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I glance back to the couch, where Small Dog is sawing logs.
“Is Small Dog retired?” I ask.
“No,” he says. “But he’s never won employee of the month.”
I laugh and his head snaps up, those pale eyes glittering. Like I did something right. At that moment, a woman in her sixties appears pushing a cart.
She pulls up beside me, and I offer her a smile which she doesn’t return. There’s suspicion in her eyes as she sets down a plate and lifts the lid to reveal roast beef, vegetables, and whipped potatoes.
“I’ve never had beef from Sovereign Mountain Ranch,” I say. “Let’s see if it holds up to Garrison cattle.”
“It holds up,” he says. “And Maddie makes the best roast you’ll ever have.”
“Thank you,” she says, a hint of pride in her voice.
She finishes serving us and leaves. Gerard pours himself a glass of water, ignoring the wine. Then he sits back and spreads his knees. I try not to stare, but it’s hard when his body takes over the regular sized chair and makes it look small.
“Let’s cut to the chase,” he says.
My mouth feels dry and I try to wet it with a sip of wine. “Okay.”
“You are underwater in debt, Miss Garrison.”
A ripple moves through me, but I’m unsure if it’s shock and disbelief.
“No, I’m good,” I say slowly.
“I take it your husband never told you that he took a mortgage out on your ranch and I own the bank he did it with,” he says.
“No,” I squeak.
“And it hasn’t been paid in months.”
“Okay,” I say frantically. “I can pay it. Just get me the paperwork.”
His lids flicker. He plants one arm on the side of his chair and I’m temporarily distracted by the bulge of his bicep. It’s incredibly hard to focus on my world crashing down while he’s wearing a t-shirt that doesn’t properly fit him.
“You can’t pay this,” he says.
He’s not mocking me, he’s just stating a fact.
“How much?” I lick my dry lips.
“A quarter of a million dollars,” he says.
“In total?” My voice cracks.
“No, that’s the payments from the last year and a half,” he says. “The mortgage is a total of twelve million dollars. Your husband sold off portions adjoining my land, or it would be a lot more.”
He’d sold part of the ranch?
My body is cold around the edges. My heart beats so fast it feels like it’s trying to jump right out of my ribs.
How could Clint have done this? The Garrison Ranch was doing so well, our bills were paid…at least I’d assumed they were. Why had he risked everything and gotten into such a sickening amount of debt?
Was this why I’d been left everything in the will?
Because it was worth nothing?
