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Chase grunted a nonanswer and rocked forward, pulling a pair of reading glasses from his pocket. After slipping them on, he flipped open the folder and perused the enclosed document.
“What are the terms?” Chase slid Tara a glance over the top of his glasses.
“I think you will find they are quite generous. Fortunately my income is such that I don’t have to be concerned about a return on my investment. In fact, I have my tax lawyers working now on finding a way to deed the land over to you without creating a lot of tax complications for either of us.”
As dangled carrots went, Ty gave Tara high marks for finding a particularly tempting one. But knowing her, he was certain there would be conditions attached to it. There always were, even if they weren’t spelled out at the beginning.
“That’s a very grand gesture,” Ty remarked, aware that it was one without substance at the moment.
“On the surface I suppose it seems that way. But it isn’t really. Since my father passed away, you are the closest thing I have to a family. And I will never forget the way you were there when I needed you,” Tara declared in a subtle bid for more sympathy, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “It meant more to me than you will ever know.”
“It was nothing.”
“Maybe not to you, but it was to me. That is how this whole thing got started—I wanted to do something for you. Considering that my father was more or less responsible for you losing title to Wolf Meadow in the first place, it seemed only right that I should try to get it back for you.” Pausing, Tara allowed a small smile to play across her lips, one that was a little rueful and apologetic. “Then I became a little selfish and decided to keep a little piece of the Triple C for myself so I could live here, too. I knew that was something neither of you would normally permit.”
“So you resorted to extortion to get it,” Ty concluded.
“That’s putting it a bit strongly, I think, considering that my intent is to restore your ownership of the property.”
“Except for fifty acres of it,” he countered dryly.
“I am certain that we can ultimately come to some sort of understanding whereby it is titled in your name with a proviso that I have a life estate to it. That’s something our attorneys can work out.”
“In the meantime you want”—Chase paused to locate the precise phrase in the document—“ ‘ten dollars and other valuable considerations’ for a one-year lease.”
“Obviously if a transfer of ownership can be accomplished sooner than that, we will.” Tara’s expression brimmed with confidence.
“By the way,” Chase addressed his remark to Ty,
“among the ‘other valuable considerations,’ she wants access to the fifty-acre tract as well as a utility easement.”
“I am building a home there,” Tara said, as if they needed to be reminded of it.
Leaning back in his chair, Chase removed the reading glasses and idly toyed with them. “There is something I’ve been wondering.”
“What’s that?” Tara asked, all bright and helpful.
“Your reason for hiring Buck Haskell to work for you.” He studied her with a look of detached interest yet he was alert for the smallest change.
Her smile was quick and careless, mildly chiding. “Who else could I find who knows every inch of the ranch as well as he does? I can understand why you would have reservations about him. But believe me, I checked him out thoroughly. I know it sounds terribly trite, but he is truly a changed man.”
“Take it from me”—Chase tossed the reading glasses onto his desk—“he is as skilled at acting as you are.”
She drew back fractionally, a wounded look in her eyes. “Please. This is not an act.”
“Maybe not,” Chase agreed without conceding the fact. “Just the same, you had best keep an eye on him. And whatever you do, don’t let him slap you on the back without first checking to make sure his hand doesn’t have a knife in it.”
“I appreciate the advice, and I will follow it,” Tara promised.
“I hope you do. As for this lease”—Chase touched the document before him—“I’m afraid we won’t be able to sign it.”
Undeterred, Tara smiled away his answer. “Obviously I didn’t expect you to sign it tonight. I know you will need to review it with your lawyers. There are always minor changes that need to be made for one side or the other. I—”
“You don’t understand,” Ty interrupted. “We don’t need to have our attorneys look at it because we can’t accept it.”
Startled, Tara divided her questioning look between the two of them. “Why ever not? What possible objection could you have to it?”
“We aren’t in a position financially to take it on,” Chase responded. “It isn’t so much the ten dollars as it is the cost to stock it. We have already sold the cattle, and we don’t have the spare capital to buy more. What resources we have available are committed to this auction. As tempting as your offer is, it simply wouldn’t be prudent for us to accept it at this time.”
