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“It would be my pleasure, and I make no promises. A woman like Jillian was born to be touched.”
“I don’t think so,” she retorted, and I couldn’t help but chuckle as Phil led her away. I liked the man, and I didn’t think he’d make any moves on my wife, but if he did, I had a feeling that she would be able to handle herself just fine. Hell, when it was all over with, Phil might even learn a thing or two about respecting women.
“Ward,” Dennis said stiffly as he approached me. “I didn’t think I’d see your face around here. I thought you didn’t like parties like these.”
“I’m networking, Dennis. Same as you. Plus, I thought my wife might enjoy an evening out.”
“Hmm. I’d like to offer you a deal, Ward. You and I both want the same thing but not for the same reasons. That land is my inheritance. I’ve earned it, and I’m not about to stand by and watch my father sell it to someone outside the family. If you want to expand your ranch so badly, I can help with that. After some research, I’ve discovered that the protected lands next to you only take about half of what the park actually owns. The other half, the half that borders your land, can be bought if the price is right. I imagine that with the money you’re offering my father, and some political pull from me, we can both achieve what we want. What do you say?”
I clenched my fists but controlled my temper. Inherited lands? Dennis didn’t give a damn about his father’s ranch, and we both knew it. “Protected or not, I would not stoop so low as to take away the only park within fifty miles of our county. This was never about expanding my land. This is about protecting my ranch from whatever it is that you intend to do with your…” I sneered, “inheritance.”
His beady eyes narrowed, but his face remained slack. This was a man well practiced at deception in public. “Have it your way, Ward, but I have a feeling that you’ll regret getting in my way. I’ve taken down more powerful men than you, and in this case, it’ll be as easy as snapping my fingers. My father respects family. Do you really think he’s going to go against my wishes?”
“Your father respects character more than he respects family, and I’m sure that he knows exactly what kind of man you really are. If he didn’t, you wouldn’t be worried.”
He smiled coldly. “Tell me, Brendan. What kinds of secrets are you hiding in your closet? How is your wife going to react when I reveal them one by one? Your bed is going to be awfully cold once she runs from it.” He laughed as he added, “Again. Maybe I’ll take a crack at her. Is she the good little cocksucker that I imagine she is?”
I shifted my shoulders to coldcock him, but a hand on my arm stopped me. It was Phil with my anxious looking wife at his side. From the look on Phil’s face, I knew he’d at least heard the last part. “Dennis. How are you? I hate to interrupt, but I think Senator Baxtor was looking for you,” Phil said easily.
Dennis grinned. “Of course. He and I have much to discuss. Jillian, you look absolutely delicious this evening. I hope you’ll save me a dance before the night is over.”
“Dennis,” she greeted coldly before she pressed her lips in a thin line.
As he walked away, Phil sighed. “Please tell me that you haven’t made Dennis Blackwell an enemy. He might seem like a bumbling idiot, but he has friends in high places, and he’s far more cruel that anyone gives him credit for,” Phil said loftily, but there was worry in his eyes.
“You leave Dennis to me.” I put my arm around Jillian’s waist and kissed her on the head. She leaned into me, resting her arm against my chest as she looked up at me.
“Can we dance?” she murmured.
Nodding my head to Phil in thanks, I let Jillian lead me to the dance floor and swept her into my arms. Although the music and atmosphere were different than the little country hoedown, we moved with each other almost effortlessly.
“You do realize that he’s just using me to get to you, right? Get into another fight at an important function. Lose his father’s respect for you,” she asked as she looked at me with concern in her eyes.
My grip tightened around her waist. She wasn’t dancing with me as much as she was distracting me. “I know.”
“Then why did you almost take the bait?” Those beautiful eyes nearly glowed as she looked up at me. “We might still be legally married, but we haven’t been husband and wife in a long time. You don’t need to protect me.”
