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Dani looked down at the crisp white envelopes in her hand; no letter from Blake. She didn’t know whether it was a blessing or a curse. Cody was getting harder to handle each day.
With a sigh Dani walked through the house to the back porch and sat for a minute on the rail to stare at the property her great-great-grandfather had homesteaded nearly a hundred years before. The sprawling acres of the farm stretched before her. A few stands of oak, pine and cottonwood spotted the acreage that descended to Grizzly Creek before slowly rising to the foothills of the hazy Rocky Mountains. Waves of intense heat distorted the image of the cattle trying to graze in the dry pastures.
Thank God the creek was still running! And the snowpack on the mountains was still visible. So this year, at least, she wouldn’t run out of water.
So what was Chase McEnroe doing in the stream? A new fear paralyzed her as she thought aboµt the rugged-looking stranger and the fact that he worked for Caleb Johnson. Surely Caleb wouldn’t stoop to sabotaging her only source of water for the cattle, would he? He’d tried a lot of underhanded methods to force her to move, but he wouldn’t . . . couldn’t cut off her water!
“I think it’s about time to pay my neighbor a visit,” she muttered to herself as she straightened. Maybe tomorrow. Right now she had to deal with Cody, so Caleb Johnson and Chase McEnroe would have to wait.
* * *
Just being on Caleb Johnson’s land made Dani’s skin crawl. The man was poison and she could feel it as she parked the pickup and walked up the brick path to the imposing two-storied farm house. Built of sturdy white clapboard with black shutters at the windows and a broad front porch running its width, the house was as imposing and cold as Johnson himself.
Dani pounded on the front door and waited impatiently for someone to answer.
Someone did, but not Caleb Johnson. Instead of being able to vent her wrath on Johnson as she had hoped, Dani was standing face to face with Chase McEnroe for the second time in two days.
At the sight of her, Chase’s eyes narrowed and his jaw tightened. “If it isn’t Calamity Jane,” he drawled, moving out of the doorway as if to let her pass. “What can I do for you?”
“Nothing,” she replied stiffly. A nervous sweat dampened her palms. It was one thing to come across this man when she had the advantage of being on her own property, astride a large gelding and holding a rifle. Standing toe to toe with him on Caleb Johnson’s front porch was another matter entirely. Bracing her slim shoulders, she stated her business. “I’m looking for Caleb.”
He lifted a skeptical eyebrow. “He’s not here right now.”
“Where is he?”
“In town.”
“When will he be back?”
“I don’t know.” Chase offered her a humbling grin. “I’m just the help.” His smile became hard. “You remember—the arrogant S.O.B. and flunky you caught on your land.”
“I remember,” she replied, returning his stare without flinching. Pride lifted her chin and kept her gaze cool. “I just hope you gave Johnson my message.”
“Loud and clear.”
“Then I guess we won’t have a problem anymore, will we?”
“Not as long as you keep that rifle locked in a gun closet and throw away the key.”
“I don’t think so, Mr. McEnroe. Not until I’m sure you’ll stay off my property.” She saw the tightening of his jaw and decided to make herself crystal clear. “And that includes staying away from any water running through my land. I have water rights and I intend to protect them.”
“With a shotgun.”
“Rifle,” she corrected, realizing he was baiting her. “And whatever else it takes to get the message through your boss’s thick skull: My property is not for sale or lease. He can build a city the size of New York around my land and I won’t change my mind.”
Chase leaned against the doorjamb and crossed his arms over his chest. Some of the harshness left his features “Tell me, Mrs. Summers,” he suggested, noting that Dani bristled when he mentioned her marital status. “Are you always so tough?”
“Always,” she lied. “Especially when I’m dealing with Caleb Johnson or his hands.”
Chase’s lips curved into an amused smile and his brilliant blue eyes softened to the point that Dani noticed how handsome his angular features could be. “I’ll tell him you dropped by.”
“And you’ll let him know it wasn’t a social call?”
“My guess is that you haven’t dropped over here with an apple pie or for a leisurely chat in years,” he mocked.
“Just give him the message.”
“Are you expecting a response?”
