Page 5 of The Texas Cowboy's Proposal

“If it’s any use, I did find out that the time limit isn’t set in stone. You wouldn’t necessarily have to get married tomorrow. You’d sign off on an agreement and then you’d have thirty days to get the deed done. Just thought I’d pitch that out there.”

Matt’s words brought Beaudry’s mind back into focus. “Thirty days? Then there would have to be a marriage or...?”

“Then the deal is off and the ranch is sold.”

“Why do I since abutin there someplace? What happens to the deal—the ranch land and the cash? Which is how much, by the way? I guess aboatloadof cash was an exaggeration also?”

“Only if you consider three million an exaggeration.”

The silence became a loud roar. Beaudry’s shocked gaze met his brother’s. Both brothers almost forgot to take a breath. Jaxson recovered quickest.

“A million for each of the three years of incarceration?”

“Nicely put.” Matt nodded, a hint of arrogant smile playing into view. “Not bad for simply saying ‘I do’ and slipping a gold band on your finger for a little while. But then again, who knows? You might end up liking the arrangement so much you’ll want to make it permanent. Could be worse things than being married to a beautiful, wealthy woman. I just can’t think of what those worse things are at the moment.”

“Well, I can. A gold ring is nothing but a gold noose around a man’s neck. And I know all about that. But I also know that this can change a lot of things for our lives and our own ranch, all the plans that would take us decades to put in place, if even then. Building up the horse herd, bringing in more land for pasture grazing. And the things it could provide for Lacy’s future, like a college education and something of value to inherit one day, instead of a mound of debt. I just have to do some thinking.”

The two men watched as Beaudry saddled up his horse. He did his best thinking on the back of his horse, somewhere in the middle of the land where the silence and vastness often revealed answers that couldn’t be heard anyplace else.

“Best let him think it out. Thanks for postponing your plans. Guess you’ll be heading for that quiet beach and blue waters now,” Jaxson said to Matt.

Matt shook his head. “One thing is for certain. I won’t be going on any trip. I think things just might get interesting around here. I always enjoy a good fireworks show.”

Chapter Three

Sammi Jo satstill as a statue on the back of her black-and-white paint horse. The animal’s gaze was also locked on the moving figure in the distance headed in their direction. From where they stood waiting under the lone massive oak tree on the crest of the hill, they had a vantage point that gave them a clear view for as far as they could see of the open ranch land in every direction stretching before them. It was Sammi Jo’s private place to ponder the questions of the universe, as her sister often chided her. The Lightning Tree was the name given to the huge oak tree that had been hit by lightning one summer afternoon when Sammi Jo was just ten. It had split in two and been stripped of its leaves, its bark bleached white, leaving an eerie look to it. Some believed it had special magic, and Sammi Jo liked to believe that as a child. Except she was fervently hoping there might be some truth in that at the moment. She needed magical answers and she needed them fast. She sat waiting for the answer that approached now in the figure of a cowboy as his mount picked its way up the slope.

The horse was a big bay. The size fit the man on his back.

Beaudry Hawkes had called and left a terse message on her phone.We need to talk. Meet me at the lightning tree... one hour.

Sammi Jo didn’t usually take to being summoned. But then, there would be a lot of things she hadn’t done before if this ridiculous plan were to be put into place. Her life would be upended for the next three years. But she’d walk through a cactus field infested with rattlers if she had to in order to keep the land before her under the Burkitt name. Whatever game her grandmother was playing, she’d match it, or she didn’t deserve to have this future.

As much as she begrudged the thought, one had to admire Beaudry Hawkes’s skills as a horseman. It was easy but commanding. He had formed that innate partnership with his mount. It came from years of work and trust. She knew it because she had done the same.Two hearts and minds working as one.That was how her grandmother had explained it to her when she had begun putting her into the saddle. It had taken Sammi Jo a while to grasp the real meaning and then put it into action. But the day it clicked for her—that was the day she had gotten the silent nod of approval from the woman... and that was as good as a real queen bestowing an honor on a subject before her. They were few and far between.

Beaudry and she had competed often enough against each other in the show arena. They were dead even in the number of trophies and ribbons. Butevendidn’t count, not in the world of being a Burkitt. Except now, she needed him in order to gain what she desired the most. And that would allow him to win the hands she could—which meant biting her sharp-edged tongue a lot, she had no doubt. It was a fine line she would be treading for the next thirty-six months. That was how she saw it in her mind... years sounded too long to endure. Silly, it might be, but they were all going to have to find a way through this. And it began with the man edging closer to her spot to agree with the plan. The ball was in his court. But she was going to win the game, slow and easy, all the way to the finish line.

Burkitts weren’t losers.

“Punctual. That is good. We do have something in common. Although keep in mind that I don’t usually respond well to summoning with a decided lack of manners involved. A ‘please and thank-you’ goes a long way in case you missed that class in social behavior.”

His gaze locked on her as he drew his mount up short, facing her square on, the reins laced through gloved fingers that came to rest on the pommel of his saddle. “I figured you for a short-and to-the-point type of female, seeing as how that has been the sum total of our interactions to date. But social graces aren’t on the agenda right now. My daughteris, though. Mind that I left that message before returning to the house and finding her all excited with news of a present that had been delivered to her just before I arrived. One of your ranch hands dropped it off. It was a bit of a surprise. But then Burkitts aren’t above bribery to get what they want.”

“It was just a book. I remembered when I wasn’t much older than her and wanted a Great Pyrenees puppy myself. I read every book I could get my hands on, so I could use the information to make the case to my grandmother. I thought it would be better off in Lacy’s hands than gathering dust on the top shelf of the library at home. I’m glad to hear that it made her happy. And bribery might have been in my grandmother’s toolbox, but it’s not in mine.”

“And did it work? Did you win the case for getting your puppy?”

A fleeting memory darkened the moment, but she hoped she had pushed it away before he saw. There could be no weakness of any kind in front of this man and his all-seeing scrutiny.

“No. I had to wait another two years before my grandfather gifted me with an Australian Shepherd that was far more in keeping with what was considered a working ranch dog. The dog could earn its keep that way. But we aren’t here to discuss dogs. You’re concerned about your daughter, and I realize that this is putting you into a situation that would impact her. I can only give my word that I will do my best to make things as easy as possible, to follow whatever you feel is best, as far as including her in this fine mess for the next three years. Of course, I also realize that you may choose to opt out of this whole deal due to her. I wish my grandmother had given that more thought before she set this in motion. But if you choose to end this all right now, so be it.”

He sat silent for a long moment, his gaze never wavering, but considering—and more unnerving than before.

“I walk away, you lose the ranch. That’s how it was presented to me earlier. Is that still the case?”

“Yes.”Don’t let him see the feelings. Straightforward and no emotion. Burkitts didn’t cry. At least not until they were alone.

“You’d give up all this”—his head did a brief nod to the land that stretched to the horizon and beyond around them—“if I say no because of my child. A child you never met until earlier today, yet who holds the key to this dream of yours.”

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