but to sell this property unless, by some miracle, you come into a serious windfall.”
Easton’s cheeks reddened. His jaw ticked. When he couldn’t hold my gaze any longer, he continued stabbing at the straw on the ground. But his movements were jerkier now. If his ears could have steamed, they would have.
He didn’t respond, so I kept going.
“You will be forced to sell before long. When that happens, you’ll have lowball offers here and there because people will know you can’t sit and wait for something better to come along. When people know you’re in a desperate situation, they’ll take advantage.”
“Like you,” he snapped, throwing his pitchfork aside. It clattered against the wall of the stall and landed on the concrete floor. “You’re no different. You’re here takin’ advantage of my family’s hard time.”
“This is different.”
“How?” He stalked toward me and got in my face. “How is this different?”
I held my ground, taking in the swirling gold and amber anger pouring from his eyes. “Because we are willing to give you a fair price. Something worthy of this piece of land you own. Enough money to settle comfortably elsewhere. In a big home. You won’t ever be in debt again.”
“And why? Now you tell me why you’re so desperate for me to sell my land. What are your plans for it? Why are you so willing to hand over the big bucks?”
“We plan to develop it. Enrich the town. Bring Jasper more tourism, and with it, more wealth. It will increase revenue to all the small shops along the strip. Those businesses will prosper.”
“And mine will no longer exist. You still ain’t said what you’re plans are.”
I paused, assessing how to proceed. When he hitched a brow, asking again without words, I knew I’d better give him everything.
“Mountainside condominiums and a new ski resort.” I left off Dad’s idea of a lodge since it felt preposterous after seeing how many similar locations there were in town. Christian was right about that one.
“Condominiums?” A stab of pain crossed his face. “You want me to sell you my three hundred acres of land so you can build condominiums?”
My skin itched with the sheer volume of anger and hurt pouring off Easton. He vibrated, hands clenched to fists inside his heavy gloves. Beads of sweat wet my nape, but I avoided wiping them away because I didn’t want him to see he was affecting me.
“Yes. Condominiums. Imagine the amount—”
He stepped forward, halting my words, chest bumping mine, and making me stumble back a step. “This meeting is over.”
“We’re offering you a hefty sum. Let me show you—”
He shoved a filthy gloved hand against my clean shirt, physically removing me from the stall. “Get off my property, or I’m callin’ the police. You hear me? You had your meeting, and you got your answer. Now, you told me I would never have to see you again if I said no. This is me tellin’ you no, Lachlan. Plain English.” Then he cleaned up his speech just like that. There was no more mumbling or jumbling of words. The next four came out crystal clear. “No deal. Meeting adjourned.”
Easton turned on his heels and grab the pitchfork off the ground. I watched him worked for another ten seconds until he flashed hostile eyes in my direction. A warning. I backed away, leaving the man alone.
Outside the stable, I peered down at my shirt and the smears of muck—I hoped it was muck and not something worse—all down the front from when he’d shoved me. He hadn’t even heard numbers. How could he be so quick to dismiss me without hearing how much we had to offer?
I dropped my briefcase on the backend of my car and popped it open. Inside, I found a pen and paper and jotted down Dad’s offer. From my wallet, I dug out a business card and folded the paper around it. I tossed my briefcase in the back of the car and marched toward the stable again.
The smell didn’t penetrate my rage. I had a single focus. Easton Campbell. When I found him, he was muttering out loud to no one, still working through his chores with violent, jerky movements. The wheelbarrow beside him was full.
“Hey,” I called out, catching his attention.
He snapped his head up and sneered, bringing himself to his full height. I wasn’t intimidated. I marched up to him and held the folded paper between us. “Look this over later when you’ve cooled off. When you come