Page 27 of The Guy Who Stole My Ranch

“He didn’t even get his shoes dirty?” Jessica asked from my laptop screen.

“He did not.” I squeezed the cow head stress ball in my hand and imagined destroying the look of triumph on William’s face when he’d finished cleaning Betsy’s stall a good fifteen seconds before I got mine done.

It’s not like he’d let out a yee-haw or anything; as a matter of fact, his expression had remained almost neutral. Almost, but not quite. I couldn’t even describe it, but it had been there. Satisfaction in spades.

I squeezed harder.

“That doesn’t surprise me,” Victoria said. “He’s very precise.”

I glared at her. “No one mucks stalls without gettingsomethingon them.”

“He loves his expensive shoes,” Victoria said.

After the-mucking-that-shall-never-be-spoken-of-again, I drove William back to my dad’s house where he proceeded to have dinner with my family. Everyone loved him.

Everyone except for me.

William had surprised me by asking my dad if he could wait to sign the papers for the ranch. Then he’d mentioned that he was coming out to shadow me for a week and suggested they do it then.

Now my brothers and dad were convinced there was something going on between William and me.

The only thing going on between us was me trying to think of a way to get rid of him.

I’d begged the Curvy Girl Crew to join me on a call so I could figure out how to do exactly that. Only Jessica, from New York, where it was almost midnight, and Victoria, from Alaska, had been able to jump on.

“When is he coming back?” Jessica asked.

“Next week.” I had less than ten days to figure this out.

I also had less than ten days to murder the butterflies that erupted in my stomach each time William and I touched.

“And you’re sure you want to get rid of him?” Victoria asked.

A sigh escaped my lips. “I probably shouldn’t have involved you in this, Victoria. I know you’re his friend.”

The blond woman grinned. “Sure, but you’re my better friend.”

“Is that a thing?” Jessica asked.

“It is now,” Victoria said.

I shut my eyes and took a breath.

“Your dad is determined to sell?” Jessica asked.

“I tried to talk to him about it earlier, but he’s too excited to listen.”

“He doesn’t know you want the property?” Victoria asked.

“Apparently not.”

That had probably hurt the worst. After pouring years of my life into this ranch, I would have thought he would have offered it to me before selling. Instead, he seemed anxious to get not only himself, but me, out.

Did he think I couldn’t handle it? That I wasn’t enough? The thought made me grind my teeth.

Jessica, who was sitting in bed, pointed at the camera. “So, what’s your plan?”

There was only one thing to do. “William is a businessman, right?”

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