“Don’t we need a lawyer? We can’t use the one Mom uses because it will be a conflict of interest. The whole thing is so messy I’m not sure I want to get involved. Can we think about it?”
“Hey, I know a lawyer. Dad had these two friends he went to law school with. They still call me on a regular basis. The one named Hatch is an Indian and bigger than life. According to Dad, his billable hours are in the millions. He loved that big guy. If he hadn’t married Mom, he would have joined the firm. Another friend of Dad’s is Bode Jessup. He’s a full partner. Dad said if I ever needed a good lawyer, to call Hatch. According to Dad he’s the best of the best. His first name is Shunpus. Guess it’s an Indian name. He’s our man. Dad used to talk about those guys all the time. Sometimes I think he thought he made a mistake by not going with them into the firm. What do you think, Emmie?”
“Mom . . .”
“Emmie, for God’s sake, we aren’t doing anything illegal. SunStar was left to you. It’s yours. Where is it written you have to give it to Rhy and Pyne? Mom told you to sign off on it, and you did. Did you ever think about what you did and the why of it?”
“A few times,” Emmie mumbled. “Buddy said I was stupid for doing it. He called Mom a dictator sometimes. Let’s think about it before we make a decision. I don’t see anything wrong with getting in touch with your father’s friend. See what he thinks. If he thinks it’s the right thing to do, we’ll do it. You know, of course, that Mom will have a fit.”
“That’s a given. Guess we’ll have to live with that, too. If you two fine young women think you can manage without me, I’d like to fly out to Santa Fe and talk to Hatch in person. I’m not comfortable discussing something like this on the phone. I could fly out early tomorrow, stay overnight, and be back the following morning. You okay with that?”
Willow nodded.
“Okay, Nick.”
“Then it’s a go. I’ll go upstairs, pack, and make a reservation. An early dinner would be good, or I could take you ladies out to eat. Decide and tell me the verdict when I come back down.”
“Okay, honey. We want to go out.”
“That was quick.”
“You know us women. We can make snap decisions. Right, Emmie?”
“You bet.” Emmie smiled.
While much research went into this book, it is still a work of fiction. In the interests of entertainment, I have taken the liberty of stretching the boundaries of the Thoroughbred breeding and racing world to allow my characters the freedom to break some of the “rules” and “traditions” that govern the industry.
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Kentucky Rich Page 35
