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Honor couldn’t seem to move from the spot she had been standing in when Joshua had roared off in Bud’s truck with Violet.
We’ve made up our minds.
Theo and I have decided to sell the ranch.
Honor couldn’t shake her conversation with Joshua. She couldn’t believe the words that had tumbled out of his mouth. Her stomach clenched as feelings of betrayal washed over her. Tears of frustration pooled in her eyes. What a fool she had been to believe Joshua would be swayed by her words!
They were selling the ranch! Bud’s beloved Diamond R would be transformed into a commercial enterprise. If only Bud had protected his land by making certain his will mirrored his wishes. In her heart Honor hadn’t really believed Joshua would be capable of moving forward with the sale. He had always been sentimental about the ranch. Who was this version of the young man she had thought she’d known like the back of her hand?
She felt so hopeless. Her grand plan to convince Joshua to reconsider his position had been a huge flop. He had already made up his mind before he’d stepped foot on the grounds of the nature preserve.
Honor bit her lip. She wasn’t a helpless person. She was smart and resourceful. And she believed in this town and the Alaskan environment more than mere words could express.
What if she could figure out a way to prevent the sale of the Diamond R Ranch? What if there was a legal way to stop Joshua and Theo from selling to the Alloy Corporation? Lee had said it wasn’t possible to challenge Bud’s will. But what if there was a way around it? Something tied in to land preservation. She saw it all the time in the news where people fought against construction in rural areas.
As town mayor, Jasper might be aware of some technicality by which the sale of the land to developers could be challenged. She needed to be certain before she crossed this bridge. Once she headed down this road, there would be no turning back. Joshua would no doubt be angry at her for interfering, but Honor felt strongly about the situation. She would be acting for a higher purpose than the Ransom brothers. Clearly, all they cared about was the almighty dollar.
In this case, the ends justified the means. As an animal rehabilitator and land preservationist, she couldn’t bear it if strangers descended on her beloved town and started digging up the land. Having hordes of tourists stomping around Jarvis Street would ruin the town’s laid-back vibe. It wasn’t just sour grapes about Bud not leaving the land to the town. It was about principles. It was about keeping Love quaint and pristine.
If she had to go head-to-head with the Ransom brothers in order to protect her hometown, that’s just what Honor intended to do.
Chapter Six
Joshua stood outside the paddock and gazed at the wide array of horses that had belonged to Bud. Chocolate. Midnight black. Sienna. Bone white. He had always been fascinated by the vast array of colors horses came in. These animals were an integral part of the Diamond R Ranch. A huge lover of horses, Bud Ransom had been proud to call himself a cowboy and a rancher. Gramps had been the one to teach Joshua how to ride when he was five years old. Joshua had fallen in love with horses and with the Diamond R Ranch.
It had been a long time since he had been home, but he was falling in love with it all over again. With each and every day he was falling into old, familiar rhythms and seeing his hometown with fresh eyes.
He had just now ridden across the property on Blaze, his grandfather’s favorite horse. He wasn’t sure how it had happened over the years, but he had forgotten how wonderful it felt to fly like the wind on a prized stallion’s back. It brought back a part of him he had thought was gone forever. The carefree boy who had dreamed of being a cattle rancher and owning his own spread. There wasn’t much riding for him in Seattle due to his hectic work schedule. Getting a business off the ground and raising a child consumed most of his time.
It was a nice change of pace to hang out with the horses.
Pride soared through him as he swung his gaze around the ranch. The property stretched out for miles. Pure Alaskan land. He felt a twinge of regret over his decision to sell the ranch. Theo had worked overtime to convince him of the wisdom of selling rather than holding on to the property for nostalgic reasons. He hadn’t told Honor, but he’d been on the fence regarding the decision. Much like the way he’d done in childhood, Theo had pushed him over the edge regarding the sale.
If he closed his eyes he could picture himself as his pint-sized self, following after Bud as he walked around the Diamond R. He’d been his grandfather’s shadow, wanting to know everything he could about running a ranch.
He scoffed. What was he being sentimental for? It wasn’t possible to keep the Diamond R. It wasn’t as if either he or Theo wanted to establish roots here in Love. Been there, done that. Nobody really wanted them to stay anyway. They just wanted his family’s land.
He heard the whir of tires crunching on the snow and turned in the direction of the road. It was Theo. He had headed into town earlier in order to meet with Eric Mathers, Bud’s attorney. Joshua had been content to stay back at the ranch while Theo sorted through the paperwork regard
ing their inheritance. Violet was inside the house with Winnie, the Ransom housekeeper. She had cheerfully agreed to watch the baby while he poked around the ranch.
Theo drove right up to the stables, then stopped on a dime. Joshua frowned. His brother had gotten out of the car and was making his way toward him. His stride was full of anger.
So much for his peaceful morning. Instinct told him things were about to take a turn for the worse.
“What’s going on? Are you all right? You look like a storm cloud,” he called out to Theo as he approached.
“You’re not going to believe it!” he announced from a few feet away. His face was twisted up in anger. His eyes flashed warning signs.
“Maybe you need to take a few deep breaths,” Joshua said. “You don’t look so good.”
Theo stopped right in front of Joshua. He was breathing heavily. A vein bulged over his eye.
“We’ve been stopped in our tracks, Joshua. We can’t move forward in selling the ranch. An injunction was filed preventing us from selling to the Alloy Corporation. Eric said that an argument is being made that the property should be blocked from sale to any developers.”
“An injunction? On what grounds?” he asked. His mind raced with the impact of the news. This had Boone written all over it. In his eyes, Joshua would always be the villain. He had probably jumped at the opportunity to make trouble for him. No doubt he wouldn’t be content until he left Love forever.
“An argument was made that since the land borders the wildlife preserve, it’s federally protected land. Since some of those animals are endangered, construction could hamper their ability to thrive.”
