my addition.”
“My mother always wanted you for a son. She thought the sun rose and set with you…my dad did, too. There are a lot of memories in my life and my family’s lives that have you in them. As much as I’ve tried to ignore those of late, it’s still a history we share. But what sort of basis is that for a marriage?”
A knot formed in her throat. If Josie didn’t know better, she’d think she was about to cry. Would it be because she was angry or because of something else she suddenly felt…a feeling that was foreign to her and made her both excited and afraid at the same time? “I need to think about…everything.”
He took a deep breath and his shoulders relaxed a bit. “That’s reasonable. I’ll stop by tomorrow for your decision.” Chance picked up his coat and shrugged into it, then settled his hat on his head. He moved to the front door and then paused, giving her a last look.
“We’ve always been friends, Josie. That’s more of a foundation than many people have to build upon. Trust in what we can do together. I’ll be cheering for you the loudest when you prove to everyone what you can do with this ranch. I believe in you. You need to decide if you can believe in me.” For a moment, he seemed to want to add something else, but then evidently thought better of it. He stepped through the doorway and closed it behind him. This time, Chance did leave her alone.
Chapter Seven
It was midmorning and Josie had just finished feeding the horses in the barn and was crossing the porch when Chance’s big black truck pulled in to the stable yard. The tall man exited, his eyes shaded by the brim of his hat, so she couldn’t see his expression, but she could tell by the set of his jawline that he was determined about something. Maybe he had second thoughts about their strange conversation the day before? Was that wishful thinking on her part? Or an attempt to protect her feelings in case he came to tell her that his proposal was off the table after he gave it more thought? He could declare that now the loans were due?
His stride was purposeful and aimed directly for her. He looked too good, in jeans that fit snugly to long legs and hips, and the sheepskin-lined jacket covering the broad shoulders of his six-foot-three frame. And all that caused a stirring in her mid-section that she couldn’t ignore. He was like rich bourbon that slowly snuck up on your senses and had you lulled under its spell before you knew what hit you.
Where had that all come from? He was Chance. She had watched him walk across a yard many times over the years and never noted such things before. What was happening to her and why wouldn’t it stop? If only there hadn’t been that kiss. She had to really concentrate in order to keep the memory of his kiss out of her brain and from their business at hand. It was all about her ranch and saving it. Period.
Josie had laid awake most of the previous night, her mind working over the words he had spoken and the future he proposed. She had tried to find a different solution, but each one met a dead end, with the same outcome…her losing the one thing she loved the most…her home. Chance had been right on that score.
“I would have been here sooner, but we had a stallion go down. The vet is there now, so I left him and my foreman to handle it,” he explained, stepping onto the porch.
Josie turned and moved inside the house, leaving him to follow, which he did, closing the door behind him. She was aware of him moving behind her down the hallway and into the kitchen. Nervousness began a slow crawl in her stomach.
Chance removed his jacket and hung it and his hat on the pegs beside the door. He waited for her to open the conversation.
“There’s coffee made if you want some.” She turned to look at him, crossing her arms and leaning her hips against the cabinet.
“I’ve had my quota this morning, thanks. We might as well get to the elephant that’s in the room. No use making small talk. I trust you’ve given thought to what I said last night.”
“That goes without saying. I can’t wrap my mind around it. You say you don’t want the land, but that’s the only plus side there is for you. You say you want a legacy…a family to leave everything to, but I know there is no shortage of females in this county more than willing to step up and help you out on that one. You don’t need to choose someone that you don’t care about and who certainly doesn’t….” She cut her own words.
“Who doesn’t care about me.” He finished the sentence for her. A muscle twitched in his jaw, and he moved to the cabinet, taking a mug from the shelf and obviously deciding to pour himself a cup of coffee after all. The silence lengthened as he added a couple of spoons of sugar.
“I didn’t say that.”
“No, you didn’t. I said it for you.” His gaze settled on her over the rim of the mug as he took a sip. “Don’t presume to think you know my motivations or my feelings. In all the years we’ve known each other, I doubt you’ve given much thought to how I feel about things at all. You’ve always been too busy worrying about others…most notably my absent brother. Well, this is just between you and me now. I stand by what I proposed. I meant every word of it.”
His words totally rattled her for a moment. Of course she cared about him and his feelings. They didn’t talk as much as they used to, but they weren’t kids any longer…okay so she wasn’t a kid. Chance had always been older. He couldn’t say she didn’t care. She always sought out his opinion and tried to follow his advice. Wow. The fact hit her like a light coming on in a dark room. He was right. Looking back, almost every conversation they had usually concerned her infatuation with Dev, or what was needed for the ranch. Or Chance had been picking her up and putting her back together after Dev had done something to break her silly heart. Had she ever had a conversation with Chance that involved him and not his brother? She didn’t like the answer to that question. She sought to change the direction of the conversation.
“Proposed…that was some proposal, I must say. No one could ever accuse you of turning a girl’s head with hearts and flowers.” Her attempt at levity fell flatter than a pancake.
Chance set the mug on the cabinet and took a step closer, his eyes intent on her. “I didn’t think those things would help my case any, but I can certainly remedy that if it’ll move you in my favor and not get me knocked flat on my butt by you.”
Josie pushed away from the counter and moved to put some space between them. For some reason, his presence was making the space smaller, and the air in the room was heavier to breathe. “That won’t be necessary. I was joking. It would just be a mockery anyway. What we have to handle is business and strictly that. While I’ve tried to think of any other way out of the mess I’m in, I can’t come up with anything in the timeframe I’m faced with. But I can’t help think that, sooner or later, one of us will come to regret making this deal.”
“That seems to be what’s giving you the most issue with this. I know myself and can speak to that without the least bit of concern. I realize that you have a different viewpoint. I’m willing to agree that, should the day come you find yourself in love with someone and want to end our marriage, I won’t stand in your way…after the year is done and you’ve done your best to meet me halfway…to give things an honest try.”
Had she heard correctly? It gave her pause and a hint of suspicion filtered through her mind. “You’ll simply let me out of the marriage?”
“As long as you have made every effort to work with me on this situation, to try to make a reasonable effort between us, then I wouldn’t want to hold you if your heart was elsewhere.”
“If I say no? If I try to save this ranch on my own?”
“Then the trust will move to secure the collateral of the loans and to take control of the ranch and all its assets. You would take away nothing but your personal belongings.”
The words were cold and chilled Josie to the bone. How could he talk so dispassionately about things that were her very life? Because it wasn’t his life. At the end of his day, he could walk awa
y. At the end of her day, she would walk away with nothing…no home, no land, only memories. And the sense that she had failed her father and mother.
“How would you dispose of the ‘assets’ as you call them?”
“I think the Richter brothers have always had their eye on this place. In fact, I have a message from Paul Richter to call him. Seems he wants to know if you’re planning to sell. He might…”
“My father would turn over in his grave if he thought a Richter would ever set foot on our land!” She spoke up with vehemence at the very idea. “You can’t be serious. They don’t even run their own place and cattle in a decent way.”
“Calm down, Josie. I didn’t say it was a done deal. You asked about the options. That’s an example of where I would have to go next to recoup the loans. Braxton Ranching is a business, too, and those loan amounts would have to be covered somehow. I am aware of what this ranch means to you and to your family. I wouldn’t have suggested what I did last night if I didn’t know just what this place means to you.”
His tone was softer, almost soothing now. “We’re on the same side, Josie. If we can find a common middle ground again, I think we have a chance.”
Josie returned her gaze to the crackling fire behind the iron grate. She was standing on the edge of a deep canyon, and she couldn’t see the bottom. Dare she trust him? She had trusted him for so long…and then something had changed between them. And he had kept secrets from her…about her own ranch and the loans and all. There was no one to seek advice from. All she had was her brain and heart, and they weren’t in agreement by a country mile.
“What still worries you?”
“The marriage part…is that really necessary? I mean…what is it that you expect would be any different if we…”
