Page 19 of The Guy Who Stole My Ranch

-Brooke-

What in tarnation was William Harris doing on my ranch? And had my dad really called himWill? There was something inherently wrong about that, like calling Queen Elizabeth “Lizzy.”

My mind scrambled to catch up while Rick and Mindy greeted William, and the kids tried to pet Frank, who only had eyes for me.

I fixated on two things: Dad was selling the ranch, and William was the buyer.

That must be why William had been in Whitehill today.

Had Victoria known about this? If so, I was going to give that gal a piece of my mind.

Todd left me behind and extended a hand to William, which he shook with ease.

When I’d first met William in California, he’d seemed distant. Earlier today he’d seemed awkward, almost distracted. Now he stood straight, with the confidence of a man who knew exactly what he was doing.

Except for the moment when his eyes darted to mine, and I could have sworn he sent a telepathic apology.

Todd, being Todd, didn’t waste time with small talk. “Are you really a billionaire?”

I wanted to smack him on the back of the head, just like mama would have, and ask him if he was really going to lead with that question.

William fielded the inquiry with ease. “My family owns Harris Inc. You can verify our worth online if you wish.”

Okay, one point for William, zero for Todd.

A chill ran up my spine, and I glanced at the tall guy who’d been driving the SUV. I found the dark-haired, James Bond stand-in staring at me, and not in an attractive way. More like he was sizing me up the same way I sized up horses at an auction. Would they be helpful? Trouble? Distracting?

I gave the man a small smile, which he didn’t return.

Then everyone’s attention shifted. One second, they were focused on the newcomer, then I felt the weight of the whole group crash against me.

Was I supposed to go to William? Shake his hand? Thank him for pulling my ranch out from under me? Demand to know if he’d been aware that this was my family’s property?

William didn’t wait for me to go to him; instead, he and Frank came to me. Frank, who was doing a good job heeling, shook in anticipation.

No one in my family had any idea that William and I were acquainted, and I wanted to keep it that way. Hopefully, he’d play along.

If William had somehow made the connection between me and the ranch, he probably would have said something earlier. Or had my leaving so abruptly from the park kept him from doing so?

I gave him a small smile—I actually wasn’t sure I’d even moved my lips—before I squatted down and started rubbing Frank. “Hey, boy.”

Frank pressed into my hands.

“How do you know he’s a boy?” Xavier asked.

Oops.

Lucky for me there was an easy fix for this. “Because his collar says Frank.” I lifted my eyes to William. “Unless you named a girl Frank.”

He kept his gaze polite, and his expression gave away nothing. “I did not.”

The dog turned, and I dug my fingers into his hips. I swear Frank sighed in pleasure.

My dad spoke. “Like I said, this is my daughter, Brooke. As you can see, she has a way with animals.”

I made a quick plan. I would stand up, greet William, then drag my dad aside and demand to know why he’d done this. Tell him that I wanted the ranch and to cancel the sale.

Easy.

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