Billionaire Buys a Run-Down Ranch. He Falls for the Stubborn Woman Who Refuses to Leave It
The Thirty-Day Challenge
Jaselyn Adler tightened her grip on the pitchfork, her heart pounding as she watched the sleek black SUV kick up dust on the gravel road leading to her ranch.
She knew exactly who it was: the billionaire who thought he could buy her home out from under her.
The door of the SUV opened and out stepped Xander Thorne. Tall, broad-shouldered, and exuding an air of effortless power, he looked completely out of place in his tailored suit against the backdrop of her rundown barn and the crumbling fences.
His piercing blue eyes scanned the property before landing on her.
“You’re trespassing,” Jaselyn called out, planting her boots firmly in the dirt.
Xander’s lips tugged into something dangerously close to amusement.
“Actually,” he said smoothly, “I own this land now.”
Her stomach dropped, but she refused to show it.
“Not to me you don’t.”
He took a few steps closer, unbothered by the dust clinging to his expensive shoes.
“I bought it fair and square, Jaselyn. The bank was more than happy to sell.”
Her jaw clenched. She knew the ranch was in trouble, but she’d been fighting to keep it afloat.,
Her grandfather had built this place from the ground up, and she wasn’t about to let some billionaire with too much money and too little heart take it away.
“I’m not leaving,” she said defiantly.
Xander arched a brow. “You don’t have a choice.”
“Try and make me.”
There was a flicker of something in his gaze: annoyance, intrigue, maybe both. He exhaled sharply then glanced around at the neglected property.
The barn roof sagged, the fences were barely holding together, and the fields were overgrown. It was a mess, but to Jaselyn, it was home.
“Why are you so determined to stay?” he asked, his voice softer now.
She lifted her chin. “Because this ranch isn’t just land. It’s my family’s legacy. My grandfather built it, my parents ran it. I won’t let it die.”
Xander studied her for a long moment then, to her shock, he said, “Fine.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“Fine. I’ll give you thirty days,” he crossed his arms, his tailored suit stretching across his broad chest. “Prove to me this ranch is worth saving. If you can turn a profit, I’ll reconsider what to do with it.”,
Jaselyn’s pulse thundered. This was a trick; it had to be.
“And if I can’t?” she asked.
“Then you leave. No arguments.”
She should have said no. She should have told him to get back in his fancy car and drive away. But this was her only chance to save the ranch.
“Deal,” she said, before she could second-guess herself.
Xander’s lips curled into a knowing expression. “Then I’ll be staying here to oversee it.”
Her stomach flipped. “You’re what?”
“If I’m giving you thirty days, I want to see the progress myself.”
He gestured toward the crumbling house at the center of the ranch. “I assume there’s a spare room.”
Jaselyn wanted to scream. This man had just turned her life upside down and now he wanted to live under the same roof. But she didn’t back down.
“Fine,” she said tightly. “But don’t expect special treatment.”
Xander chuckled. “Oh, Jaselyn, I wouldn’t dream of it.”
As he moved past her toward the house, she had the sinking feeling she’d just made a deal with the devil.
He was a devil with impossibly blue eyes and a voice that made her pulse skip. This was going to be a disaster.,
