Chapter 38
Chapter Thirty-Eight
ROD
After a busy day on campus, I drove home thinking of Wyl. I steered toward the Bonner house in town before remembering I now lived on Sterling Ranch. Twenty minutes later, I pulled into my garage.
A quiet emptiness surrounded the place in Wyl’s absence.
Adapting to this house would take time, but I belonged on this ranch with Wyl.
After changing clothes, I strolled to the kitchen and poured a glass of wine.
The comfy leather chair in the den surrounded me as I picked up my MacBook and opened my email.
The list of messages included one from Wyl.
Hi Roddy. Mitzi’s attorney thinks he has everything figured out.
He claims that half of the ranch Walt inherited from my folks was part of Walt’s assets at the time of the divorce.
Walt and Mitzi divorced before our parents died, which is why Walt did not own the property.
Walt and I each owned a quarter, and our parents owned the other half.
I’m so pissed at Mitzi, and her lawyer can fall into a rattlesnake pit for all I care.
Sam and I go back in the morning to work something out.
I’ll call you from the hotel after dinner.
I need your thoughts and ideas on how to protect our ranch.
Oh, and I have a surprise for you. Something I got here in Dallas.
I reflected on my ignorance of the law. Still, I remembered the ambulance-chasing lawyer ads and how they always found ways to get what they wanted. I took another sip of wine before pulling on my boots. It was time to check on our horses.
The barn door creaked as I opened it, and the horses poked their heads out of their stalls.
Grabbing three apples out of the bin, I sliced them with the new pocketknife Wyl gave me.
As I fed each horse, I talked to them as if they understood, and on some level, I think they did.
I was sure Cessna missed Walt, so I spoke to him while feeding him the apple half.
As far as I knew, Beauty hadn’t been ridden in a while.
She was shared between Wyl and Walt, plus each had a preferred horse.
I fed Beauty her apple and assured her we would ride her soon.
Princess was the horse spooked by a rattlesnake before Walt fell and hit his head.
She was a beautiful white horse. I fed her the apple half, stroked her muzzle and neck, and whispered that we loved her.
Sarge was his own horse, but he had adapted to my presence since I was always around when Wyl rode him.
I fed him his apple half, rubbed his muzzle, and whispered that Wyl would be back soon and we would go riding.
I had an affection for Blanket. As I fed him his apple half, I softly thanked him for letting me ride him and for being such a good horse.
I knew nothing about horses or caring for horses, but Wyl would show me.
At the moment, the horses were my one connection to the man I loved, who was taking care of business in Dallas.
I waved to the horses as I left the stables.
I ate the last apple half as I strolled toward our house. When I reached the back door, the phone rang and I ran for it.
“Sterling Ranch,” I gasped.
“Hi, babe.” The smile in Wyl’s voice made me smile too. “You sound out of breath. Everything okay?”
“Yes, fine,” I panted. “As I walked into the house from feeding our horses, the phone rang. I ran to pick it up.” I panted a bit more, then my breathing evened out. “They are magnificent creatures.”
“Our horses, eh? Do you have any idea how remarkable your taking possession is? I’ll make you into a cowboy yet.”
A wave of love for Wyl flowed through me. “I’m looking forward to the challenge. Oh, and I read your email. Sounds like trouble. Are you okay? I’m worried about you, babe.”
“Shit shit shit. The bitch-troll-from-hell and her lawyer think they found a loophole. I want to offer a settlement to Mitzi to make this thing go away, but I need your okay before I say anything.”
“My okay?” That Wyl needed my approval caught me by surprise. I didn’t have part ownership of the ranch. The thought frightened me a bit as I had no experience in ranching.
“Honey, anything I do impacts you as much as me. Your opinion means everything.”
I paused, glowing in Wyl’s confidence but still a bit apprehensive. “What are you thinking?”
“The ranch belongs to us now, and I need you to be honest about anything related to our holdings. I rely on your business experience to help us make sound decisions.”
“Wyl, you manage much larger portfolios than I ever thought I would encounter, so give yourself credit.”
“Babe, you hold my heart, and thus you impact every decision I make. Whether or not you have a legal interest in the ranch, as my soulmate, I rely on you to help me. I always relied on Walt, but now he’s gone.”
I paused to let the words sink in. Wyl had a point about Walt. I needed to step up and be what he needed me to be. “What will make Mitzi go away?”
“I want to offer her half a million dollars to drop the suit. They can either take the money or risk losing in court and having to pay court costs. I think the bitch will settle. She’ll have no part of the ranch.”
“Your idea sounds generous. Is getting rid of Mitzi worth that much?” My brain fogged when talking about dollar amounts that included the letter m.
“If her lawyer pursued this, our legal fees would be substantial. Mitzi would achieve nothing and end up owing her attorney a fortune,” Wyl said.
“Her resulting desperation may spell more trouble for us. The balance in our checking account alone is more than two million, Rod, and I think dangling dollars in her face will shove her off our backs.”
The checking account balance hit me like a semi-truck head-on at full speed. Stunned and speechless, my mouth opened and closed, unable to form words.
“Babe…are you still there?”
I coughed and sucked in a breath, still unable to speak.
“Rod, you are making me panic. What’s the matter?”
I coughed again. “Yes, I’m okay.” I took a deep breath. “Two million in our checking account?”
“Babe, we have oil on the ranch. Royalties are at least a million yearly and closer to three million at $50 per barrel. I won’t go into what our investments are worth, but we’re comfortable for the rest of our lives. Now stop worrying. I can’t have my lover getting frantic over money.”
Still breathing hard, I grasped the front of my shirt in a tight fist. “And we’ll be fine money-wise if we do this?”
“While this expense is unplanned, we’ll still be on a firm footing.”
“We need to be rid of her and this situation, and you make a lot of sense.” I paused for another gasp. “Let’s do it.”
“I’m so glad we talked,” Wyl said. “In the morning, I’ll tell Sam what we decided, and he’ll deal with Mitzi’s attorney.”
“How much have you shared with Sam? Will my involvement in the decision surprise him?”
“Sam heard all about us on the flight to Dallas, and he’s eager to meet you.”
Those words made me grin ear to ear. “Wyl…you never cease to amaze me. You’re so comfortable with our relationship now.”
“The encounter with Dusty in Kerrville taught me a valuable lesson. I can’t be everything to everyone, and you’re the one I want more than anything. I won’t let the Dustys of the world come between me and my soulmate.”
“Hello???” I tapped on the receiver, a chuckle in my voice. “Where is Wyl? I must be talking to someone else.” I laughed.
“Shut up,” Wyl chuckled through the words. “You're there for me like always, Roddy. You’re all I need.”
“You got it.” God, I loved that man.
“Well, I need sleep. I miss you. I’d rather be at the ranch, wrapping my arms around you and ravishing you.”
“Wyl, I miss you too. Good luck tomorrow. Call me when your flight lands in Lubbock, and I’ll meet you at Sam’s office.”
“Will do. Bye Roddy. I love you.”
“I love you, too. Sleep tight.”
Hanging up, I thought about our conversation.
I shuddered thinking of half a million dollars, but what Wyl said made sense.
I never thought I would be involved in transactions including that amount of money.
Still, I needed to be comfortable with wealth.
After all, my partner was one of the wealthiest men in the county.