belonged to him and he belonged to it.
And no damn woman from Denver had any business walking in and claiming any part of it.
He was dressed by then and turned off the light to leave. As he did he was tempted to slam the bedroom door closed after himself, just for the sake of disturbing Ally Brooks. Sheâd disturbed him enough to have it coming, that was for damn sure.
A man needed a decent nightâs sleep when his day started before sunrise. He didnât need to be all riled up, tossing and turning, telling off a blasted woman in his mind. Plotting how the hell he was going to get rid of her. Devising jobs for her that were bad enough to match the worst old Shag had ever come up with.
Wondering if those crazy wild curls of her hair were as soft as they looked....
Damn, but sheâd made him mad. First at her. Then at himself for thinking ridiculous things like that.
But he closed the door quietly rather than slamming it. Unlike his father, he wasnât usually given to fits of rage and he didnât like the way it felt. Didnât like giving in to it, and thatâs what slamming the door would have been.
Still, though, as he passed by Allyâs room he muttered, âTake the money and get out of here,â wishing sheâd do just that.
His offer to buy her share of the ranch had been more than fair. That, on top of the rest of what sheâd inherited could keep her in a Denver penthouseâor wherever else she wanted to beâfor the rest of her life without her ever lifting a finger. So what was she doing here?
No doubt she had a fantasy of the place as some sort of dude ranch. Jackson could just imagine the brochureâ Life on the range. Horseback riding. Swimming. Napping in the shade of an old oak tree. Barbecuing under the stars of a Wyoming sky....
Ha!
He supposed heâd given her credit for better sense than to think the ranch was like that. But why else would she have come here? Surely if she had had any idea of the reality of it, it would have been the last place on earth sheâd have ever shown up.
And thatâs what heâd been counting on. Not in a million years had he thought the mystery woman in the will would actually take that part of the inheritance seriously enough to move here.
Heâd figured on buying her out and never having to set eyes on her. Even when sheâd turned down his offer through the lawyers, heâd thought it was just a ploy to raise the priceâthe way heâd done the night before, trying to get her out.
But no, here she was, moved in as if she belonged.
And giving orders!
Jackson was in the kitchen by then and he poured water into the coffeemaker with such disgust at that very thought that he splashed more on the counter than he got in the reservoir.
Damn woman had a lot of nerve to get on his back about how he was to treat her daughter. Where did she come off jumping on him about being mean to that child before heâd so much as spoken to the girl?
And she thought he had a bad attitude, did she? Well, by God, he had a right to his attitude. How would she like some stranger prancing into her life, her house? Uninvited. Unwanted. Just showing up and announcing she was there to live. And not only her, but her and a child. Lock, stock and barrel.
And fiery hair. And sparkling Irish eyes. And one of the sweetest little behinds...
Jackson shook himself out of that bit of mind wandering, wondering what was getting into him. It had been happening ever since sheâd walked into the honky-tonk. Right in the middle of a full head of steam his crazy brain would flash a picture of her. A picture that was all too vivid and in more detail than he had any business having noticed. Or remembering.
Damn her all to hell.
Well, heâd meant what heâd said about there not being any free rides around here. Heâd give her a taste of what old Shag had dished out so heartily. Shag nice? Shag had been as ornery as a