Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
S hortly after the men setting up her trailer left, Reilly arrived. He smiled as he exited the car, but it wasn’t a happy smile.
“How’d it go? Do I have to leave?” Lynne held her breath.
“No, you’re staying.”
“Did you see your mother?”
Reilly stiffened. “Unfortunately, I did. I’m trying to think back. I never remember her being devious or so cold. Come on inside. We have a lot to talk about.”
Nodding, she followed him into his house. Her body was rigid with fear. Reilly had a frightening and unreadable look on his face.
He motioned for her to take a seat at the table then began to make tea. Only when tea was served and Reilly sat did the silence in the room break.
“It was my mother who had your trailer and animals taken away.”
“I know. I just don’t know why.”
Reilly sighed. “Initially, she stated that all buildings required her approval. Not true, by the way, plus the trailer isn’t a permanent structure. She claimed that she needed the land to build a top-of-the-line barn and arena so that Katie could train her students. Stewart blew that out of the water. Katie had a whole new setup built earlier this year. Apparently, Mother hadn't been contacting Katie as frequently as I believed.” He settled his gaze on Lynne. “Is there any reason you can think of why my mother might have a problem with you?”
She shook her head. “I have been going over every encounter with your mother, and surprisingly, there weren’t many. I know for a fact I was always respectful toward her. I felt her cold disdain the first time I came here with you, as your girlfriend. I never went inside your house when we were kids. Your father was always happy to see me, not that I was here often.”
“Now that I think about it, Jo was always allowed in the house. But she never visited as a girlfriend.” He shook his head. “I strongly suspect it involves your family. I'm still figuring things out; these papers are a puzzle, and I haven’t found all the pieces yet.”
“A puzzle? Your mother never approved of me. My Grandpa once voiced his surprise that our relationship was allowed when we first started dating. I never asked what he meant. I figured it was because I’m poor. I was then and I still am. I’m not sure I want to know the reason.” She lowered her gaze to her hands, clasped in her lap “I think I have a lead on a job. It would be best for me to move and start over in a community where I can avoid the whispers.”
“Lynne…” he murmured.
“It was harder than I can describe to go to work each day after your brother refused to speak with me about one of his horses. The clinic staff gave me a wide berth. I’d walk into a room, and it was suddenly quiet and they all looked guilty. I was dropped from all invite lists. Grandpa would tell me to hold my head up high. Then he passed away, and I was abruptly evicted, only being allowed to take my clothes and phone. Of course, I forgot the charger. When I moved into Gus’ place, I got looks of pity from the whole town. I can't figure out why West betrayed me. I regret not moving sooner, while I still had use of my truck. But there were the animals that no one else would help.” A tear trailed down her face. Why was she rambling on so? She needed to just shut up.
Reilly handed her a tissue. “I’m so sorry. Here is what I have learned so far. Around the time we broke up, my mother wrote a check to your grandpa for one hundred thousand dollars. Yes, he cashed it. His mortgage was paid off by a transfer from his account. Then, for some reason, a lien was filed against the property by Prime Horizon Holdings. My mother owns that company. Then your grandpa wrote monthly checks to Prime Horizon Holdings. That went on for a year. The checks stopped when your grandpa secured a loan for twenty-five thousand dollars. One half of that money went to my mother and the other half went to West as your buy into his practice, but the lien was never removed. There were a few checks written for your college, but the amounts were never huge. I had a time puzzling that out. I know you got a scholarship plus financial aid.”
“Yes, the checks were for what he called ‘walking around money.’”
“You mentioned you’d been paying on the loan for your grandpa.”
“Yes, I made a big dent in that loan. I made weekly payments. Between Grandpa and me we had just written our last check. The loan was paid.”
“Right now, the problem is there is no record of you paying off the loan.”
Panic set in. A shiver ran down her spine as her hands shook.
Reilly scooped her up and put her on his lap. His embrace always felt special, but her body took a long time to recover.
“I’m fine. You can let go of me.”
Reluctantly, he placed her back on her feet and then went back to his chair. Her distress was painful to witness, especially as it stemmed from his mother.
“I intend to show the loan was settled, thus ending my mother’s right to a lien on the property. I will also determine how my mother transferred the property to West. It’s a convoluted mess.”
She sighed but said nothing.
“How did the animals fare?” he asked, changing the subject.
“Fine. Fishing and Wildlife took Lucky and One Wing. I have faith in them. I’ve worked with them before. I don’t want to spring anything on you, so I might as well tell you.” Lynne stood and went to the window, her back to him. “There is no place for me in Tyrone. It’s been a long time coming. Intentional actions were taken to destroy my reputation and steal everything precious to me. I can’t fight back. The damage has been done. Working as a vet around here won’t be possible for me again. I’m like the animals I’ve collected, deemed not worthy to keep.”
“Lynne—”
“Please don’t interrupt me. I'm so happy we reconnected; you're a wonderful and respectable man, and I'm proud to have you as a friend. The things your mother said to me that day. She highlighted my shortcomings, giving reasons why she believes I'm not good enough. She informed me as well that you had a significant other at school. Cruelty was in every word she said.”
“I’m—”
“I need to get this all out. I'm not looking for sympathy; I just want to explain what had occurred. Her words damaged my confidence and they still do. Back in school, I found her assessment accurate: I was utterly lacking. In hindsight, I should have known we'd end. The loneliness was almost unbearable. I only came home for a week in the summers. I didn't leave the ranch; the ringing house phone constantly panicked me.
“Once a car pulled into our drive, and I hid in the barn until my grandpa found me. He calmed me and got me to promise I'd return home following graduation. I saw in his face how selfish I'd been and how much he depended on me. Truthfully, it was a relief you never came home for holidays. Working as a vet helped to grow my confidence. I felt less lonely; I was beginning to find my place. Well, you know the rest.”
She turned and her eyes glistened. “I’ll leave as soon as I can. I need to live and work somewhere I’m appreciated. I'm finished with the ranch and my partnership with West. I have to leave this behind.”
The lump in his throat refused to go away. Listening to her shattered his heart. She deserved a place where she could make friends. He’d make it happen for her.
“I’m so sorry, and truly I understand your need to get away from this place. I’ll support any decision you make.” He hesitated. “But Lynne…there was never another girlfriend waiting for me at school. I only wanted you.” His voice was raspy. “I wish I had known my mother came to see you. But we can’t change the past. What’s done is done. You are a beautiful, competent woman and you deserve to live the life you want.” He couldn’t take his eyes off her. She was lovely, even in despair.
She nodded and then stood and left. A piece of him went with her.