Page 43 of Operation Wolf: Hunter
“Oil.”
I barely managed to keep my jaw from dropping.The ranch is sitting on top of an oil well?Dollar signs began prancing through my head at the idea of the potential wealth. I could pay back all my debts and then some. I could open studios across the city. I could—
“Wait a minute,” I said, coming back to my senses. “You want to buy the ranch and turn it into an oil field?”
“That’s the idea,” Samuel said. “I’m not planning on becoming a rancher after all.”
My heart dropped into my stomach. The ranch would be completely destroyed, which was exactly what my great-uncle hadn’t wanted. But I didn’t say that to Samuel, knowing he would just argue the point.
“If that’s true,” I said slowly, “then why on earth would I want to sell the ranch to you? I could just drill the oil myself and keep all the profits.”
“That’s true,” he said, “but oil drilling is an expensive venture, and I doubt you have the capital to get it going. I, on the other hand, have connections to the oil-drilling industry, as well as the financial resources to get such a project going, and I am in an infinitely better position than you to capitalize on the potential wealth of this ranch.”
I opened my mouth to tell him that Ihad a resource in the oil industry as well and then stopped. I didn’t actually know Hunter’s brother, Eric, on a personal level, and there was no way he was going to step in and help me with a project that would go directly against Hunter’s wishes.
A project you aren’t even interested in doing anyway,my conscience reminded me.
Guilt flooded my chest.
“I must admit, I was pretty surprised at your initial offer of one hundred thousand dollars,” I said. “But now that you’ve explained the situation to me, it sounds like a pretty pitiful sum.”
“I agree,” he said. “That is why I’m now prepared to offer you five hundred thousand dollars, as well as ten percent of all future profits.”
I felt as if my head was going to explode.Five hundred thousand dollars . . . plus ten percent of the millions of dollars that Mr. Bradley was going to make in the future?
How on earth can I turn down all that money?
“You must be dead certain there’s oil on this land,” I countered.
“I have a very good source,” he insisted while opening up the briefcase he’d set on the table. He pulled out a several-page legal document. “Here’s a contract with all the particulars. It’s not an official bill of sale, but it does outline the exact agreement.”
I knew I shouldn’t take the contract, but my fingers curled around it anyway. “I can’t sign anything right now,” I said, infusing my voice with conviction I was no longer certain I felt.
“Of course,” he said smoothly. “I just wanted to update my offer and give you this document so you would have a chance to look it over yourself—and with a lawyer, if you would like.” He stood up, and I hastily followed suit. “I’m sorry to be abrupt, but I have to get going now.”
“I’ll show you out.” I walked him to the door, the contract still clutched in my hand, and followed him out to the porch so I could watch him get in his car. My instincts, which hadn’t quite been overruled by greed, still told me he couldn’t be trusted, and I didn’t want to let him out of my sight.
He paused on the top step and looked back at me, his glasses once more shielding his gaze from me. Nevertheless, a chill still raced through me.
“You know, any current agreement you’ve made with Hunter Golden is not legally binding. So, you can still let him in on this business opportunity.” He grinned, trotted down the steps, got into his car, and drove off.
I stared off into space for a long moment and then jumped as one of the roosters crowed, startling me out of my damn wits. Remembering my chore, I raced to the backyard to finish collecting the eggs and put the contract out of my mind.
