Page 24 of Operation Wolf: Hunter
CHAPTER 12
Kia
“WHEW!” I WIPED THEsweat off my brow as I finally moved the last of the furniture back into place. I’d managed to do not only the living room, but also the dining area in the four hours since Hunter had been gone, and I felt pretty proud of myself.
A few coats of paint, and the place looks ten times better already.Just wait until Hunter sees it!
My excitement was much the same as a child’s would be when they finished a project and counted down the minutes until they could show their parents, but I felt no shame in it.
Everyone wants approval every once in a while, don’t they?
Humming to myself, I washed off the brushes, gathering up the first set of supplies to take back to the shed. I stepped outside, pausing on the porch to take a breath of clean, rain-scented air. The cloud cover had finally broken, revealing a gorgeous sunset that painted the sky in hues of red, purple, and orange, and there was even a rainbow arcing through the sky.
Maybe ranch life isn’t so bad.
The sound of an engine prevented me from examining that outlandish thought any further, and I looked up to see a shiny black sedan rolling through the gates. Frowning, I carefully placed my armload of supplies onto one of the porch chairs. Then I stood at the top of the steps and waited to see who the unexpected visitor was. Anxiety squeezed my stomach, and I wrapped a hand around one of the roof support pillars, holding on for support.
Don’t be silly. I’m sure it’s just one of the townsfolk coming to scope out the new owner.
I’d already had a few visitors before Hunter showed up. But none of them had driven a nice car like this, and certainly, none of them wore thousand-dollar suits, I noted as the man got out of the car.
Shit. Why didn’t I go back into the house for my gun?
Well, at least he doesn’t look like he’s armed.
I didn’t see any bulges in his suit jacket indicating that he was carrying. But he was a tall, solidly built guy who probably outweighed me by at least sixty pounds.
And there are no neighbors to hear me if I scream.Damn . . . I am pretty much a sitting duck.Fuck ranch life.
“Why, hello there!” the man greeted me, waving to me from his car.
He started walking in my direction, and I gripped the post more tightly, wondering if I should go back into the house. Something about this man was setting off all of my alarm bells. But he stopped at the bottom of the porch steps, maintaining a reasonably safe distance, so I stayed where I was.
“Miss Kia Nash, I presume?” he asked, a hint of Texas in his accent.
“Who’s asking?”
He smiled, revealing rows of perfect white teeth, and I had to admit, he was handsome with his swarthy complexion and perfectly styled dark hair. But the smile didn’t reach his cold, gray eyes.
“My name is Samuel Bradley,” he said. “I’m a real estate developer, and I heard that Mr. Nash, the former owner, recently passed away.” His smile dimmed a little. “I was planning on buying the ranch, as one of my associates had told me it was going up for sale, but then I found out you’d inherited it.” He hesitated. “Would you mind if we went inside and talked for a moment?”
“Yes, I do mind.”
The last thing I wanted to do was invite this strange man into my house. But part of me was interested in what he had to say. After all, he was clearly interested in buying the ranch. But the other part of me knew it would be wrong to renege on the bet I’d made with Hunter. Besides, I’d already decided to honor my great-uncle by not selling the ranch to a housing developer.
“I’d feel more comfortable with talking on the porch.”
“Well, I just thought it would be nicer to go inside since it’s all wet out here,” Samuel started to say as a truck rolled in through the gates.
He turned to look, and I was relieved to see it was Hunter’s truck.
“Friend of yours?” Samuel asked mildly.
“Yes, actually,” I said before smiling. “He’s assisting me with renovating the ranch.”
“I’m willing to offer you a hundred thousand for it,” Samuel said quickly, turning back to face me. “Instantly wired to your account as soon as you sign the papers.”
My jaw dropped. “A hundred thousand dollars?”
