He breathed more easily as he stepped out into the warmnight air.
“Sorry.We’re at a roadhouse,” he said.
“You’re at The Barn,” Ruby replied with a chuckle.“DoesOlivia know that for years her parents kept a room upstairs?At one point itwas for her papa so if he had too much to drink, he didn’t drive, but later therumors are there were some fun nights had in that room.I wonder if they stillhave it.”
It didn’t surprise him that Olivia’s parents had a nookieroom.He kind of wanted one himself.One for him and Keane and their gorgeous,smart sub.
He wasn’t a great dancer, but he wanted to dance with her.Not because some cowboy looked her way.Because he wanted her in his arms allthe time.They would have to figure out how to dance as a threesome.See, thatwas where her dads could help.
If they didn’t kill him first.“Have you got anything?”
“Of course I have something.I have several things, sinceyou and Livie seem determined to fund my life this month.I need you tounderstand something, Garrett.I’m strictly behind the scenes.My partner gother ass shot doing work for Olivia’s brothers, and I’m not making the samemistake.”
“Shot?”He thought the whole PI gig was mostly from afar.
“Yeah.It’s okay.She survived.Got a pretty cool scar outof it, but I like my skin the way it is,” Ruby explained.
“I will do my best to ensure you don’t get shot.What haveyou found out?”
“Do you want the business stuff first or do you want thefun, gossipy stuff?”Ruby asked.
“Business, please.”He needed to get back to Olivia.Maybehe could convince her to go home.He missed their play time.He knew therewould be plenty of nights where they wouldn’t spend hours in a playroom, but hewanted all the time he could get.
She sighed.“All right, let’s talk about Gladen.He’sdefinitely skimming somewhere.I need his records, though I’m sure those lookpristine.But I did get his personal financials, and something is not right.He’s bought a couple of large purchases he shouldn’t be able to afford, andapparently he did it with cash.We’re talking hundreds of thousands ofdollars.”
“His ranch has been underperforming on paper for the lasttwo years.Jack even gave him a low-interest loan to fix a couple of things onthe ranch that seemed to be holding them back.”Once he’d studied therelationship through the focus of legal documents, he could seeBarnes-Fleetwood did everything they could to help Gladen get into compliancewith the processes.
“I read that contract,” Ruby said.“It was for an irrigationsystem and barn renovation.It was eight hundred thousand dollars.”
He knew that particular sum.“He’s been making the payments,though he complains about it.”
Ruby hesitated.“This is where I think Olivia is right.He’sbeen making the payments, but I’m not sure he had the work done.”
Frustration welled through him because he had alreadychecked.“I have the invoices.”
“Ah, you have printouts he gave you, but I attempted tomatch those to the companies he claimed did the work, and they don’t showanything like what he documented,” Ruby replied.“As for him cutting corners,I’m pretty sure we can prove he’s been using non-organic feed.I found a coupleof his ex-employees who are willing to state that he has them clean the placeup when he knows someone from the home office is coming out.You should knowone of the guys I talked to mentioned Olivia.Apparently she and Gladen wentout to dinner a couple of times.I suspect she would have called it business,but he told everyone he was dating her.Now he seems to be telling the storythat he rejected her and that’s why she’s causing problems.”
He felt a growl stick in his throat, but he held it there.“So he’s going to accuse her of unprofessional behavior.”
“I think he’s going to use the possibility to get out of thecorner he’s rapidly finding himself in,” Ruby agreed.“He’s got his story linedup.I think he’s planning to use this to try to sue the cooperative and get outof his loan obligations.He thinks if Olivia is on the line, her father will doanything he needs to in order to protect her.”
“He doesn’t know Olivia.She won’t let her father sign awaya bunch of money to protect her from something she didn’t do.”But he shouldhave expected this.He should have known that Gladen would use Olivia’saggressive stance against her.He’d kind of told her.Well, at least he couldspank her for it.That would be fun.Dealing with her dad would be less fun.“Send me everything you have.”
“I’m worried about this guy.I think he might owe somemoney, and Olivia threatened him.”
“She didn’t threaten him,” Garrett countered.“She found outhe’s cheating on his contracts and explained that he couldn’t do it anymore.”
“Well, I think he sees her as a threat to whatever he’sdoing, and he needs her scared.”
And they were back to the real problem at hand.“Do youthink he would slash her tires?”
A long sigh came over the line.“I think that asshole woulddo anything, but it does seem a bit common for him.It also does nothing butmake her more suspicious.Now I worry that there is someone who would thinkthat was badass and a way to get a man back.”
He groaned.“Who?We met up with one of those a few nightsback.Olivia’s high school boyfriend decided it was time to try to marry formoney.Unfortunately, his current girlfriend disagreed and didn’t mind takingthe whole argument public.”
“Yes.I’ve done a deep dive into Jason Hart and Lola Smith,”Ruby admitted.“Here’s what I will say.According to their socials, if theybroke up Lola isn’t showing it.His socials claim he’s single and ready tomingle.Vomit.Hers are all about her perfect boyfriend.She did do a tearypost about sacrificing for the ones you love.I guess she meant potentiallybeing a side piece while her boy goes and grabs a prize.”
“Olivia is not a prize to be won.”
