“Good for you, Russ.” Bill shook his head. “We’ve all been worried about you, but we couldn’t figure out what to do. God worked it out by Himself.”
“Yeah, I guess He did.”
The front door opened and Tori hurried in. “Hi. Brisk this morning, isn’t it?”
Both men greeted her. But her return greeting was a surprise. She put her arms around Russ’s neck and hugged him. “I’m so happy for you.”
“Ah. The family gossips have been busy,” Russ said with a wry grin.
“Your mother is up on the roof shouting hooray.” Tori proceeded past him to her office. “I’ve got a lot to get done today.”
“Uh, I have to talk to you about something.” Russ moved to the door of her office. “Mind if I come in?”
She waved him in. He spoke to Bill, then entered Tori’s office and closed the door. “It turns out that Isabella inherited majority stock holdings in the family company. She wants to leave it all to Angel, of course, with me as guardian. She was going to leave money to pay me for my work, and I protested. Nick suggested she put you in charge of the trust fund and you would be paid for your efforts. That okay with you?”
Tori blinked several times. “Well, I guess so. What’s the name of the company?”
“Paloni Industries. I don’t know anything about it.”
“I’ve seen the name, but I never connected it to Maria Paloni. She had me make some investments for her, so I knew she wasn’t hurting, but…” While she talked, she was punching buttons on her computer. Then she whistled under her breath. “How much did she own?”
“I don’t know exactly. More than fifty percent.”
“That’s a big conglomerate. It’s publicly held, but most of the stock is held by the founding family. We’re talking millions of dollars.”
“I gathered.”
“Well, you’re going to be the richest man in Rawhide.”
“Not me. My wife.”
“Same thing. Is she going to sell?”
“I don’t think so. She thinks her father will do anything to gain control. And it seems she doesn’t want to do him any favors.”
“This sounds serious. Does she think he’ll threaten her?”
“She thinks he’ll kill her.”
Tori gasped. Then she firmed her lips. “She needs to sell the stock. The sooner the better.”
“I don’t think she will. It’s a family company.”
“Suddenly I’m not so thrilled about your marriage.”
“It won’t affect me.” Russ smiled. “I’m involved to keep Angel safe.”
“Yeah, right! You’re telling me if a man comes after Isabella, you’re not going to protect her?”
Russ paced the short distance across the office. Then he shrugged. “I probably will. But Angel’s going to stay in the family. She won’t be going back to her grandfather. So it won’t matter in the long run.”
“It matters to us if something happens to you!” Tori snapped.
“I don’t think it will come to that. I think Isabella’s father threatens a lot and has never had to prove he means it.”
“I’ll take care of the trust, but watch your back.”
This time Russ hugged Tori. “Don’t worry. If I get lost I can count on you and Jon coming to find me, can’t I?”
“Probably, unless I’m pregnant again.”
“Pregnant? Do you think you are?”
“Not yet, but Jonny is eight months old. Within the next year we’ll probably have another baby.”
“Then I’ll have to take care of myself. I’m not risking a niece or nephew’s life,” he assured her with a grin.
“Don’t take this too lightly, Russ,” Tori warned.
“No, I won’t. I’m going to get to work. Nick will contact you about the trust.”
He slipped out of his cousin’s office and into his. Bill was working at his desk and didn’t even look up. Once he was behind his desk, Russ called Nick.
“Tori okayed the trust idea,” he said at once.
“Good. I had a call from Mr. Paloni this morning.”
“What did he say?”
“I had my secretary give him a message that I would be out of the office until Monday due to a family wedding.”
“Clever. You think that will hold him?”
“Yeah. I’m pretty sure he thinks I don’t have any idea what he’s up to. Once he discovers I’ve taken precautions against him accomplishing his goal, all bets are off.”
“Nick, do you really believe he’ll harm Isabella?”
“I hope not, but you never can tell. By the way, we got a call this morning inviting us to the wedding. Sarah was pleased.”
“I’m glad.” Russ grimaced. “I’ve got to call Isabella and see if they’ve driven her crazy yet, taking over her life.”
“Okay, I’ll get with Tori, and we’ll see you Saturday.”
Russ hung up. He didn’t dial the ranch right away. He was thinking about what Tori had said. He didn’t believe money was worth anyone’s death. Especially not Isabella’s.
He drew a deep breath. Then he reached for the phone again.
Red answered and assured him Isabella was there at the breakfast table. When he heard her soft voice, he relaxed. “How’s it going, Izzy?”
“Fine. Your family is wonderful.”
“Told you you were getting a good bargain.”
“Yes. Are you okay? Did you enjoy getting back in your bed last night?”
“Sure,” he lied. “How’s Angel? On schedule?”
“Actually the mothers thought I should increase her milk another two ounces. Janie called Jon at home and he agreed it wouldn’t hurt. I did and she’s sleeping six hours now. That means I’ll only have to get up once a night.”
“Okay. And you don’t resent my mother taking over your life?”
Isabella laughed, a sound Russ enjoyed. “Your mother, and all the mothers, are so kind. They try very hard not to interfere, but then they can’t help themselves. I love it. My mother died when I was very young. I missed so much. I’m so grateful to you, Russ. Please don’t tell me you’ve changed your mind.”
“No! Of course not. I was afraid you might’ve changed yours.”
“No, never.”
“Listen, Isabella, I’m worried about your father. I think you should just give the stock to him and put him out of your life. Money isn’t worth your life.”
“I probably exaggerated the danger, Russ. My father and I don’t have a good relationship.”
“I figured that out.”
She gave an edgy laugh. “I need some time to think things through, Russ. We’ll work it out.”
“Okay. Say, do you know how to ride?”
“That was a quick change of subject. No, I can’t ride.”
“I want to teach you. What size jeans do you wear?”
“That’s a very personal question,” she said.
“Honey, marriage is even more personal.”
There was a long silence and Russ remembered that their marriage was going to be different. He was about ready to tell her to forget it when she said abruptly, “I wear a size ten.”
“Boot size?”
“I guess a size seven. That’s my shoe size.”
“Okay. Tell Red I’ll be eating with everyone tonight. And I’ll be out there around four. Okay?”
“I don’t think we eat that early.”
“I’m coming early to spent time with my new family.”
“Oh.”
TORI WENT HOME at two, something she’d begun when she returned to work after Jonny’s birth. If she had to stay longer, she’d brought her baby in after lunch and put him to bed in her office.
When she’d gone, Russ told Bill he was going to the general store across the street. “When I get back, I’ll probably go out to the ranch. If you want to quit early, feel free. You shouldn’t have to be the only one working.”
Bill shook his head. “I want to get finished with this par
t of the books on the café. Then I’ll call it quits.”
When Russ entered the store, he asked the female clerk to help him find jeans and boots for Isabella. First they looked at boots. Russ chose some black leather boots with a simple design on the upper part of them. She recommended he buy a half-size larger because of the instep. Then they added out some jeans.
“Does she need anything else? Gloves, a jacket?”
“Damn, I almost forgot. Yeah, she’ll need a ski jacket. Something in blue.” He wanted it to match her eyes. “And maybe a hat, too, and gloves.”
A half hour later, his arms full of packages, he walked to his truck. He put all the packages on the passenger side. Then he circled the truck and slid behind the wheel.
He hoped the jeans fit. He’d pictured Isabella in the new additions to her wardrobe. He couldn’t wait to see her wearing her cowboy hat. Of course, he’d bought all that so Izzy would get acclimated to horseback riding. Then, when Angel got a little older and he wanted to teach her how to ride, Izzy wouldn’t protest.
When he reached the house, he found everyone working on some project for the wedding. “I thought you would keep it simple since there’s not much time,” he protested.
“Nonsense. We want your wedding to be as nice as…” Janie stopped and started again. “We want it as nice as any of the Randall weddings. Besides, most of the weddings have happened in a hurry.”
Russ and Abby had planned their wedding for almost a year. Then Rich and Samantha had joined them at the last minute. He just shook his head. “Where is Isabella? With Angel?”
“No, but before you find her, I want to talk to you.”
“What about?”
“Inviting her family to the wedding.”
“Absolutely not!” Russ said adamantly.
“But, son, isn’t there anyone in her family that’s nice?”
“I think Angel’s pretty agreeable. We could invite her.”
“Well, of course, she’ll be there,” Janie exclaimed. “But I feel badly Isabella has no one else.”
“She’s got us, Mom, and we’re more than enough for anyone.” He changed the subject. “Now, where’s Isabella?”
“Isabella went to her great-aunt Maria’s house with Megan and Mildred and Angel is asleep in Isabella’s room.”
“What? But I told her I’d be here at four.”
Janie raised an eyebrow. “Does that mean she’s supposed to be here waiting for you?”
“Well, yes.”
“It’s not four yet. She still has twenty minutes before she’s late. And sometimes things happen.”
Russ felt betrayed by his future wife. She should’ve been there. He was anxious to see her—to assure himself everything was okay. Of course it wasn’t that he missed her. Or longed to see her for herself. He just wanted everything to flow smoothly. He knew he was lying to himself, but he didn’t want to admit his weakness for Isabella. That would make him too vulnerable.
Red, who’d been working at the sink on something, poured a couple of cups of coffee and brought one to Russ. “Here, boy. Sit down and talk to me. I need a little masculine companionship. These women are running around like chickens with their heads cut off.”
“Thanks, Red.” Russ took the coffee and sat. Then he said, “I could run over to her aunt’s house and see what’s holding them up.”
“You’d probably pass them on the way. Is the snow melting any? It’d be nice if it went away before Saturday. In fact, we should walk down to the arena to see if you approve of what they’ve done down there,” Red suggested.
“Okay, sure.” He figured he could hear the car returning more easily down there than he could shut up in the house.
“Remember, Mom, no talking to Isabella’s family. It will just be Randalls on Saturday. You promise?”
“I promise.” But he could see she still wasn’t happy about it.
“I’ll leave these packages here, okay?”
“Okay. What are they?”
“Cowboy gear for Isabella.”
“I’ll keep an eye on them.” Janie watched as her son and Red left the house. So he was only marrying Isabella because of the baby? But it was Isabella he was impatient to see, not the baby. And it was Isabella for whom he’d bought cowboy gear. Janie was feeling better about this marriage with every passing minute. But she wished they’d agree to invite Izzy’s family.
“OH, MY, I HAD NO IDEA there would be so much work involved,” Isabella protested as she collapsed in a stuffed chair.
“I know,” Megan agreed. “We’ve finally finished the living room, but we have a lot more rooms to work on. And there’s so much stuff. I don’t know where we’ll store it.”
Mildred nodded. “Though I sure wouldn’t mind buying that painting of the mountains.”
“Oh, Mildred, please take it. You’ve all been so good to me. I was afraid…I mean, I didn’t think you would welcome me like you have.”
“And why wouldn’t we?” Mildred challenged. “Not only are you sweet and beautiful, but you make Russ want to live again.”
“It’s not me. It’s Angel. While I was sick, he took complete care of her. Then, as I got better, I had to fight just to get to feed her,” she told them with a smile on her lips. “He’s promised to keep my baby safe.”
“You, too, I hope,” Megan said.
“I don’t want him to get hurt,” Isabella said.
“What is it your father wants so badly?” Megan asked.
“My aunt owned the majority of shares in the family company. She gave him the power of attorney, so he controlled her vote. Now that I’ve inherited the shares, he’ll want my power of attorney. I don’t trust him.”
“Ah. A power struggle. Sounds dangerous to me.”
“I know. And Russ said I should just give the shares to him. But that would be giving away Angel’s birthright.”
“And letting him win,” Mildred added.
“Yes,” Isabella agreed, nodding firmly. “That’s not right.”
“No, but it might be smarter. We want you and Angel to be safe. And Russ, too.”
“I know,” Isabella said. “That’s my dilemma.”
“Well, if you’re going to be there when Russ arrives, we’d better hurry back to the ranch,” Mildred said. “It’s ten till four already.”
Mildred couldn’t have said anything that got Isabella moving faster than that. Both women noticed her eagerness to see Russ again. They figured it was a good sign.
Chapter Nine
Red watched as Russ ran out of the barn at the sound of a car, their conversation completely forgotten.
He followed Russ and stood with Megan and Mildred as Russ grabbed Isabella’s hand and tugged her toward the house. “Wait until you see what I bought you.”
“But you shouldn’t have bought me anything, Russ.”
“Yes, I should’ve. You’ll need them.”
The pair disappeared into the house.
“Well, well, well, so he’s marrying for the baby’s sake, is he?” Red said.
“That’s what he says,” Mildred said. “That’s what she says, too. But when I told her she’d be late, she rushed around like the house was on fire.”
“I think Janie’s right. I think Russ cares about Isabella, but he’s afraid to admit it,” Megan said.
“Yep,” Red agreed. “Let’s follow them. We’ve got to start dinner.”
Once inside the house, they found Janie at the table, but no sign of Russ and Isabella. “Where did the kids go?” Red asked.
“Upstairs to try on her new things,” Janie said, seemingly satisfied with their action.
“We all agree with you about what’s going on,” Mildred said.
“Good. Oh, Red, I invited Rich, Samantha and Mom over for dinner.” Janie smiled. “I gave them my opinion about what’s going on.”
“I hope you told them not to say anything,” Red said.
“Of course.”
“RUSS, I CAN’T come out,” I
sabella called through the door.
“Why not? I want to see you in the jeans.”
“They’re too tight, Russ. I guess I’ve gained weight since I got to Rawhide.”
He knew better than that. She’d only eaten for the past couple of days. And then not much. “Open the door and let me see,” he ordered.
She finally opened the door a couple of inches. From the way she’d talked, he’d expected to find the jeans unsnapped. But they fit her perfectly. He pushed the door all the way open. “You look great!”
“Russ! I’m afraid to bend over. They’ll split if I do.”
“No. That’s the way they’re supposed to fit. Now let’s try on the boots.”
“But I don’t have any socks. I’ll have to—”
“Mom!” Russ called down the stairs. “We need a pair of socks for Izzy.”
“Russ! I have socks, but—”
“You need thick ones for the boots. Here comes Mom. She’ll get you some.”
Isabella tried to close the door. “I don’t want her to see me! These jeans are too tight.”
“Mom, tell Isabella her jeans aren’t too tight. They look great.” Russ motioned his mother over.
“They do look good, Isabella,” Janie said. “We all wear our jeans a little tighter than your tailored pants.” She went into her room and came out with a pair of thick socks. “These should work with the boots. Oh, I invited Rich and Samantha and your grandmother for dinner tonight, Russ.” Then she disappeared back down the stairs.
“I thought your grandmother was dead,” Isabella said, distracted from her difficulties.
“This is my mother’s mother. You’ll like her. She lives with Rich and Samantha on her ranch, the one Rich and I and Casey will inherit. Rich runs it.”
“Oh. Is it big?”
“Fair size.”
“Does that mean you’ll quit your job?”
“Gosh, no! Rich does a good job of running it. I might go help during roundup each year, but he managed this year without me.” He guided her to the bed. “Sit down and I’ll put your socks on you.”
Randall Wedding Page 8
