Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
Maddox
“So, Amelia agreed to you giving Dylan lessons,” Della says evenly, turning in the passenger seat to stare at the side of my face.
My hands tighten around the steering wheel and I keep my gaze pointed out the windshield.
“She tell you that?”
“No, I went to feed the horses in the morning, and I ran into Tyler. He was tending to Bluebell, and said you ordered him to work him over.”
“It’s been a while since anyone has ridden her.”
“I think she’s a perfect fit for Dylan.”
“Yeah, me too.”
Bluebell’s temperament is perfect for a beginner. She’s patient and doesn’t spook easily.
“She’s got a smooth gait, which is important for a kid learning balance. Nothing worse than bouncing around on a rough-gaited horse when you’re trying to find your seat,” I tell her.
“Bluebell reads riders well too. She won’t take advantage of Dylan’s inexperience like some horses might.”
I glance at Della, mildly impressed by her knowledge. It’s been so long since I’ve heard her talk about anything on the ranch. I guess I assumed she lost interest, but I was wrong.
“She’s not too tall either,” Della adds.
Agreeing, I hum. “Should be easy for Dylan to mount, and not so far of a fall if he does come off.”
“You think he will fall?”
I sigh. I think that’s inevitable.
“Everyone does at some point. But with Bluebell, it’s less likely. She’s as steady as they come.”
“I bet Amelia loved hearing that,” Della returns.
“I didn’t tell her. Don’t want her changing her mind before Saturday.”
Della laughs softly. “Smart.”
The conversation idles and two minutes later I pull into the compound of the Fallen Demons MC, eager to get this over with.
I was hoping Lucifer would call yesterday.
I waited around all day, thinking he could call at any time with a new deal, and I’d have to drop everything I was doing to meet with him.
But it turns out he likes to keep things suspenseful too.
I guess that puts us on even playing field.
I hook a right turn and park about twenty yards from the trailer.
Shadow stands off to the side, leaning against his bike, his phone pressed against his ear.
I kill the engine on my truck and turn to Della only to find her staring at Shadow through the windshield, her lower lip pulled tight between her teeth.
Not sure what that’s all about, but I chalk it up to nerves. Della is out of her element. Doing business with an outlaw motorcycle club is a far cry from sitting in an office, crunching numbers day after day.
“Hey, you ready?” I ask.
Della’s gaze snaps back to me and she unclasps her seatbelt. “As ready as I’ll ever be, I suppose.”
“Everything is going to work out,” I tell her. I’m not as confident as I sound, but I don’t see the point in worrying her any more than she already is.
“Just follow my lead and let me do the talking. I won’t agree to anything that jeopardizes your position as part owner of the ranch.”
“I know that.”
I nod. “Good.” My gaze cuts back to where Shadow stands, and I draw out a heavy sigh. “Let’s get this shit over with.”
We exit the truck and head for the trailer. Shadow pockets his phone as we near, and he steps forward.
“Shadow,” I greet, my eyes narrowing as he openly stares at my sister.
“Hey,” he replies. “Lucifer is already inside waiting.”
I nod, but it goes unnoticed by him as his eyes never leave Della’s.
I don’t know what the fuck that’s all about, but after this meeting, he and I are gonna have a talk.
Shadow’s a good guy, but he’s not exactly the guy you want dating your sister.
He’s a commitment phobe, and sleeps with anything that walks.
Without another word, I grunt and climb the steps of the small porch leading to the trailer.
When I reach the door, I turn to make sure Della is following, but I find Shadow standing with his back to me instead.
Della stands at the base of the stairs in front of him, his fingers wrapped around her dainty little wrist, keeping her in place.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Shadow doesn’t turn to acknowledge me, but he does respond.
“I need a word with Della. We’ll just be a minute. You don’t want to keep Lucifer waiting.”
Not a fan of being dismissed, and I certainly don’t appreciate him cornering my sister for a chat.
But starting a scene before meeting with his club isn’t a good look either.
I bite the inside of my cheek, my eyes shooting over Shadow’s head to gage my sister’s reaction.
She doesn’t appear to be frightened or even bothered by his aggressive behavior.
If anything, she looks like she likes it.
Jesus fuck.
We’re definitely gonna need to have a talk.
Leaving them to their business, I step inside the trailer.
Lucifer greets me, and we make useless small talk.
A few moments later the door swings open behind me, and Shadow and Della walk inside hand in hand.
He pulls out the chair beside me for her, and she lowers herself into it without looking at me.
Then he leans over her, and nods to the to-go cup on Lucifer’s desk.
“That’s for you, Della,” Shadow murmur. “The only one who’s touched it was me, and that’s when I went to get it from the place in town. Only ones who have been in here are those in this room.”
I raise an eyebrow at that. Apparently, what’s going on between them isn’t a new development because there is no denying that he’s referencing the night of her rape, something she wouldn’t openly share with just anyone.
Lucifer calls Della’s name, snapping me out of my stupor.
“Nice to finally meet you,” he adds, his eyes assessing her.
I catalog their interaction, noting Della looks a little nervous.
If she and Shadow have been spending time together, it hasn’t been around here.
Unless of course she’s playing it off. At this point, I’m not sure that would surprise me.
There seems to be a lot I don’t know when it comes to my sister.
Lucifer turns his attention to me. “Let’s get straight to the chase, shall we?”
“I’m all for that,” I return, smoothing my hands over my thighs. The sooner we agree to a deal, the easier I can breathe. Then I can focus all my energy on Amelia.
“The club met this morning before your arrival to discuss a plan Shadow brought to my attention yesterday.”
“Plan? What plan?” I ask, shifting forward in my seat. This is the first time I’m hearing about any plan, and I don’t like being kept in the dark, especially by someone I consider a friend. Someone who obviously has it bad for my fucking sister.
Shadow and Lucifer exchange a look that only increases my irritation.
“You didn’t tell him?” Lucifer asks Shadow, who merely shrugs in response. I clench my jaw, trying to keep my temper in check.
“Um,” Della murmurs nervously, her gaze cutting to me. “I’m sorry, I’d wanted to talk to you about it first, but Shadow saw it and—”
Shadow cuts her off.
“I thought it was a damn good idea and wanted to show it to Lucifer before this meeting.”
“How noble of you,” I growl. “Does anyone want to fucking tell me?”
Della flinches at my tone but doesn’t say anything. Leaning over the desk, Lucifer nudges a folder toward me, along with some other documents.
“Shadow came to me with a new business plan,” he explains as I open the folder. “Considering the new development with your sister staying on as part owner, we think it will be a good fit. Enclosed you will find the terms on which we’re willing to agree to.”
Della stretches out a hand, taking some of the papers from me. Her eyes skim over them, then she lifts her head, her eyes locking with Lucifer’s.
“Sixty-forty,” she questions. “And you want an option that allows the club to build houses on the ranch?”
Shit.
I forgot to mention that part to her. To be fair, I wasn’t sold on the idea when Shadow first mentioned it, but then Della got bit by the snake and all hell broke loose before I could express as much to him.
If we let them build houses on the property, who’s to say they won’t try to build something else.
I don’t want Meadows Ranch to turn into a compound for bikers. That land is my sanctuary.
I snatch the papers from her and read through the details of the proposed deal.
Mostly everything we discussed is there.
They will provide the capital needed to take the ranch out of the red.
A lot more than we discussed, though. They’ll also supply the ranch with a butcher, eliminating the need to outsource our beef.
There is also a strategic plan to open a restaurant on the land, and mention of how the club will provide protection for the ranch.
The only thing that’s new is the bit about a dude ranch.
But as I glance over the plan Della created, I can’t ignore the fact that it’s a decent suggestion. Hell, it might even be the one thing that turns a profit. I guess that’s where the extra capital comes into play.
“You would be putting up a lot of capital,” I say.
“Yes, we would,” Lucifer agrees.
“That’s a big risk. It’s going to take forever to pay you back.”
“Not if the dude ranch and restaurant are successful,” Lucifer counters.
Della turns her attention to me. “What do you think?”
I think she should’ve brought this to my attention before she brought it up to anyone else, but I don’t say that. Looks like I’m gonna have to have a talk with her too. If we’re going to be business partners, the lines of communication shouldn’t be blurred.
I lift the folder containing the plan for the dude ranch and meet her gaze.
“These numbers, are they correct?”
“I wrote that up years ago, Maddox, but they were back then. By now they’re probably even higher with the popularity of cowboy life growing.
There are so many ways we can market a dude ranch.
Add a restaurant to the mix, and I imagine it will be even more profitable.
With everything on-site, people will extend their stays. I know it could work.”
It sounds good. Too good. Wishing I had more time to go over her plan, and not do it with a fucking audience, I set the folder back on the desk and scrub a hand over my face.
“You should’ve brought it to my attention first. I’m your fucking brother. What happened to us being in this together?”
“You’re right,” she whispers. “I’m sorry but you gotta believe me when I say I was going to talk to you about it.”
I stare at her for a beat, wanting to believe her.
“What do you think, Della? Is this something you can work with?” Lucifer asks.
“I have faith this will revive the ranch, so yes. I will agree to the terms…” Her voice trails as she turns her attention to me and continues. “…on one condition.”
Every woman in my life has conditions these days. It’s beginning to grate on my nerves.
“Don’t think I can take any more surprises, Della,” I grunt. My pride won’t let me, and neither will my fucking temper. “What’s your condition?”
“We keep it sixty-forty with the club,” she says evenly. “But our portion, we split it forty-twenty. You run the ranch. You handle all that happens there. I don’t want to take that away from you. All I ask is for a small part.”
She makes it real fucking hard to be mad at her when she does shit like that.
I shake my head. “That’s not fair to you and it isn’t what Granddaddy would’ve wanted. You shouldn’t get the short end of the stick, Della.”
“Twenty percent is still a good amount. Besides, I would only be handling the admin stuff.”
“And the dude ranch,” Shadow chimes in.
My gaze cuts toward him, and I narrow my eyes. The man really needs to learn how to read a room and when to mind his fucking business.
Della sighs, my attention returning to her.
“I don’t need the money, Maddox. I just want to be home where I should have always been.”
Tearing my gaze away from her, I focus on the mountain of paperwork scattered across the desk. It’s not a terrible deal, and I suppose there is plenty of land to spare for them to build homes on.
“Fine,” I mutter. Lifting my chin, I stare at Lucifer. “We’ll agree to the terms, but Della gets to choose where she wants to build a house first. And that’s it. Just houses. Your club business can not cross the gates of the ranch.”
“Fair enough,” Lucifer says, nodding.
“One more thing,” I add. “The houses can’t be built on any land that is occupied by the cattle or bison. No animals are going to be disturbed by the build.”
To the Fallen Demons, the ranch is just land and profit. They don’t know it’s a way of life for the men who work it and the animals who provide for it.
But they’re gonna learn.
“I believe there is already a notation of that,” Lucifer says. “But let me reiterate my intentions. I have no desire to disrespect your ranch in any way shape or form. You’re the boss, I’m the wallet.”
We shake on it, and when I walk out of the trailer, I feel the weight lift from my shoulders.
Meadows Ranch will live to see another generation.
It’ll just be doing it under a different name.