It wouldn’t be easy to slip away from the barbecue undetected with the army of extra staff on the ranch. If her mama found out what was happening, she’d go berserk. Especially today, during the barbecue. Emerson scowled thinking of the dozens upon dozens of workers her mama had hired to put on the annual Stein Barbecue, an event that ranked right up there with the Lone Star Cattlemen’s Ball.

No expense was spared. Mama had planned the details for months. An endless procession of catering vans streamed into the ranch over the past several days. They set up white tents with tables and seating, along with a giant barbecue station to prepare various cuts of beef from the ranch. Stein Ranch took pride in raising the finest Black Angus cattle in Texas. At the rate the chefs were cooking, there would be enough food to feed the entire population of Texas.

This year, the barbecue was especially significant because Emerson’s older brother Graham would announce his bid for the Texas Senate. Meanwhile, Emerson was expected to look pretty and cast adoring glances at Finley Landers—the man her parents had selected for her to marry. She frowned at her reflection in the mirror. Anyone who thought arranged marriages were a thing of the past was sorely mistaken. The more prominent the family, the more stringent the requirements.

Emerson and Finley were childhood friends, even sweethearts for a time. But that faded to friendship years ago when Finley went to Yale and Emerson stayed home to attend Texas Christian University. Unfortunately, Finley was still smitten and wanted to marry her. “Too bad that’s not gonna happen.” She sighed heavily, applying a coat of cinnamon lipstick before dusting her cheekbones with bronzer. For the barbecue, she’d kept her makeup light, hair flat enough to keep her mama happy. Caroline Stein detested big hair, said it made girls look low class. Once Emerson arrived at the rodeo and dressed in her barrel racing clothes, she’d fluff up her hair and put on brighter lipstick and heavier makeup, more in keeping with her stage persona, Starr Andrews. Just because she wore a cowboy hat and raced full speed around barrels didn’t mean she couldn’t look good in the process. And contrary to her mama’s opinion, Emerson happened to like bigger hair. Maybe not eighties style big, but big enough for her to feel feminine and pretty.

Caroline would die if she knew her daughter was barrel racing. Emerson hated deceiving her parents, but her mama was determined to mold her into a high-society debutante. Time and time again, Emerson told her parents that she had no intention of marrying Finley Landers. No way was she going to become a mini Caroline Stein, wasting her life away at social events, hobnobbing with the VIPs of the world. Emerson got her degree in business. She worked as an office manager in a veterinary clinic right now and planned to one day take over the family ranch, putting her education to good use. Of course, she’d have to find a way to convince her daddy of that. In his mind, Emerson would always be his little girl.

Emerson ran a brush through her long red hair, pushing aside the intrusive thoughts. She needed to focus on tonight’s race, an open jackpot, meaning it was open to all contestants regardless of race or gender. Those were Emerson’s favorite. She could simply compete without as much red tape. For her, the money didn’t matter. It was the thrill of the ride that counted. Those few seconds in the arena, she felt alive and completely in control of her life … as opposed to all the other times when she was her mama’s puppet.

A knock at the door caused her to jump. “Emerson,” her mama ordered, “open the door. We need to talk.”

Crap! “I’m coming,” she yelled, grabbing the duffel bag from the center of the bed and shoving it in her closet. She took in a breath and straightened her shoulders, walking slowly to the door.

Her mama stepped in, eagle eyes sweeping the room with suspicion. “Why did you lock the door?”

“I didn’t realize I had,” Emerson said lightly. She hated the way Mama looked her up and down, like she was trying to find something wrong.

“I thought you were wearing the green sundress. It goes better with your eyes.”

Emerson glanced down at the dress in question. “I decided to wear the blue one instead.” Geez. Couldn’t the woman give her an inch of space to be her own person? She was twenty-five years old, for goodness’ sake. Things had been so much simpler when she had her own place.

She jutted out her chin, glaring at her mama who was dressed impeccably in a black dress and matching heels, her copper hair wound in a chic French twist. It had sheen to it, making Emerson wonder which hair product her mama had used to get that effect. Ironic that Emerson looked so much like her mama, yet their personalities were opposite. Five feet six inches tall, Caroline Stein was as lean as she’d been in her twenties. Like Emerson, she had freckles dusted over her nose, lively green eyes, and a sparkling white smile—the girl next door with a touch of glamour.

Caroline sat down on the bed and patted the space next to her. Reluctantly, Emerson sat down. “I don’t have to tell you how important today is,” she began, “with Graham’s announcement.”

Emerson groaned inwardly. Here we go again. “I know that, Mama.” Graham was the perfect son, happy to mold himself into the narrow expectations of their mama. He’d gone to Harvard, found himself a Jaqueline Kennedy wife, blue-bred with an Ivy League degree of her own. Jenna was well-dressed with a conservative hairstyle. She always knew the proper thing to say in any given situation, was fiercely devoted to Graham and his career, making sure they associated with only the right people. And, she’d given him two sons.

Not that it was a competition. Too bad Emerson couldn’t convince her mama of that. Her favorite sentence was, “If only you were more like Graham.”

“I need for you to be on your best behavior.”

She swallowed the incredulous laugh in her throat. “Oh, that’s too bad. I was thinking about taking my clothes off and streaking across the ranch right after the announcement.”

“No need to get smart,” Caroline snapped.

Emerson rolled her eyes, feeling a smidgen of remorse for the catty remark. “Don’t worry, Mama. I won’t embarrass you.”

When Caroline gave her a doubtful look, the words spilled out. “I’ll wear an insipid smile and pretend to be impressed by all of your dull friends.”

A flash of anger moved over Caroline’s face, followed by a wounded look. “Why must you always be so coarse? I came in here to have a simple conversation, not to fight.”

Therein was the problem. They were never starting at square one. Every conversation carried the remains of previous jabs. Maybe Emerson was being too hard on her mama. After all, she did have some good qualities. Hmm … what were those qualities? Well, she was beautiful … took great care of herself. Emerson hoped she looked half that good when she got to be her mama’s age. And she loved Emerson’s dad Ethan. Of course, it didn’t hurt that he was worth millions. Caroline was fiercely protective of her family, which would be good if the flip side of that wasn’t her trying to control every little thing in Emerson’s life. She let out a long sigh. “I’m sorry,” she said, mostly to get the conversation over with. “I promise I’ll be on my best behavior.” For the thirty or so minutes I’m there, she added mentally. After that she was skipping out to the rodeo.

Caroline looked her in the eye. “I want you to be nicer to Finley. Show him some interest.”

This time, Emerson couldn’t hold back the chortle in her throat. It came out sounding scratchy and hollow. “What?” Okay, her mama was going too far.

“Finley’s handsome, charming, well-educated, and crazy about you. Why can’t you show him some affection? Throw him a bone, for heaven’s sake!”

Emerson’s eyes bugged as she clutched her throat, surprised there was no noose around it because it certainly felt that way. “Because I don’t love him.”

“Love will come … eventually. But you have to give it a chance.”

Disgust sat like rotten potatoes in Emerson’s stomach. “This isn’t about love. It’s about the merger.” In two months, Stein Cattle Ranch was joining forces with Landers Technology. The merger would not only unite one of the largest cattle ranches in Texas with a cutting-edge software and analytics company that could revolutionize the agriculture industry, but it would join two powerful families, creating an unstoppable economic force. Finley’s family, the Landers, were billionaires who had a long history in oil refining. The past decade, their interests had morphed into natural oil, wind energy, and software development. Kenton Landers was itching to put his new software into practice, first with the Stein Ranch and then with ranches and farms all over the country.

“It’s about your future,” Caroline said smoothly.

Emerson’s eyebrows shot up. “Don’t you mean your future?” She could tell from the way Caroline started blinking that she’d hit the nail on the head. “Tell me, Mama, what’ll happen to the merger if I don’t get engaged to Finley?”

Caroline touched her hair, letting out a long sigh. “Must you be so insolent all the time?”

Insolent? Mama always used fancy words when she got upset. “I’m not a piece of livestock, to be sold off to the highest bidder. I’ve told you and Daddy, when I marry, it’ll be for love.” She clenched her jaw. “The sooner y’all get that through your heads, the better.”

Fire sparked in Caroline’s eyes. “You’re being handed the opportunity of a lifetime, and you’re throwing it away.” She lifted her chin, a hard edge coming into her voice. “I’ll not allow you to ruin everything.”

No matter how many times Emerson shouted from the rooftop that she wasn’t marrying Finley Landers, it didn’t seem to sink into her mama’s head. Emerson balled her fists, wanting to punch something. “I’m an adult, Mama. Not a kid. You don’t control me.”

Caroline’s eyes burned into hers. “You be nice to Finley. Do you hear me?” she hissed.

“Of course, I’ll be nice to him. I always am. But I won’t pretend to feel something I don’t. You know what? I knew it was a mistake to move back home. I should’ve stayed in my apartment.” She had a good job, more than enough money to pay her own way ten times over.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Your place is here with us. You know how much it means to your daddy to have you here, especially with his health being so tenuous.”

Yes, she did. Which is the primary reason Emerson agreed to move back home. Her daddy had been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. It had been serious, his sugar through the roof. Thankfully, his medicine was getting it under control. Now that her daddy was better, Emerson dropped hints about wanting to get another place of her own. Every time she brought it up, her parents went into a flurry, listing all the reasons she should stay. Eventually, Emerson would have to bite the bullet and move out. It was brutal dealing with her mama on a daily basis.

They sat glaring at one another. Finally, Caroline stood. “I’ve some last-minute items I need to take care of before the barbecue starts.” She gave Emerson a withering look. “Do us both a favor. Wear the green dress. The one you have on makes you look like you have a flat tire around your waist.” With that, she tromped out and slammed the door behind her.

Tears gathered in Emerson’s eyes. Quickly, she blinked them away. The dress she had on was perfectly fine. The flat tire comment was Mama’s way of controlling her. She stood and looked at her reflection in the mirror. To her horror, she realized that the dress did make her look a little thick around the middle. She sucked in her stomach assessing herself. “Dang you, Mama,” she muttered, peeling off the dress and tossing it into the corner as she went to her closet to get the green one.