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She closed her eyes as he talked and wanted to shut him out of her life, to cover her ears and not hear what he was saying. She didn’t want to work for a Ralston out on a ranch. Jake was the best-looking man in the next twelve counties, and from what she had read and heard, he was a man who went through women in amazing numbers. A guy who liked pretty women, loved parties and had no intention of settling into family life. Definitely not her type. Granted, the women she had known who had gone out with him stayed friends, liked him and would be willing to go out with him again if they had the chance. But Emily didn’t want to be a trophy or a statistic. She didn’t want an affair and she definitely didn’t want a broken heart. If she got deeply involved with a man, she was old-fashioned enough that she wanted a wedding ring on her finger.
“Emily, let’s go through this before you flatly refuse,” he said in a throaty, coaxing voice that sent warmth through her, causing her refusal to fizzle.
“As I said, in the last moments of Thane’s life, he asked me to promise him three things—first, to clear out the possessions in his grandfather’s ranch house. For promising to do what Thane asked, he deeded that ranch to me as a gift. It is my house and my ranch now. The second promise was to hire you to appraise the contents of the house and help dispose of or keep what we find—and to live at the ranch with me for the duration of this job. The third promise, I’m afraid, is hopeless. It is to try to end the Ralston-Kincaid feud. You and I are talking to each other, making a deal with each other, so that’s a start. He did say try on that one.
“Let me briefly tell you about my military buddies. Thane was our captain and he was also our friend, fellow Texas rancher and businessman. Although you’re younger, you’ve grown up knowing the Warners and I imagine you know Noah Grant, or at least his sister, Stefanie.”
Emily nodded. “I’ve gone to school with Stefanie and I know the Grants.”
“Noah was asked to deliver a letter to the woman who turned out to be the mother of his son. Another Texan fit into our little group, Mike Moretti. Thane had asked Mike to work at the Tumbling T when Mike returned home. Not only had he done that, he ended up marrying Thane’s widow and taking over the ranch. The ranch that sat right in a stateside battlefield—directly between a family of Ralstons and a family of Kincaids.”
“I agree that ending the feud is absolutely impossible,” Emily replied. “Some of my family members have strong feelings. They wouldn’t even want to learn that I’m working for you. Thane was a very nice person, but this job is just not—”
Jake held up his hand, stopping her.
“Hear me out and let me give you the letter and an envelope Thane had for you. As I said, you can’t imagine the effort he made to tell me and two of his close friends what he wanted and to get each of us to promise to do certain things.”
“With great reluctance, I’ll listen,” she said, feeling caught between Thane’s last wishes and the plea from Jake on Thane’s behalf.
“Good,” Jake said, giving her another look that took her breath away. She hated his request and watched as he picked up his briefcase, opened it and removed a sealed envelope.
With misgivings, she reached out to take it and as her fingers brushed his hand, she had that instant awareness of contact. She looked up to meet his curious gaze and she felt an uncustomary flash of desire, as unwanted as the envelope in her hand. Why had she agreed to meet with Jake Ralston?
She opened the letter and looked up. “I might as well read this to you, too, because it has to be about my working for you.”
“Go ahead,” Jake said.
“Dear Emily,
I have asked my friend Jake Ralston to hire you to do the appraisal of my grandfather’s belongings and to live with and help Jake dispose and take care of those things. I know it is life changing to ask a Ralston and a Kincaid to work together, but it is temporary, a job with two honorable, trustworthy people working together to do what I am not going to be able to do myself. Please be kind and honor this request of mine. It’s time the Kincaids and the Ralstons bury the old battles. Your lives are before both of you and this is a small request, and it will not take a lot of your time. I hope if you agree, that this task will bless both of you and bring something good into your lives. Life is precious, so please don’t waste it on an old feud that really doesn’t matter. I’d give anything to have that chance. Thank you so very much for doing this. I thank you both. May your lives be filled with joy.
