Page 52 of The Contractor & the Entrepreneur

“Don’t you dare, Sloan. I’ll make you regret this. You know I can and I will.”

She was surprised at the venom in his dark eyes. He’d never hurt her physically, but emotionally … so much pain, neglect, isolation, and mind games. Memories flashed before her mind. Any time she stood up to him and the repercussions on her or someone she cared about.

“I won’t regret it,” she said, even as uneasiness tingled at her spine.

“You’re going to regret what will happen if you don’t leave now,” Rhett said evenly, the same voice he’d used with Jaxon and Preston. “Brody. Paydon.”

The two burly young men strode forward and toward her dad.

Her dad pivoted and scampered back along the muddy road. Sloan clung to Rhett’s hand and turned to face him, grateful for his support, grateful her dad was leaving. This wasn’t the end of the ugly interactions, but they’d won this round and she hadn’t given in to her fears.

“Thank you,” she murmured for only him to hear.

He nodded to her, probably uncertain what to say.

They turned as one to face the men. There were almost twenty of them.

“Thank you,” Sloan said. “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have anything to be sorry for,” Josh said. “And you’re welcome.”

They nodded to her or lifted a hand and then headed back to work trying to clear the land. Her heart threatened to burst. All those men—some of them who hadn’t even liked her—were now protecting her.

Rhett turned her toward him. “You okay?”

She blew out a breath. “He’s so over the top.” He was terrifying to her but admitting it to Rhett might make her seem weak. “To fly up here just to claim he’s going to save me.” She shook her head. “He didn’t even know I was up here until I answered my phone this morning. He said my uncle told him, which makes no sense as they hate each other. And how did he know about the mudslide and the insurance? It’s the way he has always been, finding out everything about me and using it to control me.”

His brow furrowed.

“I’m sorry he was a jerk to you,” she said.

Rhett shrugged. “I only care what his daughter thinks about me.”

She grinned at that and felt a load lift. It was humiliating that Rhett’s parents openly accepted her and her dad was rude to Rhett, but Rhett wouldn’t let it bother him.

“Hisestrangeddaughter thinks you’re amazing,” she said.

He smiled and squeezed her hand. He looked over the property and the river sparkling in the sunlight, then shook his head. “Something isn’t adding up.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your cousins came for you, trying to threaten you to give them the property …”

She nodded.

“You went through the lawsuit eighteen months ago.”

Again, she nodded.

“Was it your cousins who tried to sue you for the land, or your uncle?”

“My uncle. He claimed it was his rightful property as Grandpa’s only living direct descendant and that Grandpa wasn’t in his sane mind when he changed the will and put me as the sole inheritor.”

“And your uncle called your dad and told him you were up here?”

“That’s what he said.” She shrugged. “I’ve only ever seen them yell at each other.”

His eyes grew thoughtful. “Sloan, I’m not trying make your dad out to be the bad guy…”

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