Frazzled, dead on her feet, Phinny didn’t have the energy to argue with this brute. “According to the terms of the will, I’m supposed to stay here, too.” Besides, she had nine hundred pounds in her checking account. Hm, she really needed to give up her room. Even if she left the furniture behind—she’d bought it at a charity shop anyway—at least she’d have money to buy clothes, toiletries, and food whilst here. “You were so nice in the lawyer’s office. What crawled under your skirt and bit your ass?”
He cracked a grin. “The princess has teeth.” Leaning against the threshold, he folded his arms across his muscular chest. “You know, I didn’t get why Kurt involved me in this game. Why he’d put the land that meant everything to him into play. It represents family, roots…his legacy.”
“I hope that’s the first trivia question because I’ve got the answer. To hurt me, that’s why.”
He shook his head. “If you think that, then you don’t know him at all.”
Of course, I don’t know him. How could I?
“I’d have gladly walked away, knowing it’s with his daughter, where it belongs, but the minute I heard you ask about a realtor, I knew why he picked me. Kurt knew better than to give this place to a spoiled little rich girl who cut him off because she didn’t like to get dirty. And he knew I’d honor his legacy and do right by every single ancestor who gave his blood, sweat, and tears to turn this land into what it’s become today. So, you can bet your ass I’ll do everything in my power to keep it out of your hands. See you at the Music Box in one month.” He shut the door in her face.
Mortification swept through her body like a flash fire. She hadn’t been prepared when her parents cut her off. It had taken a long time—okay, she still hadn’t adjusted to being flat-out broke.
But people liked her. They always had. Sure, she’d lost her friends along with her credit card and fancy address, but that had to do with her financials not her personality. So, to have this man think so little of her when he didn’t even know her…it wasn’t fair.
How does it make sense for me to own a cattle ranch in Wyoming?
She knocked again.
He opened quickly, giving her an exasperated expression. “What?”
“The will says I have to live and work here, so step aside, puck chaser. You’ve got a new roommate.” This time, she was ready for him, and she shoved her two-thousand-dollar Valentino Rockstud handbag inside to prevent him from shutting the door. “This place is huge, and there are plenty of bedrooms. Our paths won’t even cross.”
“You’re right. Because we won’t be under the same roof. There are plenty of outbuildings. Find somewhere else.” He lifted his knee and bumped the purse out of the way.
When she heard the lock slam home, she let out a frustrated growl. “What is the matter with you? You’re not his son, you asshole.” Exhaustion buckled her knees. She could curl up on that porch swing and sleep for days.
From here, she could only see the freshly mowed lawn, the driveway, and the meadowland on either side of the house. Fine. Leaving her luggage on the porch, she set off to find guest quarters. On her family’s country estate, they had several lovely cottages. She didn’t need a house the size of a lodge.
Nor did the puck chaser, so she had no idea why he was hogging it to himself. As she crossed the driveway, she noticed a silver bullet on wheels. She didn’t know why it surprised her that Kurt had an RV. It would be perfect for a man who preferred his own company and liked to camp out for weeks all alone.
There it was again. That stab of pain.
She might not remember much, but she would never forget the last phone call her mum had made to him.
She doesn’t want to spend her summers on that ranch.
She doesn’t like fishing.
For God’s sake, Kurt, she’s a little girl.
She hates going to visit you.
True, she’d pitched a fit about going, but she hadn’t wanted to hurt him. Her mum shouldn’t have been so cruel. And as she’d gotten older, she’d always wondered why he hadn’t said, Okay, I’ll go there.
We’ll rent a house in the south of France.
I’ll take her on a cruise.
We’ll go to Disneyland.
He could’ve done any number of things other than give up on her. After that call, he’d stopped holding her mother to the custodial agreements.
Ugh. Why am I dredging all this up? Striding past the RV, she headed around to the back of the house where she found an impressive barn. Further out, she saw a bunkhouse where the hands lived. Sheds, a stable. A corral. But no guest house anywhere in sight.
Well, I’m not living in a barn. So, the only possibility was the bunkhouse, but surely no one expected her to sleep with a dozen cowboys.
All around her, the ranch was quietly bustling. A truck in the distance kicked up dust as it headed down a lane. Sounds came from the barn, and a couple of workers in jeans and cowboy hats led their horses into the corral, their expressions somber.
There might be plenty of outbuildings, but she couldn’t stay in any of them. She stormed back to the house and banged on the door.
This time, when the puck chaser answered, she didn’t give him a chance to speak. “You’re not the boss of anything. We’re on equal footing, so step aside. I’m staying here.”
He blocked her way with his big, hard body. “Wrong, Princess. I claimed the house.”
“And where do you expect me to live?”
He pointed toward the silver bullet. “Have a nice night. Oh, since you’re probably jet lagged, you don’t have to report to work until tomorrow morning. But be in the barn at five-thirty.”
“Are there even clean sheets in that thing?”
“Look, Princess, nobody’s holding my hand here, either, okay? We both got the news about the will at the same time. I got here quicker—”
“Excuse me, but I had to check out of the motel.”
He shrugged like he couldn’t have cared less. “I got to the ranch manager first. The house is mine, and I found out what work needed to be done and chose what I wanted to do. I suggest you do the same thing.”
All the fight drained out of her. He’s right. She had been expecting everything to be laid out for her. Someone would show her to her room and serve her meals.
Just as she’d lived her life up until ten months ago. “That’s fine, but you might want to leave the door unlocked because I’ll probably be back for supplies.”
“Not gonna happen.”
Once again, he shut the door in her face.
What a dick. Grabbing her luggage, she headed back down the steps and over to her new home on wheels. It looked dusty and…sad. Did it even have air conditioning?
What is my life?
There’re hundreds of millions of dollars waiting for me on the other side of this nightmare, so buck up. She could do anything for a month.
Used to city living, she filled her lungs with the crisp, clean mountain air, and it calmed her. She’d come here figuring she’d inherit some money. With it, she’d planned on moving into a better flat and having a nest egg. But with this kind of money, she could start a philanthropy of her own. She didn’t have many talents or skills, but she had a way with people, of encouraging even the grumpiest old cuss to donate his island or his castle for a week. She put together such great auction items, the patrons fought each other over them.