Mistletoe Rodeo (Welcome to Ramblewood)

by Amanda Renee

  “Your initial investment in Dance of Hope came from your own pocket, is that correct?” Chase furrowed his brow; Dance of Hope’s finances had nothing to do with the Mistletoe Rodeo.

  “Bridle Dance funded a large portion of it and I added to it.”

  “Let’s talk about your husband, Joe Langtry. You’ve said during previous interviews that Dance of Hope was his vision before he died three and a half years ago.”

  At Nola’s mention of his father, a bad feeling developed in the pit of Chase’s stomach.

  “It was. He originally became interested in hippotherapy through our granddaughter, Ever.”

  “Ever is the little girl your son Cole and his wife adopted. She has cerebral palsy, correct?” Nola nodded her head slowly, encouraging Kay to answer.

  The smile plastered across Kay’s face had begun to falter as Nola revealed more personal information than was necessary. It was no secret that Ever had been adopted or that she had cerebral palsy, but this was not the time or place to discuss it.

  “Yes. But I don’t see—”

  “Let’s talk about the acreage your family has purchased over the years. Your husband acquired a large portion of it because your neighbors were facing foreclosure and Joe stepped in, offering them much higher than market value for their property so they wouldn’t walk away with nothing.”

  No! No! No! Chase knew where Nola was heading and he was furious. “Mom, don’t.”

  “He—he did.” If she’d heard her son, Kay didn’t acknowledge it. “And he leased it back to them if they still wanted to farm or ranch on it.”

  Kay exhaled slowly, maintaining steady eye contact with Nola. Chase wasn’t sure if his mother was trying to get a read on Nola or if she was trying to frighten her, but either way, it wasn’t a good look and it definitely came across on the monitor.

  “Joe Langtry was a very generous man,” Nola continued. “Known for his charitable contributions throughout the state, not just in Ramblewood. How do you feel when you hear that there’s a man out there making claims that your husband stole mineral rights from his grandfather?”

  Oh, no she didn’t.

  Chase watched his mother’s face begin to redden. “I think it’s a bunch of bunk,” Kay said matter-of-factly. “The man in question was in competition with my husband for two decades. He still has a bug up him because my Joe outbid him on numerous land acquisitions over the years.”

  “Over the past year this person has made frequent personal attacks online targeting your family and has increased them this week. What are your thoughts on that?”

  “I didn’t know about that. Scott David—let’s just call him by his name, shall we—tried to fleece my family for a hundred million dollars this past weekend with these ridiculous claims of his, but he didn’t get his way. Scott David is nothing more than someone with an ax to grind because he couldn’t get the land he wanted. He claims his grandfather had Alzheimer’s when he sold the mineral rights to his land to my husband. I don’t see how any attorney in the world would have allowed their client to sign away such a significant thing as mineral rights if he wasn’t of sound mind and body.”

  Chase’s cell phone vibrated in his pocket. Jon’s number appeared on the screen. No sooner had he answered than he heard Jon screaming, “Get her off camera now!”

  Chase motioned to Nola to end the interview, slicing his hand back and forth in front of his neck. But she continued to question his mother. When Chase attempted to step on set, one of the stagehands grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

  “Let go of me!” Chase shouted, shoving the man backward into one of the cameras. Nola and Kay both stood on seeing the commotion. “This interview is over.” Chase locked eyes with Nola. “And so are we.”

  * * *

  “IT’S NOT WHAT you think,” Nola tried to explain as she followed Chase through the studio hallways, making his way to the parking lot with Kay. “I had to do it. Please stop—you need to listen to me. This is going to be front-page news tomorrow morning and there’s a reporter on the way to your house.”

  “Only because you made it that way!” Chase shouted over his shoulder. “You either stay away from me and my family or I’ll have a restraining order issued against you so fast your head will spin. And don’t think I can’t do it.”

  Nola stood motionless at the cruelty of Chase’s words. After his SUV drove away, she trudged back through the studio’s entrance, removing her microphone and throwing it in the trash outside her office as she walked by. She opened her desk drawer and removed her handbag and keys.

  “Nola!” Pete Devereaux burst into the room. “Amazing work. That is exactly the hard-hitting story I was looking for from you. I knew you could do it. I think I’ve made my decision on the co-anchor position.”

  “Give it to Dirk.” Nola squeezed past him. “Because I quit.”

  “What?” Pete followed her out of the office. “Nola, come on. I know he was your boyfriend and all, but you can’t mix love and war. The news is war.”

  Nola spun on Pete, stopping inches from his face. “Don’t you dare talk to me about war. I’ve been there. While you were sitting here in your cushy air-conditioned office, I was trying to escape enemy shellfire. You don’t know anything.”

  She turned and continued walking. “You’re making a big mistake!” Pete shouted after her.

  That might be so, but at least she’d still have her dignity.

  Nola pulled out of the parking lot, refusing to cry. She had more self-worth than that. She needed to get to the Langtrys and explain what had happened. She knew Chase wouldn’t listen to her—he’d probably even throw her off the ranch—but she had to try something.

  She pulled off to the side of the road and dug through her bag for her phone. The moment she found it, Kylie’s number appeared on the screen. “I was just about to call you.”

  “What is going on?” Kylie’s voice was frantic. “Jesse is furious.”

  “Jesse? How would you know Jesse was mad?”

  “Aaron works for Miranda and Jesse. We were over at their house watching the interview. Jesse flew out of there and I don’t know if he’s heading to the ranch or if he’s looking for you. But he’s furious, Nola. You can’t go home.”

  “I hope he does find me,” Nola said. “Then, maybe someone will listen. I need your help. Minutes before we went live, I received a phone call from one of my sources. He said Scott David had already told his side of the story and this stolen-mineral-rights thing was going to be all over the internet in an hour—more like a half hour now. It’ll be front-page news tomorrow. I had no choice but to allow Kay to set the record straight before the media destroyed the Langtry name. I was trying to protect them.”

  “Where are you right now?” Kylie asked.

  “Parked at the side of the road. Maybe I’ll go home and see if I can intercept Jesse.”

  “No, meet me at my house. Aaron and I will be there shortly.”

  Nola started her car and continued on toward Ramblewood. When she pulled into her aunt and uncle’s driveway, they were waiting for her on the front porch. They ushered her inside, offering her a shoulder to cry on if she needed one.

  “I’m fine, Aunt Jean.” Nola sat on the edge of the couch and accepted the scotch on the rocks her uncle handed her. Swirling the amber liquid in the glass, Nola tried to figure out her next maneuver.

  “You remind me so much of your father when you have that look on your face,” Dan said.

  “Lieutenant General August West.” Nola tried to remember when she had last seen her father smile, realizing she didn’t think she ever had. “He’s a hard man. I hope I’m not too much like him.”

  “You have his strength and determination.” Dan smiled. “That’s where the similarities end. Although you do look a little like him around the eyes. At least in his younger days.”

  “Was the military always my father’s dream?”

  “Your father wanted to be a pilot. That’s all he talked about gr
owing up, and when he went into the Army, that’s what he thought he would become. But his vision wasn’t good enough. He certainly made the best of it, though. He’s done very well for himself and he’s proud of that.”

  “Pride comes at a price,” Nola said. “I missed so much of my childhood. I hadn’t even realized it until I started spending time with the Langtrys and saw how things are supposed to be. I’m not saying their life is like everybody else’s, but I’ve learned that our home was not normal. Now that I’ve had a taste of it, I don’t want to let go. Everything I did today was to protect the Langtrys.”

  “We know that, honey,” her aunt reassured.

  Kylie and Aaron arrived a few minutes later and Nola explained to the four of them the events leading up to Kay’s TV appearance.

  “Kay said things during that interview that Chase hadn’t mentioned to me before. I don’t know if he chose not to tell me or if he just didn’t know. I need to clear my name with them. There has to be some way for me to make them understand. Chase even threatened me with a restraining order. Do you know how that makes me feel?”

  “If any man ever threatened me with a restraining order, that would be the last time he ever saw me.” Kylie turned her head toward Aaron.

  “What are you looking at me for?” Aaron gave his fiancée a kiss on the cheek.

  “I know you have strong feelings for Chase, and because I know him so well, I’ll give him a pass this time, but only this once.” Kylie turned toward Aaron again. “Do you think you could talk to Jesse and get him to see things from Nola’s perspective?”

  “Sure,” Aaron agreed. “Although I think Miranda is my better bet. She was attempting to calm Jesse down. I think she realized there was more going on than what we saw on television.”

  Nola slumped against the back of the couch. If Miranda had suspected something was up, then maybe Kay had, too. Nola hoped she’d given Kay enough body signals to let her know she wasn’t purposely being malicious.

  “Something about Scott David keeps nagging at me and I can’t put my finger on it. I’ve followed every lead I could think of and things just don’t add up. My sources told me Scott hadn’t spoken to his grandfather in over twenty years. It was only when Nate David went into a nursing home that Scott showed any interest in the man. That leads me to believe the issue was financial all along, but Scott’s net worth is a million times more than Nate’s. I can’t get the puzzle pieces to fit together, and I feel like the Langtrys are running out of time. With the Mistletoe Rodeo in a few days, they can’t afford to have their name dragged through the mud. If that event fails, the people who are in such desperate need of the food bank’s assistance will be the ones who suffer the most.”

  “I know someone who can help,” Aaron said. “I’m sure if we go there right now, he’ll do whatever he can.”

  “We all will.” Jean took Nola’s hands in hers. “I know we haven’t spent a lot of time together over the years, but we’ll do anything to help you.”

  Nola wished she had made more of an effort with her aunt and uncle before now. They were supporting her despite the distance she’d maintained, and she was glad.

  Nola actually did have a family, one she could count on.

  * * *

  AFTER KAY’S DISASTROUS INTERVIEW, the entire Langtry family met back at the ranch. Chase was so mad at Nola, he had difficulty seeing straight. If this was her idea of revenge for the way he’d treated her at her condo, then he wanted nothing to do with her.

  “How much damage did that do to us?” Cole asked.

  Jon perused his iPad before setting it down. “Actually, Nola may have done you a favor.”

  “She broke a scandal about our father on the six o’clock news and you think she did us a favor?” Shane spat. “It’s all over the internet already.”

  “Have you actually read what’s online?” Jon scanned the room. “Because I have, and what’s there doesn’t match what Nola said in her interview. Actually, Nola didn’t say much about Scott David at all—it was Kay who let the details out of the bag. I don’t know if that was clever planning on Nola’s part to get Kay to divulge information, or if she genuinely didn’t know as much as she thought she did.”

  Chase fumed. Regardless of what she knew, the interview should have been about the Mistletoe Rodeo. Instead, Nola had used his family so she could advance her career. He hoped it was worth it to her.

  “This was coming out whether we wanted it to or not,” Jon continued. “The timestamps on the online articles are minutes after Nola’s interview. There’s too much additional information in there for the interview to have triggered those articles.”

  “You think somebody had already leaked the story?” Cole asked.

  “I do.” Jon rubbed the back of his neck. “I think it was Scott David. The Times is reporting an exclusive.”

  “When Nola ran into the studio before the interview, she was visibly upset,” Kay said. “She asked me to follow her lead and trust her. I’m sorry if some of you don’t agree, but in my heart of hearts, I know she was trying to tell me something. Something had happened—”

  “Mom?” Cole asked. “What is it?”

  “Something did happen.” Kay looked at Chase. He hadn’t noticed the dark circles under his mother’s eyes until then and they concerned him. “Nola had a phone call.”

  She was right. That was why Nola had left the room moments before the interview. “When she didn’t return right away, her producer began to panic,” Chase added.

  Kay’s shoulders straightened. “When she came back, her whole demeanor had changed.”

  “That’s interesting. She may have been tipped off that the story was about to break,” Jon said. “In the meantime, if anyone asks you anything, say no comment. There’s security in place at all the ranch entrances, and the one reporter who did manage to get in has been removed.”

  Feeling claustrophobic, Chase stepped out onto the back porch overlooking the ranch—the legacy of his father, grandfather and great-grandfather. How could one man, a stranger to most of them, viciously attack his father’s name? Even if there was the slightest bit of truth to his story, he could at least have the decency to speak to the family directly. Threatening and demanding exorbitant amounts of money made Scott David a coward in his book.

  Furthermore, he could have saved his attack on the family until after the Mistletoe Rodeo. Chase hadn’t expected to get so attached to the project, but now he wondered if all their efforts had been for naught. One of the biggest draws to the event was his family’s name. If people suspected the Langtrys of illegal business dealings, the whole thing might fall apart.

  As for Nola, she was his problem. He had brought her into his family and he was prepared to pay for the repercussions. He had gained full access to his trust fund on his birthday and he would personally replenish any food bank funding the Mistletoe Rodeo lost. Chase refused to allow anyone’s Christmas to suffer because of his actions. Too many people deserved the community’s help, and Chase would be damned if he’d stand by and let anyone take it away from them.

  * * *

  “OH, NO!” NOLA, Kylie and Aaron stood on Clay Tanner’s front step. “You’re not welcome here.”

  “Clay.” Aaron wedged himself between Nola and the closing door. “I’m asking you as a friend to listen to what Nola has to say. Once you do, I promise you won’t turn her away.”

  “Let them in, Clay.” A woman’s voice came from the other side of the door.

  Clay stepped aside and they filed into his living room.

  “Hi, Nola.” The woman who spoke was blonde and very petite. “I’m Abby, Clay’s wife. Please pardon his manners. We would’ve met at the cookie party, but I was on my way back from Charleston that night and couldn’t get there in time. I’m sorry I missed it.” Abby turned toward Aaron and Kylie and gave them a group hug. “I know I can’t tell you two enough, but I am over-the-moon happy for you both.”

  Abby might be friendly, but her husband
was shooting Nola death rays with his eyes from across the room. Two more people walked out of the kitchen to join them.

  “I don’t know if you’ve met or not. This is my twin sister, Bridgett, and her husband, Adam,” Abby said.

  Twin sister? That was unexpected. At least a foot in height separated the two women. “Actually, I’ve known Bridgett for a few years,” Nola said. “You used to wait tables at The Magpie.”

  “What brings you by?” Tight, thin lips replaced Bridgett’s usual smile. Warmth had definitely taken a vacation.

  “I’m assuming you’ve all seen the news.” Aaron stood in the middle of the room playing referee. “I’m asking you to listen to what Nola has to say. And, Clay, as a friend of the Langtrys and the best private investigator I know, we need your help.”

  Nola told her story once again. By the time she had finished, Clay was hanging on every word. Believing she wanted to help the Langtrys, he broke protocol and filled her in on what she didn’t already know.

  “I want to see Nate David,” Nola said. “If he has at least some coherency, then maybe he can tell me something about the day in question. Maybe even the name of a friend who could vouch for him at the time. There’s quite a gap between the time Scott says Nate developed Alzheimer’s and when he actually went into the nursing home.”

  “I want to know who’s been visiting him,” Clay added. “Whoever’s dropping in on him now may have been around back then. But, Nola, you can’t go there. The risk of somebody recognizing you from television is too great, even all the way up there.”

  “I’ll do it.” Abby stood and removed her HC General credentials from her handbag. “I work at Dance of Hope, but I’m also a physical therapist for the hospital here. I have the perfect cover.”

  Clay sighed and rolled his eyes. “I have to admit you would fit rather nicely into this investigation.”

  “Finally!” Abby clapped her hands together. “I’ve been asking to assist him for over a year now. He always says no.”

  “Do you really think Joe Langtry is innocent?” Bridgett asked Clay. “You knew him better than any of us.”