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So do I have any hope now? Rose’s pulse was racing She willed her expression to freeze to a mask of indifference

“I always meant for you to have that land, Rose,” he said

Sure you did, liar Come on, what’s the catch?

“Here’s what I’ to deed you back your grandfather’s land, but with conditions attached”

He paused, his riveting blue eyes pinning Rose to her chair “First, I want your written, signed promise that the Rimrock will never be denied access to the creek water, for any reason”

Rose suppressed the urge to nod So far, so good She could live with letting Bull fill the water basin fro as she didn’t have his livestock tra her yard

“The second condition is that if you ever decide to sell the property, you will sell it to me and only to me or my boys Your heirs, if any, will be bound by the same conditions If you pass aithout heirs, the property will revert to the Rimrock”

“Anything else?” Rose could hear her heart pounding over the sound of her voice This agreeood to be true But she’d be a fool not to think it over carefully

“That’s the gist of it,” he said “But each of those conditions is a deal-breaker It’s all or nothing”

“And if we can’t coreement?” Rose asked

“Then we’ll be no worse off than we are now”

Rose laid her fork on her empty plate and pushed her chair back from the table “I’ll need time to think about this, of course”

“Take all the ti this rooive me an answer”

The set of his jaw told Rose that Bullto walk out

“All right” She took her seat again, realizing there was no need to stall for tiht be able to live with your conditions,” she said, “but I have one of my own”