Ms. Demeanor

by Danica Winters

  “’Fraid not,” Wyatt said. “Their findings were conclusive.”

  “Have you told William yet?” Laura asked.

  Wyatt glanced at her, but the distaste that had marked his gaze now seemed to be gone—as though he had bigger fish to fry than what was happening between her and his brother. For once she was thankful that someone had died. Well, perhaps not thankful, but grateful that the discovery of the identity could cover up what she wished to keep discreet.

  “Are you here in a private or professional capacity?” he asked her.

  She looked to Rainier, hoping he would supply whatever answer best suited their needs. “I, er...”

  “She’s here as a friend. Isn’t that right, Laura?” Rainier interjected, but the way he said her name made her wonder if they were even that.

  “Yes, I’m here as a friend. Why?”

  “Then you will keep my little secret?” Wyatt asked.

  She nodded.

  “Good.” He turned slightly to face them all. “Under normal circumstances, I would first have to notify the next of kin—William. However, given the situation, I wanted to tell you all first.”

  “William is going to be out for blood—even more than he already is,” Merle said, his voice worn thin.

  “Is there anything we can do...to keep us safe from any kind of reprisal?” Rainier asked, dropping down onto the couch next to his father.

  Laura could hardly blame him for needing to sit down. Even her knees were weak at the thought of how William was going to react when he received the news. He was already trying to take the ranch out from under them.

  “Wait,” she said “With this new break, maybe I can convince my father to take the case.”

  “What do you mean, take the case?” Merle asked. “You said your dad was already working on it.”

  Laura nibbled at her bottom lip. “That may not have been entirely true... Let’s just say he’s been a bit resistant. But I didn’t want to burden you with that, along with everything else you’d been going through.”

  “I see.” Merle gave a thoughtful nod. “It may be best if we don’t tell Eloise about this. She’s been so thankful to your father. She thought he would wrap this all up.”

  “And he may, but it’s going to take a little more convincing to get him to come to our side with this.”

  “Do you really think he will? We both know that your father is William Poe’s friend.” Wyatt crossed his arms over his chest.

  She shook her head, and raised her hands in an attempt to stop him from getting ahead of himself. “Wyatt, you of all people should know how politics work. My father and William are civil—they have done favors for each other in the past. That doesn’t mean they are friends.”

  “Why would your dad want to take on this case?” Wyatt asked.

  The truth was she didn’t know. All she could do was hope that her father would see the desperation in her eyes and be unable to refuse her when she begged for help again. At least this time when she talked to him she would have information.

  Her father was a hard-edged man, and controlling, but maybe she could convince him that he had been wrong—and that the Fitzgeralds were a family worth saving.

  * * *

  THINGS WITH HIS father couldn’t be left as they were. Rainier had so many questions, and yet now he wasn’t sure that he could get him alone to hear the answers he so desperately needed.

  Merle had been so vague. What had he meant, the man had just disappeared? Did he think Paul Poe had left of his own free will—or something else? Something far more sinister? His father had seemed convinced that he was complicit in the man’s death, but why? There had to be more to the story than what he had told him.

  Yet such was life, and Rainier suddenly found himself deep in the situation at hand—dealing with the revelation that the man in question was William’s father. The one thing Merle had made clear was that William would be out to take the Fitzgeralds down. And the only thing he could do right now was prepare for war.

  War. The word rattled through him. He would have to do everything in his power to keep his family safe—and Laura, too. What if Poe went after her? He certainly had enough power to get her fired, or at least mess with her career. Hopefully, he wouldn’t think to target her. There was no way for him to know about their relationship. Now more than ever it was vital that they kept their feelings under wraps.

  Rainier glanced over at Laura, who was putting on her boots. Even though the tension in the room seemed so immense that it pressed against him like some invisible hand, he couldn’t look away from her. She was so beautiful. If William saw them together, Rainier would have to do everything in his power not to give his attraction to her away. It would be one of the most challenging things he would ever have to do.

  He walked over to her and lifted her coat so she could slip her arms in the sleeves.

  “Thank you,” she said, giving him a tired smile.

  His father and Wyatt exchanged glances, but he pretended not to notice. They could think what they wanted, just so long as William never found out.

  Hopefully, Rainier’s family was still as strong as it had once been, and when push came to shove they would come together instead of turn on one another. Yet the only way that would happen was if Wyatt was truly over his animosity toward him, and Rainier wasn’t sure. Wyatt had said he liked Laura, but he clearly didn’t approve of her choices.

  Rainier opened his mouth, hoping that he would think of the right things to say to convince his brother that he wasn’t making the wrong choice by following his heart when it came to Laura, but no words came out. It could be he himself wasn’t sure that what he was doing was right, putting her in danger the way he was.

  No, they were both adults. They had both made the decision to fall for one another—and they both knew what was at stake. Besides, he couldn’t deny the way he felt when he was near her, or the way he could imagine their future—two small children, white picket fence, him working at the ranch and her following her dreams of making Christmas special for the world.

  Love wasn’t something that could be controlled or denied. It was one of those mysterious forces that was greater than them, greater than any sort of argument they could make against it. It was just...meant to be, regardless of the obstacles that stood in their way.

  At least for him.

  Laura stepped away from him as she grabbed her purse. “I hope my father is going to be okay with us just dropping in. He may be busy when we get there.”

  She couldn’t have known what Rainier was thinking or feeling, but the way she had moved away and seemed a bit distracted made him worry. God, he was so confused. He didn’t remember love being this hard. Fighting for survival in prison was easier than dealing with feelings.

  Though it was a bit of a drive to her father’s law office, thanks to her company, it didn’t feel as though it took very long.

  When they arrived, there was a young couple seated in the lobby, the man looking distant, as though consumed by thoughts of what they would face once they went in to see their lawyer. Rainier couldn’t help but wonder what they were there for, and if he looked like them—full of concern, and half ready to run.

  He looked over at his dad as he walked into the lobby, having just arrived. Even though he was adopted, with the exception of the gray hair at his temples and the collection of wrinkles on his face, they mirrored each other.

  He’d do anything to make that look on Merle’s face disappear.

  Laura walked over to the secretary’s desk. “I was hoping to see my father. We don’t have an appointment, but I thought he could squeeze us in.”

  The secretary smiled. “I’ll let him know you’re here, and see what we can do. If you’d like, please take a seat.”

  As Laura turned back to Rainier he noticed that sh
e, too, was wearing that look of concern. He couldn’t blame her. The last time they’d been in this place, his family had been on the losing side and her father hadn’t been afraid to let her know exactly what he thought about the case. Hopefully, they had done enough to convince him that they had a case worth taking. If nothing else, maybe he could give them a few answers or suggest a direction they could take to make things right.

  The secretary made a quick call, and within a matter of seconds, Mr. Blade was standing in front of them. Rainier had never seen the lawyer before, but even so, he would have known he was Laura’s father. They had the same aquiline nose and the same haunted blue eyes. Unlike his daughter, however, the man wore a dour expression, and as he looked at them, Rainier was certain he saw a look of disdain flash over his features.

  “Why don’t you all step into my office?” Mr. Blade said, waving them down the hallway. He glanced at the couple sitting in the lobby and his expression darkened.

  The way he looked at them reminded Rainier of the day he’d gone to trial for his birth father’s assault. The prosecutor had worn that same expression, as if no matter what he said or did, the man knew he was guilty as sin.

  Rainier followed the others along the hall and into the office.

  When he’d been in prison, he’d promised himself that he would never find himself sitting across from another attorney like that, one with hate in his eyes, and yet here he was.

  Everything about the lawyer’s office, from the mahogany desk to the books that lined the walls, and even the leather chairs, screamed power and prestige. It was no wonder that this man and William Poe were connected; from what Rainier could make out about the guy, they were both consumed by image and politics.

  Mr. Blade closed his office door.

  Laura didn’t wait for her father to speak. “Dad, I don’t know if you heard the latest development in the case with Dunrovin.” Her hands were shaking, and as she spoke, she balled them in her lap in what was likely an attempt to get them under control.

  “What development?” Mr. Blade asked, walking around the side of his desk and sitting down in his leather chair. He motioned for the three of them to take a seat.

  Rainier sat between his father and Laura. From where they were, they had to look up slightly, probably some psychological maneuver on the lawyer’s part to remind them that he was the one controlling everything that went on in this office.

  “We were made aware that the remains discovered on the property were those of Paul Poe. William’s father,” Laura said.

  Merle twitched.

  “My family and I are in desperate need of legal counsel, sir,” Rainier said, hoping that would take some of the pressure off Laura.

  The man nodded. “After Laura was here last time, I had my people do a little digging. So far we haven’t found much, but I can tell you that there is a way you can work with the state and the Department of Revenue and create a payment plan that could help you pay your back taxes.”

  Merle leaned forward and put his hands on the edge of Blade’s desk. “This isn’t just about what we owe—this is about justice. You, me and everyone involved here knows that this isn’t really about taxes or money. This is about William Poe’s desire to destroy me and my family. If you don’t see that, you are just as bad as he is.”

  Though Rainier agreed with his father’s sentiment, attacking the man who was possibly going to help them seemed like the wrong approach.

  “What my dad means to say, Mr. Blade, is that we are truly grateful you are looking into things. It is appreciated,” he said, nodding to Merle in hopes that he would get the message that he needed to keep his temper under control. “We would like to move forward with figuring out a payment plan. However, we would also like to get to the bottom of this thing with Poe. Are you willing to take this on?”

  Mr. Blade gave him an approving smile. “I can see you learned some things while you were away.”

  The man’s words grated, but Rainier wasn’t sure they had been meant as a jab.

  “Dad,” Laura said, affronted.

  Mr. Blade waved her off. “I’m just commenting that he has moved past his crimes. A man should be proud when he can learn and move forward from his mistakes. It takes great strength to make a blight on a record into something more positive.”

  She sank back in her chair, but mouthed the words I’m sorry to Rainier. He gave her an acknowledging tip of the head, but she hadn’t needed to apologize for her father—he felt the same way. All he could do was move forward from his past and try not to fall into the trap of resentment and anger it could have generated.

  “Thank you, Mr. Blade.” He wanted to reach over and comfort Laura, but held himself back. “Now, about my family...”

  The attorney stared at him for a long moment as if weighing his options. Tenting his fingers in front of him, he tapped his chin. “This case is going to take a lot of man hours. It could get quite expensive.”

  Of course his next concern would be their ability to pay.

  “Dad, I’ll help them,” Laura said.

  Mr. Blade’s mouth gaped open for a moment. “Laura—”

  “No,” Merle said, interrupting. “We don’t take charity. Mr. Blade, regardless of the outcome, we will pay you and your staff for your time. But we want to win. We have to bring William Poe to his knees. I don’t want him to use his prestige to go after another family like ours ever again. He cannot be allowed to think his power is absolute.”

  “As Lord Acton said, ‘Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.’” Mr. Blade sent them a sly smile. “If his guilt is as abundant as his hubris, I believe that we may just have a case.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  The next morning it was as if a renewed sense of freedom had taken over the house. From the scent of frying bacon and the sound of women’s laughter coming from the kitchen, Rainier guessed everyone was up and busy.

  As he made his way down the hallway, he stared at the couch where Laura had spent the night after the long drive back to the ranch. He would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about her out there and wishing she would have come to his bedroom in the night. Several times he had nearly gotten up to go and get her, but he’d decided against it. If she hadn’t wanted to spend the night in his arms, then that was her choice.

  He peeked into the kitchen, where his mother, Gwen and Whitney were chopping and stirring. Laura stood at the stove. She was fresh-faced, her blond hair hanging long around her shoulders, and she was wearing a sweatshirt complete with an iron-on calico cat. It must have been one of his mother’s, and the thought was even more unsettling than the sweatshirt itself. Though, admittedly, Laura would have been cute in anything she chose to wear—even if it was feline inspired.

  “Good morning, ladies,” Rainier said, winking at Laura as she looked up from frying bacon. “You all need any help in here?”

  “Good morning, sunshine.” His mother pointed to the gray, cloud-filled dawn outside. “Isn’t it a wonderful day? They said it’s going to get up to the high teens today.”

  If he could name a day that wasn’t particularly glorious, it was one in which they had to worry about freezing their fingertips off.

  “Waylon called. He and the girls are going to be here sometime today.” Eloise bustled across the kitchen, grabbing the loaf of bread and putting two slices into the toaster. “I can’t wait to see little Winnie. I know it’s only been a week or so, but the place has been so quiet without my little sweet pea around. You know, she’s going to be turning three this spring. How time flies!”

  From his mother’s letters, he had heard much about the little girl that his brother Waylon had only just found out was his. From what Eloise had written, Waylon’s ex-wife, Alli, had kept the secret of who Winnie’s father was from Waylon in hopes that he could live his life and f
ind a passion that didn’t revolve around the ranch. But Rainier saw it for what it really was—his family’s unparalleled ability to keep even the biggest of secrets.

  He thought back to his father’s revelation. From the way he spoke, he and his mother had learned about Paul around the time they were adopting Rainier and his brothers—starting twenty-five years ago. It was incredible to think that they could have known about a man’s body buried on their property for twenty-five years and never mentioned it.

  However, Rainier could have it wrong. His father hadn’t come right out and said that they knew Paul Poe was dead—rather that he had disappeared. But then, with all Merle’s talk about pulling the trigger...he had to have known Paul Poe had been killed. Which meant it was possible that he knew who had pulled the trigger and why.

  Rainier had to talk to his dad. Today. He had to get to the bottom of this. This was one secret that was just too big to let lie. It impacted them all.

  “What’s the matter, sunshine?” his mother asked. “You seem awful quiet. Aren’t you excited about everyone being here for the holidays? And that’s to say nothing about Ms. Laura and what she did for our family.” She gave Laura a brilliant smile.

  “It was the least I could do. I only want the best for you all,” she said, sending him a longing glance.

  He was right, it did impact them all—including Laura. And for her well-being, maybe it would be better for him to let his father’s secret lie dormant. If Mr. Blade learned that they were all keeping secrets, ones that put his daughter at risk, he would undoubtedly drop their case. They could hire another attorney, but then they would be starting over at square one—and time was quickly running out. Not to mention what her father might say to her for getting involved with his family. Judging by their interaction yesterday, her relationship with her dad was nothing like what he had with Merle. Everything between the lawyer and his daughter was tense and wrapped up in what he could only assume was years of hurt feelings.

  “Why don’t you and Laura go check on the horses? We can handle things in here, can’t we, ladies?” his mother said as she took the spatula from Laura. “We’ll eat as soon as your father and brothers come around, but you two can eat whenever you please, once it’s ready. For now, just go out and enjoy the fresh morning air.”