The Wedding Gift (Colorado Billionaires Book 7)

by Regina Duke

  “Okay,” said Kenzie. “I guess I went a little crazy. I realized that he was just using me and I had to get out of there. By then, I knew the whole thing with the house was a lie. In fact, the real estate company had discovered that we were living there and threatened to call the police if we didn’t get out by noon. So I had to go. The only place I could think of was home. But I had no transportation. Then I found his spare set of keys in my purse. I went downstairs to the garage, found a hammer, broke the padlock, and took the car. At first, I thought I would just drive home in it and then leave it somewhere so he could find it. But by the time I got to Eagle’s Toe, I don't know… it all came crashing down on me. My parents thought I was doing really well in Denver. They thought I had a house there that I was selling. I sort of exaggerated in my letters.” She gave a little shrug of surrender. “They asked me to come home and help them because things weren’t going well on the farm. They didn’t know I was in debt. Thirty thousand may not sound like much to some people, but I was making minimum wage plus tip money. My parents were going to be horribly disappointed, and I felt like my life was ruined. I got angrier and angrier as I drove, and when I passed a sign for Old Quarry Road something in me just snapped. I took off the license plates, and I pushed the car over the edge of the quarry. That car was the only thing Todd ever really cared about, and at that moment, I just wanted to hurt him back.”

  When Kenzie fell silent, Clayton said softly, “Maybe that Perrier is a good idea.”

  Ryan pushed a button on his desk and said, “Jasmine? Could you bring us three bottles of Perrier, please?”

  After a few moments, Jasmine entered with the water on the tray. She didn’t ask any questions, and she pretended she didn’t even see that Kenzie was weeping softly in her chair. She placed the tray on the desk, turned, and left. Ryan said quietly, “Don’t worry. Jasmine never talks about what goes on in this office.”

  Kenzie wiped her eyes with the palm of one hand. Clayton reached for a tissue from the box on the corner of Ryan’s desk and handed it to her.

  Ryan opened the bottles of Perrier. As Clayton and Kenzie sipped their water, Ryan said, “Let’s see. Your ex-boyfriend used you to get money through fake credit cards and lied to you about the house you thought you were buying. We also have a classic Mustang pushed off a cliff at the old quarry. We still haven’t gotten to the money you found.”

  Clayton nodded. “That’s coming up,” he said. “Kenzie thought that Todd would just go away. After all, she did have the credit card fraud to hold over his head. But his texts and his threats kept getting more bold and obnoxious. The one that I saw was really awful. We decided that he seemed to need the car to insure his personal safety, but Kenzie never heard him rant like that before about the Mustang. So we began wondering if there might be something in the car that he wanted. And that’s why we went to the quarry and searched it. To be honest, I half expected to find drugs in the car. But when we opened up the spare tire well, we found dozens of bundles of hundred dollar bills.”

  Ryan’s eyes grew wide. “Dozens? Did you count it?”

  “No. It was getting dark. We were using a flashlight, and if there was a night watchman, we thought he might see our light and wonder what we were doing. We had already heard a rumor about someone finding a new wreck out there. Evidently, they had spotted someone else’s husk of a vehicle. But Kenzie was worried that the Mustang might be discovered any day, so we took the money out of the trunk and buried it in a slag heap.”

  Ryan looked at Kenzie and asked, “Any idea where he might have gotten that money?”

  Kenzie shook her head. “He had a lot of bad friends,” she said. “I know some of them did drugs. The hard stuff. Not marijuana. But I never trusted them. In fact, I was afraid of them. And as the months rolled by, I realized that Todd was no different than they were. Whatever they were into, Todd was into. But he never told me anything about what they did, where they went, or how they earned their money. So I have no idea.”

  Clayton said, “As soon as we left the quarry, we decided that the smartest move would be to get a lawyer in order to make sure that Kenzie had all the help she might need. What if it’s drug money? Or what if he robbed a bank?”

  Ryan asked, “Have you spent any of it?”

  Clayton said, “No. I mean really, if the money is illegal, it might be marked or the serial numbers might be traceable. So we left it there. We didn’t take anything.”

  At that moment, Kenzie made a strange little sound and dropped her Perrier all over the rug.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Kenzie gasped. “I’m so sorry!” She scrambled to pick up the bottle.

  “No problem.” Hutch grabbed a handful of tissues from the box on his desk and came around to sop up the wet spot. Once he was back in his chair, he asked, “Does that mean you’ve already spent some of the money?”

  Kenzie shook her head vigorously. “No. Of course not.” She looked away. Part of her wanted to say nothing, but what if Clayton was right? What if the money was ill-gotten gains and the authorities traced it back to her mother? She bowed her head, then looked apologetically at Clayton. “I took one of the bundles. I left it for my mother just this morning.”

  Clayton reassured her. “Your folks don’t have a vehicle right now, so I doubt they’ll be spending it soon.”

  “I’d hate to get them in trouble.” She tightened her hold on her Perrier bottle, determined not to drop it again.

  Ryan picked up his pencil and tapped the tablet. “Did you count it?”

  “Yes.” Kenzie looked from Clayton to Hutch and back. “That one bundle was over ten thousand dollars.”

  “Wow,” said Clayton. “We moved how many? Twelve? Fifteen bundles?”

  Hutch made notes. “So we’re talking at least $120,000, if all the bundles were the same.” He frowned. “Now we know why he’s been sending threatening texts. May I see his messages?” He held out a hand. Reluctantly, Kenzie thumbed the screen to life and handed over her phone. She chewed her bottom lip as Hutch scrolled through the texts from Todd.

  “Wow,” he said at last. “They certainly escalated in a hurry. Why haven’t you blocked his number?” He added notes to his legal pad, then handed the phone back.

  Kenzie sighed. “Because when he’s angry, he rants. And he tends to give himself away. He hasn’t found me yet, but when he does, he’ll probably send me another all-caps message saying he knows where I am. He can’t help himself. He’s not big on self-control. He wants to scare me. If I block him, I’ll never know what he’s thinking or where he is.”

  “Understood,” said Hutch. “Don’t erase those texts. They’ll support a legal claim if you want to file for an injunction.”

  “Okay.” She glanced sideways at Clayton. “What do we do now?”

  Ryan spoke. “Does anyone else know about this?”

  Kenzie’s knuckles were white around the bottle. “Not unless someone stumbles over the Mustang.”

  Ryan raised a brow. “You mean, not until someone stumbles over it.”

  Clayton held up a finger. “Wait. I asked my cousin Thor to investigate this guy. He said he should have some info for me tomorrow.”

  Ryan jotted something down. “Your cousin is Thor Garrison?”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you mind if I call him?”

  “Fine by me,” said Clayton. “Kenzie?”

  “Yes, fine.” She frowned at Clayton. “I don’t remember you telling me you talked to your cousin.”

  Clayton reached for her hand. “I was worried about you,” he said softly. “I wanted to know what kind of guy we’re up against.”

  “We? I like that part.” Kenzie smiled, then sobered. She wasn’t sure if she was pleased or irritated by the rest of it. “He hangs out with a really bad crowd. Maybe I’m being silly, but there are at least three of them who really scare me. It’s not just the black leather and the motorcycles. They got a kick out of staring at me so long and hard that I would run back int
o the house. Todd strutted around when I was present, but I saw him change his attitude many times after I went inside. I could see through the window that there were at least two of the gang that he kowtows to.”

  “A gang?” asked Ryan. “Do they have a name?”

  Kenzie shrugged. “I don’t know. They just felt like a gang to me. But they didn’t wear emblems on their jackets like the Hell’s Angels or anything.”

  Ryan nodded and jotted more on his pad. “Anything else you can tell me?”

  Kenzie shrugged. “His phone number?”

  Hutch’s lips twitched in a tiny grin. “I got that when you showed me your phone. No permanent address?”

  Kenzie sagged in her chair. “No.” She glanced at Clayton. “We were squatting in that house. That’s what the realtor called it when she discovered us. He was lying to me about everything.”

  Ryan opened his desk drawer and pulled out a pair of printed forms. He leaned forward and slid them toward Clayton and Kenzie. “I’d like you to fill these out so I have some basic information. While you’re doing that, I’ll write you a receipt for your retainer. Kenzie, don’t forget to put down the address of that house you were living in. And I’ll need your social security number.”

  Kenzie took a deep breath and willed her fears to leave on the exhale. “Will I go to jail for wrecking his stupid car?”

  Ryan was already writing out a receipt. “Let me take care of that,” he said. “Also, I’ll start working on those fake credit cards.”

  “You mean, I won’t have to pay them off?” Kenzie’s voice was full of hope.

  “This Todd fellow committed a crime by falsifying those applications and running up charges in your name without your knowledge. I should be able to help with that issue. If you can remember the names of the credit companies, add them to the bottom of your form. It will make my job easier.”

  “Whatever you say,” she said, bending to fill out the form. Clayton had already finished his. When he slid it toward Ryan, he received the receipt for their retainers in exchange.

  Ryan asked, “You haven’t told your parents about these problems?”

  Kenzie blushed. “No. I was afraid to. They’ll be so disappointed in me.”

  Ryan shook his head. “They asked you to come home and help, and you came. That probably scored you a ton of points. With a little luck, we may get this cleared up before you have to tell them anything.”

  “What about the money I left for my mom?”

  “She can hang onto it for a couple of days.” He tapped his eraser against his desk. “Of course, she’ll probably have a thousand questions about where it came from.”

  “I left a note telling her I’d finally received some of the money I was owed.”

  Ryan leaned back in his chair. “Well, what’s done is done. Let me make some phone calls, do my lawyer magic, and see what I can find out.”

  “What about the money in the quarry?” asked Clayton.

  Ryan clucked his tongue a few times. “Kenzie, how sure are you that Todd will let you know when he’s coming?”

  “Very sure. Should we move the cash?”

  Ryan held up a hand. “Not yet. Even if someone finds the car, there’s no reason for them to start digging around in slag piles. Let me figure out a few things first.” He glanced at the forms they’d completed. “Good. I’ve got your phone numbers. You may hear from me later today. If not, definitely tomorrow.”

  They shook hands all around.

  Kenzie felt like a new woman when they stepped out onto the sidewalk. “I know this isn’t over,” she said, “but thanks to you, I feel like there’s hope for the first time in months. How can I ever repay you?”

  Clayton put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “Consider it a gift.”

  Kenzie kissed his cheek. “You are amazing.”

  Clayton grinned as he opened the Mercedes door for her. Then he said, “You ain’t seen nothing yet. I have a surprise for you.”

  * * *

  Clayton refused to say another word, even though Kenzie pelted him with questions and guesses as he drove. When he pulled into Brady’s Garage, she stopped talking.

  “We’re here.”

  Kenzie pinned him with a suspicious glance. “Clayton Masters, what have you done?”

  Clayton shrugged. “I just had a little talk with Brady Felton. No big deal. You coming?” He smiled at her.

  Kenzie opened her own door and slammed it hard. “Clayton! I only make ten dollars an hour. That’s not enough to cover a car payment.” She clutched her purse and lowered her voice. “I can’t afford a vehicle right now.”

  “We’ll see.” He cupped her cheek with the palm of his hand. “Let’s just go talk to Brady. That won’t hurt anything.” He opened the door to the office for her.

  Inside, Brady looked up from his computer screen. “Clayton! Good to see you. Morning, Kenzie. Or is it noon already?”

  “Almost,” said Clayton. “Is it ready?”

  “Not yet, but most likely it will be by, say, Monday afternoon? About the time Kenzie gets off work.”

  “Is what ready?” Kenzie looked from one to the other. “What have you two done?”

  Clayton grinned. “Brady, would you like to do the honors?”

  Brady looked like the cat that ate the canary. “It’s a pleasure.” He led the way through the waiting room to the door to the garage. “We can go through here. It’s out on the lot.” He talked as he walked. “You’ve been away to school, Kenzie, so you may not know this, but when my uncle died and left me this shop, there were a lot of loose ends to deal with. One of the reasons I decided to stay in Eagle’s Toe was the fact that a number of locals stepped up to help me through that first year. And your father was one of them.”

  “He always believed in helping his neighbors,” said Kenzie. She looked a question at Clayton.

  He just smiled and nodded for her to follow Brady.

  They stopped by a gray Ford F350. Brady patted the hood. “I’ve been repairing this truck in my spare time. Usually, I rebuild Volkswagens. The old ones. But I couldn’t resist this challenge. A guy from Pueblo was off-roading with it, and he messed it up pretty bad. The transmission was limping along, and I had to do a rebuild on the engine. He decided he didn’t want to pay for the repairs when he saw my estimate, so we settled on a price, and he signed the pink slip over to me. It’s a six-year-old 6.4 liter V8 Turbo Diesel crew cab, can carry hay or haul a trailer, whatever you need around the farm.”

  Clayton watched Kenzie examine the truck as Brady described its features. Her desire for the vehicle was obvious.

  When Brady finished, Kenzie crossed her arms. “Okay, give me the bad news. How much?”

  Brady glanced at Clayton, who cleared his throat and held his palms up as if to stave off Kenzie’s reaction. “Your parents need transportation. I love driving for you, but they have two dead trucks and no way to get around. I put a thousand down on this for you.”

  Kenzie’s eyes widened. “I can’t let you do that.”

  “Why not? Look, Kenzie, some day, I’m going to come into some money. Serious money. Okay? Meanwhile, just for breathing, I get an allowance. If I can send four thousand a month to support orphanages in China, I can make your truck payments. Until, you know, you get on your feet. It’s okay.”

  Kenzie’s mouth dropped open.

  “It’s a gift,” said Clayton.

  Kenzie shook her head in disbelief. “I’m speechless.”

  “I’ll pick you up Monday afternoon at work, and I’ll bring you over here so you can drive your truck home. How’s that?”

  For a nanosecond, she looked disappointed. “I suppose it’s not fair to have you driving me back and forth.”

  Clayton smiled. “Actually, I love doing that. This truck is for your parents. They needed you to help them out, and this is a great way to start.”

  Kenzie’s eyes glistened with tears. Before Clayton knew what was coming, she threw her arms around
his neck and kissed him deeply. When the kiss ended, she pressed her palms against his chest. “How will I ever repay you?”

  “It’s a gift, remember?” It came out a whisper because he could barely breathe after her kiss.

  “This will be a huge shot in the arm for my folks. Thank you so much. Brady, you, too.”

  “Your dad was there for me when I needed help,” he said. “Glad to return the favor.”

  Kenzie wiped away a tear and nodded. “This is so overwhelming. I never realized how many wonderful friends my parents have.”

  Clayton breathed a sigh of relief. “Excellent. Truck problem solved. Oh. There is one thing.”

  Kenzie eyed him sideways. “What?”

  “The Garrison barbecue tomorrow? Please come with me and promise me that at the end of the day, you’ll still love me.”

  Kenzie laughed. “Why wouldn’t I?”

  “Because my aunt Polly is probably going to give you the third degree.”

  “No problem,” said Kenzie, leaning against him. “I’ve got a lawyer.”

  * * *

  Kenzie felt she was floating on air for the rest of the day. She slipped one arm around Clayton’s waist and tucked two fingers into the waist of his jeans, while he draped an arm around her shoulders as if it were glued there.

  She knew she ate lunch because he let her direct him to The Nest, the mom-and-pop burger joint where she and her high school friends used to spend hours hanging out. He confessed he’d been there before but would not have found it again on a bet. She told him about their contests to see who could make a large Coke last the longest, and he challenged her to see if she could make her fries last longer than his. After fifteen minutes, he gave up and scarfed the rest of his down. Then she took pity on him and told him she only liked them hot.

  “Once that hot-fry window closes,” she said, “I might as well toss them out.”

  “Well, thanks for explaining. I was beginning to think my father was right and I had no will power.”

  So she definitely ate lunch, but other than the fries, she couldn’t remember what she had. All she could focus on were Clayton’s kiwi-green eyes and that marvelous, sensuous mouth. Now that she knew what it felt like to kiss those lips, she couldn’t stop thinking about it.