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But Georgia had shown she was more than capable of handling things on her own. She didn’t need a big brother throwing his weight around.
Clayton stood, snatching up his hat and putting it on his head. He walked forward, extending his hand. “We haven’t been properly introduced. Clayton Mills.”
That polite introduction seemed to throw Sawyer off. He stared down at Clayton’s outstretched hand like it was a snake that might bite.
“What are you doing in my house?” Sawyer asked, arms still crossed over his chest.
He’d taken a few steps into the area their mom called the escape room. It was where guests like to hide with a book when they were trying to get away from their traveling companions.
“We’re being sued.”
There. Georgia had said it. It was out in the open. She wasn’t sure her brothers even knew Clayton was a lawyer since all contact had been cut off between the families pretty much from birth. It would make total sense if none of her brothers had any clue what Clayton had been up to since graduation.
“You’re their lawyer,” Sawyer said.
The words sounded accusatory—like being a lawyer was a bad thing. Well, to some people, maybe it was.
“I am,” Clayton said, squaring his shoulders, as if to add that he was proud of it.
“If you’re their lawyer, I’d suggest you get off our property.” Sawyer crossed his arms and gestured toward the door. He was still standing just inside the doorway to the room. “You know where the door is.”
“He’s not leaving.”
At Georgia’s announcement, both men turned and looked at her. She was just as shocked as they were that those words had come out of her mouth. She worked hard and stood up for herself when necessary, but she’d never taken on her brothers when it came to important family matters like this.
“Clayton was kind enough to come warn us that this is about to hit the papers,” she said. “First thing tomorrow morning.”
“In theCupid Ridge Courier,” Clayton explained, turning back to face Sawyer.
“Wait—exactly why are we being sued?” Sawyer seemed to have moved past his initial response, which was to kick Clayton out, and was now staring him down. “And why would that be news?”
“Slow news day,” Georgia said.
When Clayton looked at her that time, his eyes were wide in surprise. But the corners of his mouth twitched a little, and she knew he was on the verge of displaying another one of those perfectly irresistible smiles.
He turned back to face Sawyer. “There’s a dispute over land ownership.”
“It seems our grandfather didn’t quite clarify who owned the land before he built his house here,” Georgia jumped in to say. Instinct told her that her brother would rather hear it from her than Clayton. “He even installed fencing to mark his territory.”
“That’s the accusation,” Clayton said. “I have paperwork you can review, but the point is they filed in civil court. I’m working on seeing if they’ll settle, but you should probably retain an attorney ASAP.”
At some point Sawyer’s expression had gone from concerned to confused. “Exactly why are you here telling us this if you’re their attorney?”
That was a good question. Georgia had spent more time around Clayton in the past twenty-four hours than ever before in her life, which wasn’t saying much since she’d never spent time with him before. But from what she’d seen so far, he was just a genuinely good person, which was the opposite of what she’d assumed when she grouped him with the Knott family.
“Honestly, if we can settle this before it goes in front of the judge, it’s best for everyone concerned. The Knotts don’t want to pay a bunch of attorney’s fees any more than you do.”
“But you’re the attorney they’d be paying.” Sawyer was now staring at him through narrowed eyes. “Why would you do something that would cut your own earnings?”
“Maybe for some people it’s not all about money,” Georgia said.
Had she said those words out loud? She’d been holding them in a while.
Before she could stop herself, she blurted the rest of what was on her mind. “Since Dad died, we’ve all gotten away from what’s important around here, and it’s not how much money we’re bringing in.”
Sawyer watched her for a long moment, then turned back to Clayton. “If we settle, does that mean they get part of this land?”
Taking a deep breath and letting it out, Clayton glanced over at Georgia. “We’ll have to talk about all that. They do have some conditions, but I can’t represent both families. I suggest you hire an attorney.”
