Chapter 17
Grant couldn’t believeit was coming out already. If there was one thing he had planned on keeping hidden from any relationship prospects, it was his wealth.
Money ruined everything.
Already he could feel her retreating from him. She didn’t want to open a dialogue between them; she wanted to push him into a corner and find every last secret he had. She was going to force him to be vulnerable with her when he wasn’t ready.
And he was going to do it—for Nick. If her knowing everything about him would help, then he’d lay it all out.
“I’m going to preface this by saying one thing. I can’t think of a single person here or in my past who would hate me enough to cause me or my family harm. I’m not a bad guy. I just valued my job more than anything else.”
He watched her carefully, hoping to see a glimmer of empathy. He’d already told her he was a workaholic. She knew his relationship with Dee had ended because of it. Bella just didn’t know what he’d gotten out of such dedication.
Grant covered his face with both hands and groaned. Why was it so hard to share this with her? He hadn’t wanted their relationship to change. And it was too late now. Everything had changed. He couldn’t tell what it was about the way she watched him, but there was something in her eyes that made it clear she wasn’t interested anymore.
Dropping his hands to the sides, he sighed and locked his eyes on her. “Okay, so I’m what most people consider wealthy.”
Her expression didn’t change.
“Really wealthy.”
She shrugged. “So, what, you have a good nest egg? Why would that matter?”
He shook his head. “It’s more than that. I have enough money to put Nick through an ivy league university and?—”
“Well, you didn’t have to pay anything his first six years. I don’t mean that to sound harsh, it’s just the truth.” She shrugged and tilted her head as she let out a breath.
“You’re right about that. But I could easily pay for thousands of kids to go to Harvard.”
They stared at each other. Her eyes widened slightly, and she covered her mouth with her hand. He couldn’t tell if she felt bad about what she’d said or what he’d confessed. At this point, it didn’t matter. He knew where she stood. He’d been an absent father and she held it against him whether she realized it or not.
Grant rubbed the back of his neck. He prayed they could just ignore what she’d said and move past it. What was the point in dwelling on something that would only cause more heartache? “Not that it matters, but I don’t usually share that sort of thing with people I barely know because money only causes problems.”
She opened her mouth, but he held up a hand to stop her.
“Remember I told you about my family? Well, I found the thing that helped them see I was worthy of their attention. Turns out money can buy your family’s love when they think they’re entitled to a share of it. But if you think they’re the ones doing anything to me here, you’d be wrong. They wouldn’t be caught dead out here in the middle of nowhere.”
Bella didn’t move. Her expression was nearly impossible to read. He thought he saw a hint of guilt in her eyes, but that was probably wishful thinking. She’d made her decision about him already.
“Honestly, the only one I’ve ever been honest about money with was Dee. And she left me because of it—sort of. I never even told Charlotte exactly what I do or how much I’m worth. The second someone brings up money, it poisons everything.”
“So, we’re in agreement,” she murmured so quietly that he nearly didn’t catch it.
“About what?”
“Anyone who might know about your money might be doing this.”
Grant shook his head, his frustration mounting. “But that wouldn’t make sense. Why not demand money? Why not blackmail?”
“Maybe they don’t have anything they can hold against you. But I see where you’re going with this.” Bella had shifted from quiet observer to someone more interested in solving the mystery they had at hand. “What would make sense is if they kidnapped Nick and then demanded ransom. The culprit’s motivation seems to be linked to getting you fired, which puts us right back where we started. Someone on this ranch wants you gone, we just don’t know who. And there haven’t been any other blatant attempts to get you fired?”
“None.” Grant racked his brain for anything he might be able to give her, but there was nothing. Everything had been quiet since his visit to the hospital. No more vandalism. No more broken fences. No more escaped animals. “Maybe that’s a good sign. Would it be possible that they gave up? Or perhaps they decided to leave first?”
“Possible? Yes,” Bella answered. “Probable? I doubt it. You have to understand how these people work. In their heads, they’re doing something they think is for the best. They’re not just going to let this go. They want you gone. Things might be hot right now and they’re just waiting for it to cool down before they strike again.”
He didn’t like the sound of that.
Bella stilled and stared at him with a fresh wave of energy. “I think I remember reading somewhere that you’re taking a break from running the company but that you’re still the CEO.”
“That’s true…” he drawled. “I always intended on moving back after I spent some time here with Nick.”
A flicker of something unreadable passed across her expression. But then she looked toward the window and her features grew more pensive than anything else.
“If you’re planning on heading back, then maybe there’s a board member who doesn’t like the guy currently running things. That would be a good reason for them to want to boot you from your job here.”
“You’re wrong about that one.”
She shot him a sharp look.
“I’m sorry, but the guy I have in charge is great. He’s been my number two for several years. He knows the company forward and back. If anyone can do it the right way, he can. I’m telling you, there’s no one back home who would have it out for me.”
Bella didn’t hide her irritation well. “Well, you keep shutting down my ideas. I can’t do anything for you if you won’t give me any leads. We’re just… stuck.”
The interior of the RV grew quiet once more. There was a chill in the air even though it was warm outside. They’d each reached their breaking point in this conversation, and Grant had confessed to a great deal more than he’d been prepared for. The night was going to end in shambles and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
Neither of them had eaten much of their food, but he had a feeling Bella wasn’t going to be hungry anymore. What was she thinking? First, the money. Now, the fact that he planned on returning to his home state. If she didn’t want to break up with him before, she surely would want to now.
“Can I ask you something?” she asked.
“Okay.”
“Why are you even here?”
He lifted his brows. “From the sound of it, you want me gone just as much as the vandal does.”
She flushed, shaking her head. “What I mean is, why are you here when you have enough money that you could be anywhere? You could have bought a property. You could have purchased a house in town. You could have whisked Nick away and taken him back home. So why stay? What is there for you here?”
It was too late for him to tell her that she was a big reason he’d wanted to stay after getting drugged. Meeting her had done something to him. But he couldn’t tell her any of that, so he stuck to what was the most believable.
“Nick.”
She sighed. “That’s not what I asked?—”
“Nick didn’t know me. He learned of me at around the same time I found out about him. We’re trying to figure out this whole thing, and it would have been ten times harder if I had taken him from the home he knows and loves. I wasn’t about to uproot him from his school, his friends, and the only family he has left.”
“Charlotte.”
“Yeah. I want him to maintain strong relationships with those who care about him here. And I have the finances that allow that to happen. I’m not a prisoner to any specific location. Maybe one day we’ll go back that way, but it’s not happening any time soon.”
Grant didn’t expect her to understand or even grasp what he was trying to say as it pertained to her. If there was even a slight chance she was paying attention, perhaps she’d be able to see he was still the good guy she’d grown to care about.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t tell on what side of the fence she stood. Was her expression positive? Pleased? Or was it the opposite? At this point, he had no clue.
“And no one here knows about this—about your money?”
“Not even Nick. The only people are a few higher-ups at my company, my financial advisor, and my lawyer. That way, if anything were to happen to me, then Nick would be taken care of.”
“And Nick? You’re sure he doesn’t know? Would it be possible that he’s overheard you talking about it with someone?”
“Maybe, but I don’t think so. He’s so young, I would wager he’d get curious and ask me about it if he had.”
Bella pressed her lips together firmly. Even after all her questions, she didn’t seem convinced. This was why he hadn’t wanted to tell her in the first place.
His stomach knotted. He could feel his whole body tensing up just like it had when he was a kid. Grant thought he’d gotten over this feeling—this feeling that he had to defend himself to the people in his life. Bella should have been one of the people who trusted him.
“You know what? This conversation is done. I’m tired of having to make excuses and explain myself to everyone—especially you. I thought you were on my side.”
She opened her mouth but then closed it before she said anything. That was probably wise.
“I thought so.” He shook his head with disdain. “Honestly, I never thought you’d be grouped in with someone like Charlotte. At every turn, she’s telling me that I’m doing something wrong.”
“I wasn’t saying you were doing anything wrong,” she argued. “I’m investigating criminal activity. I need all the information there is if I’m going to be successful.”
“And that’s all this is, then. Getting close to me was a ploy. Is that how you treat everyone? You get cozy so they open up to you?”
Bella’s mouth fell open. “That’s not how it is, and you know it.”
“Do I? Because from the looks of it, you seem to be accusing me of something and I don’t even know what it is. I’m just trying to do right by my son.”
“They why won’t you leave?” she snapped. “People are trying to hurt you, and by proxy, they’ll hurt Nick, too. He’s counting on you to keep him safe. You realize the threats will stop if you’re not here, right? Clearly you have the money to go wherever you want to, so why risk any of this?” She breathed heavily, just as agitated as he was. “You’re not doing him any favors by staying,” she added in a harsh whisper.
Grant threw up his hands and charged for the door in two steps. He shot a dark look over his shoulder. “Fine. You win. We’ll leave.” He didn’t know where he could go with the custody issue hanging in the balance, but he’d figure it out. Bella was just as much of a problem as the people here at Sagebrush.
He flung open the door and stomped down the stairs, not bothering to see if Bella followed him. If he needed a sign that it was time to move on, this was it. He was finally willing to give up.