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She was led into what had to be a study. More of the dark wood flowed from floor to built-in bookcases. A huge conference table in the same hue dominated the space. Hadn’t they ever heard of complementary colors? The constant darkness was claustrophobic. Mr. Murray waved her to a chair beside a sandy-haired man in his fifties who looked like he’d just stepped off a construction site. The lawyer settled opposite her with a fat sheaf of papers before him and a smaller stack to his left.
She lowered into the chair. The brooding grouch from the porch came in finally and settled into the chair beside her. Oh, why did he have to sit there? Intensity rolled off him like a scent. The tips of her fingers tingled in response, and a rush of goose bumps swamped her skin.
Not good.
Mr. Murray cleared his throat. “Thank you all for coming. I know it’s been a very difficult few days. Lawrence’s sudden passing left all of us a little stunned.”
She glanced at the stranger beside her. His jaw clenched once, and his hands went very still on the table. He was almost wooden both in stance and lack of emotion. His face was completely blank. His eyes, however, were not. No, they burned with anger. Just who was he?
“I have his will. It was very specific. That’s why there are only a few of you here to witness the reading.”
“We’re all very interested in the cryptic letter that was sent out, Jonas,” the sandy-haired man said.
“I know, and I’ll explain everything in a moment. Now, would you like me to read the will aloud?”
“I can’t wade through that legal mumbo jumbo, Joe.”
The slip of familiar in the sandy-haired man’s voice gave Kendall pause. Maybe they weren’t as distant as it felt. Everything about this mausoleum screamed cold and remote. She may not remember much about her father, but she did recall a booming laugh and charm. So much charm.
The lawyer looked at her. “Miss Proctor?”
“The gist of things would be fine.”
“Shane?”
Shane. So that was his name. He nodded curtly. Her gaze drifted to the subtle tap of his forefinger on the conference table. Not so stony. She had the strangest urge to cover his hand and curl her fingers around his. Ridiculous, of course. He’d probably snap her hand off at the wrist.
“Lawrence had a new will notarized six months ago, so there are some changes to the terms you knew before.”
“What kind of changes?” Again, the sandy-haired man spoke up.
“Justice Construction has been through some ups and downs. The latest venture has hit a few…hitches.”
Shane stopped tapping. “What kind of hitches?”
Kendall dropped her hands into her lap and twisted them tight. Shane’s voice was biting and hoarse. What exactly had she walked in on?
The lawyer straightened his spine. “Financial hitches, Shane. There’s no good way to say this. Justice Construction will be dissolved to pay back taxes, the double mortgage on this house, and the company’s outstanding debts.”
“What?”
“Now, Gerry. Hear me out.”
The sandy-haired man—Gerry—stood so fast the chair scraped over the polished floor. “What’s to hear out? What do you mean dissolved? I’ve given twenty years to this company!”
“I understand that. Larry did everything to make sure there would be no burden to the shareholders. But I’m sorry, that’s all he was able to do. There will be just enough to cover the sale of the business and the house.”
Shane stood and paced. She couldn’t drag her eyes away from him.Pacedwas too passive a word; no, he was prowling. His jaw was granite, and his eyes blazed with a rage that crackled in the room.
Kendall turned back to the lawyer.
As if reading her mind, Mr. Murray turned his gaze to her. His voice slid back into the professional and distant lawyer mode. “Miss Proctor, you also have one of Mr. Justice’s remaining properties.”
“No.” Kendall’s lungs emptied, and a thick buzz filled her head. All her work. Her home—everything she’d done to keep her mother safe and taken care of. “No, you can’t.”
Mr. Murray lifted his hand. “No, you don’t have to sell the Heron.”
She pressed her forehead to the cool wood. Relief opened the buckles that had snapped around her chest. She dragged in a breath.
