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Glaring at Bea, Luke pulled Teddy off. “You deserve a lot worse after what you did to this dog. Get out of here!”
“Not ’til I’ve had my say. You thought you could ruin me—you and your money-grubbing whore.” Bea spat the words at me.
“Get off my property and stay off!” Handing me Teddy, he strode toward Bea.
“You may have had your day in court, but you didn’t win.” Bea stepped back. “No, you lost, and you lost big!”
The land line went silent, then immediately jangled back to life.
I groaned as I nestled the quivering pup against my chest. Guess the land will never return to Marianna’s family. Sorry, Mateo. Mentally picturing him in his uniform, I sighed. Luke tried.
Inside the apartment, the phone was relentless.
Who keeps calling?
“Get out of here before I have you arrested for trespassing.” Luke closed in on Bea.
Keeping a step ahead of him, she backed into her convertible. “You with your piddling lawsuit, did you really think a couple acres more or less would break me?” She sneered. “Just wait ’til I marry Neuman with his ten thousand acres.”
“Lucky man.” His tone flat, he wore a wry smile.
“Eat my dust.” She revved the engine, fishtailing on the caliche drive as the tires spewed rocks and grit.
The land line stopped ringing.
Turning, Luke reached for my hand. “C’mon, I’ll walk you home.”
His cell phone rang.
“Who keeps calling?” After an aggravated sigh, he punched the connect button. “Yes.”
I unlocked the cabin but paused before opening the door.
“Oh…hi.”
His tone changed so abruptly, I mouthed, Who is it?
He covered the phone’s receiver. “My lawyer.”
More “good” news? I braced myself as I stroked Teddy.
“I see.” Luke’s brow wrinkled. “I’ll stop by at ten. Thanks for calling.” He hung up, then scrubbed a hand over his face while he stared blankly.
He lost. I pressed my lips together, as disappointed for him as I was furious with Bea for gloating. I waited several silent minutes, giving him space, until my patience waned. “Well? What’d he say?”
His shoulders drooping, he spoke in a monotone. “I won.”
“I’m so sorry…you what?” Prepared to console him, I laughed in disbelief. “You won?”
He dipped his head in a cheerless nod.
At a loss, I opened the door. “Why aren’t you celebrating?”
“I never wanted a lawsuit, and despite Bea’s actions”—he glanced at Teddy—“I hated suing her for her ancestor’s mistakes…”
“Besides following Mateo’s wishes, you righted a wrong. Don’t forget, her family stole that land from Marianna.”
“Yes, but is the hostility worth it?”
