by Leah Braemel
Oh shit. Paige met the lawyer’s cool, assessing gaze. “If I am biased in any way, it is for the Grady family. Not against it.”
How much detail did she need to get into with the woman? Everyone who needed to knew she was practically living with Jake.
“So you say. But frankly, Miss Reynolds, I don’t have a lot of confidence in the credibility of a convicted drug dealer’s daughter.”
Ah. It wasn’t like this wasn’t the first time she’d had her history thrown back in her face.
Gabe shifted, shooting his lawyer a glare. “That’s enough, Victoria. I told you, it’s not an issue. I’m not about to hold Paige responsible for something her mother did twenty years ago.”
Randy held up a hand. “As Bull’s Hollow’s lawyer, it’s an issue for me.”
From the way Randy’s eyes had widened and lips tightened, Jake hadn’t told him of her background. Whatever. She refocused on Gabe’s lawyer. “If you have had me investigated, Miss Taylor-Massey, you would know I was removed from my mother’s house by Child Protective Services when I was seven, and that I’ve lived with my father from then until I went to college. You would also know that my own record is clean or I wouldn’t have been certified by the state as an accountant.”
Taylor-Massey hmmed and looked at Reba. “Shall we discuss how your family owned Double R Developers and how they were bankrupted by George Grady in a land deal in nineteen eighty six? Or maybe we should talk about your brother’s attitude toward the surviving Gradys and Bull’s Hollow ranch in general? Is it an opinion you share, Mrs. Tuckett?”
“My father’s company and its failure has nothing to do with the reason why I accepted Bull’s Hollow as a client,” Reba said stiffly. “And I informed the Gradys’ lawyer—previous lawyer—of my family history when he first approached us.”
“From what Mr. Larson has told me, there is reason to suspect Mr. Vance’s integrity. Personally, I find it hard to fathom that, unlike your brother, you do not harbor ill will against Bull’s Hollow or the Grady family.” The lawyer tilted her head, her gaze piercing. “I know if someone ruined my family, I’d want revenge.”
“If you’d done your research properly, Miss Taylor-Massey, you might have discovered that I am the one who informed George Grady of my family’s infractions. That I brought on their downfall, not George Grady.”
Randy cleared his throat. “Considering this is the first I’ve heard of either issue, I must admit I too have serious reservations about Kligman and Tuckett continuing on as the ranch’s accountant.”
Ben shook his head. “Hang on, Randy. I want to discuss this with Gabe and Jake before you start making any recommendations. Both Gabe and I trust Paige. And I damned well know Jake does too.” Even though he obviously hadn’t said anything to Ben, based on the frown Ben had worn since the drug dealer bombshell had been dropped.
Randy stood. “Thank you for very much for your time, Mrs. Tuckett. My clients will discuss the issue and get back to you shortly.”
Reba closed the lid of her laptop, stood and tucked the device into her bag. Her chin held high, she faced Randy. “Shall I send the invoice for the services we’ve rendered so far to you or shall I send it directly to the ranch?”
“To me please.”
“Very well.” She hefted her bag and slid her chair under the table. “Come along, Paige. We’re done here.”
Randy held up a hand. “Actually, Miss Reynolds, I would like to speak to you about a few other matters before you leave. Kim, could you please show Miss Reynolds to my office while we finish up here?”
Oh crap. Now what?
* * *
“Where the fuck is Drew?” Jake paced the stage and checked his watch for what felt like the fiftieth time. In truth only five minutes had passed, but it was five minutes of inactivity as they waited for that complete fuck up of a drummer. “Hunter, do you have a clue where he is?”
Drew had disappeared shortly after they’d arrived but none of them had noticed as they set up their instruments and did their sound checks. “He’s got fifteen minutes to get here or we’ll end up paying the roadies for another hour.”
Hunter lifted a shoulder in a half-hearted shrug. “He said he was going out for smokes.”
Probably by way of a local dealer.
“I’ll go see if I can find him,” Hunter offered.
Three minutes later, Hunter returned. “He’s not out back. And the front door’s locked, so he couldn’t have gone out that way.”
“Fuck it, guys. I’m tired of his shit. He’s erratic. If he’s not slowing down in the middle of songs, he’s racing through at double time. He’s arguing with everyone, not just us but the roadies and the venue management. And let’s not forget how he passed out between sets last night.” And had shown up high three times the previous week. He shared a glance with Cam who nodded. They’d talked about it the night before, but they’d held off talking with Hunter. But now? Drew had left them little choice. “Hunter, I know Drew’s your friend but we need to seriously discuss replacing him.”
“No!”
Jake forged on. “Stan said he’s got a drummer available to meet us in Nashville tomorrow if we need him. I think we need to face it. We need a drummer we can rely on if we’re going to make a name for ourselves.”
“We can’t just boot Drew out,” Hunter argued. “He quit his job for this tour. And we all know we’re not making enough for him to come up with rent money if he leaves now. So he’ll be back to livin’ on the streets.”
“Back to?” Cam asked.
“Yeah, his old lady kicked him out a couple weeks before we got the deal. He’d been livin’ in his truck all that time.” Hunter ran his hands through his hair, then let them drop by his side. “We can’t just drop him now. He’s got nothing to go back to. This may be his one shot at fame. At making something of himself.”
“And he’s fucking it up. Not just for himself but for us too. We’re not in high school anymore. This is business. We have contracts to fulfill, obligations to meet.”
Cam nodded. “He’s right, Hunt. Both Jake and I talked to him last week and gave him a week’s notice that he needed to clean up his act. There’s no use prolonging the drama.”
Jake’s phone rang, and he snatched it from its holster and strode away, grateful for the interruption.
“Hey, bro. How’s the tour?”
Ben. He checked his watch. “Fine. Are you guys done with the audit already?”
“Yeah. Look, something’s come up.”
Oh shit. “Did Paige miss something? Do we owe more than we thought?”
“No, the auditor agreed with her numbers. Gabe’s lawyer was there. Victoria Massey-Taylor. Man, she’s one stone cold bitch with a capital B.”
“I thought that was the definition of lawyer,” Jake said drily.
“Yeah, well, this woman, Victoria questioned why we would have hired Kligman and Tuckett.” He recited what Paige had told him about Double R Developers. “Paige’s aunt said that she’d told Logan. Guess he forgot to pass that on.”
Fuck it all. He’d hoped it wouldn’t be an issue. “Yeah, Paige told me about it a couple days after we met. I didn’t figure something that happened thirty years ago was a big deal.”
“Okay. It might have been nice if you’d given me a heads up but as long as they were straight up about it.” A creak of leather told him Ben was sitting in his grandfather’s old chair in the trailer office. “Did Paige also tell you about how her mother is serving a life sentence for dealing drugs?”
“Yeah. I knew.” Crap. Was Ben going to blame her for her mother’s crimes now?
“I wish I’d known before the lawyers started in on her.” Instead of accusation, admiration filled Ben’s tone. “That girl of yours has survived a lot.”
“Yeah, she has.” Not
that Paige had said much other than her mother had been arrested and was due for parole in a few years. But something in Ben’s voice told him Ben knew more details. “What did they tell you about her?”
“Paige’s momma was into hard core dealing here, Jake. It wasn’t just a couple uppers she loaned to a friend. She was associated with some big gang—she even had a meth lab in her kitchen. They found thousands of marijuana plants in the middle of a cornfield in her back yard, and almost ten pounds of heroin in a false wall. They caught her with money and guns and all sorts of shit. And the kids—they were in bad shape. Dirty, hungry. According to Randy, they were why the judge came down with a maximum sentence.”
Sometimes the legal system did work.
“Gabe’s lawyer sent him some photos that were taken during the raid when they arrested her—he just showed ’em to me. Nasty stuff. They went in with tear gas, and shotguns and what looked like a full SWAT team.”
“Paige never told me about the raid.” Why hadn’t she told him? Why hadn’t he asked? “But if you’re implying she’s an addict, she’s not. Paige was raised in a stable environment by her father.” Damn Dan Reynolds for not manning up and taking his daughter out of there sooner. “She graduated high school, and has her accounting degree from UT Austin. Where she graduated with honors. And now she holds down a full time job with a reputable firm. I’d say she’s proven herself a valuable member of society.”
“No argument here, bro. Both Gabe and I agree. Paige is a proven survivor who has made something of her life. We have no problems with keeping her on as our accountant.”
Damn it, he should have been there beside her today. He could have told Randy and Miss Victoria Whatever-Her-Name was to take their high and mighty opinions and shove them where the sun never shines. “Good. Otherwise I would have had to come back and kick your asses.”
“Anyway, I thought you should know what was going on. I’ve called her aunt to let her know we have no problems with Paige continuing as our accountant. I tried to reach Paige herself but she wasn’t picking up, so if you’re fixin’ to talk with her tonight, let her know she’s all good with us.”
“Thanks. And hey, Ben? Any chance you could get Gabe to email me those pictures of that raid?”
“Sure. But brace yourself when you open them, okay?” He got quiet, then swore, softly at first, then louder. “Fuck, Jake, Paige was so little, and she looked so terrified. It’s amazing she’s turned out so normal.”
“She’s an amazing woman.” It sure as hell tripled his respect for her, and doubled his disgust for her father ignoring his daughter’s situation for so long.
“You hang onto her, bro. I’ve always thought she’s good for you, but I think you might be good for her too. Look, I gotta go. I’ll talk to you later. Oh, and if you get a chance, call Ma, will you?”
“Sure.” When hell froze over.
A half hour later, he opened his mail program and found Gabe’s email with two attachments. A click and a short wait, the first photo opened. A mug shot of a blonde woman. Paige’s mother obviously, though there was little resemblance to her daughter.
The second opened slower since it was a bigger file, a dark grainy photo of Lubbock police escorting the woman out of a run-down clapboard house. He touched the screen and zoomed in on a female police officer in the background. The police officer carried a toddler in one arm and led an older girl—Paige—by the shoulder, her clothes dirty and torn, her dark hair almost as wild as her mother’s. An older boy—he couldn’t have been ten—struggled in the arms of another officer behind them.
His heart shattered at the image of a young Paige with her arms wrapped around herself as if she might break into pieces, her eyes wide and expression filled with terror at the heavily armed police around her.
Makes you look like a poser, doesn’t it? Momma was right. You have lived a life of privilege. Surrounded by every comfort, including parents—whether Ed was his blood father or not, he had a father who stood up for him. Cared for him. Paige had had no one.
Not any more, he vowed. She had him. Ben, and Gabe too. And the backing of Bull’s Hollow Ranch, and the power the Grady name still wielded.
Chapter Nineteen
Kim ushered Paige down the carpeted hall and found the receptionist placing several folders on Randy’s desk. “Hey, Sheri. Randy wants to talk to Miss Reynolds after they’re done in the conference room so I’m just going to let her sit here, okay?”
“Of course.” Sheri smiled in a vague cover-model way, like she could turn it on with a switch. “Can I get you a cup of coffee while you’re waiting? Maybe some sweet tea?”
“No, I’m good, thanks.” She dropped her bag by the visitor’s chair and glanced around to find Kim hugging her notepad to her chest.
“How’s Jake doing? I can’t tell you how proud of him we all are.”
There was a warmness to Kim’s question that had Paige eyeing the woman. Regular shoulder-length blonde hair, white cotton blouse, black pants. Ballet flats. About Jake’s age? Maybe they’d gone to school together. Even dated perhaps? A gold band glinted on her finger, easing Paige’s urge to push the other woman against the wall and tell her to back off. No wait, the ring wasn’t on her left hand, it was on her right. And damn it, it wasn’t a wedding ring, it was a school ring. Texas A&M, just like Ben’s.
“He’s such a sweetie. And he’s always been a hottie.” Kim ducked her head, her lips curving in a soft smile, her eyes dreamy. “Especially in those tight blue jeans.”
Paige’s vision flashed red. Get a grip, Paige. You’re not going to convince Ben you’re a good match for Jake if they find you with your hands around pretty little Kimbie’s throat. “Yeah. He’s a sweetie all right.”
And he’s mine, bitch.
A door closed down the hall and Kim glanced over her shoulder, talking quicker. “If you talk to him, could you tell him I’ve bought his songs and I just love ‘em? And that...well, just tell him I said hi.”
“Sure. I’ll let him know.” Of course it might be next year before I remember, but you know how things go.
“Thanks.” Kim set the door to the jamb behind her, leaving Paige alone.
Aware that her relationship with Jake and with Kligman and Tuckett was being discussed two doors down, she couldn’t settle. She paced the length of the office to the bay window and looked out over a back garden that had been landscaped to perfection, complete with a wooden gazebo and a flowerbed that must regularly drain Carter Valley’s water tank. Then paced back to the door, her boots thumping on the hardwood floor. She repeated the trip, running a finger along the one of the bookshelves that formed the side wall.
It wouldn’t be the end of the world if they decided not to let her do Bull’s Hollow’s books. She’d still get to see Jake. It actually might be better if she wasn’t acting in a professional capacity for them if they were dating.
On the return trip from window to door, she ran a finger along the edge of Randy’s desk. A file folder in his outbox caught her eye.
Rather it was the yellow sticky note in Randy’s handwriting instructing Sheri that he would personally handle payment of the DNA tests that got her attention. Along with the notation on the edge of the folder.
Grady, Jacob Douglas
Shit.
Now why would Randy feel it necessary to handle payment himself?
Another trip, door to window and back to the door. The file taunting her with each step.
It’s private. You shouldn’t look. You wouldn’t like it if one of your clients looked at another client’s file while you were out of the office.
So why on the next trip did she stop, glance furtively to the door and pull out the file?
Her heart loud in her ears, she flipped open the cover.
Invoices. The top one from a lab in Carter Valley. A charge f
or three DNA tests. Ben, Jake and Gabe. The first test. She flipped it over and found another invoice for DNA testing. This one from Denton. For four tests.
Another cautious glance down the hall. Still no one.
She perched on the edge of his chair, set the file on his blotter and lifted the invoice for a closer look. The first three results were Gabe, Ben and Jake’s, just as she’d expected. She flipped to the last letter.
RESULTS OF DNA ANALYSIS
Sixteen genetic loci were tested. Testing process...
She skimmed over the paragraph listing the analyzers and gene mapper systems they used.
Interpretation: Based on the DNA analysis, the alleged Father, RANDALL BRIAN FREEMAN, cannot be excluded as the biological Father of the Child, JACOB DOUGLAS GRADY, because they share the same genetic markers. The probability of the stated relationship is indicated below, as....
Ignoring the rest of the explanation, she flipped to the Probability Percentage beneath. 99.9942
Holy fuck. Randy Freeman was Jake’s father. Cissy had cheated on her husband with her husband’s best friend.
She checked the date on the letter. Dated two days before Jake had been shown the other report. They’d both lied about it to Jake’s face. Poor Jake. How was he going to react to this latest bombshell?
She grabbed her phone and took two photos of the report, ensuring they were in focus and readable. She was sliding the file back into place when the office door slammed.
“That is a personal file.” Randy yanked the folder from her hand and tossed it in his bottom drawer. “I could have you arrested for trespassing.”
“You yourself instructed your clerk to show me in here. In front of witnesses. So I doubt you could get a trespassing charge to stick.” Gabe’s lawyer would probably rub her hands in delight at taking the case. One look at the pure fury on Randy’s face, and she eased around the desk, preferring to keep the solid furniture between them. “What did you want to talk to me about anyway?”