Page 216 of Ironwood Ranch Cowboys

But this feels different. Closer. Personal. Whoever’s doing this finally stopped pretending Annie isn’t central to the whole damn situation now.

And if somebody decides she’s the obstacle standing between them and Ironwood…

No.

Absolutely not.

This ends today.

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

Annie

“The answer is no,” Silas says flatly for the third time in under two minutes.

“I wasn’t aware this was a monarchy.”

“It’s not.”

“Could’ve fooled me.”

We’re standing in the downstairs office while rain lashes the windows hard enough to blur the ranch lights outside. Thunder rolls low across the valley, rattling the glass in uneven bursts.

Perfect weather for discovering your workplace is apparently run by supervillains.

Duke stands beside the desk with the burner phone still clenched in one hand, jaw tight enough to crack stone. Cody’s near the computer pulling up location maps and staff logs simultaneously because apparently that man copes with stress by becoming eighty percent spreadsheet.

Silas is the only one looking directly at me.

Which is unfortunate because his full attention feels like standing too close to a wildfire.

“You’re not going near Jake tonight,” he says.

“And you think I’m staying here while the three of you confront a man who just got caught coordinating sabotage and threatening me? I’m the one who saw him coming back here!”

“Yes.”

The speed of the answer almost impresses me.

I stare at him. “That’s deeply unreasonable.”

“That’s survival.”

“No,” I snap, stepping closer, “survival is me refusing to become the terrified woman everybody pushes into another room while men make decisions about her life.”

Silence slams down hard.

Oops.

Well. Not wrong, though.

Emotion flickers across Silas’s face.

Duke exhales beside me. “Baby…”

“No.” I fold my arms tighter. “I found the inconsistencies. I tracked the shell vendors. I connected the rodeo contracts. Jake tried framing me because I’m dangerous to him specifically.”

Cody finally looks up from the computer. “Which is exactly why we don’t want you near him.”