CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SIX – THE COVER UP

Scarlett dragged in a deep, steadying breath, feeling the hot currents of her anger growing cooler by the second. When she spoke again, her voice was level and implacable. "No, Harry. Absolutely not. What you're suggesting...it goes against everything the Matthews ranch stands for. We don't stoop to underhanded tactics or break the law just because some prick in a three-piece suit pushes our buttons." She reached across the table, fingers closing over his wrist in a grip she willed to be gentle yet unyielding. "I know you mean well. And there's a big part of me that would love to make Carmichael suffer even a fraction of the humiliation and disrespect he showed us today. But this plan of yours...it's too far. We can find a better way." For a long, charged moment, their gazes remained locked in a silent contest of wills. Then, like a switch being flipped, the tense set of Harry's shoulders eased fractionally and the slightest of rueful grins tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Yeah,