Page 5 of Some Cowgirls are Worth Protecting

Right now, he had bigger things to worry about. The property that they’d walked past couldn’t be taken by that resort developer. He wouldn’t allow it. There had to be something he could do about it, and he was determined to figure it out.

But what?

He took a notebook out beneath a tree with the intention of writing down ideas on blocking the sale. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the skills to come up with anything that sounded feasible. The property was huge. It spanned a lot of the outer limits of Copper Creek, and there was even a little amount that bordered their own small ranch.

The landscape was varied. A few of the notable landmarks were the creek, a large pond, a good-sized wooded area, plus the open plains. Anyone who bought it could do anything they wanted with it—including that ridiculous resort.

The more Hudson fretted over the idea, the more he hated what was going to happen. They definitely didn’t have the means to take it over. Even if Wade put everything the whole family owned into a big pot, they wouldn’t have enough. Hudson’s only chance at preventing the developer from buying it was to go to the bank and ask them to break the land up for parts. Perhaps then he could convince the community to buy small parcels and keep the place open and free.

But even that idea didn’t sound like it would work.

He tapped his pencil on his sheet of paper that was blank except for the sketch of a horse’s head he’d doodled in the corner.

“Whatcha doing?”

Hudson glanced up to find Brielle standing over him with her hands on her hips.

“I didn’t know you could draw.”

He lifted the paper and board it was on up to his chest and frowned at her. “That’s because you haven’t bothered to get to know me.”

She tilted her head. “Or is it because you won’t let anyone get close to you?” Her smile was annoying. She’d been the first person outside of their family who had chosen to stay, and yet even she had abandoned them for a short amount of time. To be fair, after she and Wade got married, she’d stuck it out despite any issues that arose.

He got to his feet, his sharp attention remaining locked on her. “Your dad is rich, right?”

Brielle snorted. “You could say that.”

“Is he looking for any investment ideas?”

Her eyes narrowed, and she gave him a funny smile. “Honestly, he’s usually looking for ways to continue to grow. But lately he’s been holding back. I think he’s happy with where everything is. Why?”

Hudson shrugged. “Because I thought he’d be interested in something. From what I understand, he likes things to remain status quo around here, right?”

She laughed softly. “So the theory goes.”

“Has he heard about the property just outside of town limits that’s gone up for sale?”

This time when her eyes narrowed, he couldn’t tell if she was suspicious or if she was holding something back. Then again, she might have been watching him for any indication that she could trust what he was saying. “Everyone has heard about that place.”

“Well, did he hear that a developer wants to come in and turn it into a huge resort?”

Her eyes widened. Ha! He’d surprised her. But that didn’t mean her father wasn’t aware. Zeke Callahan was usually up on this sort of thing.

“Do you think he’d want to invest in that property and turn it into something that wouldn’t bring in thousands of people during the year?”

“He might,” she hedged, “but he’s also very careful about expanding to something so large. I suppose if you had a business plan, you could take it to him and tell him what you think.”

That was the best information he’d gotten since his walk with Rachel. If Zeke was willing to put up the money, then perhaps Hudson could save the town from outsiders—or at least delay them for a time.

There was only one problem.

He didn’t have a business plan. All he knew was how to ranch and farm. But there were already several people out here doing that exact thing. Sure, they specialized in different areas, but to add another business to the mix that could fail wasn’t something Zeke would jump at.

What could they turn it into?

Hudson understood why the developer wanted to bring a resort here. It would mean money. It would be a thriving business. But in the end, it would ruin everything he loved about Copper Creek.

“A business plan? What would that entail… exactly?”

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