Finally, he made a decision and spoke. “Wilton Terrell, in his infinite wisdom, has left his entire estate, including the Terrell Cattle Company, to his son…Caleb.”

Mandy braced herself on the edge of the island, her breath hitching inside her chest. “He left it to you?”

“He left it to me.”

A thousand emotions burst through her. This was colossally unfair. It was ridiculously and maliciously, reprehensibly… Reed had given his blood, sweat and tears to this place, and now Caleb was simply going to ride in and take over?

Her voice was breathless with disgust. “How could you?”

“How could I-” He gave a snort of derision. “Wilton did it.”

“But you’re the one who benefited.”

“I’m here to give it back,Mandy. But thank you for the faith in my character. Your low opinion of me is matched only by my idiot brother’s.”

“You’re going to give it back?” She couldn’t keep the skepticism from her tone. Caleb was simply going to walk away from a ranch worth tens of millions of dollars?

“I live in Chicago now. Why in the hell would I want to come back to a place I hated, that holds nothing but bitter memories? And he’s my brother. We hate each other, but we don’t hateeach other.”

Judging by his affronted expression and the passion in his tone, Caleb truly was going to do the honorable thing. But Reed must have been as skeptical as Mandy. The anger in the note was plain as day, and he’d obviously hightailed it out of there before he had to watch his brother come in and take over.

Fresh worry percolated to life inside her. “We have to find him. We have to explain and bring him home.”

“He’s not a lost puppy.”

“He’s your brother.”

Caleb seemed singularly unmoved. “What exactly does that mean?”