Arguing with Her Billionaire Cowboy - April Murdock
Chapter One
AJ Johnson chewed on the piece of straw hanging out of the corner of his mouth. His hands rested behind his head as he swung in the hammock just outside his childhood home. Pastures as far as the eye could see. And it would all be his.
A breeze picked up and the hammock swayed. He pulled his Stetson over his eyes and grinned. His parents had called him home from a rodeo tour early. They were going to finally hand over the reins to him, that was the only reason. Normally they let him have his fun with the events he’d entered into—but now they wanted him home.
He crossed his ankles. The wheat in the field a few yards away rustled in the wind. Now that they’d squared away the partnerships with Bolton Farms and Hickory Hollow, his parents could rest assured AJ would bring their family ranch to its fullest potential. And all he had to do was supervise the best ranch hands Texas had to offer. Easy peasy.
Someone cleared their throat. AJ stilled. He lifted the corner of his hat and peered up as the form of a woman loomed over him. “Are you coming?”
Squinting, he tilted his head. “Coming where?”
Kate Pruitt let out an exasperated sigh. “We have a meeting with your parents in two minutes, remember? It’s the whole reason you’re here and not galivanting off with some rodeo clown.”
AJ smirked. “Not my type.”
She rolled her eyes. “That’s not the point.” She threw up her hands and spun around. “I don’t know why they even had you come home.”
He stretched. “Because I’m their son, and running this ranch is what I was raised to do.”
Kate stilled. Her hands balled into fists, she turned to face him. “No. You were raised with a silver spoon in your mouth and everyone handing things to you. You didn’t have to work hard a day in your life.” She took a few steps closer, her mouth in a firm line. “You got to have riding lessons, go to horse camps, and get all kinds of training I could only dream of… while everyone around you worked like crazy to make this ranch what it is. If you think for one second you’ve earned this position, you’ve got to be the most arrogant, selfish, spoiled little—”
AJ tilted his head to the side. “When exactly did you stop crushing on me, Kate?”
Her blue eyes widened and a pretty flush crossed her features. “I—um—”
“While I enjoy seeing you flustered, I do have a place to be.” He shifted in the hammock, gripping the sides and snickering.
In two steps she was beside him. She grasped the edge of the hammock and lifted.
The swaying bed flipped over, and AJ landed with a thud in the freshly trimmed grass. “I never had a crush on you, and I never will.” Kate brushed her palms against each other and lifted her chin. “I prefer the real thing and you’re just an imitation.” She spun on her heel and stalked off.
AJ righted his hat and scrambled to his feet. He hurried toward her. “What makes you think I’m not the real thing? We both grew up here.” Trotting backward beside her, he couldn’t wipe the smile from his face. Lately Kate had found him intolerable and he loved pushing her buttons.
“True.” She wouldn’t meet his gaze. “But like I just said… you had it easy.”
“Easy,” he snorted. “You and I have very different views on the meaning of that word. I’ll have you know—”
“Arthur, Kate, we were just about to come find you two.” Hazel Johnson’s eyes crinkled as she smiled and stood from the porch swing. She moved toward AJ and wrapped her arms around him. “I noticed you got in late last night. How were the roads?”
He grinned at his mother. “Not bad.”
Ethan Johnson stepped forward and clapped him on the back. “Glad you could make it so quickly. We have important matters to discuss with you.” He turned to Kate. “Both of you.”
AJ glanced at Kate, who had stiffened. Here was the moment of truth. “Of course you can stay on—”
“The two of you will be running the ranch as co-owners.” Hazel clapped her hands together and beamed.
“Wait, what?” AJ whirled around to stare at his father. “But I’m your son! You can’t just give away my inheritance!”
“AJ, dear, we always knew we’d be giving the ranch to you when the time was right. Honestly, we thought you’d be married by now. This ranch is