“I know they’re family,” Jed roared. “Goddamn insufferable bitches, all of them. They’re making everything worse.” He glared at his friend. “Can we stop them?”
“They’re allowed to buy anything they want.”
“But how are they getting the money? They don’t have enough. Skye’s put all her inheritance into that asinine foundation of hers. Izzy’s money is tied up in trust and Lexi never had much of her own. Cruz could be funding this, I suppose.”
But a future husband giving his fiancee money to buy family stock was hardly illegal.
He didn’t like this-any of it. He hated the questions, the looks he was getting. How people were starting to whisper. The federal investigation continued as the probe went deeper. He wanted to tell them they weren’t going to find anything, but he wasn’t sure. Had he buried the trail deep enough or was he in danger of being caught?
“They should be after Garth,” he snapped. Enough clues had been planted. “He’s the problem in all this. Bastard.”
The irony of the word didn’t escape him but he was too furious to see the humor.
“We’ll have to start buying up stock ourselves,” he told Brock. “Beat ’em at their own game.”
“An excellent plan, but the company doesn’t have the money. If we take out a loan now, while this is going on, everyone’s going to know we’re nervous.”
“Not through the company,” Jed said. “I’ll do it personally. That will give us a little time before we have to report the transaction.”
Brock shook his head. “You don’t have the money, either, Jed,” he said quietly. “You’re cash poor.”
Jed didn’t want to hear that, even though it was true. His legal expenses had been chewing up money for months now. He was hemorrhaging cash. Selling his horses had raised millions, but they weren’t enough to buy back the number of shares he needed.
“Land rich and cash poor,” he said with a heavy sigh. “A rancher’s lot for generations. What about borrowing on Glory’s Gate?”
“Don’t do it,” Brock told him. “I’ve been your friend for over forty years, Jed, and I’m telling you not to do it.”
“You saying I couldn’t raise the cash?”
“You could get plenty, but it would be too risky. You really want to put the last of the Titan land on the block?”
“It’s a loan, Brock. I’m not selling.”
“And if you have to default?”
“I’m winning this fight.” He always won. This time was taking a little longer than he was used to, but the outcome would be the same. “Find me some fool with money.”
Something flashed across Brock’s face.
Jed raised his eyebrows. “You have someone already?”
His friend hesitated. “I’ve been approached. There’s an offer on the table.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because it’s a bad deal. The interest rate is reasonable, as is the price, but the note…it’s callable.”
Jed nearly laughed. “It’s Garth,” he said gleefully. “He thinks he can trap me the way he nearly trapped Lexi. A callable note. What are the terms? No, wait. Let me guess. Minimal payments for as long as I want, but the note is callable with sixty days’ notice.”
Brock swallowed. “Seventy-two hours.”
Jed’s humor faded. “Sonofabitch. That’s armed robbery.”
“That’s the offer. And there aren’t any payments. He’s just giving you the money. But when he calls it, the principle and interest are due at the same time.”
It was like a giant game of poker, Jed thought, hating Garth Duncan with every fiber of his being. If it were up to him, he’d take the man out back and horsewhip him to death.
“He said you’d never do it,” Brock said. “He’s challenging you. It’s a taunt.”
A damn good one. But if he could take the money and trick Garth into thinking he was more desperate than he was…Yes, Jed thought slowly. Turn the game around.
“Do it,” he growled.
Brock stared at him. “No, Jed.”
“Do it,” he repeated. “Take the offer. Let him think he’s got me where he wants me. Let him get cocky. We’ll only buy what we need to push up the stock. Let word leak out there’s in-fighting in the family for control. That will get people thinking there’s a reason we all want control. The price will go up, we’ll sell and I’ll pay him back.”
Brock looked unhappy. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”
“There isn’t another choice. Don’t worry, I have a good idea of what to do next. I plan to win it all back in one big hand of poker. Then I’ll crush Garth and my daughters along with him. I’ll teach them all not to screw with Jed Titan.”
DANA HAD THOUGHT shopping hell would be defined as the fancy boutique Lexi had taken her to a few weeks before. She’d been wrong. True pain and suffering came in the form of a well-lit, beautifully furnished wedding salon. Not even a store or a boutique…no, this was definitely a salon.
Here, tasteful music played quietly in the background. The carpet was plush, the mirrors carefully polished, the chairs well-padded and covered in some kind of tapestry. Those buying were clients, not customers, and gowns had names instead of inventory numbers. First names. You didn’t ask for Vera Wang. Just Vera was enough.
“It helps if you keep breathing,” Izzy whispered, grinning over her fancy teacup. “And remind yourself to bring a flask next time.”
“I would have brought a flask this time if I’d been thinking,” Dana muttered, shifting on her too-soft chair and wishing she could fast-forward through the next hour.
She loved Skye. She would even take a bullet for her, but sitting quietly while her friend tried on wedding dresses was a new and uncomfortable form of torture. Still, when Skye had asked, she’d been unable to say no.
Until Skye had e-mailed her the address, she hadn’t known this place existed and she could have died happy without the knowledge. She didn’t know what dresses here cost and she wasn’t going to ask. Still, the sisters seemed happy. Lexi had been ushered to a plush chaise where she half reclined, sipping herbal tea and having her feet massaged by the in-house masseuse. At least she was having a good time if the groans were anything to go by.
Skye walked out of one of the big dressing rooms and stepped onto the round platform in front of the half circle of mirrors. She smoothed the narrow cream-colored skirt.
“What do you think?” she asked, looking hopeful, but not sure.
Dana studied the tasteful, tailored suit. It was silk, a fact she knew only because she’d overheard the saleswoman describing the fabric as she’d picked it out. There was lace on the lapels and a pretty scalloped hem, if one was into that sort of thing.
“You look great,” Lexi said, through half-closed eyes. “It fits you great.”
“One of the advantages of being a size ten,” Skye said with a sigh. “Getting married in a month means buying a sample. So at least they fit. It’s pretty.” She sounded more doubtful than sure.
“Very elegant,” Izzy said. “It’s great.”
Dana studied the suit. It was beautifully made and probably cost a whole lot of money. It even suited Skye’s curves and coloring, but it wasn’t the dress of her friend’s dreams.
“You hate it,” Dana said. “Why are you trying on suits? You wear suits to the office, not to a wedding.”
Skye bit her lower lip. “It’s a second wedding,” she said. “At home. The dress shouldn’t be anything, you know, too much.”
“Why not?” Dana asked. “It’s your wedding. Wear what you want. Who’s going to complain? Plus, what is Mitch going to think when he sees you in a suit? Skye, you’re into princess dresses. Not this.”
“But I shouldn’t…”
“Yes, you should,” Lexi said. “Dana’s right. This is your wedding to Mitch. Go try on something that will make you happy.”
Skye’s mouth turned up at the corners. “Really?”
“Don’t make us have Dana get violent,” Izzy said. “As long as we’re not bridesmaids, I totally support you
