Caught in the Act (Independence Falls 2)

It better damn well go through, he thought. He refused to fail his first task as an equity partner. The last thing he wanted was Eric kicking him out of the offices. He might feel out of place there now, but he had a feeling one day soon—like ,oh, say, today—sitting in a chair might sound a lot more appealing than felling trees.

She crossed her arms in front of her chest, forcing her breasts to swell over the edge of her fitted scoop neck T-shirt. Right now, he was just tired enough to get caught staring if he wasn’t careful. He lifted his gaze to her face.

“But if you want to discuss the deal,” he continued, knowing he needed to get out of there before his eyes—and his thoughts—wandered. “I’m game for dinner.”

“Dinner?” she repeated, her green eyes widening.

“I’m not in the office much and I’d have a hard time hearing you on a job site,” he said. “So yeah, dinner.”

Years ago, they’d spent a lot of time together, but he’d never taken her on a formal date. He’d been so focused on being alone with her that it had never occurred to him. But this time, if he was going after her, he had to do it right.

He knew he should wait. Take her out after the deal closed and not under the pretense of a business meeting. But that one word—Montana—echoed in his head. He’d already let seven long years slip by. He’d always had an excuse. She was too young. She’d never forgive him for how things ended. And when he went after her, he wanted to have more, to prove he deserved a place in her life.

But now he owned land and a stake in Moore Timber, one he hoped like hell he could keep. He couldn’t afford to wait any longer. If he did, she’d be long gone.

“What do you say?” he asked, pressing the issue at hand—dinner.

“No.”

“I’d hate for you to feel left out of the discussion.”

Katie turned and headed for her car. “We don’t need to share a meal to fix that, Liam. You just need to try talking to me instead of my brothers.”

Liam watched her walk away, his resolve hardening with each step. If he didn’t go after her soon, she’d climb into her car and go a helluva lot farther than the Summers farm. Dinner was a solid first step. After last time, he couldn’t push for too much too fast. But first he had to convince her to say yes.

KATIE RAN THE brush over Sugar, the gentle mare she’d rescued from a family who could no longer afford the feed bills during the winter months. The horse had been skin and bones back then, but now her coat shone and her belly had filled out. As she ran her hand down the horse’s neck, her mind jumped from the sale to Montana to . . . Liam.

She paused, resting her forehead against the mare’s smooth neck. “I have important life-changing decisions to make, choices that affect my family and my future,” she murmured. “And I’m thinking about dinner with a boy.”

Sugar let out a soft neigh.

“You’re right,” Katie said with a sigh, lifting her head. “He’s not a boy. He’s a walking, talking fantasy on a motorcycle.”

And a heartbreaker. She couldn’t forget that. He was still the same Liam Trulane who’d walked away when her brothers demanded to know if he was serious about her, if he cared for her—

“Hey sis,” Chad said from the door to the trucking company office, housed in the front of the barn. “Brody wants us back at the house. Liam called. We have an offer.”

“Wait a minute and I’ll walk up with you.” She unsnapped the cross ties from Sugar’s halter and led the mare back to her stall. Minutes later, she followed her brother to the main house.

Brody sat at the kitchen table and the siblings quickly took their places.

“What’s the number?” Chad asked. “What are we worth?”

Her brother’s mouth formed a grim line. “According to Moore Timber, one million dollars.”

Katie felt her anger simmer, quickly turning to a boil. She’d expected a low initial offer. Still, a million? It sounded like a fortune, but she knew better.

“The trucks alone are worth more than that,” she said. “Each one would sell for about two hundred thousand.”

“Maybe,” Brody said. “Some are getting old.”

“A million dollars isn’t enough,” she insisted. “Factor in taxes, and the debt we need to pay off on the new equipment, and we’re left with less than half that after the sale. Then divide it four ways and we each walk away with a hundred thousand if we’re lucky.”

“So what do you suggest we do?” Josh cut in. “Tell them hell no?”

“We come up with a counteroffer. Buy some more time,” she said.

“Any idea when your friend at Black Hills plans to sign those contracts?” Brody asked.