A Real Cowboy

by Carla Cassidy

  “You can’t do that,” Patsy’s attorney said. “All parties have to be present and sign a mediation agreement. Patsy would never agree to this.” He swung his hand toward the document on the table in front of Schmidt.

  “Yes, I can contest her share. She is suspected of murder, as you are well aware.”

  “Being suspect and proven guilty are two different things, Mr. Adair. I won’t sign any agreement that gives Ms. Mason any portion of Reginald’s will.”

  “You’re authorized to sign on her behalf.”

  “Yes, I am.” He wore a smug look. He had the power.

  All right. Carson preferred to keep this civil, but Patsy’s attorney gave him no choice. “Might I have a word with you in private?”

  Carson stood. He extended his hand to the conference room door.

  Patsy’s attorney’s smug look changed to confusion.

  “Anything you have to say should be said in front of everyone,” Schmidt said.

  “I’m sure you won’t want me to say what I have to say in public.”

  Patsy’s attorney’s eyes twitched in question. And then concern. A guilty person always knew when their crimes had been discovered.

  Whit looked at him with a nod of encouragement, and Landry looked as if she didn’t care. She probably just wanted to get out of here.

  When the attorney didn’t move, Carson said, “I’m more than happy to oblige Mr. Schmidt.”

  Patsy’s attorney stood. “Excuse us a moment.”

  Carson led him across the hall to a smaller conference room he’d had one of the assistants reserve. On the table was an envelope that contained copies of what Whit’s assistant had.

  “I hired a private investigator to obtain these photographs. If you don’t sign on behalf of Patsy, they go to your wife.”

  Patsy’s attorney looked from the envelope to Carson. Then he snatched up the envelope and slid out the first of several photos. He didn’t look at any others. The first one was enough, as Carson suspected it would be.

  “What kind of businessman are you?” Patsy’s attorney asked.

  “I’m not.” He’d run as far and fast away from business as he could. He didn’t even work for AdAir Corp. And he didn’t like feeling as though he was acting just like his father, using blackmail to get what he wanted. His only justification was that he had to right a wrong, Patsy’s wrong, and to honor his father’s wishes. For that, he’d do anything. This was a quick and sure way to see that Patsy no longer poisoned his family.

  “You think you can get away with blackmailing me?”

  “I prefer to think of it as blackmailing my mother.”

  Patsy’s attorney scoffed. “Your family is despicable.”

  “I’ll be sure to tell Patsy that if she isn’t guilty of murdering my father.” Otherwise, he’d have to agree that at least his mother was despicable.

  “Your mother has a legitimate reason for disputing Reginald’s will.”

  “Jealousy is not a legitimate reason.” Carson took a step closer. Taller than him by six inches or more, he loomed over him. “Sign the agreement or your wife finds out about your double life.”

  “Don’t you care at all about your own mother’s wishes?”

  He shook his head. “Not in the least.”

  “This is preposterous!” Patsy’s attorney slapped the envelope down onto the table. “I won’t stand for it.”

  “Your choice.” Carson pressed the speaker on the phone and called Whit’s assistant.

  “Yes, Mr. Adair,” she said.

  “Go ahead and deliver the package.”

  “Right away, sir.”

  “Wait!” Patsy’s attorney jerked forward toward the phone as though the assistant could see him try to stop her. “That won’t be necessary.”

  “You’ll sign?” Carson asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Never mind, Carol. Wait for me to stop by your desk.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Carson ended the call. “If you don’t go into that conference room and sign the agreement, I will have those photos couriered to your wife this morning.”

  “You’re as ruthless as your father.”

  Carson had never blackmailed anyone before, and it didn’t come easy to him. “Perhaps you should be more particular about the clients you represent.” He stepped toward the door.

  “What about these?” Patsy’s attorney gestured to the photos.

  “They’re yours. The originals will go into my personal safe.”

  Anger flared from the attorney’s eyes. He picked up the envelope and took it with him.

  Back in the conference room, Schmidt looked suspicious. Whit already knew what this was about.

  “I signed the agreement, Carson.” Landry stood. “I’m going to go now.”

  “Okay, I’ll talk to you soon.”

  She left the room while Schmidt, Georgia and Ruby watched Patsy’s attorney stuff the envelope into his briefcase.

  “We’re all ready to sign the agreement.”

  Georgia looked stunned, gaping at him, no doubt wondering how he’d done it. And why.

  Patsy’s attorney signed the agreement and stood, picking up his briefcase. With a last glare at Carson, he stormed out of the conference room.

  “What did you do?” Georgia asked.

  “That’s between me and him.” He handed Ruby a pen. “It’s not important anymore. What’s important is that he signed.”

  She took it and signed the mediation agreement.

  “I’ll let you know when the transaction takes place,” Carson said.

  She smiled warmly up at him. “Thank you, Mr. Adair. Your father would be so proud.”

  He grunted derisively. “You have no idea.”

  You’re as ruthless as your father. He’d done whatever was necessary to repair the damage Patsy had left behind when she’d fled. He wasn’t happy about having to use a strong arm to make her attorney do the right thing.

  Whit came up behind him with a pat on his back. “Thanks for taking care of this, Carson.”

  “No problem. Hey.” He stopped Whit from leaving. He leaned over and picked up the papers. “Did you know about these?” He showed the pages to Whit, who studied them.

  “No.”

  “There’s contact and background information on Reginald’s housekeeper and the neighbor. He must have gotten this just before he died.”

  “And planned to go to North Carolina to talk to them?”

  “That would be my guess.”

  Whit put the papers down and looked at Carson. “Are you going to check it out?”

  “Police report said they talked to everyone, but maybe Dad had a reason for talking to them again.”

  “I’d have to agree with that,” Whit said. “Where’d you find these?”

  “On his desk. Your assistant said she had it among Elizabeth’s things. It must have passed to her before anyone noticed what it was.”

  “I’ll have to thank my assistant for being so good at her job.”

  When Whit left, Carson turned back to the remaining attendees. He saw Georgia and Ruby stand from their chairs. Unlike her stepmother, Georgia was not all aglow over the outcome of the meeting.

  “Mrs. Mason,” he said to Ruby.

  “Please, call me Ruby.”

  “Ruby.” Carson caught the roll of Georgia’s eyes. “As you know, none of us were aware that our father had another son. Your son.”

  “Yes, that came as a shock to me. I was sure he’d have told you.”

  “My father wasn’t the same man who married you.”

  “So I’ve heard.” Ruby looked sad over that, as though thinking of what could have been had Jackson not been kidnapped.

  “We need to go, Mother.”

  “It’s all right, Georgia.”

  “Whit and I have decided to take over the investigation our father was conducting to find your son, Jackson. We... I was hoping I could meet with you some time to talk about what happened. His kidnappi
ng.”

  Ruby’s face fell. She was still, even after all this time, distraught and quite possibly full of guilt.

  “No. I won’t stand for that.” Georgia turned to her stepmother. “Mother, it’s bad enough you had to take their money. You don’t have to put yourself through that again.”

  “Georgia, hush. If Mr. Adair can find Jackson, I want to do everything I can to help.”

  Georgia pinned him with a ferocious glare.

  “Please, call me Carson.” Carson met Georgia’s spitfire energy and found himself enchanted all the more. “You, too, Georgia.”

  “Come by the hotel anytime,” Ruby said.

  “I have a better idea. Why don’t I arrange for some rooms at our ranch. There’s plenty of space and we’ll have more time to talk.”

  Georgia’s eyes rounded in horror as Ruby readily agreed. Then her mouth dropped open and she beamed accusation at Carson.

  “It’s all set then. Carol has directions for you, and a car if you need it.”

  “Why, thank you, Carson.” Ruby was all smiles.

  Carson gave Georgia a slight bow, having more fun with this than he should. “I’ve got to run, but I’ll see you two lovely ladies tonight.” Saying farewell to Schmidt, he left the conference room with a chuckle he didn’t understand. Why was he so charmed? He didn’t have time for a girlfriend. Besides, Georgia had made it clear how much she despised the Adairs. Wouldn’t he be wasting his time trying to convince her she was wrong? She might not be wrong. He had, after all, just blackmailed Patsy’s attorney.

  * * *

  Georgia watched Carson leave the conference room and fought a mixture of awe and angst. He’d done what she’d least expected. She and Ruby didn’t have to fight for the inheritance. He’d made sure Ruby would have it, uncontested. Carson had become a hero for the day. But she could not allow him to suck her stepmother into a long, hopeless search for Jackson.

  Schmidt was talking to Ruby about what to do next to get her inheritance. Georgia touched Ruby’s arm, interrupting them. “Wait here, Mother. I’ll be right back.” With Ruby’s perplexed look, Georgia hurried out of the room and went after Carson.

  She armed herself against gushing gratitude and physical awareness—he was too handsome for her impression of him and his family. Inviting them to his family’s ranch was more in line with what she thought of them. It was more of a lure with the promise of pampered hospitality. He’d played Ruby, dealt her right into his hands. She wouldn’t know what hit her until it was too late. Why had he done it? So she’d cooperate and help him find Jackson? Everything this family did had to have a reward. Invite them to the big ranch. Wow them with generosity and extravagance.

  Ruby had suffered a great deal after her son’s kidnapping. She’d talked about it enough for Georgia to know how deep her scars were. She’d loved Reginald and he’d turned his back on her. From the sounds of it, he’d turned his back on everyone. And raised his sons to be just like him.

  “Mr. Adair!” She caught up to him at the elevator. In jeans and a long-sleeved Henley, he dressed casually for a man in his position at AdAir Corp. Short-cropped, light brown hair gave him a clean-cut, disciplined look, and those blue eyes dazzled, especially when he’d entered the conference room and seen her. He hadn’t just seen her, he’d touched her with his gaze, lingering on her breasts that were hidden behind the layers of her shirt and tailored jacket. Only she would know the tingle that had chased through her when he’d done that.

  He held the door for her, surprise rendering him silent.

  She stepped into the elevator. “You can’t involve Ruby in your new investigation of Jackson’s disappearance.”

  He dropped his hand from the elevator door. “Involve her? Jackson is her son. She hasn’t seen him since he was an infant. And the investigation isn’t new. My father started it. Ruby is happy that we’re going to search for him. Why aren’t you?”

  “She’s suffered such loss with the kidnapping. I’ve seen what it did to her. She’ll only be hurt more when you fail to find him.”

  He cocked his head as the elevator doors slid closed. “You’re that certain I’ll fail?”

  “No one else has succeeded in thirty-seven years. What makes you so special?”

  He looked at her without reaction. Some men would be insulted, but not him. “My own mother is the prime suspect in my father’s murder.”

  That gave Georgia pause. She looked up at the numbers as they rode the elevator to the parking garage level. He had justifiable motivation for trying to find the kidnapper. She couldn’t argue that.

  “I will find Jackson. It’s only a question of when.”

  “Do you think your father’s death is linked to Jackson’s kidnapping?” If Reginald had been investigating and discovered something, the kidnapper would have cause to kill.

  “It’s possible. But not if my mother killed him.”

  Ruby was an irrational woman. She could have any number of reasons for killing her husband.

  She faced him, imploring with her eyes. “My stepmother is so vulnerable when it comes to losing Jackson. She lost a lot more than a son when he was taken.” Her entire life had been torn apart.

  Carson’s eyes blinked in sympathy and understanding. He turned as she had, and now they faced each other in the elevator.

  “It isn’t my intent to upset you or Ruby,” he said. “I want to help you both, not hurt you. Reginald was my father. Jackson is a half brother I never knew I had. So you see, helping you helps me and my family, too. My intentions are for the good of all of us.”

  And hadn’t he proved that today? He defused her. He removed any argument she had.

  When he noticed, his blue eyes took on that playful look again, just as she’d seen them do in the conference room. He’d enjoyed being her champion, taking that lawyer to another room and coming back with a prompt signature.

  The elevator doors opened to the parking garage. Neither of them moved. She fell into the long moment, daring to toy with the temptation of believing he was different from his father.

  The elevator doors began to slide closed. He reached out and stopped them.

  She stepped out ahead of him, not ready to go back up to the conference room and get her stepmother.

  “What did you say to that lawyer up there, anyway?”

  “I reasoned with him,” Carson said.

  “Reasoned?” He had to give her more than that.

  “I helped him see that Patsy isn’t of sound mind right now.”

  She had run before she could be arrested in connection to the attempted murder of Whit’s wife, and suspicion had turned to her over her husband’s death. Who wouldn’t agree that she was crazy? He must be some negotiator if he could maneuver a haughty lawyer like that.

  “Well...I feel like I should thank you,” she said.

  “My pleasure.” He gave her a slight bow of his head.

  She warmed to him and the instinct to resist quickly followed. His chivalry didn’t change who he was—an Adair. A wealthy man. He represented everything she didn’t respect.

  She had to stop herself from fantasizing about tracing her finger along that strong, square jaw with unruly stubble sprouting before noon. Maybe he’d foregone shaving this morning. He had a fun-loving side to him. That went against the rich-man, better-than-everyone-else persona she had assumed he had.

  “Why did you do it?” she asked. “Why did you help Ruby?”

  “It was the right thing to do,” he said.

  “That’s it?” He’d only wanted to do what was right? “What about your mother?”

  He grunted. “First of all, I was never close to my mother. And she severed all ties when she went after my brother’s wife. I have no loyalty to her, but regardless of the kind of person she turned out to be, I’d have made sure Ruby got what my dad wanted her to have.”

  His integrity confused her. “But...Ruby isn’t part of your family.”

  “That doesn’t matter. She was married to
my dad and they had a child together.” He studied her awhile. “What’s all of this really about, Georgia? Why are you so against my family?”

  “I’m not against you.” She searched for the right words. “I...I’ve just seen what being part of your family did to my stepmother. The kidnapping. Reginald leaving her. The blame. It destroyed her.” She regained her purpose in chasing after him. “I’ll be damned if I’ll let anyone make her suffer like that again.”

  “Maybe I can understand your concern, but none of us—my brother, my sister or I—would harm Ruby. What happened in the past isn’t going to stop me from trying to find Jackson.”

  “Fine. Look for him, just don’t involve Ruby.”

  “I’ll protect her as much as I can.” He watched her awhile. “I know what it’s like to want to protect your family. I felt estranged from my parents, but I love my brother and sister. I would do anything for Whit and Landry.”

  She smiled, believing he would. Carson didn’t strike her as the type to abandon those close to him. He was a doer.

  But what would she do about him searching for Jackson and dragging Ruby through that hell all over again? She’d never find closure. She would have to relive that nightmare.

  “What makes you think you’ll find Jackson any easier than your father?” she asked.

  “I don’t know if I can. But I have to try. I’m sorry, but I do.”

  “What if you don’t find him? What then? I’ll have to take Ruby back to Florida and pick up the pieces you shattered.”

  He put his hands on her shoulders. “You care about Ruby a great deal. I can see that. My father suffered, too. No one knew how much until it was too late. Try to see this from my point of view. I need to finish what my father started. He started his own investigation. I’m going to finish it.”

  He was so sincere. And she did understand. She couldn’t fault him for trying to find Jackson. She just hoped Ruby could cope with another disappointment if he didn’t succeed.

  Realizing he’d put both hands on her shoulders and that she was looking into his earnest eyes, Georgia averted her head and stepped back. He was so handsome, a perfect specimen of hotness in a gentleman package. Not her vision of what had ripped Ruby’s heart out. And not a man she’d expected to encounter.