Page 43 of Heating Up (Nugget)

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“Of course,” Aidan smiled at Dana and caught Griffin watching.

What was it with him? Aidan wondered. He seemed to be paying a little too much attention to a woman he’d dumped for someone else. It irked Aidan. Maybe Griffin got off on pitting two women against each other. Made him feel like a big man. Aidan was just about to shoot him a dirty look when he felt something tugging at his knees. Under the table, he found Lilly pulling herself up, using him to keep balance.

He pulled her onto his lap to shrieks of delight and a big toothy grin.

“How old is she?”

“Eighteen months,” Nate said.

Lilly gazed at Aidan with big, adoring brown eyes and he fell in love. He definitely wanted one of these.

“Who knew I had a big flirt on my hands?” Nate said, and everyone at the table laughed.

“Kids love the big oaf,” Sloane said. “It’s one of those unsolved mysteries.”

The ring of Aidan’s cell phone filled the air, and for a second he felt too paralyzed to pull it from his pocket. What if it was Sue?

“Aren’t you planning to get that?” Brady asked.

“Yeah.” He handed Lilly off to Dana, got up from the table, and walked a distance to check the phone’s caller ID. He stared at it for a few seconds and took a deep breath. “Whaddya we got?”

“A suspicious brushfire near Upper Jamison Creek Campground in Plumas-Eureka State Park. About fifty acres so far. Looks like I have to call you in early.”

“You’ve got it, Captain.”

Chapter 9

The day before the Fourth of July, Ray Rosser’s lawyer finally called Dana. The old man wanted the buyer to come up thirty thousand and they’d have themselves a deal.

Knowing Ray, he just wanted to taunt his lawyers, who were champing at the bit for their fees. And just to throw a monkey wrench into the situation, Clay McCreedy had caught wind of the offer, stomped into Nugget Realty and Associates, and was sitting in the conference room this very minute waiting to have a word with Dana.

Carol, unfortunately, was on her way to Santa Cruz with her family for the holiday, leaving Dana on her own to tangle with the intimidating cowboy. He owned one of the largest cattle ranches in California, was a war hero, and when he told the townsfolk to jump, they simply asked, “How high?”

He’d never said or done anything that would lead her to believe that he was anything less than a gentleman. Yet, he could still make her pee her pants with one snarl.

“Here’s your coffee, Mr. McCreedy.” Dana shut the door and took the seat across from him at the table. “As I told you when you first came in, there’s not really a lot I’m allowed to say to you.”

“Ray already told me what this secret client of yours is offering. And while it’s a hell of a price for land like that, I can’t match it.” He sipped the coffee while his piercing blue eyes locked on her. “I just want to make sure this corporation knows that Rosser’s property is agricultural land. Putting in another Sierra Heights, a strip mall, or even a resort ain’t gonna fly. I’ll fight it tooth and nail and, Dana, I’ll win. You’d be remiss in not telling your client that.”

“Mr. McCreedy, my client is well aware of what the land is zoned for.”

“No need to be so formal. My father was Tip and I’m Clay. These people cattle ranchers?”

He knew damned well the buyer wasn’t a cattle rancher. While beef was a big industry in the West, the list of players was short. Word of an acquisition on this level would’ve spread faster than an outbreak of E. coli. “Clay, I can’t give you that information.”

He let out a breath. “I’ve got to wonder what all the secrecy is about. Folks here know their neighbors. That land has been in the Rosser family for more than a century. It’s always been used to run cattle. At the rate we’re going, California’s farmland will shrink so small that we’ll have to get our food from a laboratory. These people know that?”

“I think they do.”

He made an exasperated sound. “When will we know who these folks are?”

“If and when a deal closes escrow, the buyer’s name becomes public record.”

“I’m already aware of the name, Dana. The T Corporation.” He let out a cynical laugh. “I can’t find one shred of information on the company anywhere. It’s bogus. When will I know who owns it?”

When you see Gia Treadwell walking through the Nugget Market or getting an order of curly fries at the Bun Boy. “I’m really not at liberty to say.”

“Well, I hope the T Corporation knows what it’s getting itself into. Because if it intends to use that land for anything other than farming or ranching, that bullshit company can expect a hell of a fight on its hands.” Clay swiped his hat off the table and stalked across the room and out the door.