Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"I believe you know the answer. My assistant, André..."

"Oh, the fancy boy," he interrupted with a mocking smile. "He was here all pompous and full of quirks."

She raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. Now she understood perfectly why André had said Zacky was rude.

Zacky stood up, went to the sink, and grabbed an aluminum mug. He turned on the faucet until it filled.

Dolores watched him curiously and arched an eyebrow.

"Don’t you drink filtered water?"

He turned to her, leaning his hip against the sink, and let out a short laugh.

"This water is filtered, girl. Comes straight from the spring, pure as gold."

She blinked, unsure whether to believe him or not, and watched him drink the water with satisfaction, as if it were the best in the world.

Then he held the mug out to her.

"Want to try it?"

For a moment, she hesitated. His steady, confident gaze left her unsettled. She ended up taking the mug, her fingers brushing his just enough to send a shiver down her spine.

Dolores brought the water to her lips and tasted it… and was surprised.

"It's cold..." she murmured, shocked. "It’s really good."

Zacky gave a satisfied smile.

"I told you. Nature here knows how to do the job better than any city filter."

She placed the mug on the sink and crossed her arms.

"You people from the countryside really have your own way of seeing the world, don’t you?"

"And you city people," he replied with an amused look, "have a funny way of complicating what’s simple. Anyway... what did that fancy assistant of yours come here for? He said a bunch of nonsense, but I didn’t understand a word, so I sent him away."

Dolores took a deep breath. This was the part she had been rehearsing from the beginning.

"These lands... they belonged to my grandfather."

She paused, watching his reaction.

"A meaningless bet made him lose them to your father."

Zacky raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms. A provoking half-smile formed at the corner of his lips.

"And you’re here to take back what’s yours, is that it?"

Dolores kept her chin high, trying to appear confident, though inside her heart raced.

"Not exactly," she replied, choosing her words carefully. "I’m here to propose something that can be good for both of us."

Zacky tilted his head slightly, assessing her with curiosity.

"Is that so?" he said in a deep voice. "Then I think I want to hear it."

Dolores took a deep breath before speaking.

"I worked and saved my whole life. I gathered enough to buy this land, Mr. Carter."

He stayed silent for a moment, just watching her. Then a rough laugh escaped his lips.

"Buy the land?" he repeated with irony. "Girl, you have no idea what you’re talking about."

Dolores held her posture, even with the mockery.

"I know exactly what I’m talking about," she retorted firmly. "I want to make a fair offer, within the law."

Zacky took a step forward, and for a moment she felt the weight of his imposing presence. His gaze was steel.

"This land has been in my family for more than fifty years," he said, unmoving. "It belonged to my father, and now it’s mine. I’m not giving it up for any amount of money."

She swallowed hard, heart racing, but did not look away.

"So... there’s nothing I can say to make you change your mind?"

Zacky placed his hands on the counter, leaning slightly toward her.

"The only thing you can do, girl, is get used to the idea that you’re not getting what you want."

He grabbed the hat resting on the table and placed it on his head as if the conversation was over.

Dolores, however, remained there, feeling... defeated.

He walked toward the door.

"Wait!" her voice came out almost in a plea.

Zacky stopped, but didn’t turn. He stood still until she continued:

"I... I’ll do anything to get back what’s mine."

He slowly turned, raising an eyebrow. His gaze traveled down her body and up again, intense enough to make her want to disappear.

"Anything?" he asked in a low tone, dripping with irony. "Are you sure about what you just said, girl?"

Dolores felt her face burn.

"I didn’t mean... that kind of thing," she muttered more to herself than to him, trying to regain some dignity.

He laughed. A low, provocative laugh. That was when she noticed his perfectly aligned, white teeth.

"Good thing I misunderstood," he said with a mocking half-smile. "Because I’m not interested in you at all."

Silence. She froze, his words hitting her like a slap. She stood there, breathing deeply, unsure if she hated him for the disdainful remark.

"Because I’m not interested in you at all."

Her stomach twisted.

Zacky walked out without looking back.

She kept breathing slowly, trying to control the urge to scream.

"Arrogant... rude..." she muttered through clenched teeth. "Let’s see how long you last before changing your mind."

Dolores Ferreira was not a woman who gave up.

She lifted her chin and walked to the window. Outside, he mounted a chestnut horse.

She pressed her lips together, feeling her heart race again.

"Go ahead and laugh now, cowboy," she whispered, staring at him. "But you’ll give me back what’s mine... one way or another."

"They say talking to yourself is the first sign of madness, ma’am," said a handsome cowboy, with a smile almost as perfect as Carter’s.

"They must do toothpaste commercials," she thought, irritated and amused at the same time.

"Good afternoon to you too," she replied sharply, chin high.

He laughed, lifting one hand in a friendly gesture.

"I’m Maurício, the foreman. Sorry for the joke."

Dolores blinked, surprised by his lighter, friendlier manner. Unlike Zacky, this one had a gentle, unpretentious look. Interesting— not as much as Carter, but definitely interesting. She accepted the greeting.

"Do you need anything, miss?" he asked, scratching his neck. "Or should I say ma’am?"

She arched an eyebrow, giving him a small, amused smile.

"That’s an interesting way of finding out if a woman is married or not, Maurício."

He grinned, narrowing his dark eyes beneath his hat.

"Sorry. Here in the countryside, we ask the way we know."

She sighed, shaking her head, though her eyes had a faint spark of amusement.

"Well, don’t worry, I’m still a ‘miss.’ And please, don’t spread that around the ranch."

"I promise, miss," he said, tilting his hat gallantly. "But if the boss finds out there’s a beautiful woman here, he won’t take long to appear."

The comment made her roll her eyes; she had already seen him, and she knew very well the effect was the opposite of what Maurício imagined.