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I folded my arms across my chest. “So, are we just going to pretend that I didn’t hear that you are Pete’s daughter? When were you going to tell me?”
“I didn’t need to tell you anything, Marcus. That wasn’t a part of the plan.”
“The hell it wasn’t. You are taking over the ranch where my sister has worked her ass off for years. This involves my family which means it also involves me.” I took a step toward her. “What are you going to do with the ranch?”
“I don’t know yet, but I don’t have to be telling any of this to you, Marcus, because it’s not yours. It’s mine.”
“It affects my sister and nephew's livelihood so, of course, it affects me, Maddison. What are you going to do with the ranch?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“Sell it,” I took another step toward her.
“No,” she said in defiance. “Peter gave it to me, and I will decide what I want to do with it. If I want to wreck it to the ground and build a spa, then I should be allowed to do it. You don’t control me, Marcus.”
I took another step toward her and placed both my arms on either side of her, caging her in. “You need to sell the ranch to Danny.”
She gulped. “No. Peter gave me the ranch, and I will do what I want with it. If you don’t like it, then I’m sorry.”
“Then I’m out of the deal.”
“You can’t do that.”
“The hell I can’t. You won’t even know what to do with a ranch. It’s better to give it to somebody who will actually care for it.”
“Do you even know how much that ranch is worth? Would you even be able to afford it in the first place?”
“I would find a way. If it’s for my sister then I would sell my left kidney for it. She loves that place like her own, Maddison. Pete was good to her. He was like a second father to us. You would be doing Pete and yourself a favor.”
“I’m not selling, Marcus, but I am willing to compromise. This ranch is the only thing of Pete’s I have. But I know nothing about running a ranch, so I would be willing to keep Danny, and she could manage it. I would be like a secret investor.
“She would be able to care for the ranch and have the funding she needed to keep it up, and she would be getting a raise. It’s a win/win situation for everyone involved.”
I hated that she had struck a good deal with me. It would be a fair trade at the end of the day. There was nothing I could complain about.
“Fine.” I pushed away from her giving her some breathing room. “But if you go back on your word, Vandlewoods, so help me, I will end you.”
“I’m so scared,” she mocked me. “I won’t go back on my word. Once we are married, I will talk to Danny about all the finer details. You don’t need to worry, okay?”
I trusted Maddison as far as I could throw her. She and I never played on the same side, but so far, our little charade had been working well for us. So, I would need to trust her now.
“Now can you go and put some clothes on, please. No one wants to be staring at your naked body.”
I smirked. “You weren’t complaining last night, stink bug. In fact, if I remember correctly, you were moaning my name till I had you over the edge.”
Her cheeks blushed, and she turned away. “That will never happen again, by the way. Sex will only complicate things. We need to keep this professional.”
“Whatever you say, stink bug.” I held my hands up in mock surrender.
She was right. Sex did complicate things, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to complicate things even further with her.
