Chapter Four #2
A jolt of something I don’t know how to name reaches through my chest, almost like an invisible tether leaving my body to reach for her. I suck in a breath as I look at the small woman in front of me, and my heart skips a beat.
Her shoulder-length brown hair is in big waves, the part on the side has some of those waves falling across her forehead and down one side of her face, and her smile, good god, her smile, she’s beautiful.
Even with my chest squeezing, I clear my throat as I look into those amber eyes and step toward her. “I’m Gray Harlow.”
She takes a deep breath, and excitement lights up her eyes, making them sparkle. “Oh good! It’s so nice to meet you.” She steps up to me and holds her hand out, “I’m Ellyot Royce, I’m with Royce Enterprises.”
Reaching out, I curl my hand around her small one and the warmth from her soft palm travels up my arm. Disappointment splashes over me like a bucket of ice water and for a second, I just stare at her, dumbfounded.
This is the Ellyot from the letter Royce Enterprises sent to us in December. The letter letting us know they plan to send someone to talk to us about buying our land.
Because of the name, I thought it was going to be a man with one of those stupid spellings they think is trendy. Of course they would send a woman, to disarm us, they think they can put someone pretty in front of us and we’ll fall over ourselves to give her anything she wants.
Her soft peachy perfume wraps around me, my hand still holding hers, but as soon as it registers in my head that she is behind the letters we have been getting, all pretense of hospitality falls away.
I pull my hand back like she is the devil himself and take a step away from her, making the larger space between us like a big brick wall.
Disappointment dulls the light in her eyes but she doesn’t lose her smile.
She doesn’t give me a chance to respond before she throws her thumb over her shoulder in the direction of the main house, “I knocked on the door of the house but no one answered. But, wow! On the walk down here, I saw just how beautiful it is here, the landscape with the pond and stream is breathtaking! I see why you haven’t responded to our letters. ”
Anger bubbles up as I realize she’s putting on an act and I slide my hands in my pockets, disingenuous people are high on my shit list. “We didn’t respond to the letters because we’re not interested in selling.
” I tip my hat at her and turn back to the tack room.
“I’ll let you see yourself back to your car. Have a nice day.”
“I get it! I totally get it, there is a lot of history here,” she keeps talking in her upbeat, cheerful way as I walk away from her, her heels tap on the floor close behind me.
Sloane is standing in the doorway of the tack room and is looking at her, but her glowing smile is gone. I glance at Lainey Rai, who looks confused, and I gruffly say, “Put the stallion up and take Wilson up to the house with Marley and Sloane.”
“But Dad…” Her eyes flick in my direction when she hears the cross tone of my voice.
I stop her before she can say anything else, “Don’t make me say it twice or the iPad goes away for two days.” I feel bad for being so curt with her, but I don’t want her hearing any of this and worrying about it.
She looks at the woman and then at me again, my gruffness is confusing her and I see the hurt in her eyes.
Guilt twists my insides to see that look on her face, I’ll apologize to her later.
Her eyes go to the floor sending my guilt level into the red, and Marley steps out of the tack room and puts her arm around her to guide her and the horse to his stable.
When they are all out of earshot, I turn to the tiny tornado who just ruined our afternoon with my shoulders squared. Keeping my voice low, I say, “Leave. We’re not interested in selling and that’s the last we’re going to talk about it.”
Her smile falters for just a second, but she takes a step toward me and clasps her hands, “Mr. Harlow, I think we got off on the wrong foot. It was not my intention to make you angry.”
I cut her off, “I know what your intent is. We politely let you know we’re not interested by not answering any of those letters. The right foot would have been for you to accept that, and not come to our home.”
Taking another step toward me, her head tips back to look up at my six foot three, she’s almost like a doll. The friendly smile never leaves her face and her eyes lock on mine, she lowers her voice like she’s telling me a secret. “What if I can double the last offering price?”
“Lady…” Just as I start to give her a piece of my mind, I hear my brother walk into the stable leading Felix.
“There’re ‘No Trespassing’ signs posted on the fences around our property.
I’m putting you on notice, you’re trespassing, and I am nicely asking you to leave our property before I call the sheriff.
” Mason’s voice is calm as he walks Felix to the door of the grooming stall and loops the reins on the door.
She digs in her giant bag that’s hanging from her shoulder and pulls out an envelope to hold out to me; I look at it, but I don’t reach for it.
Her eyes move between me and Mason and then she looks around before she steps to one of the shelves on the outside of the tack room and sets the envelope down with a pat of her fingers.
“I have a proposal here I would like for you to look at, I’ll stop by tomorrow and see what you think.” She holds her hands up in surrender. “Just a simple conversation.” She looks at Mason, but behind the pretty smile, I see her swallow nervously.
That small betrayal of nervousness behind the dazzling smile makes me look at her more closely.
What she’s doing takes guts and as I move my gaze over her face, I realize I feel a little sorry for her.
But that’s what they want, isn’t it? Why would they send her by herself?
Just thinking about what could happen to her if we were not good people sends tension up the back of my neck, tightening the muscles there.
What if she had approached the wrong type of people?
In my peripheral, I see Mason cross his arms over his chest and stand in his usual ‘at ease’ stance with his hands under his armpits. “Don’t come back.”
She clasps her hands together, fingers laced, under her chin and pastes on the smile again as she takes a step back while looking between us. Unclasping her hands, she points at the letter and says, “Just take a look at it. Please.”
Neither of us says anything as she pauses, her eyes moving from Mason to me, and then she turns on her heel and walks out of the stable. She shoves her hands in her coat pockets as she walks, making it hug the curve of her hips and the little bubble of a butt, just the perfect size to hold on to.
Fuck me, where did that come from? I quickly look away.
I turn to Mason, and he shakes his head, “Can you believe that?”
Flicking my eyes in her direction for a moment, I watch her little body walking to her rental car and take a deep breath, “Nope.”