“Maybe.” Julia took a look at Rex as he came back toward them with Sofia’s drink. He was hot, but she didn’t quite see the appeal. Not her type.

  “And he wants nothing from me,” Sofia said after getting her drink. “We just enjoy ourselves. No commitments. No what-ifs. Just sex. It’s a great stress relief from work.”

  “What about boy wonder over at the station?” Julia asked. Everyone in town knew that one of the young deputies had a thing for Sofia.

  “Mack?” Sofia sighed and looked a little wistful. “He’s a sweetie and I like him, but I outrank him, which makes it complicated. Rex is not complicated.”

  “Whatever you say.” Julia laughed and took a sip of her frozen margarita.

  “What have you been up to since the rodeo?” Sofia asked.

  “Business planning,” Julia said. She’d been crunching numbers and making phone calls between her vet appointments in the week since the rodeo. That conversation with Jake Thorne had her mind whirling. She had no intention of selling Twister, but their talk had reminded her that he was a valuable asset she needed to capitalize on. Especially now, when the need for capital was increasingly apparent.

  “Sounds deadly dull,” Sofia commented with a grin. “Tell me all about it.”

  Julia laughed, knowing that her friend would listen to whatever she had to say. They’d been friends since sixth grade, and Sofia had never let her down. “You’ve probably seen the signs and heard the radio ads for Family Veterinary Care. They’re everywhere.” The chain of vet clinics had recently opened an office in the next town over, and they’d been relentlessly promoting their services ever since.

  “Are you losing patients to them?” Sofia’s face was serious now.

  “Only a few so far, but once people get used to the idea of having options, those numbers could get scary pretty fast. I’ve got to step up my game to compete. I need to upgrade my equipment and facility, and that takes cash.” Lots of cash. She planned to be the town’s vet for many years to come, so she wanted to get this right.

  “What’s your plan?” Sofia shot back her tequila and signaled for a second one.

  “In a word, Twister. Stud fees could be worth a small fortune for the coming years. I’ve made some money from it already, but I haven’t gone at it systematically. And it’s time I did.” She’d bought out the vet she’d trained under who was retiring, which meant much of her equipment was years old. A serious upgrade was needed to compete with a corporate-backed vet clinic.

  “Sounds promising.” An upbeat song came on the jukebox, making Sofia sway in her stool. “Thinking of hitting the dance floor. Join me?”

  Julia glanced toward that area of the bar and caught sight of Jake in the last booth. He held a paper in his hand that he appeared to be studying intently. She’d seen him be serious when it came to the health of his animals, but this was a different version. Business Jake. Apparently, he looked good in that role, too. She pushed that thought aside. An attraction to Jake Thorne was a dead-end proposition. Everyone knew that he wasn’t capable of commitment to anything but his family and his ranch.

  “Or maybe you’re more interested in a guy.” Sofia followed where Julia was looking. “Go ask him to take you for a spin.”

  “Who? Jake? No. Trust me. He’s not my type.” Not anymore. She’d outgrown her attraction to cocky cowboys. She’d made that mistake once before and learned that that type of cowboy was more trouble than they were worth. “Too arrogant. Did I tell you that he informed me that he was buying Twister at the close of the rodeo? He named a price, and I think I was supposed to fall at his feet in gratitude.”

  “Go talk to him, then,” Sofia insisted.

  Julia gave her friend a confused look. “I just said I’m not interested.”

  Sofia rolled her eyes. “Talk to him about stud fees for Twister. If he’s already interested, then he could be your best customer, right?”

  Well, heck. She hadn’t thought of that. It could be mutually beneficial—not to mention convenient, considering their properties shared a border. “Yeah, okay, that makes sense.”

  “Go. I’m hitting the dance floor.” Sofia drank her second shot of tequila before toe-tapping her way over to where a line dance was in progress.

  Left alone, Julia took a giant gulp of her margarita, steeling herself to negotiate with Jake. It was business, nothing more. She was going to ignore the fact that she found his green eyes and lean, muscular body attractive.

  She slipped off the stool and headed across the tavern to Jake’s table. When she was closer, she could see spreadsheets and notes cluttered the surface. “Strange place to work,” she commented, leaning her hip against the booth.

  “I like being around people and having some background noise. It’s too damn quiet on the ranch now that Amy and Henry have moved out.” He’d barely glanced up at her while he spoke.

  “Let me buy you a drink,” she offered. “I want to talk.”

  He focused on her then, his eyes bright in the dim setting of the bar. “I’d love to take you out sometime, but I’ve got to deal with this tonight.” He gestured to the papers.

  He was interested in taking her out? Jake liked to have a good time—he was a work hard, play hard sort of man—but she’d never thought…Didn’t matter. Not my type. “Not what I meant. I want to talk about Twister.”

  His gaze sharpened even more, and he pointed to the seat opposite him. “You’ve got my attention.”

  She slid into the booth, eyeing him. Being forthright was probably the best way of dealing with Mister Cocky Cowboy.

  “You change your mind about selling Twister.” It was more statement than question and she had to struggle to keep from rolling her eyes. Cocky is right. Does he really think it’s that easy to change my mind?

  “Not at all, but I am open to discussing stud fees for him.” She didn’t name a price, but she’d done her research and had one in mind. “That would save you the trouble and expense of buying a stallion, and it would be nearly as convenient as purchasing him since he’s right next door to your operation.”

  “No,” Jake said without even a second of consideration. “I’m not interested in half measures. I’ll either own Twister and have him exclusively or I’ll find a comparable stallion elsewhere.”

  She wanted to say good luck with that, but she kept that comment to herself. “I’m surprised at your attitude, Jake. Don’t you want to even sleep on it?”

  “I’ve got a plan, and I need to follow it.” He pointed to the yellow legal pad in front of him that was covered in notes. “I need to get the ranch back on track, back in line with the plans that Luke laid out before he died. Paying stud fees would be straying farther away from that.”

  Julia remembered Luke Thorne well enough. Now, he had been the ultimate cocky cowboy, not to mention a know-it-all. Her father had a good, neighborly relationship with Jake’s dad, and when Julia had been growing up, it had been common for the two men to tackle projects together and help each other out on their respective ranches. But when Luke started to take over Thorne Ranch, that relationship between the families had become strained. Her father had been the most even-tempered man she’d ever known, but even he’d gotten aggravated with the way that Luke seemed to consider himself the be-all and end-all of ranching. There’d been some hope that he might grow into the role, with time and experience, but he hadn’t gotten the chance. Julia didn’t know what plans he’d left behind, but if she was in Jake’s shoes, she didn’t think she’d be all that concerned with following them. Anyway, by now, he’d been dead for four years. Times changed, ranches evolved. Jake couldn’t be serious about still using his brother’s plans.

  “Maybe you haven’t strayed far enough.” She kept her tone light. “There’s more than one way to run a successful ranch and horse breeding program.”

  Jake gave her a look suggesting she had just committed blasphemy by doubting the word of the Great Luke. So not the right tactic with Jake. She let a minute of silence pass while she decided that time might be her friend. They weren’t going to be able to settle this tonight. She needed more time with Jake to convince him that her business proposal would be good for both of them.

  “I’d like you to think about my offer,” she said. “It’s a good one. I’d hate to see you miss out.”

  “I won’t change my mind, but I’d be willing to meet again, so I can try to change yours.” His confident grin was in place now.

  Fat chance. But she took it as an opportunity. “Tomorrow’s Sunday. I like to go hiking on my day off. We could do it together while we negotiate.”

  “Seems like a good idea. What’s your favorite spot?”

  “Eagle Nest Trail.” It was about a twenty-mile drive from their ranches with some fairly rough terrain. Challenging, but not requiring excessive skill, if he wasn’t much of a hiker himself.

  “I like that place, too, and I haven’t been in a while. Meet at the trailhead at seven?”

  “Works for me.” She stood up, satisfied with the encounter. “See you in the morning, Jake.”

  3

  Julia set her daypack on the tailgate of her truck and leaned against it. The sun was up, but the air was cool and fresh in the early morning. She checked her watch. Jake still had five minutes, but there was no sign of a vehicle approaching down the long and winding road that led from the highway to the trailhead.

  Maybe he wasn’t coming. She’d picked a trail that would take all day to hike. Was that too much time away from the ranch for him? He was a hands-on ranch owner. She knew that from her veterinary visits to the Thorne Ranch. He paid close attention to his horses—noticed quickly if any were off their feed or showing signs of injury. And when the situation was serious enough to call her in, he always stayed with a sick animal, talking in a soothing way. Which was funny, because in other circumstances he could be plenty loud. Even back in high school, he’d had a reputation for being loud and brash and outgoing, brimming over with confidence. The quieter side wasn’t one she’d seen in him until she’d seen him with his horses.

  Ten minutes passed, and she was sure he was going to be a no-show. She’d never been stood up before, and she wasn’t sure how she felt about it. Not that this was a date, but it would be a missed opportunity to talk business with him. She thought back to their conversation in the bar. He’d thought she was interested in going out with him. Why was that? Had she shown him something unintentionally?

  No, Jake flirted with everybody. He probably hadn’t thought anything of that moment. She put it aside and decided to do the hike alone. She strapped on her pack, checking to make sure she had plenty of water and snacks before slamming the tailgate closed. Taking one last glance down the entrance road, she saw a puff of dust and waited. Maybe she was going to have company after all. The dust turned into a trail leading right to her.

  Jake pulled his truck in next to hers and grabbed his pack from the bed, slinging it onto his back. “Sorry I’m late,” he said as he walked up to her.

  “Only a few minutes. Trouble at the ranch?” she asked.

  “Nothing serious. Cal’s moving a few of my mares over to his place to train them as barrel ponies. I helped him load them up.”

  “How are plans for his rodeo school coming along?” From what she’d heard, the former rodeo star intended to open a training center for the next generation of rodeo riders on property not far from the family’s ranch.

  “Just getting started.” Jake grinned. “He’s also remodeling a house for him and Amy and planning their wedding, so I think he’s a little busy.”

  “I’d guess so. Are you ready?” When he nodded his agreement, she led the way onto the trail that scooped down into a river valley before starting a slow and steady climb. “Business first?” she asked after they’d been moving for a few minutes.

  “Let’s do it.” He came alongside of her on a wider section of trail. “Give me your best sales pitch.”

  “Okay.” She’d planned her words carefully on the drive over, so she was ready. “The way I see it, there are plenty of advantages to you paying stud fees for Twister rather than purchasing him outright. First, you don’t have to deal with the cost of ownership. Twister would be an expensive purchase upfront, and then there are his needs—food, vet bills, and so on. If you agree to a fee arrangement, we could come to an agreement giving you first access, meaning he’d be available when you needed him so you wouldn’t have to settle for an inferior stallion.”

  “Like the one I’ve got.” He chuckled wryly.

  “Gambler’s a decent horse, but not what you need from a stud if your goal is to improve your stock,” she said. “At any time if you were dissatisfied with Twister’s offspring or just wanted to inject some fresh blood into your operation, you’d be free to do that. Twister wouldn’t be your only option.”

  He didn’t say anything for a minute, and she was hopeful that she’d convinced him. “All fair points, but I still think you’d be better off to sell Twister to me outright.”

  “Why?” It was clear that she hadn’t succeeded in convincing him, but he’d heard her out, so she’d do the same for him.

  “Money in the bank. I’d pay you upfront. That’s a lot of dough at one time, instead of spreading it out over years in stud fees. You’d have no ongoing cost of ownership to worry about. I realize vet bills aren’t a thing for you, but you’ve still got other expenses with maintaining a horse like Twister, especially if you want him to be a marketable commodity. I’m sure you’re personally attached to him, and who could blame you? But if I owned him, you’d be able to visit him whenever you wanted to since he’d be next door to your place.”

  “That’s a rational and logical argument, but no.” She didn’t need to think about it since she wasn’t parting with Twister. They hiked on, getting into a steeper part of the trail. The silence between them was surprisingly comfortable considering they were at odds over this deal.

  “Water break,” Jake said when they were in the shade of some juniper trees. They took long drinks from their bottles. As he was recapping his, he asked, “What’s the real reason you won’t sell Twister to me?”

  “I’d rather play the long game of making money off his stud fees and be in control of his future. I won’t sell him to anyone,” she said. This wasn’t about Jake. She hoped he knew that.

  “Because…?” he invited her to explain herself further.

  She looked ahead on the trail, stalling, but he’d asked her outright and deserved an answer. “Because he was the last horse my dad bred before he died.” She couldn’t part with Twister for several reasons, but that was the primary one. She had other things that reminded her of her father—his ranch land, for one, since her mother hadn’t been interested in keeping the place going after losing her husband and had signed the property over to Julia. But she used it for her vet practice, not to keep the ranching tradition going. Twister was all she had left from that.

  Jake nodded, looking serious. “I get that. It was tough for me to sell the last horses Dad and Luke bred, but I knew they’d want me to,” he said. “It’s a business, and I’m trying to run it with their vision for it in mind.”

  She and Jake started up the trail, navigating around boulders before she spoke again. “I’m not running my ranch the way my dad would have wanted. He loved having a self-supporting horse operation. But that isn’t realistic for me either. I have my vet business to run. That’s my first priority and first love.”

  “So sell me the horse and focus on being a vet.”

  She laughed at his obvious ploy. “I’m capable of managing two things, and there are advantages to being a vet with stud rights for sale. I’m hoping those fees will turn into a good revenue stream to help support my vet practice. I can reach clients all over the country or even internationally through artificial insemination. My dad would never have considered that, but I believe there’s more than one way to run my ranch. I have a different skill set than my father did, so my options are different.”

  “I don’t see it that way. There’s one way to do this right.” His tone started to become defensive.

  “And that involves owning a stallion?” she questioned.

  “It does. That’s the way Dad taught me to run a ranch and it’s what Luke had planned for the future of the place. I took a detour from the plan, tried to put my own spin on things, but I can’t do that any longer. Not when it’s clear that I’ve put the ranch’s prospects in danger. I should have invested in an excellent stallion from the beginning. So buying the best possible stallion is a must for me, as soon as possible. If you won’t sell me Twister, I’ll go on the hunt for one elsewhere.”

  He’d have a tough time finding one equal to Twister, but she didn’t need to say it since they both knew that fact. “I don’t get it,” she said instead. “I understand that you want to improve your stock. I understand that you think Twister is the stud that can get you there—and I agree. But I’m offering you Twister for stud purposes, which is all you need from him. Why turn it down? You’ve told me why you think buying him would be good for me, but not why it’s necessary for you, other than to say that that’s your plan.”

  “It is my plan,” he agreed. “And I’m going to stick with it.” He turned and faced her. The moment should have been tense, but strangely it wasn’t.

  “I guess we’re both pretty set in our decisions,” she said, recognizing that there was no common ground between them. “And maybe we should leave it at that.” They’d discussed the topic during the seven miles to the highest point on the trail. She’d enjoyed sparring with him, but they were at an impasse about Twister. “I propose we end this fruitless negotiation and just enjoy the hike.”

  “On that we can agree,” he said. “It’s too beautiful up here to worry about anything.”

  They scrambled up on top of a boulder to get the best view of the surrounding land. Eagle Nest Trail led to the highest point in a four-county area, giving them a bird’s-eye view of the Texas landscape. Parts of the terrain were rocky, others forest-covered. At a distance, they could see the rich pastures of grazing land that made this part of the state ideal for raising cattle and horses. It was one of her favorite views. As soon as she finished veterinary school and returned home, she’d hiked the trail to see it.