Page 8

When she got to the ranch, she found her mama on the porch taking down the Easter decorations.

Darla Holiday loved holidays, which was why she name all her daughters after them, and had always covered the house inside and out with upcoming holiday decorations. After Easter, the porch was usually decorated for Mother’s Day with a wreath of spring flowers and every surface filled with all the childhood crafts the Holiday sisters had made for her and Mimi over the years. So Liberty was surprised to see the plastic bins overflowing with red, white, and blue bunting and stars and stripes decorations.

“Isn’t it a little early to be decorating for Memorial Day and Fourth of July, Mama?”

Darla continued wrapping the ceramic bunnies in tissue paper. “I wanted you and Belle to have your decorations in case we aren’t here.” She glanced around at all the plastic bins. “We probably won’t have room to put all this up in our next house. Who knows if we’ll even have a porch?”

Since it was true, Liberty said nothing.

Darla stopped wrapping and studied her. “I guess the meeting with Corbin didn’t go well.”

Liberty’s anger returned. “I didn’t meet with Corbin. I guess he’s in Paris. I met with an Oleander executive who claims Corbin knows exactly who he’s foreclosing on.”

Mama looked confused. “That doesn’t sound like Corbin. He was always such an honest, hardworking boy. It was a shame he was shipped off to one family member after the other like some unwanted, flea-bitten dog. If his family were good folk, that would be one thing. But we all know his uncle was not a good man. Which was why your daddy had to fire him.”

Liberty remembered Corbin’s uncle and had never liked him. Not only because he was sullen and gruff, but also because he always smelled like whiskey.

“Maybe that’s why Corbin is foreclosing on the ranch,” she said. “Maybe he’s doing it to get revenge for Daddy firing his uncle.”

“Maybe, but I got the feeling there was no love lost between him and his uncle. Dan Wheeler passed away a few years ago and Corbin didn’t even come back for his funeral.”

“Then I don’t get it,” Liberty said. “I don’t understand why Corbin is refusing to let Rome pay off the loan.”

“You didn’t ask his employee?”

“Jesse acted like he didn’t know anything about it. And maybe he doesn’t. He didn’t hesitate to call Corbin when I demanded to talk to him. It was almost like he wanted answers too.”

The screen door swung open and Mimi stepped out in one of her wide-brimmed gardening hats. When she spoke, it was obvious she’d been eavesdropping on their conversation. “Then maybe this Jesse will be our savior.”

Liberty snorted. “Jesse Cates? Obviously, you haven’t met the man. I get the feeling if he was in a burning building, the only one he’d be concerned about saving is himself. A cockier cowboy I’ve never met.”

“You’re not a cowboy worth your salt if you don’t have a little swagger.” Mimi’s eyes narrowed on Liberty. “And you’re pretty cocky yourself, young lady. Don’t tell me that you and this Jesse got into it.”

“I’m certainly not going to be nice to a man who is working for the villain kicking my family out of their home.”

Mama sighed. “So, in other words, you let your temper get the best of you, Liberty Lou.”

“Well, what was I supposed to do, Mama? Kiss his butt?”

“Yes!” Mimi said. “If it keeps this land in our family, that’s exactly what you should have done. It was what you were planning to do with Corbin. Now it looks like it’s up to me to fix this mess you’ve made.”

Liberty was scared of few things. Her grandmother getting involved in family business was one of them. She held up her hands.

“Oh, no, Mimi. The last time you thought something was up to you to fix, your granddaughters were offered up to the men of Wilder like mares at a livestock auction.”

Instead of looking offended, Mimi just smiled. “And look how well that plan worked out. It got one of my granddaughters married to a Remington who can run this ranch the way it needs to be run.”

Liberty wanted to argue, but she couldn’t. Mimi’s harebrained plan to give the ranch to a Remington if one of the two brothers could convince one of her granddaughters to marry them was the reason Rome and Cloe had married. Unfortunately, it hadn’t worked out exactly as planned. The fake marriage had become anything but fake and Rome hadn’t ended up with the Holiday Ranch.

Corbin Whitlock had stopped that.

“If we have a ranch for Rome to run,” Liberty said. “And that’s looking doubtful.”

“Then you didn’t pay close enough attention to the golden rule I taught you.” Mimi tugged on her gardening gloves. “Never underestimate a Texas woman when she sets her mind on something.”

Chapter Four

It was only after Liberty left the conference room that Jesse felt like he could breathe again. He had heard about women taking your breath away. He had just never experienced it.