She’d briefly considered talking to Ricky to see if he would be willing to take guardianship if Rachel died. But he was an old man, and who knew how many good years he had ahead of him? At his age, she couldn’t saddle him with such a young child, even though they adored one another.
She’d thought about asking Ty for his legal opinion, but she also wasn’t sure she was ready to let herself be that vulnerable with him.
And yet, as she thought of how he’d so lovingly taken the kids into his arms and promised to always be there for them, her heart just melted.
For a moment she’d almost allowed herself to believe that Ty could help them. But how did she know whether he was sincere in what he’d told the children, or if he was just telling them what they wanted to hear? Lawyers were good at that, which was why she was hesitant to seek out legal advice from him. But her last visit with the doctor hadn’t been good. She needed a kidney, and soon. Hopefully, with yesterday’s barbecue...
She had to admit that everyone was so welcoming and kind. Ricky had said the turnout would be good, because their community would support one of their own. Rachel hadn’t expected the crowd to be larger than the one that had shown up for Ricky’s impromptu band tryout. Even more surprisingly, a lot of people had signed up on the list for more information.
But just because people signed up on a list to get more information on becoming a living donor didn’t mean they would be a match or willing to go under the knife.
Rachel sighed. It didn’t do any good to have false hope. Even if she got a kidney, there was no guarantee her body wouldn’t reject it or there wouldn’t be complications on the operating table. Whether she liked it or not, she should talk to a lawyer.
But could she trust Ty?
The office was quiet when she got in—not surprising, since it was usually just her and her boss, Dan, who opened the office. They both liked the quiet time before everyone else got in and they were officially open for business. Immediately after she set her bag on her desk, Dan came into her office.
“I got a call from Ricky Ruiz, owner of the Double R Ranch. You mentioned talking to him about landing the account, but you didn’t tell me just how big it was. He’s excited to work with you, and he’d like you to bring the contracts to him to get them signed as soon as possible.”
Rachel blinked. What on earth was he talking about? She hadn’t even had the chance to speak with Ricky about the ad campaign, let alone pitch her ideas to him. Janie had said that both Ricky and Ty were excited about it, but instead of showing them her presentation, they’d sat through one about kidney donation instead.
“He called you?”
Dan nodded. “This morning. On my cell.”
How could he sign contracts on something she hadn’t even discussed with him? Rachel took a deep breath and opened her bag to pull them out. It was the company’s standard representation contract, with some adjustments appropriate to Ricky’s business. She’d put them in as a starting place for the discussions, along with a few mockups of ads as well as some of her ideas for the campaign.
The folder was gone.
She briefly closed her eyes, trying to think about what could’ve happened to it. She remembered leaving it on the coffee table in her suite so it would be handy to go over with Ricky when he found the time. But they hadn’t found time. So what was Ricky doing with it?
“We hadn’t discussed any specifics yet. I’m surprised he wants to sign the contract.”
Dan shrugged. “He seemed very enthusiastic. He asked for a few changes, which is what I wanted to talk to you about. He’d like you to spend the rest of spring and summer at the ranch, to get a feel for it, which would make the ad campaign more unique to what he’s trying to accomplish. I told him that he’s not our only client and that you have other things to do, but he said if you were willing to come, he’d make sure you had a space to work at from there. I wasn’t sure what to think, so I told him I’d discuss it with you and get back to him.”
Ricky seemed to be doing a lot of arranging without having spoken to Rachel. Was this what having a family was like? People jumping in and getting involved with your business without even asking you? Technically, he had asked, but he hadn’t asked her; he’d asked her boss.
But this didn’t seem like Ricky’s handiwork. “Did he happen to mention his lawyer, Ty Warner?”
Dan shrugged. “He was on the call.”
Of course he was. The whole thing had probably been Ty’s idea.
“I’m flattered, but like you said, I do have other clients. And I should probably disclose that there might be a potential conflict of interest. I recently found out that Ricky is my long-lost grandfather. His motivation is likely more about getting to know me as opposed to wanting our business.”
It was the ethical thing to do. Certainly more ethical than Ty and Ricky calling up her boss and asking if she could spend the summer at the ranch without asking her first.
Dan nodded. “Ricky said that, as well. I think he was hoping to play on my sympathies for an old man wanting to get to know his granddaughter. I respect that. The question is: Do you want to go? You
