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Chloé stared at him in disbelief. “I can’t do that. He’s responsible for growing the hay in the first place.”
“He was responsible for it when your uncle was employing him. If he wants to keep his horses here he needs to pay for their keep. And don’t forget the cattle are his now, too. You don’t need to hire cowboys anymore, Chloé. All you need now are a few farm-hands to tend the land. You’ll soon be raking in the cash and reducing your outgoings considerably. No, I think maybe your old uncle did you a favor there.” He took a long swig of his coffee, while Chloé tried to take it all in.
“I don’t know. I’m sure Uncle John wouldn’t want me making money from Tyler.” She shook her head.
Bill snorted again. “It’s business, Chloé. You have to make money from it to pay the bills.”
She frowned.
Bill stretched his hand across the table and placed it over hers. She looked up at him in surprise.
“Look,” he said quietly. “I know this is all a bit too much for you, isn’t it? All you wanted to do was tie up any loose ends down here and head back to your life in the city. I understand that. Why don’t I make it easier for you? You could sell the ranch to this guy I know, take the money and get back to normality? No more worrying about how to get money to pay for the place’s upkeep, or how to cultivate the land that’s been dumped on you. I know this place must be causing you one almighty headache, so why not walk away from it? I’d get you a good price for a quick sale and you can get back to your new life? Why not have a think on it, eh?”
He stroked her hand and she felt his warmth. She knew his contact had been interested in buying the place when he thought she would inherit it all, and was actually surprised he was still interested in just part of it.
At first she had thought that Bill might have wanted the ranch for himself, but he seemed quite genuine today, and he certainly had a good head for business. Although she was good at her job in accounts, and could probably manage the ranch’s books without any difficulty, it was the moral issues which bothered her.
How could she expect Tyler Brannagh to pay for the hay which he had grown himself? Could she really charge him for the use of the ranch to take care of the animals? And what about the staff? How could Tyler afford to keep them all on? She hated the thought of people losing their jobs because of her. She sighed. It was all so complicated.
“Look, sweetheart. I know it’s a lot to take in. Heck, I’ll bet you thought that Brannagh was being a good friend to your uncle, not wheedling half the ranch out of him. If I were you the first thing I’d do is fire the conniving little shit – you don’t need the likes of him around.” Bill squeezed her hand gently.
Chloé gasped. “But he lives here. Even if he didn’t work here he still gets to live on the site.”
“I don’t reckon he’ll want to live here if he can’t get work in these parts. He’ll be more than willing to sell off that house if he has to move away for a new job – you could get it at a knock-down price and rent it out for a good income.” Bill seemed to have it all worked out.
“Or just sell to my contact right away and you won’t have to worry about him anymore. I heard how he stood you up on the night of your graduation, sweetheart. That guy’s an all round asshole.”
Chloé gawped at him. “You know about that?”
He grimaced. “I’m afraid so, sweetheart. It’s not exactly a secret around these parts – you know how folks are in Rough Oaks. Word soon got around, although he tried to claim it was the other way ’round and it was you that did the dirty on him.”
“What?” She shrieked in horror, feeling herself glow hot with anger.
Bill stroked her hand. “Yeah, that’s just the sort of asshat he is. Stands up a girl on her own graduation day and then claims it was her that never showed up. I don’t think everyone believed him; folks didn’t know what to think, to be honest. I don’t blame you for leaving town, it was the best thing you could have done, in my book. Folks can be pretty mean over things like that. You’re better off out of it, if you ask me.”
“He left me standing in the pouring rain for over an hour. I must have looked like a right idiot stood on the sidewalk outside Marconi’s. I’d taken a cab there so Tyler could drive me home afterward, which meant I didn’t even have my car to wait in. He made such a fool of me. I can’t believe he tried to lie about it afterward. You’re right, Bill. Tyler Brannagh is an asshole.”
She burst into tears and felt Bill’s arms around her. He had quickly stood up and come over to her. Chloé cried into the warmth of his chest. Hot, angry tears, tears of indignity and despair, tears of upset for the hopes that were dashed that night – and tears of shame for being fooled by that asshat, Tyler fucking Brannagh.
When she had calmed down a little Bill took her into the sitting room. The furniture was worn, but it had a homey feel to the place and Chloé felt comfortable there. He sat next to her on the small sofa, with his arm still around her, holding her close to his chest. She could hear its steady beat and it soothed her somewhat.
“Better now?” He asked as she slowly pulled away from him.
Chloé nodded, sniffing hard. She looked up at his face and noticed his pale, blue eyes. She had always thought he had mean eyes, little slits with no warmth, and his pointed nose and thin lips made her suspicious of him for some reason. Now she could see him close-up he wasn’t that bad-looking at all.
For a second she thought he was about to kiss her, as he leaned toward her slightly, and she quickly sat back in her seat.
“I’d best light that fire,” he said with a sigh, and set to it.
Chloé watched him bend over and light the kindling before adding another couple of logs. The heat was most welcome, and she suddenly realized that she was actually shivering. A crocheted blanket swathed the back of the sofa, so she pulled it around her. She had intended to change out of her dress when she got home, but when Bill arrived unexpectedly at her door she hadn’t been able to.
He smiled up at her, and his face actually looked warm in the glow of the fire.
“You need to wrap up warmer,” he said, sliding back onto the sofa next to her. “It’s much colder out here than in the city. You’ve been gone long enough to get acclimatized to Atlanta. You’ll feel much better once you’re back home.”
He put an arm around her, and, although she enjoyed his warmth, she was beginning to dislike his attitude.
“I am home,” she said bluntly. “This is where I was brought up.”
