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“I’m going to preface this by saying one thing. I can’t think of a single person here or in my past who would hate me enough to cause me or my family harm. I’m not a bad guy. I just valued my job more than anything else.”
He watched her carefully, hoping to see a glimmer of empathy. He’d already told her he was a workaholic. She knew his relationship with Dee had ended because of it. Bella just didn’t know what he’d gotten out of such dedication.
Grant covered his face with both hands and groaned. Why was it so hard to share this with her? He hadn’t wanted their relationship to change. And it was too late now. Everything had changed. He couldn’t tell what it was about the way she watched him, but there was something in her eyes that made it clear she wasn’t interested anymore.
Dropping his hands to the sides, he sighed and locked his eyes on her. “Okay, so I’m what most people consider wealthy.”
Her expression didn’t change.
“Really wealthy.”
She shrugged. “So, what, you have a good nest egg? Why would that matter?”
He shook his head. “It’s more than that. I have enough money to put Nick through an ivy league university and?—"
“Well, you didn’t have to pay anything his first six years. I don’t mean that to sound harsh, it’s just the truth.” She shrugged and tilted her head as she let out a breath.
“You’re right about that. But I could easily pay for thousands of kids to go to Harvard.”
They stared at each other. Her eyes widened slightly, and she covered her mouth with her hand. He couldn’t tell if she felt bad about what she’d said or what he’d confessed. At this point, it didn’t matter. He knew where she stood. He’d been an absent father and she held it against him whether she realized it or not.
Grant rubbed the back of his neck. He prayed they could just ignore what she’d said and move past it. What was the point in dwelling on something that would only cause more heartache? “Not that it matters, but I don’t usually share that sort of thing with people I barely know because money only causes problems.”
She opened her mouth, but he held up a hand to stop her.
“Remember I told you about my family? Well, I found the thing that helped them see I was worthy of their attention. Turns out money can buy your family’s love when they think they’re entitled to a share of it. But if you think they’re the ones doing anything to me here, you’d be wrong. They wouldn’t be caught dead out here in the middle of nowhere.”
Bella didn’t move. Her expression was nearly impossible to read. He thought he saw a hint of guilt in her eyes, but that was probably wishful thinking. She’d made her decision about him already.
“Honestly, the only one I’ve ever been honest about money with was Dee. And she left me because of it—sort of. I never even told Charlotte exactly what I do or how much I’m worth. The second someone brings up money, it poisons everything.”
“So, we’re in agreement,” she murmured so quietly that he nearly didn’t catch it.
“About what?”
“Anyone who might know about your money might be doing this.”
Grant shook his head, his frustration mounting. “But that wouldn’t make sense. Why not demand money? Why not blackmail?”
“Maybe they don’t have anything they can hold against you. But I see where you’re going with this.” Bella had shifted from quiet observer to someone more interested in solving the mystery they had at hand. “What would make sense is if they kidnapped Nick and then demanded ransom. The culprit’s motivation seems to be linked to getting you fired, which puts us right back where we started. Someone on this ranch wants you gone, we just don’t know who. And there haven’t been any other blatant attempts to get you fired?”
“None.” Grant racked his brain for anything he might be able to give her, but there was nothing. Everything had been quiet since his visit to the hospital. No more vandalism. No more broken fences. No more escaped animals. “Maybe that’s a good sign. Would it be possible that they gave up? Or perhaps they decided to leave first?”
“Possible? Yes,” Bella answered. “Probable? I doubt it. You have to understand how these people work. In their heads, they’re doing something they think is for the best. They’re not just going to let this go. They want you gone. Things might be hot right now and they’re just waiting for it to cool down before they strike again.”
He didn’t like the sound of that.
Bella stilled and stared at him with a fresh wave of energy. “I think I remember reading somewhere that you’re taking a break from running the company but that you’re still the CEO.”
“That’s true…” he drawled. “I always intended on moving back after I spent some time here with Nick.”
A flicker of something unreadable passed across her expression. But then she looked toward the window and her features grew more pensive than anything else.
“If you’re planning on heading back, then maybe there’s a board member who doesn’t like the guy currently running things. That would be a good reason for them to want to boot you from your job here.”
“You’re wrong about that one.”
She shot him a sharp look.
