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“Yes, but Dyson relinquished all rights to it a long time ago.”
“Maybe he did, but now that he’s dead, that’s not to say that whoever heads up his company now didn’t decide to grab control of it again. And there was a time when they wanted the coal under it pretty bad.”
His suggestion stunned Jessy into a protest. “They wouldn’t.”
“Why?” Ballard countered with a scoffing tone. “Because of what happened the last time? Corporations don’t have a conscience, not where money and profits are concerned. And there’s a lot of both to be made from all the coal under that ground.”
Jessy stiffened, horror-stricken by the thought of that rich grassland being ripped open by bulldozers to expose the coal beneath it, destroying its productiveness forever, leaving it scarred and ugly.
“Good god, Jessy, you’re white as a sheet.” Ballard gripped her shoulders as if expecting her to crumble any second.
Lowering her head, she gave it a small shake to dismiss his concern while she struggled to throw off the sick fear that gripped her. “I’m all right.”
He bent his head, trying to get a look at her face. “You don’t look all right.”
“They can’t be allowed to get their hands on that land,” Jessy said with the force of conviction.
“Hey.” He crooked a finger under her chin and lifted it, his mouth curved in a coaxing smile. “I never said they would succeed. We both know the Old Man would fight that to his last breath.”
“Take your hands off my wife.” Ty’s ominously low voice sliced between them like a knife.
Ballard stepped back in surprise, his hands automatically falling away from her when Jessy turned to stare at Ty. She was stunned by the look of icy rage in his expression.
“Ty, it’s not what you’re thinking,” she began.
But he didn’t allow her to finish. “If it was, Ballard would never set foot again on the Triple C,” he stated and shifted his gaze to Ballard. “You have work to do. Go get it done.”
For a long, cool second, Ballard held his gaze. “You’re makin’ a mistake, Calder,” he said easily. “But I reckon you’ll find that out for yourself.”
Stepping past Jessy, he went out the door, pulling it closed behind him. She waited until she heard the clump of his boots on the front steps, then let her own temper fly.
“Don’t you ever do that again, Ty Calder!”
Ty came right back with equal heat. “If you think for one minute that I am going to stand by and watch while that Romeo puts his hands all over my wife, you can think again!”
“You don’t own me.” Jessy’s voice vibrated with anger. “I am your wife, not one of your possessions. I am the only one who has the right to say who touches me, and who doesn’t! You better remember that.”
“And you better remember that I run this ranch and the people who work on it,” Ty fired right back. “I decide what behavior is acceptable and what isn’t. Ballard was out of line.”
“You are the only one who is out of line here.”
When she started past him, Ty caught her arm. “Dammit, Jessy—”
“Let go of me.” The demand was calmly voiced, but as determined as the look Jessy gave him.
Male pride wouldn’t allow him to release her. Instead, Ty turned Jessy toward him, catching hold of her arm. “What are we arguing about anyway?” he demanded in exasperation.
“This isn’t an argument. It’s a fight. And you started it.”
“Dammit, Jessy, I don’t want to quarrel with you. I had enough of that with Tara.”
But that was the wrong thing to say. New sparks snapped in Jessy’s eyes. “Don’t you ever compare me with Tara.”
“You couldn’t be less like her if you tried,” Ty replied. “But understand this, Jessy—I can’t and I won’t apologize for what I said to Ballard. You think I was too harsh. Maybe I was.” That was the only concession he was prepared to make. “But we have enough problems right now. This isn’t the time for there to be trouble between us.”
“I suppose you expect me to simply overlook it.”
His gaze narrowed at the heat that remained in her voice. “I don’t expect anything.” Ty could see there was no reasoning with her when she had her back up. He left her standing there and walked to the front door.
