Her Cowboy's Twin Blessings. Patricia Johns

told me about it, but do you know?”

      “Of course I do. His wife is suffering from Alzheimer’s, and he’s used up his insurance. He wants to keep her in a quality care center.”

      “So even if I don’t end up buying this land, someone will,” Ember said. “Mr. Vern needs to sell. I’m not the bad guy here, Casey.”

      Casey eyed her for a moment, wondering how much to say. “I didn’t call you bad,” he said. “I just said I don’t agree with what you stand for.”

      “Like what, exactly?” she demanded. “Therapy? You might not need someone to talk things out with, but some people do. There’s no shame in having some professional help in sorting out difficulties.”

      “There are plenty of places to get therapy. This is ranching land,” he said.

      “And it could be set to other uses, too,” she said. “And it very well might, depending on who buys it.”

      She was making a good point. Except she hadn’t hit on the reason why he was taking this so personally. It wasn’t only about therapy and changing good ranch land into something so unsuited to this place. This wasn’t just about a stubborn man and his ideals. This was personal.

      “If you don’t buy this ranch, I will,” he said, his voice low.

      Ember blinked at him in surprise. “What?”

      “You heard me,” Casey said. “I can’t afford to pay what you can—and that’s why you’ve got Mr. Vern’s priority. The money matters. He needs to get as much as he can for this land. But if you decide against this ranch, I’ve got an offer on the table behind yours.”

      “You want to buy it—” she said weakly.

      “Yeah.” And want was a wimpy word. He longed to buy this land on a bone-deep level. He loved every square acre of this place, and if he was going to be raising kids, he couldn’t think of a finer place to do it.

      “If this is the site of my family’s homestead, though—” she began.

      “Then you’ll buy it,” he confirmed. “And I’ll understand your attachment to the dirt under your feet. It’ll be a connection to generations past—I’m not unfeeling here. But if you don’t buy this ranch, then I will, and I’ll raise those boys here, teach them about hard work and perseverance. I could have a story here, too—moving into the future.”

      Casey urged his horse a little faster, pulling out ahead of her. He didn’t want her to see the emotion in his eyes. This mattered to him just as much as it mattered to her, and he wasn’t going to just walk away from a chance at owning this land himself.

      “So I am the bad guy,” she called from behind him. “To you, at least.”

      Casey turned in his saddle and met her gaze. “From my perspective, you’re just another Reed. You’re playing in a different league. You’ve got money behind you that I couldn’t even hope for. And unless you change your mind about this place, there’s no doubt that you’ll have your way. Reeds always do.”

      She dealt in feelings and relationships—let her sort that one out.

      But Casey was also a Christian, and he stood by his word. They had an agreement, and they’d shaken on it. She’d help him, and he’d give her an honest introduction to Vern Acres.

      Fair was fair.