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“I’m not an estate lawyer, but I know this much. As long as you won’t settle on her half to keep her from selling it, she can take you to court for damages and get an award that lands her the whole enchilada,” he says.
Crap.
I hate the logic.
I hate that he’s right.
I hate that according to the law, I’m the asshat in the wrong here trying to protect what’s mine.
But by my heart, by my morals…I know I’m doing what’s right.
I turn away from him. I can’t look at him right now.
Not with all this panic running through my head.
Not even now, when he’s talking to me like a person.
“Sierra’s my sister and my problem,” I say. “Not yours.”
“Guess so. I know what it’s like,” he says ruefully. “Sierra’s not the only one coming home after a long time. It’s messy as hell.”
“That’s the thing.” I shrug. “People who leave Heart’s Edge only come back with ulterior motives. I know hers, but what are yours?”
“Having a life of my own.” His eyes narrow, turning a shade darker.
There’s a rawness in his voice I’m not expecting—a quiet sincerity.
It transforms that deep voice from husky sin to soft beguilement, heartfelt and wrenching, and my heart skips a beat.
“That’s all I ever wanted,” he says. “A life I built for myself from the ground up. A place of my own. Friends, family, a place to crash.”
I don’t know what to say to that.
Especially when I know too well how it feels, fighting to keep my home intact with every last bit of my soul.
The silence between us goes strange, charged.
I keep my back to him because I don’t know what I’ll do if I turn around.
If I see that earnest look on his face, if I see some weird truth in those gleaming honey-brown eyes.
Or worse, if I see that smirk again.
Then I’ll just have to kick myself for feeling anything for his lies.
I shrug. “You do whatever you want, Silverton. Just leave me out of it.”
“Sierra’s going to make that mighty hard.” There’s a scuff of his boot, the sound coming closer, and I tense. “You’re worried about my motives, but hell. Are you sure you know hers?”
I toss a suspicious glance over my shoulder.
He’s looking down at me, his eyes shadowed with the sun at his back, impossible to read.
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“There’s got to be a reason why she wants to sell so fast, and she’s suddenly putting so much pressure on us both.” He shakes his head. “I think it’s because that Declan guy’s coming down on her. Don’t you think it’s a little weird that she’s dating the bank guy who wants to buy you out?”
“I mean, if I had to pick between Declan Eckhard and Cherish Reid…”
I shudder.
I can’t even finish that sentence.
It’d be like picking between an unfeeling android and a stinkin’ badger.
“Didn’t like the vibe I got when I met them,” Holt continues. “Declan seems exactly like the type of dude who’d shack up with a vulnerable, affection-starved young woman with a taste for bad guys and bad decisions. Maybe just to get at her sister and her land.”
I can’t help barking out a laugh.
It’s awful, but damn this boy brings the heat.
It’s also the best and worst description of Sierra Potter I’ve ever heard. There’s no way to save her if she doesn’t want to save herself.
I turn back to Holt, planting my hands on my hips and eyeballing him hard.
Maybe he’s genuine.
Maybe.
Trouble is, I don’t know what that changes.
“So what do you want me to do about Declan?” I ask.
“That’s up to you.” Holt tucks his hands into the pockets of his coveralls again.
Again, I’m struck by the impression of the charming, disarming small-town man instead of the slick city beast when he smiles.
“Is it?” I whisper.
“Sure. And you know, if you let me have a look around, maybe I can figure out if there’s something else making them push so hard. Maybe something we don’t know about the property that they’ve figured out. Minerals, a hidden oil reserve that isn’t on the survey maps…could even be an old silver vein out there that isn’t tapped out. This town staked everything on mining a long time ago.”
“If there was oil or silver on my property, I’d know. My dad was a scientist. He studied every nook and cranny,” I say dryly. “Again—what’s in it for you, helping me sniff this out?”
“For now? Curiosity.”
I snort.
At least he’s honest.
But I think I see an opening to clean up this part of the mess.
Doesn’t mean I don’t have to deal with the rest of it or that I’m even throwing Holt a bone. But I’d rather control his so-called curiosity than let it sneak up Nowhere Lane.
“I’ll make you a deal,” I tell him. “You come out, you have a look around, we walk the property lines together, and then when we don’t find anything…how ’bout you buzz right off and stay buzzed off? We got a deal?”
