I ran my hand through my hair, latching onto the strands, growling under my breath. “Fuck. Who is it?”
“The Lawton Group.”
“Are you kidding me?” I snapped. “Jasper. It must be.” Callum’s warning about spying my cousin out near the water hit me full force. This had been his plan all along, and I’d thrown a bloody wrench in it when I showed up with a wife in tow.
I started pacing, barely hanging onto my temper. Of all the goddamn competitors Jasper could have chosen, he’d pickedthem?
“Which likely means he’s confident in his ability to successfully contest the inheritance,” Lena said.
“Shite!” I shoved Grandad’s desk chair out of the way. It thumped against the wall, making Lena jump. If the Lawton Group was known for anything, it was their dodgy business practices—cutting corners on safety, bulldozing the local wildlife. “If Jasper gets a hold of Lochbrae, he’s going to let the Lawton Group ruin this place!”
I could picture it now: clearcutting the woodlands without replanting, slapping up the cheapest infrastructure without consulting the community, dumping chemicals into the nearby lochs. But cutting corners meant a bigger chunk of change going into Jasper’s pocket, and I knew he wouldn’t hesitate to proceed with all of the Lawton Group’s horrible plans.
It was infuriating. I whirled around, catching the moment Lena’s entire face fell. I exhaled sharply, doing my best to swallow down the bile that shot up my throat. I knew she already blamed herself for the fact that Narissa had found out about the terms of the will in the first place.
But this wasn’t her doing.Iwas the one who’d invited Narissa into my life.
And I was the one who’d kicked her out of it again. This bloody revenge she yearned for was a direct consequence of me damaging her pride. I couldn’t put that on Lena. But now was not a moment for rational thinking. I needed to get out of here for a while and decompress.
I walked around the desk slowly, reaching out and pressing my hands to Lena’s shoulders.
“I don’t even know where to start,” she admitted.
I kissed the top of her head. “I employ very good lawyers,” I said. “We start with that. Keep me posted on the developments.”
She nodded. “Where are you going?”
“Callum asked for my help earlier. He thinks he found the gap in the fence where Bonnie keeps getting onto the property. I’m gonna go give him a hand and walk some of this frustration off. I’ll see you later.”
“Okay,” she said.
I mustered what I thought was a reassuring smile, then trudged off through the door.
By the time I reached the pasture where Callum was working, I’d read the email from legal at least half a dozen times.
Of all the things the bastard could do with the land, this was the biggest kick in the teeth. Jasper wasn’t a fool. He knew damn well the Lawton Group would likely ruin the local environment around Lochbrae, meaning no future generation of Kincaid would ever want to settle on the property. That alone was payback for both him and his father being left out of the bulk of the inheritance.
And he was taking it out on the town by handing over the keys to a developer who wouldn’t give a rat’s arse about prioritizing the economic growth or development of Braeburn. They wouldn’tprioritize giving jobs to the locals. They wouldn’t invest in the town’s infrastructure. And they certainly wouldn’t care one iota about what happened to this community.
The walk across the pasture did nothing to temper my anger.
“What’s crawled up your kilt?” Callum called as I approached.
“Nothing,” I grunted.
Callum took one look at me, arched a bushy eyebrow, and handed me the shovel. “Looks like you need this more than I do.”
I took the shovel and started digging where he pointed, my fingers blanching around the handle from gripping it so hard.
“You gonna tell me why your face looks like you just trod in sheep shite with your fancy Italian loafers?” Callum asked after a few moments. “Or do you want me to guess?”
“You know, I would have preferred the sheep shite,” I grumbled as I tossed a shovelful of dirt aside to make room for a new fence post. I stopped, jamming the shovel into the ground, taking a breather. “Jasper is contesting the will.”
“Ah,” Callum said, sounding rather surprised. “I never liked that cousin of yours. Always thought he had a shifty look about him.”
I snorted as I started digging again. “You and everyone else who’s ever met him.”
Callum clicked his tongue. “I knew he was up to trouble when I spotted him out here the day of your grandad’s funeral.” He tapped my shoulder. “That’s deep enough. Help me get this new post in.” He gestured to a large log resting nearby on the ground.
