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Holt rubbed a hand over his face, then scuffed his boot across the ground. “Come in. We need to talk, anyway.”
Knox tried to ignore the pinch in his gut. “You get the money I transferred yesterday?”
“Yep. Sure did. Thanks for that.”
Knox felt only slightly mollified. He still owed a few thousand more to Holt, and Knox intended to make good on every red cent of it.
Holt nodded to the extra chair in the office, and Knox took it. He had no idea what to expect from his brother, and frankly, it wasn’t so pleasant being in such close quarters with him. They’d had plenty of disagreements, and even an outright fistfight last summer when Knox had accused Holt of stealing Macie. Which had ended up being true, but then again, Macie was no longer Knox’s wife to be stolen.
“Look at this,” Holt said, turning the glowing computer screen so that Knox could see an email that had been pulled up.
It was from the horse rehabilitation grant division, and as Knox read through it, he realized that the grant that Holt had depended on to rehabilitate sick, neglected, or injured horses was being cut in half. “Who the hell is RD & Associates?”
“Another outfit that’s applied for funding in our same town,” Holt said. “Which means that our funds will be cut significantly, since the organization is promising to bring in a volunteer veterinarian to work with the more difficult cases. Which means that the vet care bills will be virtually nonexistent. The writing’s on the wall. We could easily lose the grant altogether since this other place could rehabilitate more horses at less cost. This would look attractive to the board of directors.”
Knox heard the restraint in Holt’s voice. His brother was truly upset, but like all things, he was managing his emotions about the huge setback. “Who are these yahoos?”
“I haven’t gotten that far,” Holt said. “I saw the email come in on my phone during the rodeo, but didn’t want to worry anyone. Couldn’t sleep, so I headed over here to hopefully get my head around this.”
Knox pulled out his phone and googled the name of the organization listed in the letter, then clicked the tab with the board of directors listed. “Well, I’ll be…”
“What?” Holt asked.
Knox could hardly believe it himself. “Judd Harris is on the board of directors. What are the chances that he directed RD & Associates to set up in Prosper? Give you a little competition, or something?”
Holt frowned. “Judd? He doesn’t even live in Prosper anymore. Gave their daughter the operations part of the business, then they hightailed it out of here.”
“San Antonio is where they ended up,” Knox said. His mind was reeling. He’d known Judd Harris his whole life—everyone in Prosper did. But Knox hadn’t had much interaction with the man. Yeah, Knox had dated Jana, but he’d not spent much time at her house or around her parents during those months.
He felt his brother’s gaze on him, and Knox looked up. At the steely look in Holt’s blue eyes, Knox said, “What?”
“Ruby said something about Jana being your girlfriend?” The hard line of Holt’s jaw flexed.
“Ruby’s interpretation is a little different than reality,” Knox said, frowning. “We’re dating, I guess, but things are pretty fresh.”
Holt gave a short nod. “You kept in touch with her all these years?”
Knox squared his shoulders. “No, of course not. Why would you say that? I was married to Macie.”
Holt folded his arms. “That didn’t stop you—”
Knox leapt to his feet, and Holt did, too. Holt was taller than Knox, but Knox was just as strong. “Stop bringing up the past,” Knox ground out, proud of himself for not already having hit his brother. “Nothing good will come of it.”
Holt’s gaze dropped a fraction, then he lifted it again to focus on Knox. “You’re right. But answer me one thing straight up.”
Knox dipped his chin. “Of course.”
“Did you give Jana or her dad information about the grant?”
Knox clenched his jaw for a good three seconds. How could his brother even think that would happen? Yet, the steady blue of Holt’s eyes told Knox that his brother didn’t want to believe it, but it was a necessary question.
“Listen,” Knox said, his tone low, barely controlled. “First, I never spoke to or saw Jana Harris until this week. The last time I saw her was at the rodeo where I… we… met Macie.” He exhaled. “Second, this might come as a shock to you, but Jana and I haven’t discussed you or your job here once. I know you think everyone in Prosper is always talking about our family, but we weren’t. Besides, this offer didn’t happen overnight. I’m assuming it’s been in the works for months. You said yourself it took several weeks to get your approvals.”
Holt nodded at this.
“The timing doesn’t line up,” Knox said. “I’ve only been hanging out with Jana for a few days, and well, I can’t vouch for Judd Harris’s decisions, but I’d never undercut our parents’ ranch. Never. Even if you and I hated each other, I’d still honor our parents.”
“I don’t hate you,” Holt said in a quiet voice. His blue eyes had lost their steel.
