Saint James, Elle - Unbridled and Unbranded [The Double Rider Men's Club 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) by Elle Saint James Page A

you. I’ll let you know what they say.”
    She looked up in confusion. “What does that mean?”
    He folded the paper and put it in his briefcase. “It means that there is a panel that will read this and make their assessment. However, once it’s approved, I’ll let you know.”
    “What if they don’t approve it?” Callie was stricken. For a gesture of charity that she hadn’t wanted, she was damned if she’d grovel for nothing.
    “I think you know what happens. So let’s not go there.”
    Callie couldn’t help but go there . If this didn’t work, she refused to even entertain the idea of kowtowing to the stipulations of her grandmother’s will. And where would that leave her?
    A laughable thought slipped into her mind, but she didn’t find it funny. Her whole life and future hinged on the number of pregnant cows she currently had on her ranch. She took a deep breath and hoped Landon’s charity plan worked.
    Was it too much to ask for something to go her way, for once?
    Landon turned to her with a frown. He opened his mouth to speak and then closed it again.
    “What? I don’t like the look in your eyes.”
    “I’m sorry Callie, I do have bad news.”
    “What is it? Tell me.” She could barely get the words out of the dry space masquerading as her mouth.
    “The Bakers’ cow went into premature labor after a nasty fall into a muddy creek bed yesterday. It was too soon for the calf. He didn’t make it. I’m really sorry. These papers truly are your last hope.”
    Now she had to wait until spring to find out if Dragon’s semen was worth all the money she’d spent on him as her stud. She could still tender Internet offers, but could ask for more money if a stellar, single live-born calf with a good progeny number was available to show. And the truth was she needed more.
    Callie closed her eyes as if that would stop the continued bad news from resonating in her brain.

    * * * *

    Clay searched the area to find the best place to put his equipment out to search for anything Kincaid might do next. What a bastard. Callie didn’t think she was doing him a favor, but she was. He loved playing with his gadgets. More than that, he loved having a true reason to set video traps. And he especially loved having a real suspect to follow. Up to now, he’d only gotten picture of wildlife. Nice, but not as fun as tracking a bad guy.
    Rafe had called to let him know Kincaid was being an ass which had led to the meeting with Callie a few days ago. Today, Clay walked carefully along Callie’s southern property line. He was under strict orders from Callie not to go overboard. He installed enough hardware to play around and test his equipment, but not do anything too fancy or anything she’d notice.
    Clay had funds and gadgets aplenty. He planned on some covert surveillance on this southern property line. If Kincaid so much as breathed on her fence, Clay would know it, and he’d take steps to ensure the fucking trespasser was caught, prosecuted, and penalized to the full extent of the law. And if he had to enforce any punishment himself, that would be the most satisfying scenario of all.
    The truth was, the equipment was free. The only thing he’d spend was time looking over the surveillance feed. He attached a motion detector to the feed. It would only trigger if something or someone walked by. Clay didn’t care about any wildlife. He was only concerned about the two-legged animal that better keep his boots on his own property from now on.
    Clay installed his equipment all along her southern border and even put a fixed camera facing her house, barn, and the surrounding area. He put up another one at the front entrance to her property, but didn’t expect a direct assault from him. Not if he was smart.
    He wanted Callie to be safe. But he also understood her pride. He didn’t intend to tell her he’d put so many pieces of high-tech toy gadgets around her property. And he’d only reveal limited information to the