AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“There’s more, if you’d like to go over it,” Luther said, biting his lower lip. “I spent quite a while on the phone with Austin. The name Westmoreland seemed familiar, but I didn’t know why. But I know now. Austin said that he had an aunt who did everything she could to keep Mack away from Dale. That aunt was Melva Westmoreland.”
Just then, Russell’s dad poked his head in the doorway. “Excuse me, I thought you were done,” he said. “What is this about Melva? What the hell has that family done now?”
Rafe motioned his dad over to the table. “What are you talking about?” he asked.
“Grant Mendeltom’s wife, who passed away six years ago. Melva. Everyone called her Milly because she hated her name, but it was really Melva. And her maiden name was Westmoreland.”
Chapter 11
RAFE COULDbarely breathe. “Jesus Christ,” he swore. “I knew that Grant spied on Uncle Mack and shared things with my parents. But damn it all to hell.”
“The leap you made is probably true,” Luther admitted. “Austin told me that it was Melva who found out about Mack and Dale. He and his mother were with her when she barged into Dale’s, looking for something, apparently thinking she could take whatever she wanted.”
“Sounds like Melva,” Elliott groused. “She was always holier-than-thou and thought her shit didn’t stink.”
“Anyway, she found the two of them together having coffee first thing in the morning. As soon as she figured out what was going on, she left in a huff. Then she found out who Mack was and told his family. From there, I think you can figure out the rest of the story.”
“Yeah, I can. She and Grant kept tabs on Uncle Mack and then reported it to my parents. But I suspect after Dale died, there was nothing to report until I inherited the property, and then the old connections started buzzing again. Even though Melva was gone, my guess is that Grant picked up where she’d left off. That was why my parents showed up wanting money, then agreed to sell the ranch to Grant.”
“But Mack was smarter than all of them. He specifically stated that they should get nothing. Mack was a smart cookie when he wanted to be,” Luther said. “It was a privilege to know him. I’m just sorry that there are people who can’t leave well enough alone. If they had, maybe he and Dale could have had a life together. They could have been happy.”
Rafe clutched his wineglass in his hands so tight, he was lucky it didn’t break. “I knew Grant Mendeltom was an ass on sight, but for him and his wife to do something like this….” He wanted to beat the shit out of him… and her. “What did Uncle Mack ever do to deserve this?” He looked around the room.
“I found your uncle to be a cowboy among cowboys,” Elliott said. “He always did what he said he’d do, he was quiet, a good steward of his land, and his word was his bond. Period. Yes, he could be standoffish and even arrogant sometimes, but that goes with the breed. When you live close to the land, you have to be strong or the land and the elements will get the better of you.”
“Mack rode broncs. I found the pictures and the buckles to prove it. So yeah, he could be an ass, but then again, so can we all.” Rafe smiled at Russell. “It takes a bit of assholeness to last on the rodeo circuit.”
Luther cleared his throat. “I was not supposed to reveal this, but I think it’s okay now that Mack is gone. Do any of you remember a few years back when the town wanted to rebuild the park on Birch?”
Both Russell and Elliott nodded. “I used to play there as a kid, but after a while, Mom wouldn’t let me go,” Russell said.
“Yes. It fell into disrepair and needed a lot of work. Mack paid for all of it. He had me present the money to the town, and the park was regraded. The new grass and all those trees, the paths, the playground equipment, even the pool…. Mack gave all of it to the town, and he never said a word about it.”
Rafe swallowed hard. “That’s what he used some of Dale’s money for?”
Luther shrugged. “I don’t know where the money came from. All I know is that he handed me a check and told me to turn it over anonymously. I suppose if you looked at his taxes, you’d find the deductions, but that would be the only record. So if you want to remember Mack for the man he was, think of that. I will.”
He drank his water and stood. “Now I think I need to go. I’ll put together those contracts and get them over as soon as I can.” Luther shook hands around the table, then left the room. He might have wiped his eyes when he thought no one could see. But Rafe did didn’t mention it. He reckoned it said a lot about a man when just the memory of the things he’d done could bring another grown man to tears.
“WHAT AREwe going to do about Mendeltom? I bet he was behind the fire in the barn,” Elliott said once they’d settled in the great room again.
“Dad, the sheriff is looking into it. The days of riding someone out of town on a rail are over.”
“Pity.” Elliott looked as ready to kill as Rafe felt. “Still, we now know that he isn’t going to get his hands on any of Rafe’s land, and his ranch has lost access to a large amount of other acreage. That is going to put a great deal of stress on his ability to move forward. And maybe one of them decided to burn Rafe out to try to relieve some of that pressure.”
Rafe leaned forward. “What are you saying?”
Elliott shook his head. “Nothing. Nothing at all.” He still had that “fox in a henhouse” expression on his face. “I was just thinking about doing some digging into the real state of his finances… then making sure his access to money is cut off. After that, it will be just a matter of time before he’s done. I’ll arrange to buy the ranch through a subsidiary we set up, and that will be that.” He made it sound easy, but his voice was cold.
“Dad, I don’t think that’s what we need right now.”
“Bullshit. Getting that asshole out of here is exactly what we all need.” He turned to Rafe, and a chill went up Rafe’s spine. “Do you want Mendeltom spying on you?”
Rafe just shrugged.
“We have enough money that we could force him out with very little effort,” Russell added.
Rafe put his hand on Russell’s. “Please don’t, both of you. I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but I doubt that is something Mack would have wanted.” He sat back, still touching Russell. “If you do anything, the Mendeltoms will target you too. It will be Grant, Duane, and his friends against you and your friends, and things will get ugly. There’s already been enough of that. You have your business, and we’ll have ours together. Let that be the end of it. We’ll grow and do our best to prosper. If Grant and Duane fail, then it will be on their own heads.”
