A Cowboy Under the Mistletoe by Cathy Gillen Thacker

Author:Cathy Gillen Thacker
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2010-01-22T05:00:00+00:00

“I HAVEN’T HEARD FROM YOU,” the small man said, as slick and falsely charming as ever. “So I thought I’d stop by to get your answer in person.”

Ally felt Hank tense beside her. Knowing it would be a mistake to show any weakness to the CF agent, she resisted the urge to take Hank’s hand and hold on tight. Deliberately, she held Penderson’s eyes. “Thank you for the offer—” which, technically, was about to expire “—but my answer is no.”

Ally wasn’t surprised to see Penderson’s expression grow more conciliatory than ever. “You understand ours is a one-time offer. Six months from now, if you still haven’t sold on the open market, we won’t be back with anything near what we are offering now.”

But Hank would still be there, Ally thought, wanting the land.

If his “plan” to acquire it had been put together by then…

She stopped herself. She could not allow herself to think that way; otherwise she’d be no better a business person than her father had been. And it was up to her to see the ranch sold—for a good price—so her own future would be assured, no matter whether she got laid off from her job or not.

This was her chance to obtain the financial security that had always eluded her in her youth.

But she was going to do it her way. Not Corporate Farms’.

“I understand,” Ally said calmly. “The answer is still no. I’m not selling until I get an offer that matches what the land is worth.”

Penderson’s glance narrowed. “We already gave you that.”

“No. You didn’t,” Ally countered equably. “Fortunately, I have every confidence someone else will.”

Especially now that renovations on the ranch house are under way.

“Fine, then.” Penderson gave one last disparaging look at the acres of untamed land, resettled his hat on his head and stalked back to his Cadillac. “You’ll be waiting a long time to realize more than what we’ve already offered, for property that is in such poor shape. And I’m not just talking about the house, which we planned to tear down anyway. No one can run cattle on pastureland this overgrown! The mesquite thickets alone are a hazard.”

Ally and Hank stood in silence, watching him drive off.

“He has a point about that,” she said with a sigh, as her mind returned to business. “There is mesquite everywhere and the trees are covered with two-inch thorns that can do a lot of damage to people and cattle.”

Hank wrapped a companionable arm around her shoulders. “First of all,” he soothed, “cattle are smarter than you think.”

“Is that so?”

“It is.” Hank squeezed her warmly and continued his tutorial. “They know enough to stay away from anything that is going to injure them. Second, the trees don’t just sport fragrant white flowers in the spring and summer, they also produce long bean pods that the cattle can graze on, and provide shelter when it’s cold, and light shade in the hottest parts of the day. Mesquite adapts to almost any soil that isn’t soggy.

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