Arguing with Her Billionaire Cowboy - April Murdock Page 0,2
the biggest around here. From the new partnerships to the cattle expansion, it’s been hard to keep everything straight. I was just supposed to help with bookkeeping, but I do a lot more than that.”
“My parents are just getting too old for this stuff. I guarantee I can manage just fine.”
“Those are the words of a fool.” Kate brushed past him. “I don’t know if you’re just naïve or utterly selfish.” She trailed down two steps before she paused. “I have a list a mile long. If you wise up, you can come find me.”
“I’ve made up my mind, Katie girl, I’m not going to let you take this away from me.”
She squeezed her eyes shut at his nickname for her. “I can’t take away something that’s already mine.” She smiled as she walked away, feeling his eyes boring into her back.
“Terry Hill isn’t yours,” he called after her.
Waving his comment off, she made her way toward the building set aside for veterinary care. The Johnsons constructed the building for the vet from Hickory Hollow to use during events. But their niece had taken it over after completing her education.
Kate pulled open the door, a bell rang, and cool air washed over her. The lobby was empty. No one welcomed her behind the counter.
“Back here,” a voice called.
Her boots clicked on the white tile, echoes following her. Turning the corner, Kate made her way to the office at the end of the hall. The light flooded from the room, bathing the sterile area in a soft yellow. Dakota looked up from a paper in her hand and smiled before returning her gaze to her work.
“Hey, Kate.”
Kate collapsed into a chair and leaned back, crossing her ankles on the edge of the desk. She groaned. “No offense, but I don’t understand how you can be related to your cousin. AJ has got to be the most insufferable man I know.”
Dakota’s lips twitched. “It’s a good thing you didn’t know my fiancé before he met me.”
A picture of Dakota with her arms around a handsome cowboy sat on the desk. Kate dropped her legs and reached for it. “You’re trying to tell me Brady wasn’t always so—”
“Obnoxious? Intolerable? Stubborn?”
“Perfect.” Kate put the framed picture on the desk.
Dakota dropped the pages in her hands and laughed. “Brady is the farthest thing from perfect. He’s come a long way, believe me. But he still has a way to go—we both do. No one’s perfect, Kate.”
She scrunched up her face. “Yeah, I know.”
“So, what did my cousin do this time?” Dakota rested her chin on her hand.
Kate glanced away, chewing on her lips. “Do you know why Hazel and Ethan wanted him to come back?”
“I have a feeling it has something to do with the trip they want to take soon.” Dakota tucked a stray strand of black hair behind her ear. “Aren’t they going somewhere in the next few weeks?”
Kate nodded. “They are. There’s a lot to do before they leave.” She slumped against the back of her chair. “They want to transition him into taking over Terry Hill.”
Dakota stiffened. “Wow.” Her brows pulled together and she leaned forward. “They’re not letting you go, are they?”
For the second time, Kate smiled since she’d heard the news. She shook her head. “That’s just it. They offered Terry Hill to both of us.”
Her friend’s eyes widened. “AJ must be furious.”
Kate snorted. “That’s putting it mildly. He suggested we compete for ownership.”
A laugh bubbled from her lips. “That sounds like AJ. Are you going to do it?”
Staring off at a spot on the wall, Kate blinked a few times. “I don’t know.”
Dakota lifted a brow and got to her feet. “Well, I think you should.”
“You do?” Kate asked incredulously.
“Yep.” Dakota walked around the desk and leaned against it. “I love my cousin, I do. He’s smart and capable—but he can also be a little twerp. Sometimes he thinks he knows everything. Remember when he insisted I take his favorite horse to see Brady? He wouldn’t accept I was just as good at what I do.”
“But if he hadn’t made you do that, you wouldn’t have Brady now.”
Dakota cocked her head to the side and folded her arms. “That’s not the point. What I’m trying to say is he needs to be taken down a peg or two. I think you are just the one to do it.”
“But what about Hazel and Ethan? If I win, it might ostracize them from their only son. And if I lose…”