Harlequin Desire April 2016, Box Set 2 of 2 by Katherine Garbera

Author:Katherine Garbera
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781460396803
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2016-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER EIGHT

Violet’s phone buzzed. Of course it did. She was in the middle of branding and castrating calves, for God’s sake. It was messy work that required her full concentration and she was glad for that because it had been two days since Rafe had slipped out of her bed at six in the morning and kissed her goodbye with a promise that he would see her very soon.

Apparently, very soon meant something different in Al Qunfudhah than it did here in Texas, because there’d been radio silence for the past forty-eight hours and she was starting to get twitchy.

“Here,” she said to Dale, her hired hand. “Hold this calf. I’ve got to take this call.” She managed to get loose of the animal without getting kicked.

Hopefully, this was Rafe. No, she didn’t really expect another rose or a love note—not when they’d both agreed that they were going to keep their previous acquaintance quiet for the time being, just until they got things settled a little more.

But again—days of radio silence? The only reason she knew that Rafe hadn’t skipped town was that he’d gone to that Texas Cattleman’s Club meeting with Mac the night before last.

She got out of earshot from her hired hands and pulled out her phone. It wasn’t Rafe, dammit. It was, however, Lulu Clilmer, the current owner of the Wild Aces. “Hello?”

“Violet, honey,” Lulu began in her gravelly, two-packs-a-day-for-forty-years voice, “I wanted to call you personally.”

“Hey, Lulu, what’s up? Are you all right? Do you need me to come over?” For years now, Violet had been helping Lulu out, partly because it was the neighborly thing to do but also because Violet wanted the Wild Aces, dang it all.

“I’m fine, honey. Listen, I know that you’ve always had your heart set on this place...”

Violet smiled nervously—which was pointless, as Lulu wouldn’t have been able to video call anyone if her life depended on it. “Yeah. I’ve been trying to convince Mac to buy you out, but you know how he is.”

“Well, honey—I don’t know how to say this but...” Violet held her breath. “I’ve had an offer.”

Violet’s breath caught in her throat. Was that what Rafe had been doing? Had he spent the past two days “looking into” the Wild Aces for her? For their family? “Oh?” Violet said, not even bothering to sound cool or calm about it. “Who? Anyone I know?” Please say Rafe. Please.

Because if it were Rafe, then—finally—the Wild Aces would be hers. She wouldn’t have to go through her brother any longer. God, she could hardly wait.

But if it wasn’t Rafe...well, if it were someone else, she’d just have to push Mac harder or head down to the bank and see how much of a counteroffer she could scrape together. She was half owner of the Double M, after all. All that land equity had to count for something, right?

“Naw, honey—I’m sorry. It’s some outfit that goes by the name Samson Oil.”

Violet’s heart plummeted down to around her knees.

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