Her Alaskan Cowboy. Belle Calhoune

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      “Honor, it’s nice to see you,” Lee said, warmth emanating from his voice.

      “Hey, Lee,” Honor said. “Good morning.”

      Lee ran his hand around his shirt collar. His fingers seemed unsteady. “Under the circumstances, I’m sorry to have called you out here. It was a mistake.”

      She frowned at him. He looked flustered. Normally, he was a calm, unflappable man. It was slightly alarming to see him acting this way.

      Was Lee referencing Joshua’s unexpected appearance at the ranch? Like most of the townsfolk, he was fully aware of their history.

      “There’s been a bit of a hiccup regarding the reading of the will and Bud’s property,” he said, his tone apologetic. His eyes radiated disappointment. “I probably jumped the gun by inviting you here to the Diamond R.”

      “What’s wrong?” she asked. Adrenaline began to race through her veins. Instinctively, she steeled herself for bad news.

      Lee let out a ragged sigh. “Bud didn’t update his will, Honor. He made no written provisions to donate the property to the land preservation society.” Lee threw his hands in the air. “There’s not a whole lot more I can say, but I’m very disappointed.”

      “What?” Honor exploded. “That can’t be right. He said it over and over again. Everyone in town knew his wishes.”

      Lee shook his head. “According to his attorney, Bud had the best of intentions, but he passed away before he could make it official. He never updated his will. Knowing Bud, he probably figured he had plenty of years ahead to make those changes.”

      Honor felt numb as the ramifications of Lee’s disclosure began to settle in. “He verbally stated his intentions on several occasions. We all knew what he wanted to do with regard to the ranch. Isn’t that enough?”

      Lee stared at her with sadness radiating from his eyes. “I’m afraid not, Honor. Our hands are pretty much tied. We could file suit against the estate, but it would cost a fortune. And to what avail? Alaskan inheritance law is very clear.”

      Her heart sank. “So what happens now?” she asked. “Who inherits the property?”

      “According to Bud’s attorney, Theo and Joshua and another relative named Violet are listed as the heirs to the Diamond R and all of its assets and acreage.”

      Honor let out a deep breath. She felt like a deflated balloon. The old adage was true: don’t count your chickens until they’re hatched. In her mind she’d formulated so many plans for the expansion of the wildlife center. Now, in a puff of smoke, those dreams had been dashed.

      Lee stroked his chin. “I’ve heard some rumblings about a developer from Texas who’s been circling around trying to buy up property in Love. It seems that Theo has already been in contact with them. They came to the ranch first thing this morning.” His chest heaved as he sighed. “There’s no easy way to say this, Honor, but I think we have to prepare ourselves for what lies ahead.”

      Anger flared through her at the idea of Theo making deals to desecrate Bud’s ranch. Even as a kid he had never had an appreciation for the ranch. Joshua had been the one who had loved horses, the cowboy lifestyle and riding across the property with Bud. Honor had always thought of Joshua as her hometown cowboy.

      “Lee, give it to me straight,” Honor demanded. Having grown up with three older brothers, she knew when she was being treated with kid gloves. She had always fought against it. She was way tougher than she might look on the surface.

      “Do you remember the town council meeting where we discussed the upsurge in interest from developers in acquiring land here in Love?” Lee asked.

      “Yes,” she said with a nod. “With the popularity of Operation Love, this town has been in the media spotlight. And now that Lovely Boots has taken off, a lot of developers view this town as a hot commodity.”

      Operation Love was a matchmaking program created by Honor’s grandfather, Jasper Prescott. As town mayor, Jasper had devised a way of fixing the imbalance in the male-female ratio in town by bringing eligible women to town who were seeking Alaskan bachelors. The program had been very successful, with dozens of marriages and engagements. And Jasper’s wife, Hazel Tookes Prescott, had created genuine Alaskan boots that the town had mass produced as a way of boosting the local economy. After years of recession, it had been a brilliant way of bringing revenue to a cash-strapped town.

      The downside of her grandfather’s matchmaking program and Hazel’s creativity was the sudden focus on their Alaskan hamlet. Suddenly, developers were viewing Love as a potential moneymaker. The idea of developers swooping down and buying up Alaskan land only to dig it up and build businesses on it made her sick to her stomach.

      Lee’s features creased with tension. “This one outfit is serious about buying land here in Love and the Diamond R property is on their radar.” His mouth tightened. “It seems they have plans to build a five-star Alaskan dude ranch. There’s a chain of them all across the country.”

      Honor’s jaw dropped. A dude ranch! Right here in Love?

      “Theo and Joshua probably had a big check waved in front of their eyes by these developers.” He made a tutting sound. “They might find it hard to turn down such a lucrative offer.”

      She let out a shocked sound. Joshua was in on it? She was stunned that he would go along with such a materialistic scheme. Was this the real reason the brothers had made their way back to their hometown? To make a quick buck by selling the Diamond R Ranch and the surrounding property?

      “He wouldn’t,” she murmured. “He’s always loved this ranch.”

      Lee narrowed his gaze as he looked at her. “Never say never, Honor. It’s been quite some time since you’ve known what Joshua may or may not do.”

      “Is there any way to intervene?” she asked, instantly discouraged by the defeated expression stamped on Lee’s face.

      “There’s nothing more for us to do except say a few prayers,” Lee said with a shrug. “Maybe the Ransom heirs will do the right thing and fulfill Bud’s heartfelt wishes.” He shook his head. “It’s doubtful though. Theo seemed very cocky about being owner of the ranch. Something tells me he won’t budge an inch.”

      Anger rose up inside her. She felt her cheeks getting heated. How could they even consider such a drastic move? It went against everything Bud had stood for in this world. It would be fine by Honor if the property wasn’t handed over to the town, just so long as it wasn’t torn up to create a tacky dude ranch. She didn’t want the town of Love to become a commercial enterprise. Her hometown was a small fishing village filled with God-fearing people who loved the quaint and charming aspects of their town. If the Ransom brothers decided to sell, it would be a nightmare for the residents of Love.

      Her stomach churned with worry. Hadn’t Joshua just told her he would be heading home after settling his grandfather’s affairs? Clearly he wasn’t invested in the ranch or in this town. Honor fumed. Joshua might not care about the fate of the Diamond R or this town, but she cared deeply about its future.

      “There may not be anything we can do to change their minds,” she said in a fierce tone. “But I’m going to let Joshua Ransom know exactly what I think of him turning his back on a town he used to call home.”

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