Page 57 of Untamed Heart
‘Miss Dean,’ he said, eyes fixed on her gun. ‘Charmed to meet you properly, I’ve heard so much about you. I was just telling your cousin here that your social media experiment has backfired somewhat.’
‘They’ve faked a video of a riding accident, of Jesse being rude to a guest,’ I hissed, all but snarling at Zach. Lil’s mouth opened in shock. Cole moved closer to me, an uncompromising stare fixed on Zach. ‘We could report you to the police, get lawyers involved,’ I began, stepping up to him, sudden fury filling me up.
‘I don’t think you want to do that,’ he said, moving to open his car door. ‘I have enough lawyers on my payroll to bury this ranch. Which is exactly what I’ll do, if you don’t sell to us.’
He leant inside, pulling out a brown paper folder and handing it to Lil.
‘I’ve told you people already,’ she said, shaking her head.
‘Oh, I know that,’ he countered. ‘But time’s running out. We’re expanding, and this place is right in the way. You’ll sell to us, now, for a fair market price, or we’ll destroy your place and pick up the pieces for pennies. It starts with this,’ he said, tapping the phone in his pocket. ‘And who knows . . .’ He gestured at the trees around us. ‘Terrible wildfires this year in the south of the state – have you heard? I know for a fact you have no insurance on this place. What if one swept right through here?’
Silence fell between us, the implication of his words sucking the oxygen from the air.
‘You’ve got a week,’ he added, nodding at the folder.
Cole stalked towards him.
‘And you’ve got about ten seconds to get off this land before I throw you off the side of that mountain there,’ he growled, his hand resting on the car door. ‘Now get in and get the fuck off this ranch.’
‘I look forward to your answer.’ Zach winked at Lil, daring a glance back at me before Cole slammed his door closed, only just missing his foot.
We watched as the car drove off, throwing up a cloud of dust in its wake.
CHAPTER15
Somehow, I got through the interview.
Retreating to my room and adopting my professional veneer, I’d excused the unprofessional backdrop as the interviewers came on screen, only to be greeted with warm understanding and a story from one of them about fond memories of an earlier trip to Yellowstone.
‘Well, Charlotte, it’s been a pleasure to meet you today,’ said the main interviewer, just over an hour later. ‘I also wanted to acknowledge that anyone capable of working in your previous team and maintaining a professional composure has already proven themselves in my eyes.’ She smiled. ‘I know Cressida from university, so please know that I fully appreciate what your experience must’ve been.’
Desperately trying to maintain my poker face, I thanked her, not missing the amusement in her expression.
‘You’d find it quite different here,’ she added. ‘In any case, we’ll be in touch very shortly to confirm. Could you start straight away?’
I nodded on autopilot, thanking them for the opportunity and hanging up.
An absolute silence gathered in my room, as the realization of how events were transpiring dawned on me. I looked over at the bed, where just hours earlier Cole had lain next to me, as close as another human could be, a half-step from a whole other situation. My whole body ached with need, the thought of it overwhelming, even in abstract.
And now . . . it seemed the ranch was over. My social media experiment had seemingly just sped up the process, leaving Lil, Cole, the others, all . . . where? Had I just signed a death warrant for the ranch and the livelihoods of everyone I was coming to love and respect so much?
I felt sick.
Putting on my hat and shrugging on my jacket and boots, I headed out to the back deck for some fresh air, the sudden need for solitude hitting me squarely in the chest. The thought of Lil and the others trying to put a brave face on the situation was more than I could bear. The muted light of the cloudy sky dulled the colours of the ranch and its surroundings, as though the Elk Creek threats had sapped the life from the landscape itself.
I listened out for sounds of the others, and heard the faintest murmur of voices from the kitchen rising and falling. Taking a few steps closer, I listened for a moment and heard all four of them in there, including – I realized with a stab directly to my heart – the sound of Lil in tears.
Unable to listen any more, hating myself with every step as I walked back around the deck, I headed towards the barn. Toying with re-watching the video, I forced myself to think through ways we could respond and set the record straight with viewers and followers, but shamefully, I was scared. What if whatever I created just made it worse? Would it provoke another visit from Zach Sinclair, or worse, force him into making good on his threat to burn the place to the ground?
I glanced at the home screen as I approached the stalls, two missed calls from Mum popping up. Dad had told her about the argument then, I supposed. Reaching Jasper, stroking his soft, sweet nose as he crunched through some hay, I knew I needed some time to think, to give the others some space to decide what to do. I’d caused more trouble than I’d helped. But before I went, I had to give Mum my side of the story.
‘Oh, thank goodness, I’ve been trying to reach you . . . Oh sweetie, what happened? I mean, I’ve spoken to your father, but . . . tell me, in your words.’
I swallowed hard, more grateful than she would ever know that she hadn’t just taken his side or his words at face value.
‘It was awful, Mum. He just started laying into me about being here, saying I was running away from my responsibilities and Kyle, that I owed you both for paying for uni, and how I was trading a good life for this place.’ I took a breath, knowing the next part would be hurtful for her to hear, knowing that Dad wouldn’t have left it in his account of the argument. ‘He completely trashed this place and everyone in it. Said he’d dragged you out of it, and insulted Aunt Carrie and everything she’s been through.’
I could hear her moving in the background, saying nothing as she took it in.
