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Drake tensed, not liking to see her unhappy. His protective instincts fired, and he stood, too. Not that he could take action until he knew what was wrong, but he hated for her to be upset.
What had her father done?
He moved to close the distance between them, instinctively wanting to offer comfort. But just before he reached her, Fleur’s shoulders tightened, and her mouth compressed into a thin, flat line.
Worse? Her gray eyes lifted to meet his. And he could have sworn all that anger was directed at...him?
“What is it?” he asked, feeling involved somehow in her conversation, even though she still held the phone to her ear.
But Fleur didn’t answer him. Still locking gazes with him, she spoke again into the phone.
“Jess, I have Drake with me right now. If I put you on speaker, would you please repeat that so he knows?”
Worry speared through him as Fleur stabbed a button on her screen.
“Of course.” Jessamyn’s brusque tone came through the speaker as Fleur held the device between them. “I was just telling Fleur that our father intercepted Drake’s message to me about wanting to buy the Crooked Elm rangelands. He’s noticed Drake’s interest in the property, apparently, both at Gran’s memorial and then with the follow-up call and text about buying the parcel even with the citations pending. Now Dad thinks maybe those acres are worth more than he realized.”
Drake shook his head, not understanding what was wrong.
“Does he think I should offer more for them?” he asked, unsure what he was missing. “I can increase my offer.”
Why was Fleur so angry?
“Tell him,” Fleur said, her words as sharp as any she’d shot at him when they’d been enemies. “Explain what his need to force his own agenda has led to.”
On the other end of the call, Jessamyn continued in that clipped business tone. Yet there was no mistaking the steely anger beneath it.
“Money isn’t the issue. Now our father is contesting Antonia’s will, Drake. It could be tied up in probate court for months. Or more. Bottom line, you won’t be able to buy the land anyway until the case is settled.”
The news devastated him. So he understood it had to devastate Fleur one hundred times as much. His gut sank.
“Fleur, I’m so sorry.” He wanted to comfort her. To find a way to bear the news that must be crushing to her. “There must be some way—”
“There isn’t.” She snapped, her eyes flinty with anger before they moved away from him and back to her phone. “Jessamyn, I appreciate the update. Do you think I’m even legally allowed to live there?”
Drake speared his fingers through his hair, unable to believe what he was hearing. How could Mateo do this to his daughters?
“You should be fine since you were already there before Dad contested the will. But in yet more bad news, Josiah Cranston legally doesn’t have to vacate the property now until probate is cleared.”
Hell. Anger coursed through his veins even as Drake knew he had no right to it. Fleur and her sisters were the ones who deserved to be furious about this.
“It’s a lot to absorb at once,” Fleur said finally, her voice shaking slightly. “I’ll call you later once I get my head around this, okay?”
“Sure thing, Fleur,” Jessamyn returned, sounding exhausted as she heaved out a small sigh. “I’ll get in touch with Lark.”
Fleur disconnected and tucked the phone into her pocket, her movements deliberate. Slow.
Still, he recalled how her voice had a tremor in it a moment ago.
“I’m so sorry,” he repeated, his hands landing on her shoulders. “We can hire an attorney who specializes in probate—”
“We?” Her voice rose an octave as she glared at him before spinning away from his touch. “Wearen’t doing anything together, Drake.” She removed the place mats from the counter and replaced them in a buffet drawer, her movements abrupt. Jerky. “This is a problem for my sisters and me to deal with. It’s not one you can manage with money and influence. In fact, it doesn’t have anything to do with you.”
His brain worked fast to try to follow what she was angry at him for, but the pieces didn’t add up.
“Fleur, it’s not my fault your father contested the will.”
“Oh no?” She fisted her hands and settled them on her hips, the emotion practically steaming off her as she faced him. “Did you miss the part where my sister said your interest in the land made our money-hungry dad want to get involved? You’re so gung ho to buy it that of course my big shot real estate developer father wants to know if he can make a buck on it.”
