by Evie Nichole
“You wanted to talk,” she reminded him suddenly. “So talk.”
“Fine.” He paused to finish chewing before talking because that was what politeness suggested. The stew tasted wonderful as always. It was a hearty beef with vegetables and a thick broth that really hit the spot on a late spring evening. “So, here’s the deal. Paul Weatherby is a captain with the Denver Police Department. He also happens to be the current owner of the Flying W Ranch.”
“Yes.” She was bobbing her head up and down. “He’s the guy who is apparently my grandparents’ neighbor. His real estate agent lady has been calling me nonstop since this whole thing started.”
That was not good news. It meant that Melody was on Paul Weatherby’s radar. “I’d have to take a look at a schematic of the land,” Cisco muttered to himself. Then he nodded to Melody. “I should probably call my brother. He would know your grandparents’ place, and he would also know why Weatherby is in such a lather to own it.”
“A lather?” There was a grin playing at the corners of her mouth.
Cisco cleared his throat and took another bite of bread. He hadn’t meant to use that phrase. That phrase was not the image he was trying to cultivate. “That would perhaps tell us why Weatherby is so eager to buy from you.”
“I don’t care if he buys it!” Melody said quickly. “I just don’t want to wind up holding the bag, owing a ton of money for back taxes.”
“That’s the thing.” Cisco gestured to the file. “Mr. Watson was supposed to be making the tax payments. He wasn’t. So, where did that money go? If you sell the land, it makes any claim you have to the pilfered tax payments redundant.”
“How much is it?”
“Over five years?” Cisco glanced at the figures and tried to estimate. “Around half a million dollars.”
“What?” She nearly choked on her stew. The bread was still clutched in her hand. She ripped off another big chunk with her teeth and began to chew slowly. “Are you telling me that the taxes are going to cost me half a million bucks?”
“Yes.”
“And how much is the land worth?”
“I’m not exactly sure.” He thought about things like water access, right of way, easements, and the other bits and pieces of land management that were not necessarily in his wheelhouse. “That’s why I need to talk to my brother. There’s a good possibility that the land is worth several million dollars.”
“I was thinking I’d get a thousand or so,” she whispered. “I mean, after it was all done. On the phone, that was pretty much what Watson expected. That there would be a few thousand left after the taxes and fees and such.”
“That’s because he was stealing from you.” Cisco didn’t bother to sugar coat that one. “In fact, we need to file a complaint on your behalf as the heir to your grandparents’ estate. Then we need to get an injunction against him doing any more business in their name or your name. We need to make sure he does not represent you at all. Otherwise, he’s going to be covering his tracks. And I want to know where the money has gone all these years.” Cisco was still staring at a balance sheet that basically said there was no money at all in trust to pay the taxes on the land. “That land makes money. There’s a grazing lease. It isn’t in this file, but I know there is. And that lease is on file somewhere.”
“What does that mean?”
“It’s income from the land,” he told her gently. “The ranch should have been paying its own bills. Someone was taking that money and doing something with it. That’s why that idiot Watson was trying to tell you that you were going to have barely enough from the sale to pay your inheritance taxes and any other taxes and fees.”
“So, he’s been stealing from us.”
She was mopping up the last of her stew with the last of the bread. Cisco had lost track of how many sodas she’d sucked down. He didn’t know how to feel about what she’d shared with him regarding her situation. The woman had nobody. She was alone. Fate had provided her with one possibility of improving her situation. It was an inheritance from people she might or might not have really known. That wasn’t even relevant. The point was that someone—either the lawyer or Weatherby and perhaps both—had managed to completely taint this opportunity for her.
“What?” She touched her lips and then grabbed for a napkin. “Do I have food all over my face or something?”
“No.” He stumbled briefly as the word sweetheart very nearly slipped out from between his lips. What was that about? “No, there’s no stray food on your face. I’m sorry to make you think that. I was just looking at you because—well—I have a lot of respect for someone who can manage to keep herself together despite all of the craziness going on in her life right now.”
The way she lifted her shoulder and shrugged it off spoke volumes. “That’s pretty much the way everything goes for me. It doesn’t matter. You know? It doesn’t matter what I think is going to happen or what I want to happen or what I hope will happen. It all just goes to hell, and I’m standing there at the end just hoping that I can manage to eat.”
Cisco could not think about that right now. He tried to focus elsewhere. “When was the last time you went out to the property?”
“Oh, I’ve never been out there.” She looked surprised by the suggestion. “I know that there’s a house and that it probably has stuff in it, but Mr. Watson made it sound like the house and its contents went with the land.”
Cisco was now struggling not to start snapping out expletives. What kind of asshole was this guy? Taking a deep breath in and out, Cisco reminded himself that this was how men like Watson made money. They took advantage of people who had no experience with this sort of thing. It was sad. It was the sort of practice that gave lawyers in general a bad name, but unfortunately, it was not limited to estate law or anything else. Cisco had heard horror stories from friends going through divorces or child custody issues who got absolutely screwed over because their representation wasn’t really looking out for them. In fact, two of his brothers had been victims of that sort of thing. It was one of the reasons that Cisco had decided to practice family law.
“You should go out there,” Cisco told her firmly. “The contents are not part of the land deal. Not even the house is really part of that deal. You could live out there if you wanted.”
“I could?” She was gaping at him as though he’d just told her the moon was made of cheese. “You’re telling me that I own a house that I could live in?”
“Well, that’s providing it’s livable.” Cisco thought about the way Watson had been mismanaging everything. “It’s possible that the man hasn’t been keeping up with the maintenance. So, there could be some things that need fixing. But otherwise, yes. You would have a house you could live in.”
“How far is it out there?” She put both hands on the edge of the table and leaned forward so eagerly that he thought she was going to knock her soda into her empty bowl.
Cisco thought about his family’s ranch and the two-plus-hour drive. It was significantly less to Clouds End Farm, the home base of operations for one of their business partners. But Melody’s property was on the opposite side of the Flying W.
“Maybe three hours,” he suggested. “I’m not entirely sure.”
“Oh.” Her face fell. “So, that’s not practical at all. I can’t walk from there.”
He realized that once again he had been making assumptions without even realizing that he was doing it. “Do you not have a car?” he hazarded. “I know Denver is a city, but it’s more of a Western city where we all seem to have cars even though we don’t need them.”
“I have a car,” she began slowly. “It’s just been in the shop for a long time. I don’t have the money for the repairs.”
“I see.”
There were moments in life when you realized that all of your problems were absolutely insignificant and paltry compared to someone else’s. Yes. His father was a nosy bastard who seemed determined to push his way into Cisco’s career no matter what the
cost was to his son. Cisco had just joined a law firm where the only female senior partner was currently trying to use him to further some agenda that Cisco could not fathom. He was actually considering letting her use him if he could use her back, which was pathetic.
Melody leaned back in her chair and rested her hands over her belly. “I’m going to be waddling home tonight. I haven’t eaten this much in ages.”
“Melody…” He could not finish his sentence. He didn’t even know what he wanted to say. Then he thought of one thing. At least it would be something he could do to help her. “Tomorrow is Sunday. Why don’t I drive you out there? That way you can at least see the place and we can know whether or not it’s habitable. Some of this other stuff I can look into on Monday.”
“I have to work at one in the afternoon tomorrow,” she said quickly. “That wouldn’t work. If it’s three hours out there, then we’d never make it back.”
Cisco frowned. That was no good. He could see her chewing her lip as though she were trying to decide something. Then she pulled a very plain phone from her pocket. She started pushing buttons. He watched in fascination. The phone wasn’t even a smartphone. He hadn’t seen anything like it in years.
“My government-issued phone,” she explained. “It’s not very up to date, but it’s free, and that’s about all I can afford these days. I try never to use it. I’m going to see if Allie can switch with me tomorrow.”
Cisco nodded. “That would be great. If we could just have an hour of daylight while we’re out there, it would be enough.”
“Okay.” She looked a little uncomfortable. Then she gestured to the tabletop. “I can pay for my own drink.”
“I’ve got it,” he told her quietly. “It’s not a big deal. I’m glad to help.”
“Because you feel sorry for me.” The little sigh that slipped out from between her lips was almost resigned.
“That isn’t why I’m doing this.” He wasn’t even sure he could accurately say why he was doing this. It didn’t really make much sense. He was donating time for no purpose. There was no payment, no return on investment, and nothing to be gained in helping her. “I just want to help you.”
“Then, I think you’re probably the most unique person on the planet.” She reached for her drink and drained it dry. “Give me your number, and I’ll text you when I hear back from Allie. If you don’t hear from me, just assume your Sunday is still yours and you don’t have to worry about this charity case taking up all of your time.”
Chapter Nine
Melody still hadn’t heard from Allie by the time she made it almost all the way back to her little studio apartment. Since Allie lived in a neighboring building, Melody decided to stop by her place just to find out what was up. It wasn’t like Allie always answered right away. She had a government phone too. Neither one of them used their phones for much. That meant they didn’t check the messages very often. But right now, Melody really wanted to know if she was going to be able to go out to her grandparents’ place tomorrow. The idea that she actually owned a house with furniture and stuff in it was mystifying.
“Allie!” Melody banged on Allie’s front door. “Come on. Open up and let me in. I know you’re home.”
There was a giggle on the other side of the door and some hushed whispers. Melody frowned. Allie wasn’t with anyone right now. In fact, her friend had been trying to end this super-toxic relationship with a controlling asshole that had nearly put her in the hospital. If Allie had let that jerk back into her life, Melody was going to kill her.
“Allie!” Melody said sharply. She smacked the door until it shivered. “You better open this damn door right now.”
There was a click as someone started unfastening locks and sliding the chains back away from the door. Finally, the door cracked open and Allie’s bright-eyed face appeared.
“Why are you over here?” Allie wanted to know. “You need your sleep.”
“I texted you.” It wasn’t actually a reason, but Melody knew that Allie would understand what she was getting at. “You never answered. I need an answer.”
“Oh.” Allie’s brows drew together. “I used up all my minutes for the month.”
Melody chuffed out a big sigh and pushed on the door. It did not budge open. “On what? It’s only the thirteenth!”
“I had stuff to do.” Allie’s lame excuse meant only one thing.
Melody put her hands on her hips and glared at her friend. “Is Ryan in there? Tell me you did not let that controlling narcissistic ass back into your life! What is wrong with you?”
Allie’s eyes shifted back and forth uncomfortably. “What makes you say Ryan is here?”
“Don’t be stupid.” Melody put her shoulder to the door and shoved it in. A very male-sounding grunt on the other side was her answer. Melody pointed. “See! I hear him, Allie. Why? Why would you do that? He almost put you in the hospital last time.”
“He’s changed,” Allie whined.
The door was now wide open, and Melody could finally see Ryan’s scrawny drug addict’s body standing just on the other side of the door opening. His blond hair was shoulder length and stringy. He looked high. For that matter, so did Allie. Melody cringed at the idea of Allie not only letting this jerk back into her life but falling off the wagon as well.
“Allie,” Melody said in what she hoped was a patient voice. Maybe it was better to focus on why she had actually come here. There was no point in beating her head against the wall trying to get Ryan out of the apartment. “I need you to swap shifts with me tomorrow.”
“Huh?” Allie’s over-bright and simultaneously vacant eyes seemed to be focused on everything but Melody.
Melody snapped her fingers. “Switch shifts with me. For tomorrow. You have to work. Remember?”
“Yes.” Allie was nodding her head. “You want to open? Why? It’s your day off.”
Melody was all too aware of Ryan standing there. If Ryan had still been in the dumpster outside where he belonged, Melody would have told Allie everything she’d learned from Cisco. As it was, she didn’t want to say much at all. Ryan didn’t need to know her business.
“I found someone to help me with that legal problem I’m having. But I need tomorrow afternoon to do some looking around to try and fix this situation.” From the corner of her eye, Melody could see Ryan’s drug-addled brain clicking in. The loser could smell the possibility of money a million miles away. With that in mind, Melody decided she needed to figure out a way to throw Ryan off the scent of a potential payoff. “This lawyer thinks I might owe half a million in taxes.”
Allie’s mouth fell open. “Half a million dollars? You owe the government that much money?”
“Probably.” Melody felt the weight of that statement on her head. It was actually true. If Cisco could not help her find out what Watson had been doing with her grandparents’ money, Melody was actually going to have to come up with that money. “He’s trying to help me figure out a way to pay it.”
“Then, I guess I’ll sleep in and do the closing shift.” Allie shrugged it off. “What time do you want me to come in?”
“Noon.” That would give Melody and Cisco a little bit of extra time to get out to her grandparents’ ranch. “Please say you’ll remember. I know what you’re like when you’re on this stuff.”
“What stuff?” Allie swiped the back of her hand across her mouth. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Sure you don’t.” Melody shook her head. She pointed her index finger at Allie. “And I’m sure you don’t know anything about giving your entire paycheck to Ryan to buy his drugs either. And I bet he didn’t use up all the minutes on your phone calling his dealer either.”
“I didn’t!” Ryan yelped. He stomped toward the door. “You are such a bitch, Melody! You’re always making trouble. You know that? Why don’t you just keep your big fat nose out of Allie’s business? You’re so jealous that a man actually wants her that you want to ruin it for her!”
&nbs
p; “Yeah.” Allie didn’t sound quite so sure.
Melody rolled her eyes. She forced herself not to flinch away from Ryan. He shouldn’t scare her at all. The scrawny little shit was the type of person who was worse than all talk and no action. He wasn’t even very much talk. He was a lot of idiotic sentences that weren’t very well put together because he was a pretty stupid individual as a whole.
“Ryan,” Melody began in as patient a voice as she could muster. “I don’t know why you’re back. I don’t even really care. What I do know is that you swoop in. You take all of Allie’s money and suck her dry. Then you leave her standing here barely able to pay her rent and generally in need of some pretty serious medical care because of a tantrum you’ve thrown where you feel compelled to hit her. So, don’t you look at me and pretend that this is all my fault.”
“It’s going to be different this time,” Allie said quickly.
Melody groaned. “Is that what he told you?”
Allie was bobbing her head up and down like a plastic doll.
“That’s what he tells you every single time, Allie.”
“He’s different this time.” Allie leaned in close and whispered, “He bought the party this time.”
Melody took that to mean that Ryan was the one who had purchased the drugs for their evening of “fun” this time around. It did indeed mean that things were different. Unfortunately, Melody wasn’t the type to be taken in by Ryan’s new game. It just meant that he was smart enough to buy her the drugs to get her to fall off the wagon. Then he would have her so addicted again that she was spending all of her money on the party, and at that point, he would have yet another free ride. So, yes. Things were different. They were worse!
“Tomorrow,” Melody told Allie roughly. “You be there at noon. Do you understand me?”
“Yes.”
“You need your job, Allie,” Melody told her friend. “Don’t let him screw that up for you.”
“Noon. I’ve got it, Melody.” Allie looked sour. “You need to stop thinking you’re better than everyone else. It’s really annoying.”
