Lachlan backed toward his fancy car. “Is that a dog? What the hell do you feed it?”
“Underhanded men from developing companies who want to try and take my land. Still wanna talk?”
Beads of sweat formed on Lachlan’s brow. The guy was determined, but not stupid. He still hadn’t made a firm decision to leave, but he was edging closer to his vehicle. “Easton, call your dog off. Hear me out. I promise you, you won’t regret it. Give me twenty minutes.”
“No. I ain’t selling, no matter what those numbers look like.”
Risking taking his eyes off Logan, Lachlan pinned me with venom. “You’re an idiot. You should have let me fuck you when you had the chance. A little stress relief would have done wonders for that stick up your ass.”
I chuckled. “Right. That would have made this situation a hell of a lot easier. I’d say I dodged a bullet. Thank god one of us has morals. Don’t come back, Lachlan. Next time, Logan won’t be so friendly.”
I tipped my hat, dismissing him and shooed Logan into the house before following. To make a point, I slammed the door. Listening, I refused to move until I heard Lachlan drive off.
When I knew he was gone, I stormed to the office and found Dad, rifling through papers. “Your meeting’s canceled.”
“What’s that?”
“I said, your meeting is canceled. I sent the guy on his ass and told him not to come back.”
Dad frowned, and I couldn’t decide if I was muttering to the point I was unclear, or he was trying to figure out why the hell I would do such a thing.
“Did you know he was from Montgomery Developing?” I asked.
Dad’s gaze shifted to the left as he considered. “Might have said something or other along them lines.”
“You knew.”
“Easton.”
“He came here to make an offer on our land. My land. He knew about our financial situation. How the hell does he know all that?”
“How would I know?”
“Were you gonna tell me?”
“I was gonna see what he had to offer. That’s all. But you went and told him no without hearing a thing from his mouth, didn’t you?”
“Of course I did. We ain’t selling. That’s final.”
“Easton.”
“No. It’s my place now, and I’m gonna find a way to get us back on our feet. I’m not givin’ up before I get started. I have ideas. Maybe they’ll work, maybe they won’t. But at least I’m gonna give it a shot.”
Dad leaned back in the leather office chair, his face drawn and tired. “Easton—”
“I don’t wanna talk about it anymore. I’m angry. I’m goin’ for a ride.”
I stomped away, but Dad called after me. “You’ve got your sister’s wedding today. You can’t take off.”
“I need a couple hours. I’ll be back by lunch.”
“Easton—”
Logan and I were out the front door and halfway to the stables before he could finish arguing. Dad couldn’t chase me down either. Not like he used to when I was a kid.
The horses were all out in the pastures. Corgan and a small crew were taking care of the trail riders today while Brenda and Tammy were running the Saturday morning classes. I grabbed my saddle and bridle and aimed for the main gate to the enclosure, Logan sticking close. He sensed my mood and bumped my leg a few times in silent support.
Corgan was in the equipment rental building, supervising Baylor as he fit a few riders with helmets.
“Where’s my girl?” I asked, drawing his attention as I stood in the open barn door.
Corgan glanced up and noted my gear. “You taking her out?”
“For a couple hours.”
“She’s in the north pasture.”
“Thanks.”
Bella was my five-year-old chestnut-colored Arabian. She’d come into the world on my thirtieth birthday after a troublesome labor that had resulted in a frantic vet call. Ever since, she’d become my baby girl. I always told her, no other woman would claim my heart the way she did.
At the north gate, I made her special whistle. “Bella-Boo, wanna ride, baby girl?”
She lifted her head from where she was munching on grass, her ears twitching when she heard my voice. I called her again, and she responded right away, trotting over. Her pasture mates followed, all curious what was happening.
I hopped the fence and hung my gear over the top so I could greet her. She pushed her face against my shoulder, nuzzling as I rubbed her neck, whispering and brushing my cheek against her. “I need to get outta here for a while. Wanna go for a ride?”