Page 16 of Falling for the Cowgirl
The middle-aged man took another puff of his cigar. “Listen. Your deal is fair and square. Better than anyone else can come close to.” He tapped ashes into a marble bowl. “I’ll sell it to you, but then that means I’ll have to forgo selling it to—”
“Mr. Steele?” A woman’s call echoed in the hallway followed by the closing of the front door.
Steele blanched. “Ivy McQuaid.”
Jericho jumped up from his chair, knocking it backward but catching it before it could topple. Ivy had talked about saving for a little place of her own. He hadn’t for a single second realized she was aspiring for Steele’s land. But in an instant, he knew that’s exactly what she was doing. She’d been putting her life at risk week after week in the competitions for the same land he intended to buy.
The footsteps in the hallway drew nearer to Steele’s office door, which was open a crack.
Jericho suddenly felt like a bear cornered in a baiting ring. He glanced around, seeking an escape. The window. It wasopen. He could dive out. But at a firm knock, he knew he’d run out of time. The best he could do was hide in the shadows and pray she wouldn’t see him.
As the door opened, he leapt behind it and out of sight—at least he’d be out of sight as long as she kept her attention on Steele and didn’t turn around.
Steele glanced in his direction, his brows rising.
Jericho shook his head and made slashing motions across his throat, hoping Steele would read the cue not to say anything about his presence.
Ivy stepped into the room, and Steele rose from his chair. “Well, Ivy McQuaid, how timely that you’ve decided to stop in just now.”
“Timely?” As she crossed to Steele’s desk, Jericho’s heart thundered in his chest like a dark prairie storm. What was he doing? Why was he hiding?
Blast it all. He was turning into a raving lunatic around her, just like always. He lifted a hand to his cheek, feeling the sting of her handprint from a short while ago.
He’d deserved it. And he deserved being called a pig. He’d behaved worse than an animal.
And why? Why had he gotten so ornery seeing all those men falling over themselves to help her and win her attention? It hadn’t really been about the loose buttons on her bodice—although he hadn’t liked the idea of anyone getting to see her creamy skin. Anyone but him.
No. He gave himself a rough mental shake. Not even him.
She straightened her shoulders. And all he could think about was how grown-up she was. In that pretty dress and little hat, she was a picture of perfection, the light green contrasting with her dark hair and eyes and tanned skin.
When he’d watched her out the store window, he’d been as overwhelmed as he’d been last night. He hadn’t been able to move or speak. Not until she opened the door and bestowed a heart-melting smile on one of the men. Then a strange burn had flamed inside and only raged hotter.
Had he been jealous?
He almost snorted at the thought but caught himself, especially as Ivy finished retrieving something from her pocket and plunked it down on Steele’s desk. The clank was none other than the sound of money.
She took a step back. “I wanted to give you that just so you know I’m real serious about buying the land.”
Steele stared at the bag.
“It ain’t—isn’t—the full amount of the down payment. But I guarantee I’ll have the rest by summer’s end.”
Steele kept his focus on the bag and cleared his throat. “I’m sure you will, Ivy.”
She crossed her hands behind her back, and it didn’t take Jericho but a second to realize why. Because they were shaking.
The raging storm in his chest dwindled to a soft patter. She was nervous. But she was more courageous than any other woman he’d met, working hard to earn the money and going after her dream. Not many women would have the guts to do it. And not many men would give a woman a chance to buy land.
If Ivy wanted the land and Steele was willing to sell it to her, then who was he to stand in the way?
He almost moved out of the shadows but then stopped himself. He needed the land. Or at least needed to project the image that he was planning to buy it. The truth was,once he caught Rodney James, he was returning to Chicago for another assignment, and he intended to sell or lease the land at that point.
But, of course, he couldn’t tell Ivy that. He couldn’t tell anyone.
Steele released a long sigh. “I know you’ve been saving to purchase the parcel. But I had another buyer come in and give me a better offer.”
Ivy twisted her fingers together to stop the shaking. “Didn’t know anyone else was interested.”
