She was a little worried; Chad was not an easy person to disappoint.
“How can you drive by all these horses and not notice how beautiful they are?” Olivia sighed.
“I know you like them, but you didn’t grow up having to muck out their stalls every morning for your neighbor. They’re mean, Olivia. I can’t tell you how many times one of them reached around and bit me in the back.” Chad drove onto Hwy 90, heading for Houston.
“Chad, horses can smell your feelings. Those horses knew you didn’t like them.” Olivia looked behind her. “Are we heading to Houston for lunch?”
“No, we’ll eat on the way. I’ve asked your financial planner to meet us in Sugarland. That way, we can both be there to talk to him.”
Olivia’s face grew warm, and she squeezed her hands together. Chad was overbearing. He acted like it was his money, and he was trying to pressure her into making decisions about the finances that he wanted.
“Chad, what do you think you’re doing here? I have no plans to make any changes in my finances at present, and it’s very annoying that you went ahead and planned this meeting.” Olivia leaned back in her seat away from Chad.
“Olivia, when you see what I’ve planned, I think you’ll like it, and since you’ll be there, you can sign all the paperwork.” He looked over and smiled. “I know you’ll like this plan. I’m just trying to help.”
“Why in the world would I want four million in cash in a revolving account? That money should stay in securities where it’s earning interest. Do you know how much interest four million can accrue in one month?”
“You talked with Stanton? Well, that’s good. Look, if we want to take a spur-of-the-moment trip or buy a house on the Mediterranean, you can’t do it spontaneously. There’s a process to sell stock and wait for the money. This way, you have it immediately if you need it.”
Olivia blew out air and rolled her eyes. “There’s a reason it’s good to wait for the money so you can plan and spend it wisely.” Olivia took out her compact and touched up her makeup. “Listen, I was waiting to talk about this until later, but seeing how adamant you are about managing my funds, I’m forced to have this talk now.” Olivia placed her hands on her lap. “I think we got engaged too fast. All this worry about managing the finances is ruining our time together. You seem obsessed about the money. That’s all you talk about.”
Chad swerved the car to the side of the highway and slammed on the brakes, stopping at the side of the road. Olivia screamed.
“Chad, what in the world’re you doing?”
“Olivia, I can’t have this conversation while driving down the highway. What brought this on?”
Chad turned to her and placed his hand on her shoulder, which she didn’t like. It felt not only possessive but aggressive. Olivia was worried now that he was going to explode, but she had no choice but to go forward.
“It’s not just the money. You’ve been telling me what to do with my life, even what to eat, for heaven’s sake. You seem to be taking over every aspect of who I am and telling me what to do.” Olivia’s eyes teared up. “I can’t live like that.” Olivia took off her engagement ring and handed it back to Chad.
“Olivia, you need me, you can’t do this by yourself.” Chad’s countenance fell. His neck and face were bright red. Then he took a deep breath, and she saw in his eyes a shrewd and calculating look before he looked down. When he looked up, he looked calm.
“Chad, I owe you so much. You were there for me at a hard time in my life. I will always be your friend, but the way things are now, I don’t think I can be your wife. I need space, and I need the freedom to make my own choices.” Olivia sighed, grasping her hands together. “I feel like I rushed into this engagement before I knew what I wanted.”
“Olivia, you don’t know anything about your finances. I was trying to help you.”
“True, and I plan to fix that. I’m going to meet with my advisors and others and learn the business so that I can make wise choices for myself. It’s time for me to take charge of my life.”
“I’m sorry, Olivia; I was pushing you too fast. I’ll always be here for you.”
“I’m sorry too, Chad.” For the first time, Olivia had a fleeting thought that Chad was conniving. His roller-coaster reaction to her breakup was not normal. It bothered her, but she was grateful he was controlling his feelings for whatever reason, because it made it much easier.
Chad pulled out onto the highway and got out his phone. “I’ll text Stanton and cancel the appointment with him. Do you still want to go to lunch?”
“Sure, lunch would be great, but I don’t want to shop.” Olivia sighed and relaxed back against the seat. That turned out better than she thought; it all seemed too easy. Something in her gut told her to be careful. The look in his eyes when he switched his behavior worried her.
Olivia pushed any worries out of her mind and tried to focus on the positive. She had broken off the engagement, and Chad was taking it reasonably well, and now she was free to arrange her own life as she wished. A calm peace settled over Olivia. It was a relief to get out from under this oppressive relationship.
Raelyn walked into the stable and stopped in the office. Jacob had opened a large box the deliveryman had left that morning. He’d had them put it in the office to get it out of the way. There was a storage room off the office, where Carson kept all his supplies. He had everything from healing salves to training videos in there. It was normally Jacob’s job to unpack and stock the shelves. He was a gifted organizer, and after seeing the storage room for the first time, he took it upon himself to organize everything according to need and use. Carson was always saying how amazed he was at the room it opened up for further purchases.
“Hi, Jacob,” Raelyn said. “I was looking for you and Michael. Can you come to dinner tonight? We did some searching and found out some information for you both.” Raelyn sat down on the plush leather sofa Carson kept in his stable office. “Why don’t you come and sit down with me here? Get us a lime popsicle out of the freezer, and let’s take a break.”
“Sure, Raelyn, I could use a break.” The refrigerator in the stable was built-in and veneered with wood, so it became part of the wall. If you didn’t look carefully, you would never know there was a fridge and freezer there.
“So how’s it going with Libby?” Raelyn was straightforward and usually went straight to the subject she wanted to discuss.
“She doesn’t believe Chad would harm her. I don’t know what I’ll do if she marries the guy. He’s bad news, I can see that plainly, but Libby shuts her eyes to any possible danger with him.”
“Have you told her how you still feel about her?” Raelyn looked him square in the eyes. He couldn’t hold back much.
“No, I don’t think she would want me now.” Jacob squirmed; this conversation was getting too personal.
“Jacob, it’s very important that you tell her how you feel the next time you see her, today.” She stood up to leave. “When you come to dinner, be sure you’ve already done that. You need to trust me on this.” Raelyn raised her eyebrows.
Jacob nodded. “Okay, it can’t make matters any worse, that’s for sure.” He got up as well and started hauling supplies into the stockroom. Now what was he going to do? Raelyn was right. If she left and he never told her, he would regret it forever. At least he would find out if there was even a slight chance with Libby.
Michael came in to help Jacob. “So what are we going to do about Libby? Maybe we should suggest once again that Chad go fishing.”
“Be serious, Michael; you know we can’t do that. Henry put a no-swimming sign up by the lake until the county gets out here to trap the gator.” Jacob took off his hat and set it on the bench. It was getting very hot. “Raelyn told me that I need to tell Libby how I feel, and she’s right. So when she gets back with Chad, I’ll do it.”
Michael nodded but didn’t say much more as they finished unpacking and shelving.
Jacob turned to watch his brot
her go just as the car arrived with Libby and Chad. “Oh well, here I go.” Jacob walked out toward the front of the stable and waited until Libby got out. Chad left her and walked into the ranch house. Libby walked over to the picnic table and sat down in the shade. A barn cat was stretched out under the table, his tail swishing back and forth as the cat batted a ribbon hanging down from the underside of the table. Aussie, Carson’s Australian shepherd, was watching the cat but wasn’t too motivated to chase it, something Jacob had seen them both do many times. It was just too hot today. Aussie got tired of watching, rolled over in the dirt, and laid his head down.
“Hello, Jacob.” Libby sighed.
“Are you okay?”
“No, I just feel bad about Chad.”
Jacob rolled his eyes and sat down across from her at the table.
“I just broke off the engagement, and he took it well which was very nice of him. He told me he will always be there for me if I ever need him.”
Jacob leaned down to tuck his jeans into his boots. “You really need to be careful…wait. You broke off the engagement?” Jacob brightened up and gave Libby his full attention.
“Yes, and it has nothing to do with my memory lapse. I needed my freedom, and he was trying to take over my life.”
“Well, Libby, this is as good a time as any to tell you I’m still in love with you, as much as or even more than before.” Jacob held his breath, not sure what Libby would say. “I know I’m not the kind of man you’re looking for anymore, but I felt you needed to know how I feel. Now that I’ve told you, I can go forward, knowing at least I didn’t let you leave without sharing my feelings.” Jacob got up to leave.
“Wait, Jacob, sit back down, please.” Libby wiped her eyes as tears began rolling down her cheeks. “I don’t know why I’m crying, but, Jacob, you are the type of man I’m looking for. You’re perfect, but I’m not ready to jump into another relationship. I told Chad the truth. I need my freedom, but now that we’ve found each other again, I will not be a stranger. You are for sure going to be my family, and whether that turns into more, let’s wait and see.” Libby took his cell phone and added her information into his contact list. She then texted him her email address and other contact numbers where he could reach her.
“There, now you have my info, and I know where you are. Let’s not lose contact ever again.”
Jacob smiled, but he could see the writing on the wall. They could be friends, but he was an uneducated stable boy. Who was he kidding? He had nothing to give her. But Carson’s words came back into his mind. “Your character means more than any wealth.” That might be true, but he didn’t believe it yet.
“Thanks, Libby, it’s so great to see you again. Maybe we can go riding again in the back pasture. If you want, we can race the mustangs. I know you like speed.” Jacob raised his eyebrow and smiled.
“I would love that, maybe tonight after dinner.” Libby stood up to walk back over to the ranch house.
“Okay, sounds good, just come over when you’re ready.” Jacob looked over to see Chad on the front porch in one of the rockers, watching them.
Chapter 7
Michael and Jacob climbed the porch steps to the front door of Carson and Raelyn’s house. They had been there so many times; it was easy not to notice the beauty of the setting. It was early, and Jacob stopped to just enjoy the peace. The home was beautiful. Everything was new and fresh. The covered porch had hanging plants all along the railing. Two hanging bench swings faced the lake. Through the trees, you could see glimpses of the blue water when the wind blew. Raelyn told them they built back into the woods to have privacy from the ranch guests. The house had a basement that Jacob had never seen. Carson explained it was just a workroom. You could access it through the hall closet which was strange as far as Jacob could tell.
After a moment, they knocked on the door. “Come in,” they heard Raelyn yell from back in the kitchen. “Come and get a drink, and we can all sit on the porch a spell.”
Raelyn walked out to greet them with two lemonades in her hands. “Here, take these back out. Carson and I will be right there.” Jacob and Michael walked back out and sat on one of the bench swings facing down the hill toward the lake. Jacob loved this house and the view through the woods. If he ever built a house, he would want a porch like this one.
“Every time we come up here lately, Carson has more news for us,” Michael said. “I wonder if they’ve found some colleges to look at.” Michael drank some of his lemonade. “This is good. I think it’s fresh-squeezed.”
Jacob took a drink. “Wow, this does tastes good after a hot, humid day.”
Carson and Raelyn came out and sat on the other bench swing with their drinks. “So how’s it going, men?”
Michael answered, “It’s good, we’re still worried about Libby and that guy, but otherwise, all is good. What’s up?”
Raelyn leaned over to look at them. “We did some research, and I’m sorry to say your grandfather passed away a few years ago.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. I wish I’d known my grandfather.” Jacob set his glass down on his lap between his knees to steady it. “What did he do, where did he live?”
“Well, he was a wheat farmer, a big wheat farmer. He owned thousands of acres and supplied most of the wheat that sits in Minnesota silos. He was a famous man in the northern part of Minnesota and lived outside of Duluth on a large estate. His wheat fields were all over the northern part of the state.” Carson put his glass down.
“My dad was a farmer at heart. He loved the soil and often stopped the car when we were traveling to look at the dirt.” Jacob smiled, remembering his good father. “When we took trips to see tourist sites, Dad stopped to check the dirt everywhere we went.” Jacob laughed and shook his head.
“I talked with the lawyers of your grandfather’s estate, and they have been looking for you and Michael.” Carson stood up.
Raelyn stood suddenly. “Wait, Carson, I have something I want to ask Jacob.”
“Okay, go ahead, hon.”
“So, Jacob, did you tell Libby you loved her?”
“Yes, I told her, and here’s the good part, she broke it off with Chad, thank heavens. But she said she isn’t ready to get into another relationship and needed her space. She wants to stay in contact.” He sighed. “If that isn’t a letdown, I don’t know what is.”
“What did she say about her feelings for you?”
“She said I was perfect.” Jacob laughed. Michael leaned over and punched his shoulder.
“You are perfect, Jacob. I know she’ll remember how much she loves you.” Michael looked at Carson. He seemed to be waiting to say something.
Raelyn smiled. “That’s very good, now, Carson, tell them the rest.”
“You better sit back down for this one.” Carson smiled. “The lawyer I talked to has been looking for you two since your grandfather died. That was about the time that you ran away from the foster care system.” Carson took a drink of his lemonade. “Your grandfather left his entire fortune to you two men, to be divided equally between you. Your father was his only child.” Carson leaned back with a very satisfied look on his face. He was smiling like the cat that got the rat.
Jacob and Michael just sat there, stunned. They didn’t know what to say. Finally, Michael asked, “So what are we talking, financially speaking?”
Carson leaned over to Raelyn. “How good was their math?”
She laughed. “Carson, just tell them, they can figure it out later.”
“Fifty billion.”
Michael choked on his lemonade and then coughed.
Raelyn patted his back. “The lawyers are coming to meet you next week, and they’ll bring all the documents for you to sign and verify you are who you are. You’ll learn more then. I imagine it will take some time to learn what it is that you own. Apparently, he had many assets.”
Jacob felt like he’d been hit with a truck. How can your life be turned upside down in one moment? His mind was racing
. Now, he needed the education to be a good steward of this kind of wealth. He could do a lot of good with that kind of money. The responsibilities of this were settling on his shoulders already, and he felt pressure to start learning. He hoped the lawyers were good men that he could rely on. Surrounding himself with good people he could trust was vital. Sharing this good news with Libby was his first thought, but he decided to let her have her space for a time. He would keep an eye on her and her safety until the time was right.
Then Jacob’s heart sank. The news would probably mean they had to leave the ranch and Carson and Raelyn. Jacob loved it here. They felt peace here, and that was worth more than money.
“What’s the matter, Jacob, you look like you just lost your best friend.” Raelyn sat down next to him.
“This has been our home—we’re a family. I don’t want that to end.”
Raelyn put her arm around him and patted his shoulder. “You’ll always have a home here. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. There’s no rush to make any changes.”
Michael jumped up and laughed. “Well, I think I’ll hire someone to muck out the stables for me and get the mud out of the saddles and tack. Other than that, I love my jobs around here, and I plan to keep working.”
Everyone laughed as Raelyn called them in for dinner.
This news would change their lives for the better, he hoped. He only wished his father was here. He would have loved to take over the farming industry of his father. Now what to do about Libby? She had four more days left of her week-long vacation at the ranch. Jacob planned to make good use of any time he could find to be with her.
Lost Billionaire Heir: Billionaire Cowboy Sweet Romance (Texas Ranch Romance Book 8) Page 7