could tell I was going to have an issue. Donnie, well into his eighties, had written it entirely in old legal terminology. The outdated format wasn’t one we used between the ranches anymore. My jaw clenched as the temper I’d been suppressing started to flare again.
“What the hell is this?”
My father grinned. “Well now, Jackson, I knew you weren’t going to make it easy on me, so why would I make it easy on you?”
I wrinkled the stack as I picked it up. As much as I wanted to storm from my parents’ large estate conference room, I couldn’t. There was still a business that needed to be handled. It was one of the pitfalls of running one of the largest cattle ranches in the country. We were a family business, and the family always came first.
As my mother cleared her throat and started running through the topics we had yet to cover during our long-standing Sunday dinner, my mind traveled back to the contract. My parents thought they could trap me in a marriage, but they had another think coming. I’d find a way to get out of it or change their minds. They’d never sell off a part of the ranch. I just had to bide my time and call their bluff.
It would be a cold day in hell before I got married.
2
Chapter One (Hailey)
I dropped the last of the shot glasses into the sink. With just a few patrons still lingering as the bar closed, I was ready to be home and taking a hot shower. The smell of sweat and booze threatened to make me nauseous as I ran the back of my hand along my forehead.
Between the patrons coming and going, the kitchen's heat behind me, and the sweltering Texas temperatures, I was downright gross. My ultimate fantasy at that moment was a cold shower and my soft bed.
The smell hit me; a note of recognition made my stomach clench. I wasn't the only one who needed a shower. Plastering a smile on my face, I turned back to the customer who'd been harassing me most of the night. Drunken pricks were a common thing in the dive bar. He was definitely vying for the title of King Dick, though.
"You sure do look good washing them dishes," his voice slurred.
"Well, aren't you just a peach," I muttered. "You know the bar is closing up, hun. Can I get you anything else before you head out?"
"Depends, you coming back home with me?"
"Not tonight, buddy," I said.
His bloodshot eyes narrowed. "You too good for a working man, sugar? You got some fuck-boy paying your bills? "
The bartending job at The Stuck Pig paid good in tips. Men from the surrounding farms would come down all week and toss their checks around like nothing. I didn't mind their wild and flirtatious natures; it came with the territory. I could tolerate many things, but I drew the line at the accusation of “kept woman.”
"Excuse me?" I snapped. "I don't need a man to pay my bills, and if I wanted one, it sure as hell wouldn't be you. Now finish your drink and get out of my bar."
He grunted. "I like a woman with a little bit of fire. I bet you just need a strong hand to keep you in check."
"Pal, I don't need any hand to keep me in check because I'm a grown-ass fucking woman who can make her own decisions."
"I should smack that sass right out of you."
It wasn't his words that upset me. I could handle drunk idiots. It was the look of pleasure in his eyes that struck fear in me for a split second. He was enjoying the idea of hurting me a little bit too much.
"You need to leave now," I hissed.
Before he could say anything else, my cheerful coworker and friend, Natalee, rushed to the bar. Everything about her was the opposite of me. My short frame barely reached her lanky shoulders. Her raven-colored hair hung pin-straight down her back. My own blond locks curled and stuck to the nape of my neck.
"Looks like you're the winner, sweetheart," Natalee chirped to the man. "Last one standing! It's time to close, though, you don't want us getting slapped with a big old fine, do you?"
"Course not," he grumbled.
The man's beady eyes looked from Natalee's flat chest to mine as it spilled over my snug shirt. He licked his lips. From the corner of my eye, I saw Natalee's hand balled into