Arguing with Her Billionaire Cowboy - April Murdock Page 0,3
She shook her head. “I can’t do this, Dakota. I don’t want to risk losing them too.”
Dakota reached out and patted Kate’s shoulder. “You’re not going to lose. You know this place front and back. AJ might know the gist of everything, but he couldn’t run it without at least a little training. If I know my aunt and uncle, they wouldn’t make this competition easy. In fact, they’re kind of sneaky as it is. I can’t imagine they’d allow either one of you to win and take it all.”
Kate peeked at her. “What do you mean?”
Dakota shrugged. “I mean that they had their hearts set on you two working together. They’re set in their ways. Where do you think AJ gets his stubbornness from? If I had to guess, I’d say they will find some way to ensure they get what they want.”
Kate’s brows knit together. “You really think they’ll figure out a way to have us co-run Terry Hill despite the results of the competition?”
“Would you be okay with that?”
AJ was obnoxious, but even Kate could tell he loved the ranch. He had a passion for his birthright not many people possessed. He was willing to risk losing it all for some silly competition. That kind of attachment would ensure he didn’t just give up if things got hard. Kate met her friend’s eyes and nodded. “Yes, I would. Anyone would be stupid to try to take on a ranch this size without a partner.”
Dakota’s grey eyes twinkled as she grinned. “Then you have nothing to worry about. You’re on board with whatever my aunt and uncle plan, and all you have to do is be yourself. AJ will come around. He always does.”
Kate heaved a sigh and sat up in her chair. “Thanks, Dakota.” She nodded to the papers on the desk. “Are those the reports from the mare’s last check-up?”
Dakota picked up the papers and nodded. “Daisy is doing really well. She’s exactly where I would expect her to be. I anticipate she’ll give birth any day now.”
Warmth spread through Kate’s middle. “This is so exciting. I’ve never seen a live birth before.”
Her friend raised her brows. “You haven’t?”
She shook her head. “I’ve either been out of town or it was someone else’s job to handle the birth.”
Dakota’s cheeks dimpled. “Then you’re in luck, because you’re going to be front and center on this one.”
Chapter Three
AJ removed his hat and ran a hand through his unruly brown hair. He needed a cut but when things got busy, he just let it go. He knew he’d be taking over Terry Hill soon, and he’d wanted to get the rodeo stuff out of his system so he would stay focused.
He wasn’t a stranger to the amount of work it took to run his family ranch. He’d witnessed firsthand how grueling it could be as both his parents spent every waking moment building it to its potential.
It wasn’t that he thought it would be easy, but he didn’t get why his parents were so insistent he would need to share ownership. That was what having a manager or an assistant was for. And he had no plans on letting Kate go. Training someone who wasn’t familiar with the way things worked at Terry Hill wasn’t something he was ready to do.
His parents returned to the porch, their faces unreadable.
“Son, we’ve come to a decision.” His father wrapped his arm around his mother’s shoulders.
AJ turned around and leaned his shoulder against the pole beside him. He folded his arms and lifted a brow. “Okay?”
“We’ll give each of you a set of tasks. Whoever can complete them to our satisfaction will earn a point. We will pass down the ranch to the person with the most points. No exceptions.”
“Good.” He nodded. “I’m fine with that.”
Ethan glanced at Hazel. “There’s one more condition that has to be met if you win.”
AJ swallowed. “What kind of condition?”
Hazel reached forward and placed a hand on his forearm. “We love you very much and we are so proud of the man you’ve become, but that isn’t enough for you to run this ranch on your own.”
“But I wouldn’t be on my own. You guys would still be around. Kate would still be working here. You have hired great employees. I’m not alone.”
She sighed. “We know that, dear, but you really need a partner in this. If you aren’t willing to accept Kate as a full partner, you will also need to be married.”
“Married? You can’t