Chapter 36
Chapter Thirty-Six
WYL
“Who the fuck?” I eyed our naked bodies. “Shit. Clothes.”
“Bedroom,” Rod said.
We jogged down the hall as the loud knocking echoed through the house again. Our bare feet slapped against the cool tile floor as we hurried back into the den, dressed in jeans and tees. Rod took a stool at the breakfast bar as I opened the door.
Mitzi barged into the house, shoving me with her elbow. “Outta my way!”
I scowled. “Mitzi. What are you doing here?” I rubbed my chest where her elbow landed.
“Claiming my fucking ranch.” She twirled around to face me, arms across her stomach and under her ample bosoms. “According to my attorney, the divorce settlement is questionable. Walt hid assets. Walt’s estate should go to me.”
“And how did your attorney arrive at his conclusion?” I stayed by the open door, mirroring her arm-crossing. This bitch would not snow me.
“I showed him the divorce papers.”
“And the prenup?”
“Of course. My attorney says neither the prenup nor the divorce papers disclosed Walt’s true net worth, and if the divorce is not valid, the ranch goes to his wife.” She thumbed her chest. “Me.”
I shook my head. “Knock yourself out, Mitzi. You’ll end up without this ranch and deep in debt to your misguided attorney. You signed the prenup, and you accepted the divorce settlement. You have no claim.”
Mitzi narrowed her eyes and pointed a manicured, crimson-nailed index finger at me.
“If you and your small-town lawyer think you can pull the wool over my eyes, think again. This ranch should be mine!” Clenched teeth fogged her words.
She scanned the room, stopping at Rod. “I see your little one-man support group is here.”
“Rod is at home here. You, on the other hand, are an unwanted intruder. He belongs here. You do not. This is not your home, nor will it ever be. Now leave.” I nodded at the open door.
An evil grin slid across Mitzi’s face. “So the campus scuttlebutt is true.” She glanced back and forth several times between Rod and me.
“Bare feet. T-shirts and jeans. You two have been doing the dirty.” She gave an evil chuckle and shook her head, glancing toward the floor.
“Oh, this is rich.” She raised her head and smirked at me.
“I can’t wait to share this news with the world.
Wyl Sterling, strapping Marine, is a flaming fairy! ”
Arms crossed, Rod cleared his throat, drawing her attention.
“I can hear Stella feeding you information. Subtlety is a foreign concept to her. I already put out two fires on campus,” He pointed a finger at her.
“Fires you no doubt helped start. And while we’re on the subject of you starting things,” Rod stood and moved to Mitzi, raising his arm toward me.
“You hurt this man, and you’ll be dealing with me.
You cross the Sterlings or the college, and you’ll be laughed out of town. ”
Mitzi jutted out her chin. “You think I’m worried about you, Doctor Bonner.” She spat out his name. “The mere mention of a scandal will be enough to start people talking. Small minds in small towns love juicy gossip.” She equaled his determination and confidence.
Rod glared at Mitzi. “I heard you gave birth. Any idea who the father is?”
Mitzi flinched and glared at me as if I created the news. She turned back to Rod. “Walt and I used protection, and I took the pill.”
“Protection can fail. What’s the child’s name?”
Another confident smirk covered the shock on her face. I hoped Rod saw through it. “Your face said my words surprised you. Boy or girl?” Rod aimed a smirk at Mitzi.
Ignoring Rod, Mitzi turned and glared at me again. “My attorney assures me the claim is valid. I’m going after what’s mine!”
I remained at the open door, defiant face now in a permanent frown. “As I said, you…out of our house…and stay off our ranch. Work through Sam Collins. He handled Walt’s side of the divorce. I doubt you sought representation. Now leave. This conversation is over.”
Mitzi glanced at Rod, then stomped out. “I’m not finished with you and your boyfriend, Wyl Sterling,” she yelled over her shoulder. “I’ll get what I deserve.”
I slammed the door. “Yes, she will,” I snarled through clenched teeth.
Rod came over and put his arms around me. “I’m sorry I jumped in, but I got furious when she attacked you. Are you okay?”
I nodded. “Telling her off gave me an amazing sense of accomplishment.” My arms circled my lover. “Thanks for being here and witnessing the crazed bitch-troll-from-hell on a rampage.”
Rod pulled back to gaze into my eyes. “Nobody messes with the man I love.”
“The man you love, eh?” I raised an eyebrow, my mouth curling into a smile.
“We’re a couple in love. Let’s be the best damn couple in the world.”
“I like the way you think, cowboy, and where did you come up with that baby thing?”
He laughed. “I made it up. Mitzi’s not the only one who can start rumors.”
“Did you see the expression on her face?” I chuckled. “And she glared at me like I shared a deep, dark secret with you.”
“I tried to give her a taste of her own medicine.”
I shook my head. “If she put half as much effort into making herself better as she does trying to wrangle Sterling money, she'd do okay. She’s a determined bitch, though.”
Rod pecked my lips. “And when she follows through with her threat to out us? The Dusty thing did a number on you, remember?”
“When that happens, we’ll figure something out.” I settled Rod back into my chest. “Sooner or later, people will know. We can’t be a loving couple without our relationship becoming evident.”
Rod pulled back again. “But Dusty’s reaction…”
I put a finger to Rod’s lips. “After I fled Kerrville, you came and found me. When you rolled me over and pulled me into your arms, the missing piece of me fell into place. You got me through the situation with Dusty and taught me to accept myself. Afterward, I considered us a couple.”
“What about Mitzi’s claim?”
“She thinks she has an angle. You and I together, we’ll deal with it. Right now, I’ll call Sam Collins, the ranch attorney. He’ll figure out how to approach this. Now, you said something about breakfast?”
Rod gave me another quick kiss, then strolled into the kitchen. I went to the phone and dialed.
* * *
“Sam? Wyl Sterling here.”
“Hey, Wyl. What’s up?”
“Mitzi came to the ranch. She claims the divorce settlement is questionable, and she owns the ranch.” I took a deep breath to stem my anger.
“Walt’s divorce documents are unquestionable, Wyl. Mitzi has nothing to challenge. What is she trying to pull?”
I rubbed my forehead and let out a breath. “She claimed Walt hid assets. I trust Walt. He would never do anything deceitful, but she sounded so convinced.”
“Relax, Wyl,” Sam said. “The settlement papers included all of Walt’s assets. We ensured he didn’t leave anything out for this reason.”
“I figured as much, Sam.” I paced as I talked.
“I mentioned your name so her lawyer can contact you. And I told her not to come back to the ranch.” I scratched my scalp.
“After you talk to him, call and tell us where we stand. I will fight this thing. Mitzi is history. She can claim none of the Sterling assets.” I shook a fist to expend my anger.
“Wyl, Mitzi has no case,” Sam said. “I bet she retained a big-city lawyer who figures he can force a settlement. Don’t worry. The ranch is yours.”
I took a deep, cleansing breath. Sam is well worth his retainer. “Sorry for the outburst. Mitzi attended the funeral and expressed her fake condolences. I hoped we would never cross paths again.”
“Wyl, she’s always been after Sterling money. She made an unsuccessful attempt to contest the divorce even after her indiscretion surfaced. It sounds like she’s still at it.”
“Walt never told me that. Thanks for calming me down, Sam. And, since Walt is gone, I need to adjust my estate plan.” I eyed the love of my life, sitting on a stool at the breakfast bar, looking innocent and supportive.
“As I recall, you left your half of the ranch to Walt,” Sam said. “Stop by the office in the next couple of weeks, and we’ll make the changes you want.”
“Thanks. I’ll give you a call.” I hung up the phone and turned to Rod. “I think we will be okay, babe. Sam says Mitzi doesn’t have a case.”
“I hope he’s right.” Rod dished up breakfast.