by Delilah Hunt
Worth The Price
copyright © 2012, Delilah Hunt
Cover Design: Fantasia Frog Designs
Interior Production: JW Manus
All rights reserved. Except for the use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means is forbidden without the express permission of the author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Epilogue
Dear Readers
To my family, thanks for sticking with the loony bird.
Julia Rachel Barrett, you are one hell of a woman and writer, thanks for all your guidance and friendship.
Jaye Manus, thanks for all the invaluable input you’ve given me and all of your time.
To my readers, you all make writing a pleasure!
Worth the Price
Danika Prescott you turn around and run. This instant. Frozen in place, Danika felt a telltale tremble in her knees. Even if her legs had been in the mood to obey her brain and give her a quick, albeit embarrassing escape, she had to stay. Her course was set. She had no choice but to confront Brandon Sharpe, who at this moment was seated atop his mount with an ever deepening scowl, miraculously visible behind the bush of hair on his face. He reminded her more of a wild bear than a man. Or maybe just a maniac determined to run her down.
He kept coming at her, urging the stallion at a breakneck speed despite her standing in plain sight. In mid-action of her stepping back, the horse stopped short and whinnied inches before her face. Danika lifted her head. The scowl on his face had transformed into an outright glare pinned directly on her.
“What was the point of that?” She scowled right back, her fear forgotten for the moment. Just because she was on his turf didn’t mean he had to lord it over her.
Peering down on her, Brandon gathered up the horse’s reins, curling them around his meaty fist. “Would love to know what you’re doing on my property.”
The bravado she’d felt diminished by the second beneath his icy gaze. “Well, good evening to you too, Brandon.” Think of your father, Dani. Everything he did for you. All alone. She stretched her lips into a smile, waiting and hoping he’d respond in kind.
Her effort seemed to irritate him even more. She heard him mutter a curse beneath his breath. The glare reverted into a scowl. Progress. Her shoulders sagged.
“Why are you on my ranch?”
His uncompromising tone forced her to remind herself again that he was her last chance of helping the one person in the world she had left as family. Her father had spent and wasted so much money on her, the loss of a bit of pride could never compare. Delving her hands in the back pocket of her white denim shorts, she drew in a breath and asked, “Would it be possible for us to go somewhere else and talk?”
Brandon’s eyebrows shot upward. “That important? Don’t tell me your da is too busy these days to try to run me into the ground with threats, he has to send you?”
“I don’t want to talk about this out here.”
His hands tightened around the reins so hard she wondered if the leather left its brand on those callused palms. His blue eyes blazed as his Irish accent thickened with each word spoken. “’Ye don’t want to talk out here?”
Danika gaped, realizing he must have taken great efforts before to conceal his lilt and she just happened to be the person to bring it out in full force. He must have noticed the expression on her face because immediately she saw him close his eyes, exhaling a rough breath.
“What do you want to discuss?”
“It’s about my father. Wait, don’t look like that,” she added at the visible tensing of his muscles. I just want you to know, you don’t have anything to worry about from him.”
She waited for a reaction from him, anything but the appalling look of boredom that shadowed his harsh, almost ruthless features.
“I’m supposed to believe you came all the way out here to say this? How about you cut the bullshit and tell me the truth.”
No such thing as subtlety huh, Brandon? she thought in annoyance. “You’re right. There is more to it, but I would prefer to discuss this somewhere private.”
He peered down at her. Chin raised, she stared right back until he gave a sharp tug on the reins and averted his gaze. “Is inside the house private enough for you or do I have to check for wire taps before you’ll set foot inside?”
“The house is fine. No need to be rude, either.”
His icy gaze held hers. “Don’t I?” He pushed the mount forward, allowing her no chance to reply. She trailed after him and entered the stable, where he led the horse into a stall lined with hay and a feeding tray at the front. His movements were unhurried, languid even as if he wanted to prolong the time needed to avoid talking to her.
Observing in silence, she watched him check to make sure the latches of each stall were secured and took her time surveying the dim barn.
“You have a lot of horses, Brandon. They’re very beautiful. I guess it must be nice to live on a ranch.”
His head shifted to look at her. She noticed that his lips were drawn into a tight line. “The horses are all right. Nothing special.”
She continued to look around the barn, fascinated by the signs of the amount of work it took to run the ranch. Just taking care of the barn alone seemed like a ton load of work.
“Enjoying the smell of manure?” he said. “Nothing like being inside a musty old barn to end your day eh?”
Danika blinked at the outright animosity in his voice. She lifted a shoulder and brushed past him. “It’s a stable. I never expected it to smell like lavender and roses.” So much for small talk.
He said nothing else to her until they made it to the house. As he held the door open, she noticed he kept a wide berth from her. She tried not to feel insulted because Brandon was just being Brandon.
“May I sit down?”
He took his time hanging the brown Stetson hat on a wooden rack by the door. “Yeah. Sure thing,” he mumbled, still paying more attention to his blasted hat than her. Danika settled on the sofa. Just because he didn’t want to look at her didn’t mean she was above checking him out. His face was at an angle as he straightened and re-straightened the hat. Without the hat, she knew he felt naked in spite of the shaggy beard blanketing a fraction of the mass of visible scar tissue. Right now she was getting a rare view of Brandon.
Slowly she noted a subtle change in him. His spine straightened, broad shoulders square as if preparing for battle. A hard grimace bracketed his features before he turned to her. “Does your da know you’re over here?”
She shook her head. “No. I usually get home from work around this time, so I told him I’d stop off to visit a friend.”
“I take it lying runs rampant in your family?”
She bristled with indignation. It was a harmless lie. “I’m not a disho
nest person, Brandon Sharpe, and I dare you to give me one instance, apart from now that is, of me lying.”
His nostrils flared and a muscle inside his jaw ticked. “You’re right, seeing as how I recall you giving me a full dose of your honesty a while back.”
Danika grimaced. She wanted to bury her head in dirt. “That wasn’t fair of you to bring that up.”
His eyes flashed. “Fair? You want to discuss fair, little girl. How about you go over the meaning of that word with your father so he’ll understand I got this land fair and square and stop trying to get his grubby hands on my property.”
She stared at him, dumbstruck. His anger was palpable, the only emotion it seemed strong enough to draw a meaningful reaction from him.
“But that’s what I came to talk to you about,” she rushed on. “Despite what happened between the two of you, my father is no longer in a position to cause any problems for you.” Danika regarded him with a gentle look. “I don’t know the full details of why you’re both at each other’s throat, but I will tell you this, Brandon if there was anything I could have done earlier to prevent any ills you and your ranch have suffered because of my dad, I would have. Truth be told, I’ve been pleading with him since last year to give up his obsession with owning the Bar S. You know, cut his losses and move on.”
Brandon snorted. “I’m sure you did.”
“You don’t believe me?”
“It doesn’t matter if I believe you or not. What matters is the reason you’re sitting on my sofa right now. That’s what I’m more interested in hearing.”
“Well it matters to me.”
“Why do you care if I believe you?” he asked, issuing her a long-drawn-out stare.
“Because I need you to trust me. If you can’t believe me when I say I tried to talk someone into doing the right thing, then…” Her voice trailed as Brandon’s brows drew close together in a frown.
“Why are you here?” Bear that he was, the question came out as a vicious growl. “No more talking around the subject. Get it out whatever you came to say.”
Danika lifted her shoulders and let out a long, heavy sigh. “My father took some horrible business advice, Brandon. It’s been happening for a long time it seems, ever since many of his construction clients decided to take their business to the bigger cities. I just found out about it but I suspect that’s why he was so dead set on buying this piece of land. He thought venturing into land development would fix everything. He has no idea that I’m aware of the situation or that I spoke with his accountant. It’s gotten so bad, I can see how it’s affecting his health. He’s in deep denial, though. The sad thing is, I’m sure he still thinks there’s a way he can get you to give up the ranch.”
Twin dark eyebrows rose up in confusion. “If you came here to warn me, you’re a bit late. I’ve always known your father was a head case.”
Ignoring the insult, she barged ahead. “He thinks if he can get the Bar S it will solve his problems. But it won’t. At this point I don’t think anything will help my father’s company. His clients are all gone and so are the workers. There’s no money left. He’ll have to file for bankruptcy.”
His lips drew into a tight line. “So far, I’m liking everything you’ve told me. Maybe Prescott will finally clear out of town and leave me the hell alone for once.”
A pitiful smile tugged at her lips. “Somehow, I figured you’d have that particular reaction.”
His eyes went from confused to befuddled as he leaned forward, one elbow resting on the armrest. “C’mon Cailín, what am I missing?”
Her chin snapped up at the unfamiliar term. The slight inflection, the softening of his voice sent her senses reeling. Danika forced herself to calm down and not read too much into it. She was here for business and nothing else. Brandon’s reputation among his workers was of being one of the fairest ranchers around. This and her own burgeoning feelings about him strengthened her conviction that he was the one who could help her. “I’m sure it would be easier for you if we packed up and left. It’s not that easy, Brandon. Hart’s Fall is where I grew up. My father has roots here also. This place has meaning to both of us. My mother was buried here.”
She glanced at him. He was stone silent. He had settled back in the chair, his eyes shrewd as if he was sitting through the calm before the storm. “Out with it.”
Danika drew up her shoulders, looked him square in the eyes and said point blank, “I came to ask you for a loan.”
He shot up out of his chair faster than she had ever seen anyone move. “You expect me to help fund your father’s company?”
“No. Nothing like that.” She arched her neck to meet his incredulous stare. “Can you please sit down? You’re making this twice as hard and embarrassing.”
“What exactly is this loan for if not to fund your father’s failing company?” He grudgingly hunkered down in his chair.
“The loan isn’t for him. It’s for me. Like I said, Dad is acting as if none of this is really happening. I’m the one who has to be levelheaded. I can’t sit back and pretend. There’s not enough money to spread around to all the creditors. As much as I love my job as a social worker, I don’t envision a pay raise in the near future and the stupid banks refuse to give me a loan.”
“They sound smart to me,” he muttered. “Still. You weren’t the one who got Prescott into this mess. Why should you have to go out of your way to fix it for him?”
“I’m not trying to fix anything. He’s my father. I have to help him.” She shrugged. “I mean, if you love someone you’re supposed to help them out right?”
Brandon remained silent for a spell. “How much money are we discussing for this personal loan?”
“Twenty thousand. It would be enough to cover the outstanding debt. We can write up a contract if you wish. But I swear it. I will pay you back.”
“Why me, Danika? Surely you couldn’t think I’d be so quick to lend a helping hand to the person who’s done nothing but go out of his way to throw stones at me.”
She twisted her hands on her lap. Of course he’d want a good reason. It wasn’t like they were friends. Heck he probably despised the blood running through her veins. All because of a stupid disagreement with her father. “You’re honorable. I- I-I know I can trust you with this.”
“Ye don’t say,” he replied, in a mocking tone. “And how did you come by that conclusion?”
She gritted her teeth. She wanted to call him out on speaking to her like a child, but held her tongue. “I heard them talking—your workers.”
“Were you sneaking about again?” He glared at her.
“No!” She cut her eyes at him. Honestly, did he have to bring up their first encounter all the time? The man had absolutely no finesse. “I was merely minding my own business. There were a bunch of them outside talking, not just your men too. Some of them were grumbling, but then I heard a couple of them from your ranch, mention that they had no complaints. They-they said you were the fairest boss they’d ever had and that you always paid them on time.”
He went silent again. Danika watched his brows furrow as his gaze lowered to her hands clasped on her lap. He glanced up, caught her watching him and the scowl came back into place. “How do plan on paying me back?” he asked suddenly, startling her. “You just confessed to not making enough money.”
“I thought about a part-time job after I put in my hours at the Family Services Center. There has to be some sort of payment plan we could agree on that would fit in with my salary. I won’t lie though, it might take more than a year for me to pay back the loan.”
He grunted, giving her a look of disinterest. “It’ll take you too long to pay me back. With interest added, I’m not sure if you’ll be able to make the payments at all.”
Her lips parted to mouth the word ‘oh’ in silence.
“You had to have considered it at some point.”
“I uh… I hadn’t thought of interest to be honest.”
“I know.” He rel
axed in the chair, a chilling aura of confidence swirling in his eyes. “Explain to me again how you’ll manage to reimburse me such a large sum of money.”
Her entire frame slumped with defeat. “Now I just feel plain silly having told you all of that and coming all the way out here to ask for your assistance. You’re right, Brandon. Chances are I won’t be able to pay you back.” She stood, struck by another idea. “You wouldn’t happen to know anyone who’s hiring, do you? Or maybe you need an extra hand around the ranch?”
Brandon glowered, although his featured softened somewhat. “Sit down, Danika. Now who’s jumping to conclusions? I never said the loan was impossible.”
“You really think we can work out some type of payment plan?”
“I’ll give you the money. Have it transferred to wherever you’d like as long as you agree to repay me according to my terms.”
Danika frowned. He was too calm for her liking. She pressed her back into the cushion and tilted her head to the side. “What, may I be so bold as to ask, would those terms be?”
Brandon leveled his gaze to hers. “What do you think I mean? I can’t be the first man to show an interest in you, Cailín.”
The air in the room grew thin. It felt like someone had sucked all the oxygen from her blood. “You’re not. Only the first to be so...so…” God, she could barely think and she wanted so badly to tell him off.
“It doesn’t matter,” he said in an offhanded manner. “I am the first who can help you. That is the reason you came to me, correct? Or was I another stop on your way to beg some other man, since the banks are out of the question?”
“I don’t beg, Brandon. And I’m a hundred percent certain I made a horrible mistake today. I never should have come to you. Let’s just forget this conversation ever took place.”
Brandon anticipated her intent to leave the living room. He launched upright and snagged his palm around her wrist.
“Who else will you turn to?”
She wriggled in his grasp. His grip felt too tight, too strong, furious. “I don’t have anyone else, for your information. I don’t even know why I came to you in the first place, but one thing is for sure—I am not going to whore myself to you, Brandon Sharpe. That will never happen. Now. Can you please let go of me?”
