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“While I’m not obligated to tell you, I will because I know how important the land is to you.” Lexi tilted up her chin as her unwavering gaze met his. “HSG is in the business of building exclusive resorts. We believe the genuine ghost town will be a great marketing tool.”
He stepped back, shaking his head in disbelief. “You want to turn my ancestors’ land into some kind of amusement attraction?”
“I’m sure this idea will take some getting used to—” Her cell phone buzzed, and she took a moment to silence it. “That was a reminder that I have a meeting to attend.”
“About my family’s land, I presume.”
She nodded. “I have to go. Don’t make any rash decisions. I will contact you later to discuss this further.”
Cord drew back his shoulders. “You’re really serious about building a resort here? In the middle of nowhere?”
“Think of it as a win-win situation. You get to keep your ranch. And Whistle Stop gets a big boom in its economy.” She started for her vehicle.
“And you get to build your money-making resort on my family’s land.”
She paused and turned back. “I understand you’ll need some time to think things through. Right now, I’m due at a meeting with some county and state officials. It’s probably going to take most of the day. I just stopped by because I wanted to straighten out this misunderstanding over the land. I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression.”
At last, an apology. “Fine. I’ll think it over, but I’m not promising anything.”
She smiled, and her face lit up. “Fair enough. Before we talk again, I’d like to see the land in person.”
“I don’t think so.” He hadn’t even agreed to the sale. He needed time to think through it all.
“Photographs just aren’t the same. Especially when it comes to the ghost town.” She slid on sunglasses, hiding her expressive eyes. “How about I meet you here? Say, eight o’clock tomorrow morning? You can give me a personal tour of the ghost town.”
Traipsing around the countryside with a land developer who held the power to save his little piece of the world was one thing, but spending the day with a woman who warmed his blood with just a smile was quite another. And this out-of-town, hotshot businesswoman was definitely the wrong female to let his guard down around.
“I’ve got to work in the morning.”
“Then how about after lunch?”
“More work then, too.”
“Fine. I’ll go by myself.”
“If you do, it’ll be trespassing. And you should consider that an inexperienced person going out into the desert alone is a recipe for disaster. The desert can be harsh and unforgiving.”
Her phone buzzed again. “I’m going to be late.” She pulled out some folded papers and handed them to him. “Read these over and come up with a reasonable price for the ghost town. We can sort out the details later.”
He glanced down at the papers, not relishing the time and effort it’d take him to read them. “I haven’t agreed to any of this—”
“Not yet.”
CHAPTER SIX
The jangle of the phone stirred Cord from his deliberations. He didn’t move. With his dinner long cold, he continued staring out the kitchen window. The sun’s lingering golden rays washed over the vast land he loved, like a final kiss.
All day while he’d tended the livestock and then updated the ranch’s financial spreadsheets, he’d struggled to think up a way to stave off the bank—a way that did not include selling out to the determined lady developer with those hauntingly beautiful blue eyes. All he’d gained for his efforts was an incessant pounding in his temples.
At last, silence descended over the room, but before he could breathe a sigh of relief, the blasted telephone started up again. He smacked the glass tabletop and shoved his chair back, ignoring the protesting screech against the tile floor. Time to rid himself of this persistent caller.
He grabbed the receiver but before he could utter a word, he head, “Cord, it’s Peter Forbes. I’m not disturbing you, am I?”
“Actually, I was just sitting down—”
“This won’t take long,” the man rambled on. “I thought I might hear from you today.”
“Why? Is there another offer on the land?” His hand clenched the phone. He willed his real estate agent to say yes.
