50. RHETT
50
RHETT
The ride to Cornerstone Bank & Trust is quiet. Paige’s leg keeps shaking, and I reach over and put my hand on it.
“It’ll be okay.” It has to be okay. Given the fact that Harlan tried to rip me off, the bank has to have some flexibility, don’t they?
She nods. “It’ll be okay.”
Fuck, she’s scared this won’t work out either.
We pull up to Cornerstone, and I turn off my truck. After I help Paige out, I take her hand. “Whatever happens, I want you to know that we’re in this together. If I default on this loan, maybe they’ll fine me or something but still give me time to pay it back.”
“I’m on board with that, but I’m not going down without a fight.”
I grin at my beautiful, feisty woman. “You make a damn good rancher’s wife.”
That gets me a beaming smile. “I got your back, babe.”
Leaning down, I kiss her. “Thank you, darling.”
Inside, Paige and I take a seat on that bench in front of Harlan’s old office. Someone’s in there, but he’s facing the back windows. When he swivels his chair around, I let out a curse.
Paige turns to me. “What’s wrong?” I motion to the douchebag behind the desk, and her eyes widen. “Are you serious? We have to deal with Kacey Miller? This is bullshit.”
She looks so incensed, I almost laugh, but the fact that I now have to argue my case with my ex-wife’s former lover is sobering.
I’m adjusting my tie for the tenth time when Paige whispers, “Do you feel bad for accusing the McAllisters of trying to sabotage our ranch?”
“Hell, no. Cash would take my ranch in a heartbeat if he could.” As I think back about the last few months, I admit it was dumb to charge over there like an angry bull. My wife was right to make me stand down and let the sheriff investigate.
I lean over and kiss her temple. Paige is level-headed. I need that in my life.
“Is Isaiah really coming home for Christmas?” she asks. “I don’t think I’ve seen him since I was a kid.”
“I’m shocked too, but he swears he’ll be here.” I figure there’s a fifty-fifty chance my elusive brother actually returns.
Kacey’s assistant finally tells us we can go in, and I take my wife’s hand in mine. She squeezes it hard. “You got this, Rhett. Don’t let this little weasel win.”
A smarmy grin stretches across Kacey’s mouth. “Howdy, Rhett. How’s it going? I hear you’ve had some trouble with your loan.”
“I’ve had trouble with the president of your bank trying to sabotage my ranch.”
He tilts his head. “Well, now that’s hearsay until he’s tried in court, isn’t it?”
That’s how he wants to play it? “Harlan, his son, and the Texas Livestock Commission investigator all got arrested last week. I have copies of the arrest warrants from the sheriff, and my wife has a video of Harlan basically admitting to his crimes. Would you like to watch it?”
He waves it off. “That doesn’t have any bearing on your ability to repay that bridge loan our bank extended to you.”
“It does when Harlan stole my cattle, got them sick, and then paid off someone at the state to shut down my ranch so I couldn’t sell them at auction.”
Kacey shrugs. “That’s not really my problem. You either repay that loan today as you agreed to do or you default and we seize all of the assets you listed on the loan application.”
I have a sudden fantasy of leaping over the desk and strangling this little piece of shit.
My wife growls, and I place my hand over her leg to reassure her. “Kacey,” she says with a strange nonchalance in her voice. “Did you have a nice time at the Moonlight Mixer?”
His brows furrow. “I guess. Why?”
“I saw a funny thing out in the parking lot that night.”
He stills. “What are you talking about?”
“You mean you don’t remember getting a blow job from Prescott’s wife?”
What the hell is she talking about?
The douchebag straightens his tie. “I think you have me mistaken for someone else.”
“Really? So if I strolled upstairs to your boss’s office and mentioned this, do you think he’s going to be confused too? Do you think he’ll care that his wife was sucking your dick that night?” His eyes widen, and then Paige taps her chin. “Better yet, what if I called Georgia Hightower at the Gazette and mentioned this to her? You know how much she loves a good story. That way, we can get the whole town in on this juicy situation.”
Kacey starts coughing. “I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about, but I’ve reconsidered your loan situation. Maybe we can work something out. What if I gave you a three-week extension, Rhett? Would that be long enough to take your cattle to auction? I don’t want to be unreasonable, and you made a good point about Harlan causing your troubles to begin with.”
I give him a shit-eating grin. “Three weeks should work.”
Paige taps on his desk. “We’d like the extension in writing. Today. Before we leave.”
Kacey tugs at his tie. “That shouldn’t be a problem.”
When we walk out of the bank an hour later, I press her against my truck and kiss her. “How’d you know Kacey was fucking Tiffany Calhoun?”
“I saw it with my own two eyes. Only I wasn’t sure who he was messing around with. Fortunately, my best friend hears everything at the salon, and Baylee filled me in on the scuttlebutt when she drove me home that night.”
My wife is a fucking genius.
I’m gonna build her a bigger chicken coop.