“I get it. Tangerine and plum.”
“The second sip is even better.”
Together they took their second taste. The pleasure Shane received was doubled because he was able to share the experience with Brandee. She didn’t roll her eyes or make faces like many women of his acquaintance would have. Instead, she let him lead her through an exploration of all the wonderful subtleties of the scotch.
Fifteen minutes later, they had reached a level of connection unprecedented in their prior four years of knowing each other. He was seeing a new side of Brandee. A delightful, sociable side that had him patting himself on the back for putting her in touch with Liam. Convincing her they should give dating a try was going to be way easier than he’d originally thought.
Brandee finished her last sip of scotch and set the glass aside. “I had another reason for dropping by tonight other than to say thank-you.”
Shane waited in silence for her to continue, wondering if the other shoe was about to drop.
“I thought about what you said in the diner yesterday.” She spoke slowly as if she’d put a lot of thought into what she was saying.
Shane decided to help her along. “About you needing to be kissed senseless?” He grinned when he saw the gap between her eyebrows narrow.
“About us calling a truce for two weeks,” she countered, her tone repressive. “I know how you are and I realized that after those two weeks, you’d be back to pestering me to sell the ranch.”
Right now, he didn’t really give a damn about buying her ranch, but he sensed if he stopped pestering her about it she would forget all about him. “You have a solution for that?”
“I do. I was thinking about a wager.”
Now she was speaking his language. “What sort of wager?”
“If I win you agree to give up all current and future attempts to claim Hope Springs Ranch and its land.”
“And if I win?”
“I’ll sell you my ranch.”
A silence settled between them so loud Shane could no longer hear the television in the den. Unless she was convinced she had this wager all sewn up, this was a preposterous offer for her to make. What was she up to?
“Let me get this straight,” he began, wanting to make sure he’d heard her clearly. “After years of refusing to sell me your land, you’re suddenly ready to put it on the table and risk losing it?” He shook his head. “I don’t believe it. You love that ranch too much to part with it so easily.”
“First of all, what makes you think you’re going to win? You haven’t even heard the terms.”
He arched one eyebrow. “And the second thing?”
“I said I’d sell the land. I didn’t say how much I wanted for it.”
He’d known all along that she was clever and relished the challenge of pitting his wits against hers. “Ten million. That’s more than fair market value.”
Her blue-gray eyes narrowed. She’d never get that much from anyone else and they both knew it.
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“Fine. Ten million.”
The speed with which she agreed made Shane wonder what he’d gotten himself into. “And the terms of our wager?”
“Simple.” A sly smile bloomed. “For two weeks you move in and help me out at the ranch. Between calving time and the construction project going on at my camp, I’m stretched thin.”
Shane almost laughed in relief. This was not at all what he’d thought she’d propose. Did she think he’d shy away from a couple weeks of manual labor? Granted, he rarely came home with dirt beneath his fingernails, but that didn’t mean he was lazy or incompetent. He knew which end of the hammer to use.
“You need someone who knows his way around a power tool.” He shot her a lecherous grin. “I’m your man.”
“And I need you to help with the minicamp I have going next weekend.”
Now he grasped her logic. She intended to appeal to his altruistic side. She probably figured if he got a close look at her troubled-teen program that he would give up trying to buy the land. This was a bet she was going to lose. He didn’t give a damn about a camp for a bunch of screwed-up kids who probably didn’t need anything more than parents who knew how to set boundaries.