Undeniable Demands Read Online Free Page A

as
taking bribes from one. Both compromised a person’s objectivity and put the
ethics of his company in question.
    He would not have it, so he terminated her. He never dreamed
the decision would come back to haunt him.
    If she were any other woman, he would’ve asked her to dinner to
talk over his offer and kissed her to keep the inflammatory words from flying
out of her mouth. Her temper, as spicy as her hair, was a massive turn-on. He
had a weakness for redheads.
    But she wasn’t another woman. She was holding on to seven years
of bitterness along with the key to something more important to him than
anything else. Protecting his family was his number one priority. Toying with
Victoria like a cat with a mouse could cost him dearly. He needed her to sell
him this land. He couldn’t fail. As much as he’d like to resolve their
differences between the sheets, it wasn’t the answer in this situation. He
doubted it would sway her, and she’d probably shoot him if he tried to kiss
her.
    “Arrogant and pigheaded,” Wade grumbled, turning to steer the
four-wheeler down the center aisle of trees toward the entrance. She thought she
knew so much. Well, she forgot rich, powerful, ruthless and determined Wade
Mitchell came in the same package. He would secure that land and protect his
family one way or another.
    Wade came to an abrupt stop as an old pickup truck, draped in
Christmas lights and garland, pulled in front of him. Piled into the trailer it
towed was a crowd of bundled-up people sitting on bales of hay and singing
Christmas carols. The driver, Owen, threw a hand up at Wade, then continued back
toward the house.
    Hayrides, Santa visits, sugar cookies and hot chocolate.
Picking out a tree at the Garden of Eden wasn’t just a shopping trip. It was an
experience. On the weekends in December, the farm was a madhouse. And it had to
be. A good portion of their income came from just this one month. Sure, they did
other things throughout the year, but Christmas tree farms depended on a good
Christmas to stay afloat.
    And lately, it hadn’t been enough.
    Wade blamed himself for that. When the boys grew up and moved
away, the Edens had to hire in help. Owen had always worked on the farm, but as
each year went by, more staff was added and their expenses went up. Throw in a
mountain of hospital bills and competition from increasingly more realistic fake
trees, and the Edens were lucky they’d survived this long.
    Wade followed the truck to the house and then veered off to
park the ATV back under the awning where they kept it. The farm would be closing
soon, so he skipped the house and headed around to the tree-processing area.
Heart attack be damned, he found his dad out there with a couple of teenage
boys. They were leveling, drilling, shaking and net-bagging all the trees
selected by the last round of customers.
    As though he’d never left, Wade grabbed a tree and put it on
the shaker to remove any loose needles. When it was done, Ken laid the tree out
to drill. They carried special stands in the gift shop that ensured a perfectly
straight tree.
    Wade held it still while Ken drilled.
    “You haven’t lost your touch, kid. Need a job?”
    Wade smiled. “I could work for about a week. Then I’ve got to
get back to town.”
    “That’s fine, fine. We’ll be closed by then, anyway.” Ken
lifted the tree and gave it to one of the boys to run through the netter. When
he turned back, he gave Wade a big welcome hug. “Good to see you, son.”
    “Good to see you, too, Dad. Is that the last of the trees for
tonight?”
    “Yep. With perfect timing, you’ve shown up just when all the
hard work is finished. Come help me haul these trees out to the parking lot and
we’ll go see your mother.”
    Wade grasped a tree in each hand and followed his father
through the snow to the parking lot where the last few cars waited for their
trees. He watched his father carefully for signs of ill health as he hauled
around the trees and