“You be extra sweet to her,” Dolly said. “Despite a failed marriage, that girl went through a lot with her daddy walking out on them when her mama got sick."
That, he did know about. They'd been teenagers, and Frank hadn't known how to process his anger at his father--or his sorrow over his mom. More than once, Lyle had hauled his friend home after way too many beers or an entire bottle of Jack Daniels.
Heather drove into town to stock up on supplies and decided to check with her realtor on the ten-acre property she was hoping to purchase. The small office was tucked between Candi Lee’s Nail Salon and Dirk’s saddles. A bell tinkled as she pushed open the wooden door.
Shonda Reilly stood up from behind a small metal desk, a petite brunette around the same age as Heather.
“Oh, hey, Heather. I was just about to give you a call.”
“What’s up? Good news, I hope?”
Shonda shook her head. “Not exactly. Someone’s put in a contingent offer for the Waverly property and it’s significantly higher than yours. They’re asking for additional property inspections, though, which seems odd, because that’s going to delay the process—not only for you, but for them as well.”
“I thought I was the only offer. Did you show the place to someone else?”
“No. As far as I can tell, the offer was submitted sight unseen. I’ve checked the lock box and no one has accessed it. Since I’m the only realtor in town, I’d know if anyone had requested a viewing. The only thing I can speculate on is that the buyer approached the family’s heirs directly.”
“Can you tell me who the other bidder is?”
Shonda shook her head. “It’s a company out of Dallas.”
Heather felt as though a rock was sitting in the pit of her stomach. “Does the name Darren Richards ring any bells?”
“Should it?”
Heather wasn’t sure if Shonda could legally or ethically disclose the other buyer’s information, but this seemed to come out of nowhere and it seemed awfully suspicious. “I don’t know. He showed up a couple times out at the ranch offering to go into partnership with me or buy my business outright. He said he was looking to start a dog training operation in Bear Valley.”
“That’s weird. Did you tell Mr. Richards you’d made an offer on the Waverly place?”
“No, I didn’t tell him.”
“Well, it’s not as though that acreage is actually set up for dog training. You’d have to do some renovations to create what you want. So it could just be a coincidence?”
“Maybe I’m wrong. I’ve got his card. I’ll take a look and see if he works for a company in Dallas. Meanwhile, what can I do?”
“Do you want to raise your offer? The probate hasn’t been settled yet, so you have a little time.”
Heather took a deep breath. She had some money in savings, but she’d planned to use that on renovations. And she wasn’t sure she could qualify for a larger mortgage loan.
“Let me talk to the bank and see what they can do. You say these inspections are going to cause a delay?”
“Yes. Which tells me the company looking to purchase the property isn’t in a huge hurry.”
“Lucky for me, I guess. Thanks, Shonda. I’ll make some calls and be in touch.”
Lyle was driving through town after their visit with Dolly when he saw Heather coming out of the realtor's office. She looked as though she'd lost her last friend.
He pulled up next to her, powered down the window. “Hey. I didn’t know you’d be in town today. Feel like getting a bite to eat at Cooters with us?”
“I’m afraid I wouldn’t be very good company right now.”
“What’s up?”
“You know that ten acres I told you about? I thought we were getting close to closing. I just found out someone has topped my bid.”
“Who?”
“It’s a company out of Dallas. I’m pretty sure the proposal that Darren Richards gave me lists his company, BMG Industries, being located in Dallas. I think he’s involved, but I’m not positive.”
