Chapter 2
CHAPTER TWO
W hat was the likelihood of her still being there in a few days? Stewart chuckled. It felt good to laugh. There would be little laughter once he broke the news to the board. He had been given their trust to manage the ranch. His heart hurt. How was he going to get his family to trust him again? Maybe they shouldn’t trust him. He had gotten them into this mess, and he had no way of recouping the losses.
How could he have been so stupid? He couldn’t wait until the financial statements went out. It was right to inform them of his foolishness. He’d be ousted from his position for sure. They would be shocked and let down, for sure. But not to the extent that he was with himself.
Taking a deep breath, he drove up to the house. It was time.
He stood near the doorway leading to the dining room. The table was huge. It looked like everyone was there. His gaze fell upon each of them: McKenna, Laughlin, Montgomery, Katie, Dolan, Hamilton, Maquire, Cassidy, and Buchanan.
Their voices faded away when he stepped into the room. If only he could go back six months. Sitting at the end of the table, he folded his hands in front of him and drew in a long breath.
“I have committed a serious error that will impact everyone. Let me begin by apologizing. You entrusted me with the ranch’s finances, and unfortunately, I made a bad investment.”
“How bad?” Buchanan asked immediately.
“We’ll need to be careful for a while.”
“How much did you lose?” Cassidy asked, clearly agitated.
“Do we have enough to pay the property taxes?” Katie asked.
“Listen, I’ll tell you all of it.” He paused to take another deep breath before beginning.
“As I informed you, I planned to upgrade certain machinery we utilize. I made an appointment with Paul Stingster, the President of Stingster Equipment. The prices were the best I had ever seen. I bought the equipment we needed, along with equipment that surpasses what we currently have. There was nothing suspicious about this man. I called his references.” He released a sigh. “The whole thing was a scam.”
McKenna’s voice turned harsh as he asked, “It wasn’t the Stingster who was just indicted for large-scale fraud, was it?”
Despite his inner turmoil, they required a leader, not a remorseful young man. And they deserved the truth.
“I’m afraid so. Our lawyer has taken action to recover our money, but it seems like it’s all lost. We have endured more difficult circumstances and prevailed, but now the burden rests entirely on my shoulders.”
Dolan chuckled. “What the heck did you buy?”
Stewart opened the folder in front of him and handed out copies of the invoice. McKenna was the only one not busy examining the list. He just glared.
McKenna had a right to his glare. He had a right to much more.
“A drone?” Buchanan asked.
“Look at this list!” McKenna yelled after he finally glanced over the invoice. “We could have done without most of this stuff. What’s the point of purchasing new items when the old ones are still functional? What were you thinking? I’m proposing a vote to see if we keep you as the head of the ranch.”
“And just who do you propose to take his place, McKenna? You?” Katie asked sarcastically.
“There is an adequate amount of capital available for this year. We just need to be smart about our spending,” Stewart told them.
“Smart? Do you think we will let you make more financial decisions on our behalf? Is this legit, or did you just take the money and stuff your account?” McKenna asked, his face red with fury.
“McKenna, that’s enough,” Laughlin admonished. “Things happen. Stewart has generated a significant amount of money for us before. He’s dug us out of some deep holes. I know this is a massive mistake, but how many others were conned by that Stingster? I read it was the most extensive scam ever recorded. Let’s vote quickly so we can get back to our work. All in favor of keeping Stewart raise your hand.” Laughlin looked around the table. “Everyone but you McKenna.”
“I’m sorry…” Stewart started.
“Stuff it, brother!” McKenna snapped before he stormed out.
Katie rose, and the rest followed suit. She hugged Stewart. “I’m glad you didn’t buy a helicopter, too.” She kissed his cheek and then departed through the door.
One by one, the others followed her.
Rubbing the back of his stiff neck, he prayed for God’s blessing.
“It’s not easy being the one everyone looks to,” said Flora, the longtime housekeeper.
“No, it’s not, but this situation is my fault. I was too trusting and was made a fool of. What caused me to buy so much? He didn’t come across as shady in the slightest. We discussed how having his equipment on the ranch would be the best marketing he could have. He bilked so many people out of their life savings. We’ll never get the money back.” He slumped in his chair. Defeat consumed him.
“Listen to me, Stewart. You reserved enough money to make it through a year. You will find a way to make this year profitable and carry on.”
“You make it sound easy, Flora.” He shook his head.
“It won’t be easy. I’ve been with this family for a very long time. I’ve seen the ups and downs. You made a mistake, but everyone makes mistakes, Stewart. It’s a part of life.” She sighed. “I can see I didn’t make you feel the least bit better.”
Stewart wrapped his arms around her in a hug. A hug he needed just as much.
The night was filled with tossing and turning as he went over all the wrongs he had done in his life. Even things from his childhood. The time McKenna fell out of the tree and broke his arm. The time his horse had to be put down after his hoof dropped into a gopher hole. The time his sister cried, because he didn’t have time for her. Not one single good deed ran through his thoughts. Only the things he failed at.
He reached his limit attempting to fall asleep, so he dressed, grabbed his newspaper, and drove into Tyrone.
The sneakers looked big and cumbersome. There was absolutely nothing stylish about them. But they were comfortable so far and best of all, she could afford them. The Daily Provision was much more than a grocery store. It brought to her mind the large box stores in bigger towns, but this one felt cozy and welcoming. Josie Abbott, the owner, set out on a mission to find the right sneakers for Aurora. A nicer person she’d never met.
So far, no one knew who she was. She had not committed any wrongdoing, but the people who knew who she was didn’t think she was innocent. She’d led a privileged life, but she had never realized it was at the expense of others.
She met many congressmen, senators, and even the president while she was with her father. Everyone had acted as if her father was a person of importance. She shuddered, so many pictures of herself with those men. Did they know?
Imagine waking up one day and discovering that everything you’d been told is a lie.