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Chapter 134: Calling In Sick
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Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 135: Life Goes On
Chapter 135: Life Goes OnSeated atop Cheyenne, Hunter raised the binoculars to his eyes and looked out across the valley to the strip of land he'd just lost. "Damn it, they didn't waste any time, did they?""I figured you'd want to know about it," Rolly said. From his cabin on the north side of the ranch, the old man had heard the trio of trucks that had arrived on the land that now belonged to the state of Idaho. He and Hunter had ridden out early that morning to see for themselves what was going on.For now, it appeared that they were repeating the survey, apparently intent on respecting the narrow boundaries of the parcel. For now, Hunter thought bitterly. But they were slicing off the north end of the ranch. It wouldn't surprise him at all if they just decided to annex that whole parcel. With a road slicing off that end of McFall Ranch, he sure as hell couldn't use the land on the other side.Thinking of the way they stole his land, thinking of the part Poppy played in the
Last Updated : 2022-10-20Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 136: Lunch and Revelations
Chapter 136: Lunch and RevelationsFifteen minutes later, the pair were seated at a table in a cafe across the street. Poppy used a wooden stirrer to add a bit of sugar to her raspberry tea. She'd purchased a small salad, but she wasn't interested in eating.Across the table, Dana took a bite of her ham and caramelized onion quiche. "This is so good." She looked up at Poppy. "I'll start by telling you what I know, then you can tell me what you know. First of all, they used you."Poppy's jaw dropped. Dana nodded knowingly."When they picked you for this assignment, it was because of your resemblance to Hunter McFall's deceased wife. I heard them say it, and I have a copy of the dossier they had a private investigator put together.""Are you serious?" Poppy whispered, glancing around cautiously.Dana forked another bite of quiche into her mouth and nodded again. "As a heart attack. And that's not all. You asked about the environmental impact study. Well, there are two version
Last Updated : 2022-10-20Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 137: Connecting the Dots
Chapter 137: Connecting the DotsBack at her apartment, Poppy sat at her tiny kitchen counter and pored over the documents from Dana's flash drive. Among the nearly fifty items were emails, internal memos, permits, survey results, twin environmental reports, and a confidential file on Hunter McFall. Poppy sighed heavily as she scrolled through the information Slade's investigator had gathered on the rancher. There was a birth certificate showing the date and location of his birth, a photo from his high school yearbook, a marriage license, a death certificate for Tara Olsen McFall, and a wedding photo from the local newspaper. Poppy blinked as she recognized the same image she'd found in Hunter's desk drawer, her stomach knotting up with regret as she stared into his eyes. She shook her head and scrolled further, finding a couple dozen more recent photos that appeared to have been taken without Hunter's knowledge, images of him getting in and out of the black Expedition somewhere
Last Updated : 2022-10-20Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 138: Late Night Thoughts
Chapter 138: Late Night ThoughtsIn the weeks after Poppy left Idaho, Hunter threw himself into ranch work with unwavering gusto. He was up before dawn, working calls to markets in the east, distributors who were only too happy to purchase McFall beef. Normally, it was the business end of things that Hunter hated, but for now, he was glad for something to do when his dreams wouldn't let him sleep.If he allowed his thoughts to stray, inevitably he saw himself looming over Poppy, accusing her of swindling him out of his land, telling her he didn't love her. Lying to her, really. Because he'd loved her then, and damn it, he loved her now. That was the kind of fool he was. Which was why it was better to keep himself busy.In addition to managing McFall Beef business, he'd spent time shoring up the fences for summer grazing. And he'd been hands-on when it came to moving the cattle. In fact, he'd intentionally moved the herd to the far side of the newly marked-out access road. If a
Last Updated : 2022-10-20Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 139: Go Time
Chapter 139: Go TimeIn the ladies' room mirror at Slade & Howell, Poppy mentally took inventory. Hair in a neat, professional updo? Check. And for once, her red locks had been cooperative. Scarlett Sin lipstick? She rested her palms on the sink, leaned toward the mirror, and pursed her lips. Check. Although in contrast, her face looked pale. It couldn't be helped. Her nerves were getting the best of her, and she'd even thrown up before she'd left home. Power outfit in place? She scanned the white blouse and black pencil skirt, then all the way down to her black Jimmy Choos. Cow poo shoes. She blinked hard. Stop it. Don't go there. Power outfit? Check. She felt her bile rising again and swallowed against it. The time had come."This is it," she told her reflection. Then she turned on her designer heel and marched out of the restroom.In the two weeks since she'd been back from Idaho, Poppy had mined the information Dana had given her for every ounce of gold.
Last Updated : 2022-10-20Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 140: Prospectus
Chapter 140: ProspectusWhile the men paged through the booklets, Poppy advanced to the next slide in her little presentation. It was the artist's rendering of the Boxroot Mountain project. "This is utter bullshit," Slade growled, tossing the booklet onto the table in disgust. "That's exactly what I've been saying," Poppy agreed. "It was a bullshit mission you sent me on. You had no intention of ever paying Hunter McFall for that land. You knew when you purchased the mountain property that you wouldn't have access to the land. You'd need to acquire land for the road. And lucky enough for you, you had a man on the inside of Idaho government. Your buddy and fraternity brother, Chad Crandle."Slade didn't bother to answer, so Poppy forged ahead. "It was Crandle who worked out the details of the eminent domain so you could take McFall's land with the taxpayers of Idaho picking up the tab. And it was Crandle who helped you doctor the environmental impact study. If you look at
Last Updated : 2022-10-20Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 141: Non-Negotiable Terms
Chapter 141: Non-Negotiable TermsWith another glare at Poppy, Slade stalked back to his seat and snatched up the booklet. Behind her, Poppy heard Howell flipping through the pages.Slade squinted at the print on the page and looked back at her, wide-eyed. "You've got to be shitting me.""Nope. Not shitting you. I'm serious as fuck."Benjamin Howell cleared his throat. "This is absurd. You can't possibly think we'd ever agree to this.""It's a difficult decision, I know." Poppy's voice dripped with mock sympathy. "But these are my terms. The alternative gets very messy.""What are you planning to do, march into the Idaho governor's office with your little booklet? You have no proof, you have no evidence, you have nothing a court will believe." Slade sat back and folded his arms across his chest.Poppy held up the flash drive Dana had given her. "I have all the documentation for every charge I've laid out. Including the phony environmental report.""Suppose you don't leave
Last Updated : 2022-10-20Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 142: We Did It
Chapter 142: We Did ItAfter Slade signed the contract, he stormed out of his office. Howell signed as well and nodded grimly to Poppy before he left. With trembling hands, she packed up her materials and, head held high, she walked out of the offices of Slade & Howell for the last time. She made it all the way to the ladies' room before she retched again.Trading her high heels for ballet flats, she opted to walk the ten blocks to her apartment rather than take the subway. The day was hot, but she craved the outdoor air. After the intensity in Slade's office, the city felt dreamlike, as though she were floating through jello. In her mind, the reality was jarring. She'd just quit her job. And she had no source of income. Sure, she had about six months of income saved up, but would she be able to secure another job before that money ran out?Had she made a mistake?She shook her head. It was no mistake. She'd done what she'd needed to do to be able to look herself in the eye
Last Updated : 2022-10-20
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Chapter 218: Unexpected GuestA week and a half after the beach fiasco, Anna was grateful for a set routine. If she wasn't happy, exactly, at least she felt settled. She'd decided she'd try to fly home to Wyoming for Thanksgiving, and while the holiday was still weeks away, she wanted to touch base with Janine to give her plenty of notice. Being able to cross off the days on her calendar until she went home to visit lifted her spirits somewhat.It was mid-afternoon when she finished leading her final session for the day, so she decided to pop in to have a chat with Janine. On her way into the ranch office, she passed a shiny black SUV parked in front.Maybe Janine has found a big donor, Anna thought hopefully. The ranch can use so many upgrades.She pushed open the door and entered the empty office. Janine wasn't at her desk, but the door that led to the rest of the house was ajar, and Anna heard low voices.She rapped on the doorframe. "Hello? Janine?""Anna?" came Janine's vo
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