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His phone started to ring and he looked at it in annoyance.
The name on the phone matched the name the text was from and Piper went up like a furnace. “So, that’s it. He can’t even wait to talk to you. He wants to discuss the details right now about how you can renege on our deal, sell your soul down the river and make yourself disgustingly rich. Well, I won’t let you. I won’t be part of this. This is my land, too.”
She turned on her heel, thought for a few seconds, and then just bolted. Piper had never really been an athlete. But she could move if she wanted to. And right now, she just wanted to get as far away from this place as possible.
So, she ran as if the world was chasing her, and before anyone else would witness the breaking of her heart.
Chapter Thirteen
Dawson was stunned.Piper disappeared in a heartbeat. His first reaction was to chase her. But he wasn’t sure that was the right thing to do. She was upset. And a man chasing an upset woman across a park sounded like every bad newspaper story in the world.
He also didn’t want to leave her on her own. It didn’t feel safe. He looked around. The carriage and driver had disappeared. After a few moments, a younger man appeared from around a corner. He was dressed in casual clothes and was helping someone else along—an older gentleman.
Mr. McNally climbed the steps to the gazebo with an air of trepidation. He shook his head at Dawson. “What did you do?”
Dawson didn’t even know where to start with the explanation. The other man started to pack up the bar. Of course, someone had to have set this up. And now, it definitely made sense to put it away.
His phone rang again and a wave of anger swept over him. “Floyd, this is not a good time. And no, I won’t consider it for a second. Why on earth would you think I would? I asked you about fund-raising for a training ground. I never once mentioned any intention to sell.”
Dawson was already cursing himself for ever having mentioned this to the former sports star, now a land developer. The first call from Floyd had put him on the spot. Floyd had told Dawson he’d been spotted at Margaret Smith’s former home, and wanted to know what he was doing there. Dawson should have known that potential developers would be keeping their eye on the key piece of real estate.
“Hey.” The drawl came from the end of the phone, and Dawson knew instantly that Floyd was in company. “I’m here with some friends who are looking for prime real estate. It made sense if I let them know we were partners and brought you in on the first stages.”
“There are no first stages,” Dawson said through gritted teeth. “There is no land, and we are not partners.”
He hung up without another word. There were too many he wanted to say, and they weren’t for the present company. “What about Piper?” he said to McNally. “She’s on her own, and she’s upset. I want to make sure she gets home safely.”
McNally gave a wave of his hand. “Don’t worry.” He nodded at his companion. “Jake’s brother will keep an eye on her and make sure she comes to no harm.”
Dawson drew his eyes off Jake. He couldn’t help it. All his instincts were currently on edge, but he took some breaths, and told himself that McNally clearly trusted this man and his brother, apparently.
“I gave you the perfect setting,” said McNally. “Only a fool would waste it.”
Dawson was about to snap back but stopped himself. The horse and carriage. The private cocktail bar. The final clue. If it was McNally that had planned this, and not Margaret Smith, then he’d framed it perfectly.
“You did,” agreed Dawson. “But the night is not over yet.”
“I fear your night is over Mr. McLeod. I don’t think Ms. Davis will agree to speak to you again.”
Dawson picked up the final clue from the bar and slid it into his pocket. “But she hasn’t gone home.”
“Are you sure about that?” asked McNally.
Dawson nodded with certainty. “Yes, I’m sure. I’m sure because I know her. And after feeling the way she did now, there’s only one place Piper would go. And I’m going to go and make this right.”
And before McNally could say anymore, Dawson stuck his hands in his pockets and strode off down the path.
*
Piper was furious.Beyond furious. She’d never wanted to scream and shout so much in her life. Everything about this felt wrong. When she’d imagined any of her future, along with the land and greenhouses, somehow Dawson had fit into the picture.
She couldn’t believe he’d been talking to some land developer. She hated that. Apart from her sister, she hadn’t told anyone about their potential inheritance—probably because at first it had seemed so unreal.
But she knew Dawson was different. She knew he’d talked to some businessmen and sports stars about funding the training ground. He’d been honest about that—or at least she thought he had. All this time, it turned out he wasn’t dreaming of a training ground, he was dreaming of pots of money.
What made her most angry was that she might even understand a little. As soon as word got out that they’d inherited the rundown house, along with gardens, greenhouses, and wide space at the back, she was sure people would be on them like vultures.
People had circulated this property for years. She couldn’t even begin to guess how many times the attorneys had dealt with queries.
