“I was up at Stetson’s Corner late last night.” I groaned, already knowing that nothing good was going to come from this. If older ladies did their gossiping at Sheer Delights, the beauty parlor located between the feed store and ammo store, then the older men of the area did their gossiping up at Stetson’s Corner. It wasn’t anything special, just a convenience store and gas station, but they had a place to tie their horses so the men congregated. “There’s a lot of talk about that town meeting. People say it ain’t good. They think this man is going to ruin all of us.”
“Don’t buy into that. Whatever it is, I’m going to fight it, and if we end up having to move, we will. But you’ll still have a job as long as you want it.”
“Last time there was this much skuttlebutt was about thirty years ago when the Smithsonian sent some scientists here and a whole bunch of reporters followed. They were trying to prove if one of the guys who conspired along with John Wilkes Booth to kill Abraham Lincoln was buried in the cemetery.”
“Is one of the guys buried there?”
“Sure is.”
I shook my head. “In this little town? What’s our population, twelve?”
“Nah, thirteen now that London had that baby.”
I laughed because I knew that, in all truthfulness, there was more like three thousand in our town. I stood there, waiting to see if he had anything else on his mind, but after a minute, it was clear that he didn’t, so I moved on.
“Well, I’ve got some calls to make. Holland from next door is coming over and we’re going to figure out if there is anything we can do. I’ll let you know what we come up with, but I think that we’re all going to be fine,” I said as I left Slipper’s stall and moved over to the small sink to wash my hands.
“I sure hope you’re right.”
“I have some office work to do today, so let me know if you need anything or if Noah needs help with the horses.” I started walking toward the doors.
“Will do. By the way, we’re getting low on protein,” Syd called after me.
“Already on order. Delivery should be here tomorrow.”
Back in my house, I moved to my office and called my attorney, Arthur Bankston.
“Thank you for calling the law offices of Bankston and Byrd. How may I help you?”
“This is Reid Brooks, I’m trying to reach Arthur Bankston please.”
“One second please.”
The line clicked, and then the horrific instrumental version of Lionel Richie’s “All Night Long” hit my ear. Really? That song was never meant to have an instrumental Musac version.
The music clicked off and my attorney’s voice came over. “Reid, I hope that everything is okay?”
“Me, too, but I may need your help.”
“Tell me how I can help you.”
“I’m not sure where to even begin because I’m not suing anyone or at least I don’t think I am.” I dragged my thumbnail along the carved edge of my desk. It was always at times like this when you noticed shit caked in crevices, and it bothered the hell out of you until you picked at it.
“What’s happened?”
“Last night, Johnson Holbrook told the town that we basically needed to sell him portions of our land . . .” I walked Arthur through the details of the eminent domain claim and how he professed that it was already settled and was doing us a favor by paying above what the state would.
“Let me look into this some more but it doesn’t sound right. I’ve got some contacts up in Tallahassee that I’ll get in touch with to see about the minutes from the Cabinet meetings as well as the Transportation Commission meetings. But from what I know about eminent domain, this is not how things work. Unfortunately Florida doesn’t have clear laws concerning this except for the original constitution. But there are several precedents that are prevailing. Don’t do anything, don’t talk with him, don’t sign anything, and tell the others not to either. I’ll need a few days, but I will get back to you as soon as possible.”
“Thanks, Arthur.”
“No problem.” We disconnected, and I spent the next several hours researching information about the town of Geneva, Florida, as well as eminent domain.
Just after three, Holland still hadn’t showed, so I decided that I’d get dinner going just in case I convinced her to stay. What was I thinking? The woman was so insufferable she would probably show up tomorrow morning just to leave me hanging. Still, I found myself in the kitchen and started chopping vegetables.
“I thought that I told you I wouldn’t be here tonight for dinner,” my sister said as she came into the kitchen and examined the two New York strips that I had set out to defrost. Ellie had moved in with me a little over a year ago after her divorce, and probably wasn’t leaving anytime soon.
“Yep, you told me.” I reached into the refrigerator and grabbed the stuff to make a salad.
“Then why two steaks? Are you on some protein kick that I don’t know about?”
“Holland is coming over.”
Ellie started pounding her chest and coughing. “Uh-uh, Holland? As in our next door neighbor Holland Kelly, the one that would rather run you over than look at you? The Holland who I have yet to hear call you by anything other than Dick Brooks, that Holland?”
“Yep.”
“And you think serving food that require knives to cut is a good idea?”
I stopped pulling apart the lettuce. “Maybe I didn’t think this one out totally.”
“You think?” Ellie picked up her purse. “Well, if there’s blood everywhere when I get home, at least you can’t say that I didn’t warn you. I’m headed up to help Marcus, he’s down a waitress, so I offered to help.”
“Who are you? First you decided to start a mobile dog grooming business, and now you’re serving drinks in a country dive bar? If our parents saw you—”
“What? They wouldn’t do anything more than lecture me about how I’m better than that. ‘You are Ellis Brooks, and Brooks do not wait on people.’” Ellie’s accent of our mother was spot on. “I’ve always hated it when she used my full name.” Our mother was raised on Southern money and believed girls should be debutantes, which was why she’d named my sister Ellis. I was just glad Ellie didn’t live up to the pretentiousness of it.
“Go. I think I can handle Holland.”
Ellie patted my arm. “Just keep telling yourself that.” She walked out of the house laughing.
Chapter Four
Holland
It was like pulling teeth—no, that was painful but didn’t last that long. This was more like ripping a nail down to the quick and then constantly hitting it against things. Yeah, that was more like it. It was a constant pain. I didn’t know how else to describe knowing that I was going to come face-to-face with Reid Brooks in a matter of moments.
I steeled myself, ready for combat as I trudged up the few steps to his oversized house. It really was ridiculous, especially when you realized he had all seven thousand square feet to himself when he bought the place.
I raised one hand to knock, but before I could, the door swung open. “Holland, you came.”
“I said I would, didn’t I?”
“Yes, but let’s be honest, you do go out of your way to inconvenience me.”
“Well, this time I’m going out of my way to make you miserable. I decided to actually show up.”
He smiled and stepped back so I could walk inside.
“I need to check a few things in the stables, why don’t you walk with me?”
I wanted to say something snappy, but the truth was I was curious as hell to see his stables. “Yeah, we can do that. Do you only have Thoroughbreds? I don’t know much about them.”
“Yeah, all of them but my horse are.”
“Oh, yeah, a Fresian, right?”
“Very good, yeah. Nostradamus.” Reid grabbed a clipboard and scanned what appeared to be X-rays.
“Is someone hurt?”
“Yeah, Slipper.” He gestured to a stall toward the back. “She fractured
her cannon bone.”
“Ouch.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Do you mind if I look?”
“Not at all. I’d like to hear your take on it.”
He wanted my opinion? “Umm, well . . . I’m assuming she won’t race anymore, but for European or Western riding, she should be okay, right?”
“I would say that’s best. At least that is what I would do but I’m not the owner,” Reid said as he handed me the X-rays.
“I’ve never seen that film, it almost has a chalky feel to it, did Asher take these?”
“No, we have our own machine. Since so many of the horses come here to heal and regain strength after an injury, it only made sense to have our own. That way we could monitor the healing process. Not to mention, some of these horses are worth more than my house.”
“Why Thoroughbreds? I mean, they’re beautiful and all, but around here, we have more Appaloosas and Quarter Horses. You don’t ride Thoroughbreds just for the hell of it.”
“Thoroughbreds are what I know. In fact, I moved to Florida with the soul purpose of setting up a stable where people I knew could bring their horses for the winter. Most owners and breeders shuttle their horses to warmer climates during the cold months to avoid any flare-ups of arthritis.”
“And you know enough people who work with horses to do that?”
“I do. I was raised in Lexington, and my father is a breeder of Thoroughbreds, several of which have run in the Derby—we’ve even had a winner. People trust my family, so when I let everyone know that I was opening a winter stable, they scrambled for a spot.” Reid explained this as he moved into the stall he’d gestured to a moment ago. He knelt by her and rubbed her wrapped leg.
“Is that why you named it Old Kentucky?”
“That, and because it’s the name of my family’s stables back home.”
“But don’t you want to run your family’s stables someday?”
“That’ll never happen.”
“Why not?”
“I have two older brothers. They’re also into Thoroughbreds. My eldest brother, Adler, actually runs the stables, and Cooper is a large animal veterinarian who only treats race horses.”
“Reid, Adler, and Cooper? Sounds like a law firm if you ask me.” I bit my lower lip and fought the urge to laugh.
“Don’t forget Ellie, whose real name is Ellis, and we have an older sister named Lennon.”
“Those are unique names.”
Reid raised one brow. “Really, Holland? And your sisters are London and Paris?”
“Touché.”
“My family has this thing about giving last names as first names. My grandmother’s maiden name was Lennon, and Ellis got my mother’s maiden name.”
“How about the boys, where did those names come from?”
“They come from grandmothers and great-grandmothers as far back as they want to go.” Reid smiled, appearing pleased with whatever he saw with Slipper as he stood. “Let me turn off the lights and we can head up to the house. I put two steaks on the smoker, they should be ready by the time we get up there.”
“I said no to dinner.”
“Stop being an ass, it is after six. Let’s eat, and we can make a plan.” I wanted to get pissed, but of course, my stomach let out a gurgling sound. “Fine,” I huffed. Reid closed up and then he and I walked up to his house. It was weird, but I had enjoyed talking with Reid and getting to know him.
After eating, we moved into Reid’s sunroom, and I looked for some sign that I was being punked. There was no way I was relaxed and not on high alert waiting for him to take some pot shot at me. He and I had been enemies for two years, but damn it all, I was comfortable.
I was sitting on one of his oversized chairs with one leg hiked up on the seat with me. “So, let’s talk plan. I’ve done some research, how about you?”
“I have, too, and I put a call into my attorney today.”
“Does he handle eminent domain?”
“He handles land deals, worked with me to make sure the zoning was correct when I bought this property.”
“Well, we may not need him. Did you know that in 2006, President Bush issued an executive order limiting the use of taking private property for public use?” I slid my foot back to the floor and sat a little straighter. “It nearly eradicated the use of eminent domain. And the few times that it has been evoked since then, it has only used federal money, not private money.” I knew that my hands were flying in sync with my words, but I had so much to say and I wanted to get it all out as quick as I could.
“Slow down there, Tiger. With the way you’re flapping your arms, if you aren’t careful, then you’re gonna fly off.”
I slapped my hands down to my sides. Fuck him, how dare he make fun of me. “I was just trying to find information to help all of us, and you’re making fun of me.”
“I’m not making fun of you, I’m teasing. Holy shit, Holland, learn to take a joke. Anyway, let’s get back to why we are here. I personally think Johnson Holbrook is full of shit and that we aren’t at risk of eminent domain at all.”
“That’s awesome, then why am I here? Why don’t you tell him to kiss our asses, get the hell out of dodge, and stop wasting our time?”
“Because I want to know what it is he wants. There has to be something, some reason this man is willing to try to buy all of these randomly placed pieces of land.”
“Then, do you care to tell me why you believe we aren’t at risk? Granted, from what I can see, some of the parcels aren’t big enough to ranch or farm on and some don’t even meet the minimum five acre rule for housing.”
“Not just that, they also aren’t connected. Have you ever watched a road crew? They spread out, and it seems to me like a road this large would go over a lot more property because he can build it over people’s homes. When you buy land, you also buy the space straight up, hell, they can’t even put telephone lines across land unless it is part of the easement.”
“Do they even install above ground phone lines anymore?”
“You know what I mean. But this is why I haven’t told him to fuck off yet.” Reid slid one hand down his face. He looked tired, and the skin under his blue eyes appeared bruised.
“What could he be after that would involve the councilman if it isn’t official business?”
“That’s what we need to find out if we can.”
Reid scratched the side of his neck, and it drew my attention to the way his muscles flexed. For the first time, I truly noticed how sculpted the man’s biceps were. I may not understand Thoroughbreds, but Thoroughbreds had done a body good. I couldn’t take my eyes off the way the veins in his hands were raised and only made him look more masculine. I wondered what his would feel like gripping—
A hand waved in front of my face. “Holland, you okay? Holland?”
“What?”
“I asked if you were okay?”
“Yeah, why?”
“You were staring at me, at first I thought that you were pissed at something, then I was afraid you were having some sort of seizure. You sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah.” I felt my cheeks warm. “I think looking into the councilman is a good start.”
“Wow, okay, you really missed a lot. From my understanding the Geneva Cemetery is historic, so I want to talk with the historical society and see what else we can uncover. If Holbrook is trying to build here, history will keep any builder away.” Reid paused for a moment and pinched his lips as if he were trying to think through something.
“What?”
“Cemeteries can be moved. We need more.”
“There are some civil war soldiers buried in the cemetery, will that help?”
“Those can be relocated.”
“Umm, Chief Osceola used to live here.”
“Seminole Chief, that Osceola?”
“Yeah, he had a village somewhere on Lake Harney so it could have been any of our properties. That also means he has to have hunted through
the woods here.”
“This is perfect. Have they deemed any areas as Native American burial grounds?”
“Not that I know of, but we could always ask the historical society what they know. So, is that part of the plan, we’re trying to get on a National Registry?” I grabbed my notebook, the one I had written Google discoveries in, and was ready to take more notes.
“I don’t know. We just need enough to cause a stir, which will hopefully stall him so that we can figure out what’s going on.”
“You truly think he made all of this up?”
“I’m not sure yet. He’s either trying to jump the gun to ensure he gets the contract or he’s using it as an excuse to bully the landowners. I do know that Johnson Holbrook develops subdivisions and luxury homes, but I haven’t found one single record of where he’s been involved with road development.”
“That sorry son of a bitch.”
“That’s one way of putting it.” Reid glanced over at me. “Will you go to the historical society to see what you can dig up?”
I let out a loud groan. “Ugh, that place is so boring.”
“I’ll take that as a yes. After you talk to them, I’d like us to meet with the ranchers. I want to make sure that Holbrook doesn’t persuade any of them—”
“You mean bully.” I had no clue why Reid was trying to soften the truth because that man was going to use whatever he could to get our land and had already proven he wasn’t above intimidation.
“Okay, bully.”
“Why don’t you just schedule a meeting with the ranchers? They trust you more than they do me.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that. They listen to what I have to say as a businessman, but their decisions are based on what is best for you and your sisters. This town, these people love you.”
Reid turned thoughtful, and I let him ponder his plan as I looked out the wall-to-wall windows that overlooked the back of his property. To the right, it gave a beautiful view of my training area, where I taught riding classes. I smiled because it also gave a good view of our stables, which really were beautiful. They were more rustic than Reid’s but equally as breathtaking. A light in the dormer window—crap, that was my room. I wondered if Reid knew that was my room or if he saw me flip him off every day.
Steadfast (Iron Horse Book 3) Page 3