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“How can you even say that? The agricultural part of this country is the foundation of what makes it work. If we didn’t have farmers and ranchers, then we wouldn’t have food. You can’t tell me that this job isn’t worth it.”
Carlos’s gaze never left his daughter’s. Her back was to Elijah so he couldn’t see her face while she spoke, but her voice was hard and unwavering. He could hear her passion loud and clear.
It was possible that he’d been wrong about her staying. Maybe she really did want to make a change.
Carlos’s stoic features never shifted. “I’m not saying it’s an unimportant job. All I’m saying is that you chose a different path. You wanted something and you went for it. Don’t throw that away just because you’re feeling nostalgic.”
She shot to her feet, but the motion didn’t startle her father like she probably hoped it would. “How dare you,” she seethed.
His eyes didn’t waver, nor did his grim expression.
Scarlett continued, “I’m not here because I feel nostalgic. I’m here because I finally realized where things went wrong in my life. If mom were here, she’d see it. She wouldn’t push me out. When I came home, I did so because I didn’t want to waste a single moment I could spend with you.” Her voice trembled with emotion. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. “You might think that I’m not capable or that I’m just going to leave when things get hard, but that’s not going to happen. I don’t know how else to prove it to you besides sticking around and making you witness your own stubborn judgments of me.”
She stepped out from her chair and shoved it back against the table. Taking her plate in her hand, she stormed off.
Elijah’s eyes followed her as she headed out the kitchen door to the back side of the house. He didn’t move. It was as if he innately believed that standing still might make him invisible to the man who remained at the kitchen table.
Only it didn’t.
The second the door shut, Carlos set his eyes on Elijah. He lifted a hand and gestured toward the chair beside where Scarlett had been seated. There was a plate with a folded napkin waiting for him. “Take a seat, Mr. Keagan.”
His feet moved as if on their own accord. Elijah pulled out the chair and settled down into the hard seat. He didn’t grab the napkin, nor did he serve himself any food. Instead, he stared at the man who had singlehandedly torn down a woman Elijah had thought indestructible.
“Do you have something to say to me?” Carlos challenged.
“No, sir,” Elijah murmured.
“I don’t take kindly to liars, son. If you have something to say to me, you might as well spit it out now. I get the distinct feeling that we’ll be having several of these kinds of meals together.”
Elijah snorted. “You mean the kind where your daughter storms out of the room? Does that happen frequently?”
“More often than I’d like to admit. She got it from her mother’s side, you know—that fiery temper was something that drew me to her in the first place.” A ghost of a smile touched the man’s lips and he leaned forward to serve himself an enchilada. “My wife was the kind of woman who knew how to get what she wanted. It didn’t matter who she came up against. She could persuade anybody to do just about anything.”
“Sounds familiar,” Elijah muttered, earning himself a sharp and yet penetrating look.
Then Carlos did the unexpected. He laughed. “You’re worried that I’ll back out of our deal.”
“I never said that, sir.”
“You didn’t have to. It’s written all over your face. Either you’re worried I’ll back out, or you’re judging me for making it in the first place. So which is it?”
Elijah shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He’d never had someone read him so easily. Was he really showing all of that on his face? “Honestly? I wonder if you’re wrong.”
Carlos lifted one brow. “Wrong? About what, exactly?”
“What if she stays?”
“Scarlett?” He shook his head. “I know my daughter, and she has always hated living on this farm. Her mother hated it too… at first. But then, one day I brought home the most beautiful black mare. And she was hooked. Scarlett?” He shook his head again. “There was never anything about this place that could have kept her here. Not her family. Not an animal.” He gave Elijah a pointed glance. “Not even a man.”
Elijah swallowed hard. Why did it feel like Carlos was trying to tell him something? They barely knew each other. In fact, he could only remember saying half a dozen words to the man before today. There was no way he’d known about the crush he’d had in his more formative years, had he? Clearing his throat, Elijah turned his focus to the food on the table. “With all due respect, grief can do a lot to a person. Your daughter might have changed.”
His hard gaze seemed to soften but only slightly. Carlos picked up his fork and knife and turned his attention to his plate. “With all due respect, Mr. Keagan, I’ll believe it when I see it. She can scream at me that she wants this place until she’s blue in the face, but it doesn’t change the fact that I know her even better than she knows herself. This farm isn’t what she wants. She likes the idea of staying here, of putting down roots, but she’ll tire of it.” He settled back in his seat, laying one more firm gaze on Elijah. “On that note, our agreement still stands one way or another. If Scarlett decides to stay, it will be up to you whether or not you want to hire her.”
“Sir—”
He held up a hand. “Until that time, while I’m in charge, I’ll allow her to work until she either finds something else to distract her or until she admits she was wrong and gives me a tearful goodbye.”
Elijah couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He shot a look toward the door, half-expecting Scarlett to have overheard everything and start another tantrum. But she didn’t.
