by Roni Adams
He swiped his hat off and came towards her. She glared, daring him not to get too close.
“I want to talk to you.”
She thrust her finger in the air. “If you ever pull something like that with me again, I’ll castrate you with my dullest knife.”
Chuckling from the doorway ignited her temper and she whipped her head around to where Cord and the long time family attorney stood there listening. Sara glared at them too. “Where the hell have you two been?”
Buck’s older brother raised his eyebrow and glanced at the clock on the mantle as he walked around his desk. “I told you three o’clock. It’s barely five past.”
Sara moved across the room, watching their attorney, Jackson, pull papers out of his briefcase. Too antsy to sit down, she leaned a shoulder against the edge of the fireplace and crossed her arms over her chest.
Buck’s younger brother, Teddy, raced through the door. “Sorry, lost track of time. Satan—that damned bull—worked a piece of wire loose again.” He directed the last point to Sara.
She shrugged her shoulders. “If you’d fix the fence right, he wouldn’t get loose.”
“If we got rid of him, I wouldn’t have to worry about fixing the fence.”
“Nope.” Sara wouldn’t even consider it. Satan had been her father’s bull and, as ornery as the critter was, she had this horrible loyalty to keep him out of respect for her father.
“Then you get out there and fix the damn fence the way you think it’ll stay because if he gets out again, I’m putting a bullet right between his—”
“Cut it out you two,” Cord commanded. His blue eyes turned to Sara. “You know it’s just a matter of time. You need to think hard about what we’re going to do about him.”
Sara glared. She knew Cord couldn’t get rid of him without her say so but he was right, the bull was an accident waiting to happen. She swallowed and gave a curt nod. Cord winked his approval back then took a seat at the desk.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noted Buck had taken a seat in one of the cracked and faded leather wing chairs. Normally, she would have been sitting in the other and they’d be joking and fooling around while Cord tried to conduct a serious business meeting. A sudden image of last night’s interlude flashed through her mind.
She jerked her thoughts back to present. The room that had served as her father’s office and den looked the same as it did three months ago when her father walked out the door and had a massive heart attack in the hallway. Nothing had been changed or touched since. Flo couldn’t bring herself to come in here yet and Sara wasn’t about to change anything. Her two older sisters headed back to their own lives in New York soon after the funeral and her younger sister was currently away at college. Nope, his touch was on everything here even though he wasn’t. Her chest constricted. When was she going to stop thinking he was going to walk through that door again?
Her gaze landed on Cord and Jackson. The two of them were bent over a thick document and talking in hushed tons. When they looked up and saw her watching them, the old lawyer’s eyes softened. Sara frowned. What was with the look of pity? They’d already been through her father’s legal issues, the estate, etc. She thought they’d just sign some more papers and be done with it all. Her stomach rolled. Why is he looking at me like that? “What’s going on?”
The lawyer straightened from the desk, slipped his glasses into place and shuffled some papers in his hand. Sara swallowed, watching intently.
“Do you remember at the time of the reading of the Will I said that it was only the initial settlement, there was a lot more that would come later?”
Sara nodded, vaguely remembering the day after her father’s funeral when they had to sit and listen to exactly how the Double B Cattle Operation was to be handled. Her father’s sudden death had left their family lawyer scrambling to make certain everything was taken care of the way Beau Sampson had planned. Fortunately, Cord had already been working side by side with her father ever since the passing of his own father ten years prior. The eldest Weston knew all about the business side of things and Sara had been more than happy to let him handle it all while she and Buck, along with Teddy and Tyler, managed the hands-on part of the operation. Her sisters, Diane and Susan both had their own careers and while the ranch was always home base, it wasn’t a central part of their day to day life the way it was hers. Even Beth who would come back to live on the ranch in the spring when she had her Veterinarian’s degree wasn’t attached to the land the way she was. Had something changed? Why would she even think that?
She uncrossed her arms and slid her hands back to her hips. “What’s going on?”
The older man cleared his throat. “When Beau made out his will, he was very concerned about the future of the ranch.”
“My father and Cord always made those decisions together, you told me that before.”
Jackson nodded. “Yes, that’s right, and when your father died, his half of the partnership went to the heirs he designated in his will. Cord was the heir to his father’s will and inherited the controlling interest in the Weston half of the partnership. He can only legally make decisions for fifty percent of the partnership.”
“Yeah, so? That’s what I’m here for. I can sign checks or whatever we need to do to keep the ranch going. Do you need me to sign a paper saying I trust Cord to do that or something?”
Again, she noticed the nervous shift in Jackson and his uncomfortable appearance. Something was definitely going on.
The lawyer glanced at Cord, drew a deep breath and then faced her once more. “Sara, when Beau made his will, he was very concerned that none of his daughters would know how to make the type of decisions that a business this size requires.”
That stung a bit. Thinking her father didn’t trust her didn’t make her too happy but she shrugged it off. “We don’t need to, we have you and Cord to advise us. My father trusted both of you and I know you won’t steer us wrong. It’s been working the past three months, right?”
Jackson’s usual tanned complexion paled and he darted his eyes to Cord. He looked like he wanted the floor to open up and swallow him. Sara glared at him and her heart raced. Something bad was coming. She’d felt the same way when Buck came to tell her about her father’s sudden death.
Cord stood up and crossed the room to stand in front of her. Sara met his gaze as his hands settled on her shoulders. Her fear escalated.
“Sara, this isn’t easy for us to tell you.” He swallowed hard.
Oh no. Cord was sick. That had to be it. Cord was sick and they were worried about the partnership. “Just spit it out,” she whispered.
He gave a curt nod. “Beau left controlling interest of the Double B...to me.”
She frowned. What the heck did that mean? Was he saying her father had cut her out of the Will—or just the ability to make decisions? Her chest tightened and she couldn’t draw a breath. Images of her father flew through her mind like a movie in fast forward. They’d been incredibly close, especially after losing her mother at the age of twelve. They, along with her three sisters, had become a team. He’d trained her, molded her to be the cowboy she was today. She’d learned everything at his side. Her entire life, she’d believed that one day she’d be in charge of the Double B and be full partners with Cord. But, instead, he’d left everything to Cord? Not his own flesh and blood? What about her sisters? Were they out too? She tried hard to focus. “H-how long have you known this?”
Cord glanced at Jackson, but Sara grabbed his face and turned his head back so she could look into his eyes. “How long, Cord?”
He held her gaze steadily even as he pulled his head back until her hand fell away. “The night he died. Jackson told me about the Will the night your father died.”
“That was over three months ago. You didn’t think this was something you should’ve told me?”
She dropped her hands and wrapped her arms around her middle in an attempt to quell the sudden nausea in her stomach.
“We were trying to give you a little time.”
“So, all this time when I thought you were making decisions to help me, everything I signed were all for show? You let me believe I was making the decisions but, in truth, it was all a lie?”
The family lawyer set the papers he’d been holding down. “You were in shock, Sara, we all were. It wasn’t the time to drop this on you as well. We were worried about your reaction.”
“My reaction. Did you think it would be easier to find out I’d been lied to? I worked my whole life for this! I busted my ass day in and day out, learning everything there was to know about this ranch...and he had no intention of giving control to me?” Tears filled her eyes and she blinked fast. No way was she going to break down like some little girl in front of them. That would only prove her father right, that she couldn’t handle things because she wasn’t a man, which is really what was behind all this. How many times had he said as much? Oh, he’d say it in a teasing manner, he was, after all, a man with four daughters. Though he adored them, Sara knew deep down that he was always envious of his best friend for having four sons. Well, now he got what he wanted—a son to run the business. He loved Cord and Cord loved him like a second father, so he’d left the Double B to his pseudo son.
She felt like a caged animal, trapped, wanting to run but not knowing which way was safe. Everything she’d ever believed in her life was a lie.
None of the others in the room were saying a word; she’d almost forgotten they were even there.
“Listen to me.” Jackson shifted towards her, his hand held out.
Sara backed away, not wanting his comfort, not interested in what he had to say. Two steps back, she was stopped by an immovable object. Heavy hands settled on her shoulders.
Buck.
A small amount of relief coursed through her. Of course he had her back, he always did. Ten minutes ago, she thought she could never forgive him, but all that was gone. No matter what might have happened between them last night, he wasn’t about to let her face this alone. They’d figure something out together; the way they always did. Buck would help her, they’d fight the will or they’d find a way around it or something. There had to be an answer to this. A bit of relief washed over her knowing she wouldn’t be alone.
“I think you need to start at the beginning and explain the entire thing,” he suggested over her head. “I can’t believe the old man would’ve cut his daughters out of his Will.”
Sara took a deep breath and Buck’s fingers curled into her shoulders.
Jackson shook his head. “Of course not. Beau gave half of his part of the business to Cord and the other half is divided between his four daughters. It’s almost the same as when your father died, Buck. Jeb left half to Cord and the rest is divided between you, Teddy and Tyler. As it stands today, the Double B is divided in such a way that Cord owns slightly more than half and the rest of you own the other half. This gives Cord controlling interest.”
Jackson removed his glasses and looked directly at her. “There’s something else you need to know about, however.”
Sara waited, hardly able to imagine what could possibly be even worse than what she’d already been told.
“Beau loved Cord as if he was his own son. His greatest desire, it would appear, was for him to marry one of his daughters.” Jackson lifted his chin as if he was bracing for a fight. “Sara, your father did leave a loop hole in the Will. It states that if you marry Cord—and stay married to him for at least fifteen years—you will regain the controlling interest of the Sampson half of the Double B partnership.”
Chapter Four
Sara’s mouth fell open. If she’d been shocked before, it was nothing compared to the cold clammy feeling she had now. The blood roared in her head and the room got fuzzy as if she wasn’t really there. Her knees trembled. Only Buck’s hands clenched around the back of her arms held her upright.
“What? Was he nuts?”
The only good part was that Cord looked as shocked as she felt. Guess old Jackson hadn’t told him everything either.
Jackson nodded. “He knew you’d feel that way, which is why he put that loop hole in there.”
Cord glared at the attorney. His usual composure was definitely shaken as he stuttered, “Wh-what do you mean?”
Jackson shrugged and shuffled the documents back into his briefcase. “Beau told me that he wanted to see Sara settle down with someone who could tame her a bit, someone who would spoil her a bit, and put up with her—but put his foot down with her at the same time. He always thought Cord would be a perfect match so, he figured he’d toss that in there on the remote chance that the ranch meant enough to the two of you to marry each other.”
He snapped his briefcase closed. “Sara, your father told me that you were insistent on never getting married. It bothered him. He thought you were going to be a cowboy forever and never settle down with a family.”
“As good girls do right?” Sara seethed. She and her father had argued that point for years. He’d been firmly set in the dark ages when it came to women. Oh, he had no problem with them out working the ranch and getting paid for a man’s work, but, in his heart, he believed that all women who had careers were simply working until they got married and had babies. “I knew he was a chauvinist, but this is unbelievable.”
She glared at Cord. He hadn’t said much, but now he looked as cool and composed as ever and that only made her madder. “How come you’re not saying anything?”
He leaned back in the chair. “I’m trying to take all this in and think about it rationally rather than emotionally. Frankly, I can’t believe Beau did this either, but there has to be a way around it. It doesn’t sound completely legal to me. “
Sara nodded. “Yeah, this can’t be legal, Jackson. It can’t possibly stand up in court in this day and age.”
He shook his head. “This is Texas. This type of thing happens all the time and, believe me, it stands up in court. This stipulation is actually very simple, you marry Cord, or you lose controlling interest of your half of the ranch. I’m not saying it’s fair. You can try and fight it in court but you won’t win, and it will cost you a lot of money, not to mention being tied up in the legal system for years.”
“What if she had already been married when he died? What then?”
Buck’s words came from behind her. She didn’t realize how hard she was leaning against him until his voice vibrate through her back.
“He probably would have changed the Will if Sara was married, or maybe he wouldn’t have bothered with the clause and left controlling interest to Cord. How do I know what he would have done?” Jackson shrugged. “Look, I know this will sound heartless but come on, Sara. It’s not like you’re homeless and out on the streets. Technically, things won’t even change that much. This is your home, you still have an interest in the business. Frankly, it’s Cord who should be annoyed if anyone. His whole life is being turned upside down and rests completely on what you decide. Although, I suppose he could refuse to marry you.” He glanced at the other man who returned his stare steadily neither agreeing nor denying his statement.
“She’s not marrying Cord.”
Buck turned Sara around to face him. The look in his eyes took her right back to last night. Warmth flooded her face and she swallowed.
His green eyes pierced her own. “You don’t need to make any decisions right now. You need to think hard on this.” He glanced over at Jackson and then back. “Maybe even get a second legal opinion.”
She wanted what her father had always promised her. She wanted her share of the Double B. It wasn’t a matter of how much the business was worth, that didn’t matter to her. What she wanted was the life her father always told her she’d have. She wanted to be the one to continue what her father and grandfather had begun—she didn’t want to answer to Cord.
Her chest burned. “I can’t breathe,” she murmured, sliding her hand across her chest. “I gotta get out of here.” She stepped out of Buck�
�s embrace and flew from the den.
Buck’s first instinct was to go after her, but he knew she’d rather cry in private. He’d talk to her later, when she was ready to talk. Meanwhile, he glared at his brother and the attorney. “There wasn’t an easier way to break this to her?”
“You think we haven’t tried to figure that out the past couple of months?”
Buck braced his feet apart and stared at Cord. “You’ll marry Sara over my dead body.”
His brother raised one eyebrow. “You know she’s not going to let the ranch go. Her only option is marriage to me.”
“You don’t want to be married to her.”
Cord shook his head. “Nope, but that’s what Beau wanted, and that’s what I’ll do. I owe him that. We owe him that.”
“We owe him to take care of Sara and her sisters, which can be done without you ruining her life by marrying her.”
“It’s not as bad an idea as it seems. I need a wife and heirs, she needs to know she’s running the show or she’ll go crazy and you know it. We have to help each other.”
When Cord mentioned family, a sudden image of Sara in his brother’s bed, in his arms, flashed through Buck’s mind. He instantly saw red. Storming across the room, he stopped just short of reaching for Cord and hauling him out of the chair. “I am not going to stand by and watch you two marry for the sake of a piece of dirt. She deserves better than that, and, damn it, so do you!”
Teddy, quiet until now, moved to stand next to Buck. “I have to agree with Buck on this, Cord. You’re not thinking clear. You can’t marry Sara.”
Jackson shifted uncomfortably and Buck turned to him. “Why didn’t you stop Beau? Why didn’t you tell him this was the stupidest idea he’s ever had?”
“You think I didn’t? I tried to talk him out of this a million times since he wrote that Will, but he was determined this was how it was going to be.”
“He could have done something like named a bunch of guardians or trustees or something to help her. Hell, I don’t know, but there had to be a better option than this!”
