“I talked to Carolyn this afternoon.”
Ah, the evil mother. After Shannon‟s dad died, Carolyn Piermont turned psychotic. She abandoned Shannon with Gran, only to come back when she needed money. The woman never showed an inkling of warmth toward her only child. “And?”
“What else? She wants money. We meet with the attorney tomorrow.”
He already knew the meeting would not bode well for Carolyn. Gran had explained the will to him, and she expressed her dying wish—that Shannon stay in Bandera where she belonged. And he agreed one hundred percent. No matter how much they wanted her to relocate permanently, they both knew it had to be Shannon‟s decision. And he would be damned if she felt forced into anything with him. “What if Gran left everything to you?”
She chewed on her lip. “I guess I‟ll take care of it. I mean, the ranch should be owned by someone who wants the small-town life.”
His heart lurched. Was she trying to say she didn‟t want that? Was she more like Carolyn than he thought? Gran, we might have a bigger fight on our hands than we thought. “Would you like me to go with you?”
Shannon didn‟t answer for a minute, just stared into the fire. A muscle twitched in her jaw. He felt an urge to take her into his arms.
Finally, she turned to him. “I appreciate the offer, but no. I need to do this on my own.” She stood and smiled down at him. “Good night.”
He watched the sway of her hips as she walked away, and with each step he grew harder. Damn. As much as she didn‟t want him at the meeting and, knowing how viperish Carolyn could be, she would need him afterward.
****
All Friday morning Shannon dreaded the meeting with Carolyn and the attorney, Mr. Green. Still, she mustered up the courage and drove into town.
The law firm of Green, Gubler and Estes was located in Bandera between a saloon and a coffee shop, in a gray brick building with large glass windows. Drawing a deep breath, she climbed out of her SUV and entered the building.
“Oh, my baby is here,” Carolyn gushed as she wrapped her arms around Shannon‟s shoulders. “It‟s so good to see you, darling.”
Shannon pulled back and assessed her mother with skeptical eyes. Her brunette hair was cut in a bob, and she wore a designer pantsuit that cost more than Shannon made in a week. She hadn‟t changed a bit. What was her game? Carolyn hadn‟t ever called her baby, and she definitely wasn‟t the hugging type. “Good, you‟ve arrived,” Mr. Green said, coming
out of the conference room. The attorney was short, bald, and bespectacled, yet he had a kind face. Ah, the maternal motivation had to be so Mr. Green would think Carolyn was the perfect person to inherit all of Gran‟s estate.
Shannon followed her mother and the attorney into the small meeting room and took a seat. Nervous sweat trickled down her back, and she squirmed in her seat. She really didn‟t want to be here. She should have asked Sara or Bridgette to come with her for moral support, or she could have taken Dustin up on his offer.
“Let‟s begin.” Mr. Green tapped a manila folder and then pulled out a document. “Rosemary Piermont met with me shortly before her death and updated her will.” He looked from Carolyn to Shannon.
Why would Gran change the will? This could get ugly.
“To her daughter, Carolyn Piermont-Williams, she left two hundred fifty thousand dollars. To her granddaughter—”
“What?” Carolyn screeched. “The old lady was worth one hundred times that amount. What about the ranch? Or the rest of her properties?”
Mr. Green bestowed a stern glance at Carolyn. “If you would let me finish.”
Carolyn flushed and dipped her head.
“Thank you. As I was saying, Mrs. Piermont left a quarter of a million dollars to her daughter, and the balance of her estate—monetary and physical properties—to her granddaughter, Shannon Piermont.” He tapped the document with his forefinger. “This is non-negotiable. The will stipulates that if Shannon declines her inheritance, it will be forfeited to a charity of Miss Piermont‟s choosing.”
Carolyn growled and jumped from her seat. “This is preposterous. I slaved my entire life for that old bat, and she repays me with a lousy quarter million?”
Shannon huffed a laugh. “You‟re joking, right? All you‟ve ever done is leech off Gran. Your career is more important to you than anything. You weren‟t there for me or her. I think you‟re damn lucky you got anything. If it had been me writing the will, I‟d tell you to pay back every penny you „borrowed‟ from me before I left you a damn cent.” Her heart pounded in her chest. The explosion was so unlike her, but it felt good to get that out. “Mr. Green,
thank you. I hope you will allow me to keep you on retainer. I know it‟s what Gran would have preferred.”
“Thank you. I‟m sure you‟ll visit the property, and to let you know, Rosemary arranged to have someone keep an eye on the place.” Mr. Green smiled and nodded. “Good luck, young lady.”
Carolyn hissed out a breath. “This isn‟t over.
You will hear from my attorney.”
Shannon faced her mother. “Carolyn, Gran loved you, and she deserved so much better from you. You got your money. Now move on. And be happy.”
A weight off her shoulders, Shannon practically floated out of the law office. Not only had Gran trusted her with her most prized possessions, she had given Shannon a chance to recapture her childhood—the happiest times of her life. Most likely she would hear from Carolyn again, but she held no delusions that the woman would want to pursue a mother-daughter relationship now. For her, it was and always had been about the money. She had no doubt there would be another battle on the horizon. Bring it on.
Twenty minutes later, she pulled into the Double D and couldn‟t remember a bit of the drive back.
She ran into Bridgette on the way back to the cabin and learned the last member of their party, Jessica, had finally arrived. Jessica was pretty—a brunette, slender, with an expressive face.
Shannon said a quick hello as she passed their cabin on her way to her own. She jumped in the shower and dressed for the evening‟s activities. Last night had not followed any type of schedule to give everyone a chance to arrive and get settled. The actual schedule for the weekend started tonight, and there was supposed to be another bonfire. She thought she‟d heard something about camping out.
Ha! She wanted no part of camping. Instead, she wanted to kidnap Dustin and drag him back to her cabin for the night, holding him hostage until he gave her the same mind-blowing orgasm she‟d had in the dream.
After arriving at the fire pit, she lagged behind the group, leaning a hip against one of the oak trees farthest from the fire ring. The bonfire danced in its ring of stone. Wood crackled and popped, and she inhaled the tang of smoke and hickory, instantly transporting back to her youth. Memories of Gran showing her how to roast marshmallows, the Dumen brothers teasing her about crushes, the first time Dustin kissed her the summer before her freshman year. While she felt a twinge of sadness for the past, her memories were happy.
“Does the smell of burning wood still turn you
on?”
Shannon yelped and whirled, but her flip-flop
heel caught on a tree root and she tumbled head first into Dustin‟s arms.
Heat radiated off his lean, muscled body as his arms curled around her torso, locking her in place. The chuckle rumbling from his chest tightened her nipples.
“You keep throwing yourself at me. You do realize that if you want me, all you need to do is ask.”
The easy grin she remembered so fondly still had the ability to awaken sexual desires. Her panties dampened with instant need, and she squeezed her thighs together. Tell him you want him. Take him up on the offer and get it over with. “My God, have you always been this annoying and I blocked it out of my mind?”
Dustin quirked an eyebrow and angled his head, looking down into her eyes. His hazel gaze grew serious. “It‟s good to have you home, Shay. Right where you belong.”
Unease circled in her stomach as he leaned closer.
“What are you doing?” she breathed, fighting to keep her hands at her side.
“I‟m dying to kiss you.”
