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wasn’t letting him ride roughshod over her. She was taking control now.
    She pulled into the parking lot the same time that the silver-gray Silverado did.
    Cade.
    Okay. So he was here? Didn’t matter. Store opened at seven. It was ten till. He had as much right to be here as she did.
    She drew in a breath before opening her car door. All she had was one year with this guy. Then, if the profits were high enough, maybe she could buy him out.
    For the chance to completely own the store, she could spend twelve months with Satan’s spawn.
    She hopped out of her car, but he got out of his Silverado slowly, reached in, and pulled out his Stetson. Dressed in a white shirt and jeans, he had the business-casual look nailed. The shirt showed off broad shoulders and a trim waist. The jeans all but caressed his perfect butt. And the hat? The hat was like a sexy cherry on a hot fudge sundae—not really needed, but definitely an enhancement.
    Her breathing did that funny thing again.
    Damn it!
    How the hell could she still be attracted to him?
    He touched two fingers to the rim of his hat. “Mornin’, darlin’.”
    And that voice. Deep. Rich. Male. With that little bit of a western drawl that made her insides shiver.
    She corralled her hormones as she reminded herself she didn’t like him, so being attracted to him was wrong—pointless. But, given that they had a whole year together, and she did want him to sell his share of the store to her when their year was up, she had to be civil. Turning to walk toward the store, she said, “Good morning.”
    He fell into step beside her. “We hadn’t talked about opening the store today.”
    With one long, fast, eager stride, she reached the entrance. Just like a Donovan to say something that made absolutely no sense. “Store’s been open all along. Chuck Murray,” she said, referring to the assistant manager, “and the staff have been running it since your grandfather’s passing.”
    “Yeah, but we hadn’t talked about when we’d take over.”
    “Then why are you here ten minutes before opening time?”
    “I want to check out the office.”
    Her face scrunched in confusion. “For?”
    A beat went by before he answered. “Be a little silly to start running a business before we got a look at the books, wouldn’t it?”
    He had a point, but this store was hers now, and she was ready to take the reins. She could study the books, see how everything ran, at her leisure. Today, she’d be on the sales floor.
    So, she said nothing, just pulled out the key for the main doors and shoved it in the lock.
    He frowned at her. “Where did you get keys?”
    “Chuck. One call last night and he was at my front door.”
    “Oh, really.”
    “Yes.” She opened the door and walked into the low, wide store. Her breath shivered into her lungs and back out again. This was the business her dad had owned and loved. If she hadn’t been with Cade, she might have taken a few minutes to spin around and just soak it all in. Instead, she turned to him with a professional smile. “And I had him call the other employees. I figured I’d better let the staff know I’d be here today.”
    He crossed his arms on his broad chest. “Oh, really.”
    His deep, tense voice suddenly made it all real. O’Rileys and Hyatts did not get along. Owning the store might be the miracle of her life, but it was something of a slap in the face to him.
    Even though she’d love to say, What the hell is wrong with you? she respected his loss. Plus, she had to work with him for an entire year. No sense fighting on day one.
    So, in a soft, non-threatening voice, she asked, “Why do you keep saying ‘oh really’?”
    “Because I’m angry and I’m trying not to yell at you.”
    She’d been nothing but nice to him and he wanted to yell at her?
    Still, she kept her voice soft, even, as she said, “About what?”
    “About the fact that A) we didn’t discuss opening the store, yet you’re clearly here to open. B) You