Page 14 of The Cowboy and His Beauty
"Who was that?" she asks.
Shoot, I forgot she was standing there. I didn't want her to see me like this, like The Beast everyone claims I am.
"A land developer is trying to buy up the Silver Cattle Ranch. The owner won't sell to them, even though he’s looking for a buyer. They've been hounding his neighbors, me included. Those guys are snakes and don't care about what's good for the town, and they’ll play dirty to get what they want. I've seen their kind before."
Sky steps forward and places her hand on my arm, which has an instant calming effect on me. This could be dangerous.
"My friend, Ben, who I went to school with, is a cop. He was telling me about the land developers and the trouble the Ranchers are having because of them. Hopefully, they'll get tired and move on to another town that may want to give up their land and let them destroy it."
Of course, she gets it. She grew up here and listened when my dad talked about the developers who’d tried in the past. Though, back then, they would move on if people said no.
"We can only hope. Let me clean off the table and I'll help you finish up dinner."
Thankfully, Sky takes the bait and understands that I want to change the subject.
I clean off the paperwork I've been working on all afternoon and put it in my office. Returning to the kitchen, I help Sky set the table and get everything ready for the ranch hands to come in and grab their food.
"Whatever you're cooking smells good," I tell her as she puts the final touches on the food.
"Thanks. I went for a classic. Chicken and dumplings."
Even though the kitchen is a decent size, we keep brushing against each other, and it drives me crazy. At one point, Sky looks up at me with a smile and the desire to kiss her is so overwhelming, I have to leave the room. I want her to know it's me when she kisses me. The problem is, I'm not sure I’m brave enough to tell her.
Chapter 9
Sky
The next day, I'm at the diner on my day off when I run into Ben again.
"Damn, you're here almost as much as I am." He greets me with a smirk that I'm sure drives other girls crazy, but it's not my style.
"Yes, one of the perks of staying in town and having one of your best friends working here. But I’m glad I ran into you. Can I ask you another question?"
"Sure. Let's grab this booth and get our food in before the lunch rush," he says, leading us to a booth at the side of the restaurant.
"You both want your usuals?" Jenna comes over the moment our butts hit the vinyl seats.
I let it sink in that not only do people know me, but I also have a usual at the diner. I often visited my favorite coffee shop or the little cafe around the corner from my apartment in Dallas and I never had anyone remember me, much less my order. It was partly because the city is so big and partly because turnover in those positions was pretty high.
"Yes, that sounds perfect," I tell Jenna.
"Sounds good to me, too," Ben says.
“I wanted to ask about the land developers a bit more."
"What about them?" he asks, his steady gaze giving nothing away.
"One of them showed up yesterday, and Dash was angry and upset. He told him he wouldn’t give them any more warnings and the next time they'd be considered trespassers and shot on sight. It's the first time I've seen him upset at anything, so I was wondering how big of a problem they've been."
"Every few years, we have developers sniffing around. They get told no and within a month or two, they’re gone. These guys are sticking around like a nasty rash. No matter how many people turn them down, they’re still here, and they are getting too persistent," Ben replies, obviously choosing his words carefully.
"In other words, they’re getting mean and sneaky?" I cut to the truth.
"They’re heading that way. They’ve trespassed on a few ranches and there’s no reason for it unless they don't have good intentions. Sadly, there isn't much I can do because they haven't broken any laws … yet.”
"I know you’ll do what you can. Notify the ranchers and let everyone know you’re here if they need you," I try to reassure him.
"I never realized how much getting into law enforcement tied my hands to preventing crimes. We’re there after they happen, not to stop them, and I hate that," he grumbles as Jenna delivers our food.
