Chapter 12
CHAPTER 12
S amantha woke this morning; this was a huge day for their wedding venue business and Tara. Their first big wedding and she hoped there would be many more.
No, she would not accept that her brother would close down her business. Until he came up with another way to make them money, she was going to continue and he could kiss her grits.
Jumping up, she ate a quick breakfast and refused to think about Cameron leaving this morning. She hoped he was already gone because seeing him would only make her chest ache with the pain of his early departure. She’d hoped to have more time with him, and yet he was leaving before the wedding.
Why? He hadn’t acted like he was a part of the wedding.
And then there was the audit which she hoped Casey would get to her sometime this morning. Time to know what she was dealing with. Even if her brother didn’t want her to speak to Casey, she’d gone behind his back and requested the audit.
Half the time, he wasn’t here, so what did it matter? For her and her mother’s sakes, she had to learn the truth.
In the barn, she helped Tara’s crew set up the wedding altar. If she were ever to marry, she would want a wedding like this one. In a barn surrounded by family and friends. Nothing too fancy, but she wanted to wear her mother’s gown and veil.
Mainly, she wanted there to be love, trust, and happiness filling the day.
But today, she had to concentrate on Bridezilla. Tomorrow she was declaring a day of rest for everyone who worked at the inn. Her employees had worked very hard this week and they deserved the chance to rest.
“I’ll start on the chairs,” she said as she went to the closet to pull out the folding chairs for the ceremony.
Several of her workers helped and once they had the chairs in place, she covered them with the linen slipcovers and a big white bow on the back. She was halfway done when Tara walked in.
The stress the woman had endured this week showed like a train wreck on her beautiful face. It looked like she was about to cry.
“What is it?” she asked. “What’s happened now?”
A sense of dread filled Samantha. They needed this event to make their wedding venue business a success. Tara needed it for her business and Bridezilla had taxed them all to the point that a loss now would send Samantha over the edge.
“The wedding is off,” Tara said, tears welling up in her eyes. “Sterling broke up with Francesca.”
Dear God. Everything they’d done to prepare for this day was a complete loss. Samantha dropped into a chair and buried her face in her hands.
How much more could she take?
The money they expected to make off this event would help them break even on their expenses and now that dream looked to be in peril. And whatever else was going on with the ranch, she feared she would learn today.
Everyone had worked so hard to make this bitch bridezilla happy and in the end, her own fiancé had ruined it.
“We’re not completely up a creek,” Tara said. “We have contracts. In the event of a cancellation, we’re still legally entitled to the full balance of our fees.”
But would they pay? That was the big question, and Samantha didn’t have the money from her inheritance to pay for some legal eagle to take them to court. And would Francesca’s family even care that they would spend every dime the inn was making taking her to court to pay up?
Samantha raised her head in a world-weary voice, she asked. “Do you really think it’ll be that easy?”
Tara sighed and shook her head. “I don’t know.”
Glancing around the barn, she sighed. “Everyone leave. You’re free to go.”
The employees stared at her with surprise, but one by one, they walked out.
Standing, she glanced at Tara. “I’ll inform Emily. They’ve been working on the food for hours now.”
When she walked into the kitchen, Emily and Ben were tasting one of the dishes. Emily held the spoon to Ben’s mouth and he groaned. “Delicious.”
She’d been watching the relationship develop between these two and she was happy for the both of them. Even jealous of the love she saw between them.
“Good morning,” she said, knowing she was going to break their hearts. They had worked so hard to make a menu out of the food they had on hand, not being able to get a food delivery.
Why did she feel like the universe was conspiring against her?
Emily jumped. She’d been just about to slide into Ben’s arms.
“Samantha,” she said and then she frowned. “What’s wrong? You look upset.”
“I am,” she said, tears swell in her eyes. “I’m so disappointed to tell you that the wedding has been called off.”
Emily’s mouth dropped open and Ben came to Samantha and put an arm around her shoulders. “Sit down and tell us what’s gone wrong.”
Samantha plopped onto a chair as Emily brought her a cup of hot tea. “Here, you look like you could use this.”
“Thank you,” she said taking a sip.
“What happened?” Ben asked.
For the next five minutes, she explained to them what Tara had told her. It just felt overwhelming after all the hard work everyone had done to make this wedding a success.
“I’m sorry, guys. I know how hard you worked to make this dinner and now it’s not going to happen.”
Emily and Ben glanced at one another and then back to her. “What are we going to do with all this food?”
She hadn’t even thought of that. There was no way it could go to waste and there was way more than even her family and all the employees could eat.
“Save enough to feed the employees. Our guests are all packing up right now and getting ready to leave. It seems the fiancé has already left. Cameron has left, and Bridezilla and her mother, after ripping Tara to pieces, are getting ready to climb into their big, fancy limousine and head to the Swiss Alps without paying us.”
A hiss came from Emily. “But they signed a contract.”
“And how long and how much money will it going to cost to wind its way through the court systems?”
Ben shook his head. “Everyone has worked so hard. Let’s have a big celebration of our accomplishments tonight. Complete with the big, beautiful wedding cake we designed.”
“Can I please smash some of that cake in bridezilla’s face?” Emily asked.
Samantha chuckled. “I would love to let you, but I don’t think that’s a good idea. She’d then sue you.”
Finishing her tea, Samantha sighed. “I love the idea of a celebration. But, first, I’ve got more business to attend to. You guys make it fun and we’ll all be there.”
When she stood, Emily stood as well and hugged her. “Things will be all right. I just know they will.”
How could she respond? She would have to let all her employees go and she wasn’t even certain she had the money to pay them for their time and hard work.
That’s why she needed to see Casey.
“I hope so, Emily,” she said. “I truly hope so.”
Walking out of the kitchen, she saw the couple go into each other’s arms and she was so glad that her chefs had found one another. They were a great couple.
If that was the good that came out of this week, then so be it.
Knowing she needed to go speak to Casey but not really wanting to, she walked down the hall and then into her office.
Casey glanced up at her and frowned. That wasn’t a good reaction.
“Have you heard?” Samantha asked.
“No, what?”
“Sterling called off the wedding and has left the building,” she said. “Francesca and her mother are leaving for a relaxing spa weekend in the Swiss Alps while we’re here to clean up the mess.”
Casey rolled big eyes and shook her head. “Would you want to be married to that diva?”
“No, but we need them to pay their bill,” Samantha said.
A grimace filled her cousin’s face. “Sam, I’m sorry to tell you this, but we’ve got way bigger problems than just a canceled wedding. I think Edward has been skimming money until we’re just about broke.”
Could this day get any worse? She shouldn’t think that, because then it would be. With Cameron leaving, the canceled wedding, and now hearing this news, she didn’t know how much more she could take.
“I’ve printed out the audit. Almost half a million dollars is gone and we now owe the bank a lot of money.”
“What? The ranch is paid for,” she said gasping.
“Yes, but he took out a lean against the property. I’ve been doing everything I could to keep the banker from foreclosing on us, but I don’t know how much longer I can keep him at bay.”
Stunned, she sank down into the chair across from her cousin. “Why? Why would he do this? I mean we have a good life here. What has he been doing with all this money?”
The memory of the man who came searching for Edward came to mind and she suddenly feared the worst.
“There was a bill collector here yesterday. He had a gun stuffed in the waistband of his pants. Oh my God, what if he wasn’t a legitimate bill collector? What if he was…”
She couldn’t say the word out loud.
Casey handed her the paper. “Here’s the audit. I’m sorry, Samantha. I wish I had better news for you. And yes, I’d be very afraid of that man, whoever he was.”
“I’m going to kill Edward. All these years, I knew I should have been an only child. But no, Daddy thought Edward should run the ranch, not me. Well, that’s stopping right now, if I can…”
The thought of losing their family home brought tears to her eyes. All she’d done today was cry. Well, no more.
She was going after Edward. It was time she laid down the law and do what she could to save the land that had been in their family for so many generations. And yet her brother didn’t seem to give a rat’s ass that they were going to lose everything.
“Thanks, Casey,” she said taking the audit. “We’re having a big party tonight with food and wedding cake since the ceremony is off.”
Casey shook her head. “I’m so sorry, Samantha. This has been a horrible day and Christmas is so close.”
Christmas. Samantha had completely forgotten about the celebration of their Lord and Savior’s birth. She’d forgotten about everything but Cameron, the wedding, and now the ranch.
How did they manage to celebrate when they were so close to losing everything?
“Thanks,” she said and walked out of the office.
Time to find Edward and set him straight. Hurrying into the house, her mother glanced at her.
“Are you all right? I heard about the wedding.”
“No, I’m not,” she said. “Can’t talk right now. I’ve got to find Edward.”
Hurrying down the hall, she walked into his office, not even bothering to knock on the door. It was empty. Of course, it was. Did the man ever work or do anything to help them around the ranch?
That was going to end.
The paperwork lying on his desk had Cameron’s company seal on it. What was this?
Leaning over, she picked it up, her heart crashing down around her feet. It was an offer to purchase the ranch. An offer so low it was ridiculous. An offer that listed their outstanding debts to the bank. How they had a loan at the bank, she didn’t know, but damn it, this was ridiculous.
Glancing up, she noticed her mother leaning on the door frame.
“What are you doing?”
What did she tell her? The truth. “Seeing how much Edward is selling the ranch for. How much he owes the bank. How much money he’s skimmed from the ranch accounts.”
Her mother gasped, her large eyes widening as her hand flew to her mouth. “No, we’re not selling.”
“We may have no choice,” she said, gazing at the paperwork.
She handed the audit to her mother who looked through the paperwork and cried. “This can’t be right.”
“I’m afraid it is,” she said, the realization that her wedding business could never haul them out of this kind of debt.
This was why Cameron was here attending a wedding. This was why he didn’t want her to hate him.
She’d been sleeping with the enemy and didn’t even know it.