Brody agreed with a crisp nod, then offered, “Though this connection to Joel does give a reason why this inspector is being pickier than usual, don’t you think?”
Chase ran a hand across his neck. “Why, because Joel is also a builder?”
“It’s a connection that seems a little fishy.”
“Maybe.” The second the word left his mouth, he shook his head. “There’s no way Joel would do this to me. Christ, he was Dad’s close friend. We grew up with that man. He was my mentor. He’s always been kind and supportive. This doesn’t make sense.”
“Good men do fucked-up things sometimes.” It was a statement that seemed slightly directed at Chase. Brody shoved his hands into his pockets. “It’s a strange enough connection to maybe make it worth taking a deeper look at Joel. Besides, when it comes to money, you don’t know what people can do. You’re a pretty big threat to Joel. He’s been the main builder here in River Rock. And your work outshines him a thousand times over.”
A compliment? Brody cooling off wasn’t a surprise. He had a hot temper and usually came to see sense soon enough. But he seemed a little too lax, leaving Chase to wonder if Harper had talked to him.
He kept his thoughts on task, realizing something he had not thought of before. “Now that I think of it, at the beginning of the week, I saw Joel outside the vet clinic when I was picking up Houdini. He offered me a job.”
“I take it you turned it down?” Brody asked.
Chase nodded, not liking where his thoughts were taking him. “Which I suppose is a good motive to try and put a dent in my reputation.” He glanced out at the farmhouse, seeing only the outline of the home in the shadows. Joel had been close to his father, even coming for Sunday night dinners with his wife quite often. This was too dirty, too shady to be about Joel. Turning back to Brody, he said, “I’m going to give Joel the benefit of the doubt here, but it’s definitely something to look into. Thanks for the heads-up.”
Brody nodded and paused. “I’m not the one you should be thanking. I didn’t come across this information myself.”
Chase frowned. “Who got it?”
“Harper.” Brody shifted on his feet from side to side. “She was at the Spurs earlier, and I guess Joel came into the bar. She and Megan hit on him, got him drunk, and then got him talking.”
A lot crossed Chase’s mind with that information, but he kept on point. The rest he’d tell Harper himself. “Why didn’t Harper come here if this was her news to share?” he asked.
Brody’s stare held Chase’s. “You know why.”
“Yeah, I guess I do.” Quite the way to force Brody to talk to Chase. Harper had outsmarted her brother once again.
“So . . .” Brody shifted on his feet, glancing everywhere but at Chase. “She’s sad.”
“I imagine she is.”
Brody glanced up, then. Chase saw the change immediately. This was his friend; a man who loved his little sister fiercely and was loyal to those in his life. “You make her happy.”
“She makes me happy.”
Brody hesitated, looking at his boots. “It pisses me off when she’s sad.”
“Me too.”
“When she cries . . .” Brody’s hard gaze lifted, his jaw muscles working. “I fucking hate that.”
“So do I.”
“I made her cry.” Brody took a step forward, staring Chase directly in the eye. “Don’t do that to her. Promise me.”
Chase cupped Brody’s shoulder. “You know I wouldn’t ever hurt her.”
“You’re right—I do know that.” Brody heaved a long sigh then offered his hand.
Tension and weight seemed to drain off Brody before Chase’s eyes. Maybe Brody realized he would not have to worry about Harper anymore. Chase stared at Brody’s outstretched hand for a long moment, realizing exactly what Brody was offering.
A life with Harper.
Before Chase sealed his promise, he leaned in, nose to nose with his oldest friend. “The next time you punch me, just know I’ll knock you flat on your ass.”
“You could try.” Brody laughed.
Chase returned the handshake, pulling Brody into him in a rough hug.
Chapter 15
Bright and early on Monday morning, Chase sat on the cold, hard plastic chair in the reception area, his cell phone tucked into his front pocket. Behind the blond receptionist who sat at the large cherrywood desk was a water wall with BRECKENRIDGE CONSTRUCTION written on it in carved-out stone. Whenever Chase drove by the building, he didn’t think it looked like much from the outside. Now he knew differently. Apparently, Joel had done well for himself over the last few years. Which only firmed up the assumption that maybe he was behind this inspector.
Chase sighed, tapping his boot against the hardwood floors. He kept his focus on the receptionist ahead of him, waiting for that moment when he could question Joel. Shep sat in the chair next to him, one ankle crossed over his knee, while Nash stood at the window, staring out with his arms folded, posture stiff.
“Boys.”
Chase slowly looked up, all his anxiousness turning into simmering hot rage, clenching his fists.
Standing in the hallway to the left of the reception desk, Joel waved them back. “Come on in.”
Shep gave Chase a quick look and a firm nod and rose, approaching Joel.
Chase hung back, snagging Nash’s arm when he went to stride by him. “Let me talk to him.” The last thing Chase needed was Nash’s hot temper bringing in the police, and word of that spreading. “Got it?”
“Yeah, all right, got it.” Nash nodded.
“Do not make me regret bringing you,” Chase said again, determined to get his point across.
“Yeah, yeah, I hear ya.” Nash strode toward the hallway, obviously giving the receptionist one of his charming smiles since she blushed.
Chase snorted and shook his head, following in behind, taking in his brother’s easy gait and relaxed shoulders. That was a good sign. He passed by the lavish offices filled with fancy computers and modern furniture, and Chase began to wonder if this could be a motive for Joel to backstab him. Joel’s overhead was clearly high.
He soon followed Nash into Joel’s office. The space was better suited to a CEO with its huge fancy rustic desk and leather chair in front of a stone wall. Chase settled into the client chair next to Shep, preparing himself to ask questions he was not entirely sure he wanted the answers to. Being backstabbed by Clint would have made sense. Joel doing this made Chase’s head spin.
Before he could even part his lips, Nash approached the desk and pointed his finger at Joel. “You motherfucker.”
Chase sighed and leaned back in his chair, crossing his ankle. “That lasted long.” He glanced at Shep.
Shep fought his smile.
Joel began to rise from his desk, eyes focused on Nash. “Excuse me?”
“Sit back down,” Nash spat, his neck corded.
Joel sat real quick.
Nash pressed his hands against the desk and leaned in. “How could you do this to us, Joel? You’ve been at our house. You’ve eaten at our dining table. You were a friend of Dad’s. You better start explaining yourself.”
Chase watched Joel closely, waiting for him to react and defend himself.
That never came. Instead, Joel’s eyebrows gathered in and he gave a heavy sigh. “You know.”
Nash backed away from the desk, leaning against the window, crossing his arms. Calm and collected, he added, “We didn’t know for certain, but we do now.”
Chase gave Nash a nod and a smile. All right, his younger brother had proved that his way was sometimes better. Chase could live with that. He turned to Joel. “You have to explain all this to me, Joel. Because from where I’m sitting, none of this makes any sense.”
Joel scrubbed a hand over his face before addressing them. “This was not something I wanted you to find out. I know you’re going to be upset, but this isn’t personal. I never wanted to shut you down. I simply wanted to delay your
grand opening.”
Chase frowned. “Why?”
“You invited one of my top investors, Ian Stark, to your grand opening,” Joel explained.
At that, Shep cocked his head. “You’re telling us that you had Todd find problems that weren’t there because you were worried about losing a deal to Chase?”
“I know how that sounds, boys, but this is business.” Joel leaned back, his chair squeaking beneath him. “A week ago, we were all ready to sign on a new resort we’re starting next year. Then Stark received your invitation to the grand opening and wanted to delay on signing because he wanted to see what you could do.” Joel paused before his expression became pained. “This isn’t just me here. I’m the small duck in the pond. But I am the link that brought in the investor.”
Nash inhaled sharply, nearly showing teeth. “So, you pulled strings to get Todd to do the inspection?”
“I did what I had to do,” Joel replied. He turned to Chase, and his voice softened. “We’re talking about big money here. Your father understood that sometimes you had to get your hands dirty in this game. You boys need to understand that too. It’s not personal.”
Ice ran through Chase’s blood. He was so damn sick of people telling him that business wasn’t personal. “No, Joel, you’re wrong.” He rose, feeling the shake of his fingers. “This is dirty business. That’s not a game our father ever played.” He took a step forward toward Joel’s desk, then pressed his hands against the desk, leaning in. “Listen to me very carefully. You’re going to call Todd and tell him to pass the ranch in the inspection—not later, not tomorrow, right now.” He leaned even closer and promised, “If that does not happen, I will call every investor in the state of Colorado and share what you’ve done.”
Something crossed Joel’s face then that was so cold compared to the warm man they grew up around. The kind and generous man who had mentored Chase. “I would do that,” Joel said, “but I’m afraid you have no proof, and nothing has changed here. I cannot let your grand opening happen. I’m sorry, boys.”
Shocked by this stranger in front of him, Chase reached into his pocket, taking out his cell phone. He stopped the recording then hit play. Each word spoken from the speaker darkened Joel’s expression.
Nash sidled next to Chase at the desk. His voice was light, his smile cocky. “Luckily for us, we already have an in with a reporter at the newspaper who I’m sure would be all over this story.”
Shep rose, moving to the other side of Chase, showing the solid front they always had between them. “Do not doubt for a second that we will use whatever arsenal we have to bury you with what we know.”
Joel’s chin dipped, something different passing across his expression now. Whether it was remorse or resignation that he had been caught, Chase really didn’t care either way. All that mattered was that Joel reached for the phone on his desk and dialed a number, pressing the phone to his ear.
“Todd, it’s Joel,” he said a second later. “Pass the Blackshaws’ project.” Another pause. “Just do it.” He hung up the phone, staring at Chase. “Boys. Listen—”
Chase was done with him. Done with every goddamn thing that stood in his way lately. Because with all this dealt with, his responsibilities gone from his shoulders, he did not want to be here. There was only one place he wanted to be. “Take this as the warning I mean it to be. Do not come near our mother again.”
“Boys,” Joel repeated.
Chase refused to hear more. Leaving his brothers in the office, he walked briskly past the receptionist and out the front door. The bright sun had him squinting, heating the top of his head as he jogged toward his truck in the parking lot.
When he reached the truck’s door, Shep called out from behind. “Where are you going?”
Chase opened the truck’s door, climbed up, and called back, “To correct a wrong.”
Before Chase could shut the door, Nash yelled, “Go shower first. You look and smell like shit.”
One quick look in the rearview mirror and . . . Fuck.
* * *
Across town, Harper pulled to a stop at the red light. Pedestrians filled the sidewalks on Main Street, most of them tourists. She studied the people, always able to spot a local out of the crowd. They walked a little slower, smiled a bit more at strangers. When she’d moved to Denver, that was what she missed most of all about River Rock.
She passed by three parked cars before she spotted an empty spot and drove into it. She stared at the busy street ahead of her, wondering how Chase was doing. Emma had called and said the guys were on their way to speak to Joel, and also asked Harper to come meet her downtown. She worried about him. And also hoped after today, all this business with the inspector would be done.
Soon, she would check in on him. For now, she exited the car, locking the doors behind her to keep all her boxes of belongings safe. When she moved onto the sidewalk, she spotted Emma and Megan sitting on the bench farther down.
As she drew closer, she called, “Hey.”
Emma and Megan both looked her way, and Emma called her forward with a wave. “We’ve got a seat just for you.”
Harper made it there quickly and sat between them, staring at the faded CLAYTON’S DINER sign atop the front door of the restaurant.
Megan crossed her legs, revealing cute strappy sandals. “Got all your stuff to move in?”
“Yeah.” Harper nodded. “Brody helped me pack as much as we could in the car. I need to make another quick trip home later to grab the rest, but there’s only a few more boxes left.”
“Cool,” Megan chirped. “Oh, and before I forget . . .” She reached into her purse and offered a key. “For you.”
Harper accepted the key and smiled. “Thank—”
“Would you stop thanking me?” Megan rolled her eyes. “Friends help friends. That’s what we do.”
Emma gave a firm nod.
Harper wanted to thank her for that comment too but let it go. She glanced ahead of her then looked from side to side. “All right, if I can’t thank you, then why doesn’t someone tell me why we’re here?”
Emma pointed forward. “Because of that.”
Harper stared at the restaurant again. “Are we going for lunch?”
“No, silly.” Emma slid her arm into Harper’s. “When Megan said you weren’t going to work at the Spurs anymore because you wanted to do the whole restaurant thing, I talked to Shep.”
“Okay,” Harper drawled, confused.
Emma drew in a deep breath and spoke fast. “Shep went to high school with this guy who’s a real estate agent now. So, I asked Shep to ask this guy if there were any restaurants on the market.”
Harper read between the lines, trying to spot a for sale sign in the window. “This place doesn’t look like it’s on the market.”
“Because it’s not really for sale.” Emma paused, shaking her head. “No, that came out wrong. It is for sale, but only to the right person. I guess the man who owns it—”
“Clayton?” Harper interjected with a smile.
Emma and Megan laughed.
“Wild guess.” Emma winked. “Anyways, Shep told me Clayton wants to retire, but he wants to sell the place to someone local.”
“I guess that’s where I come in?” Harper offered.
Emma gave a crisp nod. “I know this is all really pushy of me, and maybe not what you want, but I—”
Harper placed a hand on Emma’s arm, stopping that line of thought in its tracks. “This was really sweet of you. There’s nothing wrong with us taking a look.”
Emma glanced up through her lashes, eyes twinkling. “That’s what I thought too.”
Harper studied the restaurant. Two large windows hugged the front door with a brass door handle that looked to be original. The awning above the door was white and worn and in desperate need of a makeover. From what Harper could see on the inside, and by the name, it was your standard mom-and-pop diner.
“The best part of all,” said Megan, “you’re only tw
o blocks from the Spurs.”
“That is a big selling point.” Harper smiled.
“Sooooo,” Emma drawled. “Wanna go in and see it? The realtor said we could drop by anytime.”
Harper regarded Emma’s excited eyes, then took in Megan’s big smile. “Sure, why not.”
Emma all but bounced to her feet then opened the front door, a bell announcing their arrival. Harper inhaled the aroma of greasy bacon and eggs. While she always loved a gourmet meal, the world needed places like this too. The booths were full of customers as they passed by, not a single seat available until they got to the last booth.
Megan slid in and Emma took Harper’s hand, leading her toward the man standing behind the cash register. He had the type of face that welcomed you in. With his round blue eyes and soft smile, she thought he looked oddly familiar, but she couldn’t quite place him.
“Hi,” said Emma. “Are you Clayton?”
“I am,” he said. “I take it you’re Harper?”
Harper raised her hand. “That’d be me.” She offered her hand. “Harper McKinney.”
Clayton returned the firm handshake then ran a hand over his bald head. “Geez, girl, looking at you makes me feel old.” When Harper nibbled her lip, trying to figure out where she knew him from, he chuckled. “You don’t remember me?”
“No, I’m sorry,” she said with a cringe.
“That’s not much of a surprise, really. I used to play tennis with your father when you were little.”
Awareness suddenly filled her mind, childhood memories overwhelming her. “Oh, yes, it’s coming back to me now. I knew you looked familiar, I just didn’t know where from.”
“It’s been a long time.” His eyes saddened. “How’s that brother of yours doing?”
“We’re both doing great. Thank you.”
Clayton smiled. “Good to hear it. Your parents were good folk. Sad what happened to them.” Thankfully, he didn’t linger too long on that topic and moved along. “The agent was telling me that you’re looking to open a restaurant here in River Rock?”
Harper smiled at Emma. “I just recently decided this, yes.”
“Well, I’m glad to hear it,” Clayton said seriously. “I’ve been holding onto this place for a few years longer than I wanted, in hopes I would find someone local.” He leaned forward and gave her a knowing look. “You know how things are going around here. All the outsiders coming in.”
Sweet-Loving Cowboy--A Kinky Spurs Novel Page 20