Texas Pride: Night Riders Read Online Free PDF Page B

doesn’t own the property.”
    “But Laveau does own that property. Your brother signed papers that make it legal.”
    She was going to see what she could do to convince a judge to change that. She couldn’t let her brother lose his share of the ranch because of a moment of foolish overconfidence or his failure to spot a conniving and manipulative man. “Let’s not talk about that. We’ll never agree, and I’ll only get angry again.”
    “It does not change the facts.”
    “The fact is diViere cheated, so that paper you have is worthless.”
    “Not until you can get a judge to say so.”
    “Don’t think I won’t.” Carla struggled to control her temper. “In the meantime, it might be safer for you to move on. Once everybody knows what you’re trying to do, they’ll be just as anxious as I am to see you gone.”
    “I lived through a war with thousands of men with guns and cannons trying to kill me. I’m not afraid of a few Texans.”
    “Texans were better shots than Union soldiers. They hit what they aimed at the first time.”
    “You should give up trying to chase me away,” Ivan said with one of his blinding smiles. “I will be here for the next year.”
    She didn’t want to think about that. The man was too friendly, too overwhelming, and too handsome for her to stay mad at him for a whole year. Besides, he seemed rather nice. He’d certainly been unfailingly pleasant despite her rough treatment. She had to stay away from him. She would never have believed it, but she found him attractive in a way she couldn’t ignore. That was odd considering the attractive and eligible men she could ignore.
    Kesney Hardin topped the list.
    Kesney was mature, handsome, rich, and well-dressed as well as having charming manners. Despite being old enough to have a young daughter, Kesney was the most eligible man she’d ever met. Carla had been flattered by his interest. She had dreamed of marrying for love, but she’d never found any man who could ignite that spark. She had begun to wonder if she was capable of love. Her father said she thought like a man. Her mother said she was too practical. Her brother said she was a pain in the ass who always thought she knew better than he did. Fortunately, she did know better, but that didn’t make Danny like it.
    Then there was Maxwell Dodge, a businessman who’d recently arrived in Overlin. He’d quickly shown a decided partiality for Carla, something that Kesney hadn’t liked at all. Neither had any other eligible bachelor in the area. Carla knew most of these men were as interested in her ownership of the most successful ranch in the area as they were in her, yet no one had attracted her the way Ivan’s smile did. That was a danger sign, and she ought to have the good sense to talk herself out of thinking it was anything more than a tool Ivan used to get what he wanted.
    “You are very quiet,” Ivan said. “Did I say something to upset you?”
    “Of course you did. You said you were going to be here for a year at the end of which you intend to sell half of my ranch to the man with the most money. Do you expect me to be happy about that?”
    “No. My father lost the last of our land when I was six.”
    Great. He knew exactly how she felt because the same thing had happened to him. She hoped he wasn’t expecting a show of sympathy. She was saving all she had for herself. And for Danny. As angry as she was at him, she knew he felt even worse because he’d failed her as well as himself. If she could get her hands on Laveau diViere, she’d like to strangle him. Instead, she had no one to direct her anger to except Ivan Nikolai. She needed to be thinking of reasons the judge could use to nullify the bet. She couldn’t do that with Ivan looking over her shoulder all the time.
    “Is that a neighbor of yours? She seems to be in trouble.”
    Carla followed the direction of Ivan’s gaze. Some distance ahead, a buggy had come to a halt. It looked like a wheel had come