I was filled with excitement to go to the business branch, barely remembering my anger at Cooper, who couldn’t put a dent in my enthusiasm. I was looking forward to seeing it, seeing how he ran things outside of the ranch. I imagined he was just as hands-on with his employees there as he was at home, and wondered if that was part of the reason Dirk wanted him out. I felt guilty that I hadn’t brought up the subject of him selling the share yet—there hadn’t been a good time to do it while we were fighting, and we couldn’t seem to get along for more than a few minutes. I was failing miserably at my duty here, but at least it was time to go to the business branch, a place I’d always been interested in visiting.

“So what is this place like?” I asked him as we drove in the truck on the way back into town.

“It’s nice,” he said. “My father did a good job there.”

“He seems like he was a good man. Feeding his employees, running the place well.”

“He was a good man,” Cooper said, a sadness in his voice.

“I’m sorry, I—”

“It’s fine,” he said. “But you understand why I have to run this business, right?”

I swallowed, looking away from him, out the window. The question made it seem like he knew exactly what I was doing.

“I guess,” I said. “Although it seems to me that you’d enjoy working on the ranch a lot more.”

“I do like working there,” he said. “But it’s not the same. And I owe it to my father to keep on going.”

“You shouldn’t do it if you don’t want to,” I said, trying not to press him. It was hard to keep my voice gentle, and not let on that I had another motive for trying to convince him to give up his share.

“I am going to do it,” he said firmly, and when I looked back at him I saw that his jaw was tight. “There is no question.”

“But I—”

“Violet,” he said, gritting his teeth. The tension in the car was palpable, his anger growing. It made me nervous—like he knew what I was up to. “Stop.”

I didn’t say anything in response, a lump forming in my throat. It was better not to talk with this tension in the air, knowing that one of us would snap sooner or later. I wondered if I should take a moment to call Dirk and tell him that the deal was off, that it was impossible, but I knew that my job would be in a precarious position if I did so. That, and I couldn’t keep working with Patricia forever. I’d have to do what I came here to do, even if that meant changing my tactics.

We got to the branch after a few more minutes, and my mouth dropped open when I saw it. It was a big dome building, all glass, and on the inside I could see lush green plants as well as people mulling around.

“Wow,” I said. He looked at my face as I took it all in.

“Let’s go,” he said with a smile. His hands were in his pockets, looking over the building as he led me inside. I looked around in wonder at the open floor plan—no walls, but offices spread out among what looked like a giant indoor garden, complete with fountains in the center. Everything was made of glass, making the office feel totally connected to the outside world while still retaining a sense of being a paradise in the middle of the concrete. I had never seen anything like it, never smelled air quite so fresh in an office setting. It was the complete opposite of the stuffy, oppressive New York building, with its limited windows and fluorescent lights.

“You like it?” he asked, studying my face. I nodded without speaking, looking around.

“Mr. Maverick!” came a voice beside us. I looked to see a young man hurrying toward Cooper, putting his hand out to shake.

“Ian,” Cooper said warmly, a friendly smile on his face. “How are you?”

“I’m great. Did they tell you I got promoted?” the boy asked excitedly.

“They did,” Cooper said proudly. “I’m not surprised. Congratulations, kid.”

“Who is this?” Ian asked, looking at me.

“This is another associate, Violet. I’m showing her around today.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” I said to Ian, shaking his hand.

“Cooper was my mentor through college,” Ian said. “Taught me everything I know.”

“Not everything,” said Cooper. “I think you’re actually a bit smarter than I am, kid.”

The man laughed, patting Cooper on the shoulder. I could see the admiration in Ian’s eyes for the older man and could tell that he really looked up to him, not only as a boss but as a man. “I’ll see you around, Mr. Maverick.”

“See ya,” said Cooper, as he began to lead me around the building. Everywhere we went, people seemed happy, smiling and greeting Cooper as he walked by. He knew everybody’s name—knew all of them personally, and he was warm and friendly, kind to everyone we met. It made me wonder why he reacted to me so strongly, why he could get so angry and be a complete asshole. If I had to go off of his interactions with his employees at the branch and at the ranch, I would have guessed that he was a kind man, not the hard-ass who seemed to pick a fight with me every time we were together.

We spent a couple of hours at the office, getting to know people and see up close the work style of Cooper. If I had been really there to judge his performance, I would have given him a solid grade when reporting back to Dirk. Seeing him fit in so naturally in the laid-back environment of the office made me feel even guiltier. I didn’t think about it as we got back in the car.

“So?” he asked.

“It was great,” I said to him. “I loved it.”

“Me too,” he said. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.”

“It’s much better than the New York branch,” I lamented. “There’s so much back-stabbing there—”

“And power plays,” he said, his voice quiet. “I know.”

“Right,” I said.

“What’s the verdict?” he asked, glancing over at me as he drove.

“What?” I asked him.

“You were there to judge my performance, right?” he asked, studying my face for a second. “Isn’t that why they sent you?”

“Yes, of course—I—it was great. Everyone seems to like you,” I said. “They respect you.”

“They all knew me growing up. That place is in my blood.”

“Do you really like it there?”

“Yes,” he said. “I do.”

I said nothing, and was glad when we pulled up to the ranch. We went inside, and I hurried upstairs to change, wanting to throw on something lighter than the business clothes I had brought with me. I checked my phone when I got upstairs, my heart skipping a beat when I saw that Dirk had called twice. I glanced at my bedroom door, hurrying across the room to shut and lock it before calling him back.

“Dirk,” he said. “How are you, Violet?”

“I’m fine,” I said.

“Good,” he said with false cheer in his voice. “Tell me how it’s going there. Have you managed to convince him yet?”

“Uh, almost,” I lied. “I think I’m getting close.”

“Well, try your best to hurry, Vi. We’re really counting on you,” Dirk said, the words and tone of his voice making my skin crawl with how disingenuous it was.

“I know. But maybe—maybe it’s not the right thing to do. He’s good with the branch.”

“We need Cooper out immediately,” he said coldly. “It is your job to get him out. Don’t forget what’s at stake here, Violet. You have a big chance to move up in this company.”

“I’ll do my best, Dirk. I have to go now.”

I hung up on him without saying goodbye, too nervous to talk any further. A few moments later, I went downstairs to join them for dinner. Cooper glanced at me as I walked in but otherwise didn’t pay any attention to me sitting across the table from him. I wondered what he was thinking, and had a paranoid thought for an instant that maybe he had heard me on the phone with Dirk. I realized that was silly, though, and chalked Cooper’s behavior up to him being a moody asshole as he had always been. It put me in a bitter mood as we finished dinner and I went upstairs, everybody else gathering on the patio. Cooper didn’t come to me, nor did I go to sleep. I stayed up and listened until everybody was gone, restless, pacing back and forth in my room.

I slipped downstairs when I didn’t hear them anymore, though it was around midnight. I wanted to go out to the stables. There was a horse I had bonded with there the day I had been sweeping, a mare that I wanted to see again, which I knew would soothe my nerves. I noticed that something was wrong as soon as I got outside and could smell the smoke. I looked over to see it pouring out of the barn.

“Cooper!” I shouted, throwing the front door open. “There’s a fire!”

I didn’t wait for him to respond before I rushed to the stables, knowing that I had to let the horses free. There was no way that I was going to let them burn to death; I only hoped that I would make it in time to save them.