Page 24 of Honoring Freedom
Freedom stepped between them, giving Kent a small push. “We’ve caused enough of a scene, don’t you think?” she said through clenched teeth. “You and your friends need to back off.”
Kent and Keller were locked in a staring contest, but then Kent made a tiny motion to his guys, and they released Keller's arm while still hanging around in case a fight broke out.
“Good thing your girlfriend saved you, cowboy. I wouldn’t get too comfortable over at the ranch because when it’s in my hands I’ll see that you’re scrubbing barn floors. You certainly haven’t seen the last of me.”
Chapter Eight
“Why did you do that?’ Freedom asked just as soon as they stepped inside the cabin and she toed off her boots. She’d refused to talk to him on the short ride back, livid over the altercation.
“He was an asshole, Free. He deserved to be put in his place for talking to you the way he did.” Keller swiped off his hat and tossed it onto the coffee table, knocking a stack of magazines onto the floor.
“I can manage a man like Kent Downs.” She flipped her hair over one shoulder.
“Who the hell is he anyway?”
The tension in the room was almost suffocating. She watched Keller striding back and forth on the bearskin rug. “One of Daddy’s biggest rivals. You wouldn’t know Kent because he settled in the area about five years ago and since then he’s made it his goal to get his paws on Sagebrush Rose. He’s got a reputation for pressuring landowners to sell.”
Keller stopped pacing and stilled his gaze on her. “He’s pressuring Sam to sell the ranch?”
Her anger started to fade. "Kent isn’t the only developer interested in the ranch,” she said, “But he’s... different. He has powerful friends. Just like the group we saw at the bar. When ranchers refuse to sell, Kent and his team begin to chip away at their resources. He's tight with the county commissioners who create fake code violations, pressure business owners to hike up prices on feed and hay. and make it hard for ranchers to get timely repairs. Even sometimes going as far as to cut off water supply. Kent has tried many times to reroute the river so Sagebrush Rose will lose public water usage.”
"That sounds like quite a costly undertaking."
“To make money you’ve got to spend money.”
“And you’re upset because I punched him?” Keller’s anger shone in his eyes.
“I know it’s hard to see the bigger picture, but we walked right into Kent’s evil web. I don’t know how, but he will use this situation to his advantage. And then there’s the fact that you had no right to step in and manage a situation that I had under control. In this business, I need to show others that I can handle myself and that I don’t need a man, or anyone, to save the day for me. Do you think this is the first time I’ve been spoken to in that manner simply because I have a vagina? Or do you think that punching a snake like Kent will stop all the other men who enjoy a power trip of demeaning a woman?”
“No way while there’s still a breath left in my lungs will I let anyone speak to you like that,” he said the words in a deeper voice. “Not on my watch. I won’t apologize.” He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.
“I want you to see things from my point of view.”
“I do, but if you’re mad at me that’s something I’ll have to live with.”
“I’m not mad at you, not now, but I’ve learned that responding to men like Kent Downs will only create more ripples in the water.” She shook her head in exasperation. She walked over, stopping just inches from him. “You can’t throw punches and think everything is solved. If things were that simple everyone would be walking around with a bleeding nose and black eyes.”
He clenched his hands in and out of fists. “Says the woman who almost beat an innocent woman over the head over a miscommunication.”
“That girl is anything but innocent. Mark my words.”
“Oh? So there is some wiggle room when it comes to you throttling someone and not for anyone else?”
She was backed into a corner. “Okay. I should have never come rushing in wielding a skillet.”
“Wow. She can admit fault. Downs deserved more than a punch. Any man worth his weight would have done the same in that situation. I did what I had to do.” His voice was softer but still firm. “I’ll always stand up for you, Freedom. Always.” He started unbuttoning his shirt that was covered in the blood Downs had smeared over the front.
A mixture of frustration and gratitude bombarded her. “I don’t remember you being so…protective.”
He shrugged. “That’s because no one dared say anything rude to you. Why does the man want Sagebrush Rose?” He shrugged out of the soiled shirt and gave it a toss.
"He aims to open a casino. With the newly constructed airport just an hour away, he sees a business opportunity. But as far as men like him, they don’t like having their egos bruised.”
Keller nodded, touching her arm. “Before I respond that way again, I’ll make sure I’ve allowed you to manage it yourself first. But there’s a promise you need to make to me. Don’t push me away.”
“I’m not pushing you away.”
“Sweetheart, you pushed me away years ago and you’re still pushing. You get a little uncomfortable and you shut down. You need should get comfortable in being uncomfortable.”