by Leah Braemel
Kathy checked her tablet, though Allie knew Kathy had memorized the information before they’d left the office. “Now, DBP Single Star Corp is listed on the Memorandum of Sale as the buyer—the state registry shows it belongs to a Duane and Bonnie Panola. Do you know them?”
“Tank?” Why hadn’t Kathy mentioned his name before? “It doesn’t sound like the Tank I remember.” Then again, she’d badly misjudged Ben too. “There’s no way Tank and Bonnie could afford to buy half of Bull’s Hollow, not on his salary.”
The phrase “what goes around comes around” floated through Allie’s mind. George Grady had destroyed her reputation and her father’s, and now Tank was destroying the Gradys by attacking their claim to Bull’s Hollow. Karma could be such a bitch.
Kathy swivelled to look at Allie. “You know the Panolas?”
“Tank worked with my dad. His wife Bonnie used to help me do my math homework.” She’d been one of the few people Allie had missed. Besides Ben. And Logan.
“People change, Allie,” Logan said quietly.
Ben wasn’t so circumspect. “The man’s a thief and a swindler.”
Allie carefully kept her gaze on Kathy rather than face Ben, who was all but vibrating with anger beside her. “Granted, Tank was rough around the edges, but I’d trust Bonnie with my first born.”
“Well, that should make your job easier when you go ask him about who he claims he bought his share of the ranch from, won’t it?” Amusement, with a touch of relief, sparkled in Kathy’s expression. She glanced up at Ben. “Am I right in assuming Mr. Panola is no longer an employee?”
“Damned straight. I caught the bastard selling my calves right out of my pastures and pocketin’ the money,” Ben answered. “He said Jake had given him the okay to sell them, but Jake says no way would he have given his permission. We checked to see if he’d tell Bonnie and she’d put it in the books, but when Ma went over them at the end of the month, the sale didn’t show up. So I fired both their sorry asses.”
Allie reluctantly forced herself to face Ben. Laugh lines creased the corners of his eyes, but they weren’t deepened when he met her gaze. She found herself longing for him to crack a smile, for a trace of the dimple in his cheeks to reappear, instead of the George Grady clone standing in front of her. “Bonnie’s been doing the books? I thought your mother did them.”
Ben nodded. “Ma turned them over to Bonnie after Gram had her stroke about four years back. Who knows how much the two of them have been stealing from us since then.”
“Your accountant never noticed anything in all this time?” Kathy asked.
“Bonnie’s brother is Bull’s Hollow’s regular accountant,” Logan explained. “He’s the one who arranged all the audits before this. I’ve recommended Ben hire a new firm as well as search for an independent auditor. Unfortunately the ones we decided upon won’t be able to start for a few weeks.”
“If they find anything, I’d be interested in getting a copy of their report. It might be useful as leverage if this Panola plans on holding the title hostage.”
“Whatever we can do to make the process as painless and speedy as possible. The banks holding Bull’s Hollow’s loans are nervous since the entire ranch was used as collateral so we’d prefer the claim be settled quickly.”
Kathy snorted. “Bankers. They insist you get title insurance and then when there’s a problem they panic.” She glanced up at Ben. “Have them call me. I’ll set ’em straight.”
“While the banks understand title insurance,” Logan pulled the conversation back to him, “my client’s other creditors aren’t well-informed, hence the need for speed.”
“Of course. But I will warn you, if this Panola fellow is doing this because of a grudge, he’ll know the creditors will be anxious and will try to drag this claim on as long as possible. The best thing your client could do might be to make nice with him and see if they can come to some accord.”
“You mean pay him off,” Ben snapped. “I refuse to pay Panola for my own land any more than I would hire back that lying sack of shit, even if he came crawling on his knees.”
Wow, that was almost exactly what her father had said about George Grady as they’d driven out of Bull’s Hollow for the last time. Right before he’d called her a whore.
* * *
Thank God Logan had taken over control of the meeting—something neither of them had planned. It left Ben free to watch Allie—and if he hadn’t been, he might not have noticed a pained expression flicker across her face.
Way to go, Grady. She probably thinks you feel the same way about her and her father considering Pete Daniels had been kicked off the ranch for theft too.
Logan stood, signalling the end of the meeting and held up Kathy’s card between two fingers. “If we have anything further, I can contact you at this number?”
“Yes. If I can’t get to you myself, my assistant will be able to help you.” Kathy shoved her tablet into her bag.
“I’ll be staying around for a few days.” Allie handed Logan her card too. “I’m going to talk with Tank in hopes we can come to some mutually agreeable settlement.”
Which meant they’d try to buy him off just like Logan had predicted. Personally Ben hoped they’d threaten Panola’s ass with a lawsuit for defamation of character of Gramp’s name. There was one court case he’d be happy to attend.
“But if he doesn’t release the rights,” she continued, “I’ll need to speak with your client’s previous attorneys.”
Ben started. “Why do you need to talk to Randy?”
Logan held up a hand with a frown. “To ensure your father didn’t make a deal with Tank he didn’t tell you about. It’s what I’d do too, Ben.”
“Ackerman and Freeman will require Ben’s release before they’ll talk with me,” Allie said. “Can I ask you to forward it to them right away?”
“Of course.” Logan held out his hand to the older woman. “Thanks for coming down so quickly, Ms. Berner.”
Damn, Logan was smooth. When had his friend acquired such a polished patina? Law school no doubt, or the senior partners at Carter, Murphy and Scott drilled it into him.
Logan turned to Allie. “Are you headed over to Tank’s immediately or are you staying in town overnight?”
“I’ve booked a room at the Carter Valley Motel while I get the face-to-face meetings out of the way.”
Ben shuddered at the mention of the fleabag motel. This was stupid. Why should she stay at that dive...? “Lo? What do you think about Allie staying at your old place? You can stay in Jake’s old room if you need to stay overnight.”
Logan’s face went even more blank. “It’s your call considering you own it.”
Shit. Was Logan pissed that he’d volunteered his old family home to Allie without asking privately, or because he’d been reminded how his father had walked away from the family home and let Gramps scoop it up for a song?
“The place isn’t much,” Ben explained, “but we’ve moved a reasonably good queen-sized bed in there for when Lo comes out to visit. You’ll have a kitchen and a living room with a decent television. You’ll have room to spread your stuff out if you want.”
Allie lifted her chin. “I can stay at the motel. There’s no need to put Logan out.”
Logan pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Allie, it’s fine. You should stay at my family’s old place. Unless you want to be infested with bedbugs.”
“Bedbugs?” The color bleached out of Allie’s face and she rubbed her arm, probably at the same creepy-crawly feeling Ben had at the thought of the critters biting an unaware sleeper. “Okay. It’ll only be a for a couple of days.”
Logan pulled out his key ring, separated one key and held it out. “You remember where the place is, right?”
“Yes.” She took the key as if it might burn her and quickly stepped back, shoving the key in her jacket pocket. “It’s down the road from Ben’s parents’ place.”
His place now, but Ben didn’t correct
her.
“There’s some canned food there, but no perishables,” Logan warned, “so you’ll need to stop off for groceries.”
“Thank you.”
“Well, looks like we’re all set here.” The other woman juggled her purse with her briefcase. “I’ll be in touch, Mr. Vance.”
While Logan escorted the visitors to their cars, Ben reclaimed the desk chair and leaned back so he could see the yard. It wasn’t to surreptitiously watch Allie, he told himself, yet his eyes were drawn to her like a bee to a bright flower. Even on the rough gravelled surface, she strode confidently toward her car. The way the light linen of her skirt clung to the curves of her ass taunted him more than any of the tight denim jeans she used to wear did. Damn if he didn’t get hard.
He lifted his great-grandfather’s compass from the stand on his desk and toyed with it. Holding the worn brass case, knowing his ancestors had carried it for generations had always helped him keep his head clear.
“You’re over her. She’s trouble,” he told himself. The words echoed around the ancient trailer’s walls, but his head wouldn’t accept them. Before she sat in the car, Allie glanced at the window as if she knew he was watching her. Again an expression of hurt and anger flitted across her face. An expression that made him want to dash outside and comfort her.
Get a grip, Grady. Focus on something different. Like that fucking lying ass Panola.
His blood boiled in his veins at the thought of his ranch hand’s betrayal.
Yup, that did it.
“I can’t fucking believe Panola’s behind this whole fucking thing.” Maybe if he’d called the sheriff the moment he saw Tank loading those calves on the trailer all this could be avoided.
“You’re going to break it if you keep squeezing it.” Logan plucked the compass from him and placed it back on its stand. “As for Panola, that’s probably the best news we could have had. I bet SSTG will be able to get him to sign a quit claim with a few carefully placed words.”
“Like fraud?” Ben asked hopefully.
“That would be a start.” He perched a hip on Ben’s desk and set the compass swinging. “You need to be careful around Allie.”
“I’m not in high school anymore. I can handle myself.” Yeah, right. His flagging hard-on was proof he’d tumble for her again, and probably tumble fast.
“Maybe.” Doubt filled Logan’s voice. “But I saw the way you looked at her. You still find her attractive.”
“I’ve got a heartbeat, don’t I? Shit, Logan, of course I found her attractive. Any red-blooded man would.” Keep telling yourself that. “Or are you tryin’ to tell me you didn’t think she’s even hotter than she was?”
“There.” Logan stabbed a finger at him. “That type of thinking will get you into trouble and you could end up losing the ranch if you don’t play your cards right. You’re thinking with your dick, not your brains again, dipshit. Now listen to me. Play it smart and stay away from her. And if you do have to meet with her, for fuck’s sake, keep your hands by your side and your dick in your pants.”
“You sound like Gramps. Which bugs the shit out of me, by the way.” Taking a cue from Logan, he lifted one foot and set it on the desk, then rested his other ankle on top of the other. Logan wasn’t the only one who had a degree hanging on his wall. Okay, maybe having your feet on the desk made more of a statement if your shoes were shiny leather like Logan’s instead of his dirt-and-hay-encrusted boots. “Allie didn’t dump me. She left because her father was fired. What happened wasn’t her fault.”
“If she didn’t know what her dad was doing, if she hadn’t been hiding it from you, then why didn’t she get in touch with you? Even an email saying good-bye or blasting your grandfather. You gotta face it, buddy. She was playing you. And when their house of cards collapsed, she didn’t even think about you when they scuttled away with their tails between their legs.”
It had taken him months—years—to accept that she might have deliberately been with him as a distraction. But the hurt and mistrust in her eyes made him wonder whether Logan might be wrong. Because if he wasn’t, it meant Allie was a really good actress and was playing him again.
Irritated that he couldn’t decide, he folded his arms across his chest and glared. “Yeah, well, you were nice enough to her.”
“I was being civil. Which is different. And I’m not the one whose claim she’s investigating. Now listen, I know what I said about staying away from her, but don’t forget her company might be looking for any reason to deny your claim outright rather than pay it out. So don’t tick her off either.”
“Panola’s deed is fake. The whole case is blackmail.” Ben focused on the anger of the betrayal over focusing on his feelings for Allie, because boy howdy had they surged back—attraction, lust, and...yeah, a heaping help of hurt welled up in his chest too. Why the hell hadn’t she at least emailed him or phoned him and said goodbye, or told him where she was? Yeah, being pissed off at Tank was much easier to deal with. “And you heard her boss. They figure it’s an open-and-shut case.”
“For all you know, open-and-shut cases to them may last several months.” Logan checked his watch. “I have to get back. I have a meeting with the partners this evening.”
Ben followed Logan out to his car and noticed three of his ranch hands lingering at the doors to the barn, watching them. “You guys got a problem?”
They exchanged glances and then the eldest of them nudged the man at his side, who uttered a curse even Ben could understand without hearing, and ambled across the yard. “We were wondering if they were from the bank. Word is the bank’s frozen the ranch accounts and none of us is gettin’ paid this week.”
Fan-fucking-tastic. That’s all he needed. The damned grapevine was growing deep roots and far too many heads, far faster than usual. Spurred by one of Tank’s buddies no doubt. “The bank hasn’t frozen the accounts. You’re gonna get paid same as normal. You spread the word for me, will ya, Danny?”
“So who were they? Because from those women’s getups they sure aren’t ranchers.” Danny followed him, obviously unconvinced. Or maybe he was just fishing for more juicy details to feed the gossips. Ben swore the hands were like a bunch of chickens clucking in the henhouse some days.
“They’re with the company that insured the ranch’s title. They’ll get to the bottom of this, prove that we’re the rightful owners and the sack of shit who says elsewise is a fucking liar. Now if you want to get a full week’s pay this week, get back to work.”
Damn it, they needed this case closed and fast if he was to get these rumors shut down. Which meant helping Allie prove Tank’s claim a lie. Which meant he had to play nice.
While she might hold a grudge about her father being fired, that particular incident could be laid at George Grady and Pete Daniel’s feet, not his. Or hers. He could play nice. Maybe the time to make sure she knew that was now. But how?
For some odd reason, he remembered a lot of Allie’s favorite foods. The list forming in his head, Ben diverted to the ranch’s cookhouse.
Chapter Two
In a halfhearted effort to pretend she wasn’t listening to Kathy’s conversation with one of the other senior partners, Allie opened the cabinet door over the microwave. As singlewides went, the old Vance place was clean though small and would give her more space and freedom than the motel ever would.
Serenaded by a rattling air conditioner, Allie opened the single drawer in the kitchen. In addition to the four knives, six spoons and three forks—not counting the one with bent tines, there was a hand-cranked can opener, a 1997 North Texas State Fair bottle opener, a couple of wooden spoons that looked brand new and a rust-coated spatula. Add them to the half dozen glasses and plates in the cupboards.
The linoleum might be scuffed and marred, but given the lack of dust that habitually found its way through the nooks and crannies of the windows and doors, it was clean. A comfortable and expensive-looking black leather couch looked out of place in the nearly bare living roo
m. The master bedroom at the far end was barely larger than the walk-in closet Lewis had built in their home in New York, but the bed occupied nearly the entire room. She lifted the mattress cover and discovered the set was also nearly brand new. The bathroom was decent and clean—something she’d worried about, considering it had been inhabited by a bachelor. It would do her for the few days she’d be staying.
She went through her mental checklist. First thing she needed to do was to run into town for some groceries. She needed to interview Tank—that would be the task for tomorrow morning. Though Kathy had said they wouldn’t need to talk to Ackerman and Freeman, the original Bull’s Hollow lawyers, unless Tank didn’t cooperate, Allie didn’t agree. Rumors about one of the Grady men having an affair had floated around the ranch. Rumors she’d been told to ignore so she had, especially when Ben had scoffed at them. But stranger things had happened. Not that she expected Randy to reveal family secrets either, but his reaction to her questions might give her a direction to search.
Then she could go back to Houston with its triple-digit temperatures and oppressive humidity. While the temperature was only a few degrees cooler up here in Bull’s Hollow, the humidity was much lower, which made the heat bearable. How quickly she’d acclimated to the east coast’s seasons.
“I’m heading home.” Kathy shoved her cellphone into her pocket. “You comfortable interviewing this Panola fellow?”
“Tank and I got along fine. I can find out what the issue is. Don’t worry.” Allie leaned on the counter. “Are you sure you shouldn’t assign someone else? Logan’s argument that I’m a liability is valid.”
“AJ, this case should be fairly open and shut. You’ve handled others like this before.”
“It’s different with people I know.” With Ben.
“Which is exactly why you’re perfect for this case. You knowing Panola could be our ace in the hole. He’s more likely to be honest with you than he will be with me. Think of the old honey instead of vinegar saying. See if you can sweet talk him into signing back the land but if he doesn’t agree to sign off, don’t be afraid to pull out the vinegar. Once you’ve got the word from the family’s old lawyer that they didn’t handle any sales to Panola, go after this fellow with guns blazing. Because sure as shooting he’s trying to cloud the title as payback for your Ben firing him. Threaten to sue him if you have to, ask him how much it’ll take to get him to sign away his rights, then remind him we can sue his ass. Are you okay with that?”