Caitlyn's Prize. Linda Warren

he could do about the gambling debts but pay them. He felt, though, that he should made arrangements for you, your sisters and your grandmother. I agreed to honor them as best as I could.”

      That was her father. He was of the older generation and believed a woman had to be taken care of. That her place was in the home, kitchen or bed. Daughters were pampered and spoiled and did what they were told, like marrying a man of their father’s choosing.

      Caitlyn had lived with that mindset all her life. She had defied it once, to her regret.

      Pushing those thoughts away, she concentrated on what Judd had said. Agreed to what?

      “What are you talking about?”

      “With his enormous debt, Dane had very few options, and he asked for my help.” The rancher paused and picked up a gold pen, twirling it between his fingers. “Dane was also very aware of your stubborn, independent streak.”

      She stiffened. “So?” As if she wasn’t reminded of it every freakin’ day of her life.

      “Here’s Dane’s deal….” His dark eyes swept over her. “If the ranch is not making a profit within six months, you will sell High Five to me at a fair market price.”

      “What!” His words hit her in the chest like a shot of her dad’s Tennessee whiskey.

      “Still have that hearing problem?”

      She ignored the sarcastic remark. “You can’t be serious.”

      “It’s true,” the lawyer interjected.

      “Shut up, Frank.” She pointed a finger at him. “What are you doing here? You’re the Belles’ attorney. Shouldn’t you be on my side?”

      “Caitlyn…”

      Ignoring her outburst, Judd read from the paper in front of him. “‘I’m giving Caitlyn the option to operate High Five or sell. This decision is hers, not Madison’s nor Skylar’s. It is my wish, though, that she consult with her sisters. To die with a clear conscience, I have to give Caitlyn a chance. But if the ranch continues to decline six months after my death, then High Five ranch and all its entities will be sold to Judd Calhoun. Dorothea Belle will continue to live on the property as long as she lives.’”

      Caitlyn was speechless, completely speechless. Her father, in his antiquated thinking, had given Judd a golden opportunity to exact his revenge. But she would not give in so easily. She would not fail.

      “I…I think I’ll go and let you two sort this out.” The attorney glanced at her. “If you need anything, Caitlyn, just call.”

      “Yeah, right.”

      Frank shrugged and walked out.

      She looked straight at Judd, her eyes unwavering. “You think you’ve won, don’t you?”

      He leaned back in his chair, the cotton fabric of his shirt stretching taut across his chest. “Yes, I’ve won. But knowing you, I’m sure you’ll flounder along for six months. In the end I will take everything you love.”

      Her heart fell to her boots and her words tangled in the remnants of her shattered pride.

      “Nothing to say?” he mocked.

      “I think you’ve said it all, Judd. If you’re waiting for me to beg, I’d advise you to take a breath, because it’s going to be a long wait.”

      He lifted an eyebrow. “Beg, Caitlyn? For what?”

      “Go to hell.”

      He shrugged. “Thanks to you, I’ve been there, and I’m not planning a return trip.”

      “What do you want from me?”

      “Nothing. Absolutely nothing.”

      She swallowed. “Then this meeting is over.”

      “Not quite. I take it you are planning to operate High Five.”

      “You got it.”

      “Your sisters have to be informed of this development. Do you want to do the honors or should I?”

      “I will speak to my sisters. We do not need your interference.”

      “Fine.” He rested a forearm on the desk, his eyes holding hers. “Give it up, Caitlyn. You can’t win this. Even Dane knew that. Sell now and save yourself the aggravation.”

      “You are not God, Judd, and you can’t control people’s lives.”

      “Control?” His laugh bruised her senses. “I never said anything about control. I’m helping a friend. Out of respect for your father, I’ve agreed to this arrangement and I will not go back on my word.”

      Respect? He didn’t know the meaning of the word.

      “You’re a conniving bastard, Judd. I don’t know how you got my father to agree to this.”

      “Dane came looking for me, not the other way around.” He spoke calmly, but she couldn’t help but note the curl in his lip.

      “And you were there, eager to oblige.”

      He suddenly stood, and instinctively, she took a step backward. “I will own High Five and I will take great pleasure in taking it from you.”

      She held her head high. “I’ve often thought you were heartless, sort of like the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz, except he wanted a heart. You, Judd, are lost forever. May God have mercy on your conniving soul.”

      “I had a heart but you ripped it out by the roots.” The glimmer in his eyes was the only sign his emotions were involved. “This is reckoning day. I’m taking it all. It’s just a matter of time. I see it as sweet justice.”

      She walked out of the room with only her dignity, which didn’t feel like much. Stoically, she marched to the front door. On the silk Persian rug, she paused and wiped the crap from her boots.

      Now that was sweet justice.

      CHAPTER TWO

      “YOU CAN’T STOP WATCHING her, can you?”

      Judd tensed, but his eyes never left Caitlyn as she jumped into her truck and raced down the driveway, tires squealing. Fourteen years and she was still the same—breathtakingly beautiful with Hollywood curves, glossy black hair and a smooth olive complexion.

      But it was her forget-me-not-blue eyes that always got him. They reminded him of crystal marbles his grandfather had once given him: bright, shiny and irresistible. He still owned them, tucked away in a box somewhere, but he’d long ago found that Caitlyn wasn’t a thing to be possessed.

      He turned from the window to face his mother. “Did you need something?”

      Renee motioned over her shoulder. “I just saw Caitlyn leave.”

      “Yes.”

      “Then you told her?”

      “Yes.”

      “Why aren’t you smiling? Why aren’t you happy?”

      He blew out a breath. “I don’t really want to get into this.”

      “Well, sorry. I do.” His mother walked farther into the room, flaunting her usual you’d-better-listen stance. As a kid, he’d hated that tone in her voice. He wasn’t crazy about it now.

      “I’m not in the mood.”

      Renee placed her hands on her hips. In her late sixties, she was an active woman. After Judd’s dad’s death, shopping had become her favorite exercise and pastime. She never interfered in Judd’s life and he liked it that way.

      Of course, she’d never been a big part of his life. Judd had been five when she’d left Jack Calhoun and him. Judd then had the stepmother from hell.

      After that marriage