Justified Love (The Southern Gentleman Series Book 1) (24 page)

            “I heard that. I take it you didn’t stay at the house again?” he asked with a questioning look.
Damnit.
I felt like a teenager who just got caught sneaking out of the house to see a boy, even though I was a grown woman. I had never had a boyfriend in high school though. This was my chance to take back those stolen moments.

             “No, Daddy, I didn’t stay here last night. I’ve been staying at Colt’s place.” I said.

            “So you and Colt are getting pretty serious, huh?” he asked not sure he was prepared to hear the answer.

            “I guess you could say that,” leery on how much to divulge.

            “Care Bear, I know what love is. Just because your mama isn’t here anymore doesn’t mean I don’t know what it’s like to see what love looks like,” he said finally realizing his little girl had grown up.

            “Daddy, you will always be the first man I ever loved,” I said giving him a giant bear hug.

            “While you’ll always be my little girl, I know if I had to pick a boy for you, it would be Colt. All I ask is you be careful with your heart, peanut. Colt comes from a ruthless family, and although I’m not convinced he’s like his parents, there will always be a part of me that worries a little until he proves it otherwise. His first step in redeeming those qualities was to pick you up on a proper date the other night. That’s a real southern gentleman to come and introduce himself to us. He looked at you the way I used to see your mama, and that makes me very happy. Just be careful,” he said with hesitation.

            “I promise, Daddy,” I said kissing him on the cheek.

            Heading out the door, dad yelled for my attention, “New papers from the developmental company came yesterday. Don’t forget to grab them before you head out, sweetie.”

            “Which ones are they, Dad? There’s like a billion over here.” I said half frustrated.

            “They are the envelopes marked “W&W Developments,” Dad said as I heard the screen door slam on the back porch off the kitchen.

            “
Don’t slam the door
,” I yelled at him like a scorned parent. Snatching the papers I shoved them in my bag and flew down the stairs to Bessie.

            Revving the engine, I was happy to be driven the ole’ girl. The sticky air licked my skin even with the windows down. The humidity was like driving in a sauna today. It would be nice sitting in a cold, damp room all day, but then again, I wasn’t with Colt.
Oh, the trouble we could get into down there.
Hopping out the truck, I climbed the steps to the historical society. Briefcase in hand, I waved to Martha at the front desk. Martha was Buddy Watson’s wife from the bait and tackle shop. Small town, small circle.

            “Hi, Ms. Martha!” I said approaching the counter.

            “Well, hey there, Carrington. Buddy said you were in town. It’s so good to see you, honey. How you been?” she asked politely.

            “I’m doing peachy, Ms. Martha. Just comin’ to do a little research for Daddy if you don’t mind,” I responded.

            “No, not at all, sugar. Go ahead and do whatever you need. You have full access to the records,” she said sweet as honey.

            “Thank you, Ms. Martha,” I said patting her hand as I walked past the counter.

            “Oh, Ms. Martha. Where are the county records for property lines kept?”

            “They’re downstairs in the basement, to the right. Holler at me if you need anything else, sugar,” she said.

            Creeping down the dank stairwell felt like a horror movie gone terribly wrong. It gave me the willies to be down there by myself. As soon as I hit the last step, I darted to the worktable, throwing down my bags. Feeling a little freaked out, I quickly sent Colt a text.

Carrington
: FYI, if I never see you again, question Martha Watson first.

Man of My Dreams
: She has you locked in her dungeon doesn’t she?

Carrington
: Chained up like a damsel in distress. Wanna come rescue me?

Man of My Dreams
: As tempting as that sounds, I’m actually on my way to see Dad. Dad threw a bitch fit about not getting documents enlarged yesterday.

Carrington
: Awww, poor baby. Does someone need a little TLC tonight?

Man of My Dreams
: I would love a little TLC. Especially from you, baby.

Carrington
: Cell reception sucks down here.  Call me later?

Man of My Dreams
: Of course!

Carrington
: Love you, XO

Man of My Dreams
: Love you too, baby, XO

Swoon!

            Time to get busy. Walking over to the card catalogs, I looked up Mason plantation. On the first shot, I found them. That’s the best part about living in a small town. There aren’t other Mason’s in the town. Process of elimination was pretty evident. Fetching the documents, I rolled them out on the worktable. Trying to make heads or tails of it, I finally found the blueprints for the property lines. The document was drafted almost forty years ago. Sure enough, the property lines indicated our property and Ole’ Man. Johnson’s farm, where part of the developmental property’s territory. To think all this time Dad’s been paying on the farm. Looks like this developmental company owned a lot of Avery farms. This poor town will collapse if this deal goes through.
How did no one catch this?
They are nothing but a bunch of greedy bastards trying to take over what doesn’t belong to them.
Who the hell were these people?

              Pulling out the documents from my bag, I start riffling through the paperwork. The first statement indicated the back due payments on the farm that were due. The number was almost too high to comprehend.
If the property lines are correct, how can the bank still want them to pay?
Technically, it’s not his property and shouldn’t be held responsible. Daddy’s been paying on the farm for years. I guess after taking out a mortgage and a second mortgage, the payments must seem never ending.
Poor Daddy.
Not only do I need to find a solution to this property line ordeal, I needed to find out what the hell I was supposed to do about the bank essentially ripping off Daddy. Depending on how long the property lines have been in their territory, which will depend on how much money Daddy paid unnecessarily.
Finally, I feel like I’m getting somewhere.

            Now, what about this developmental property; W&W Developments?
I understand they want what is theirs, but is building a shopping mall more important than protecting and preserving Avery?
I guess it depends on whose asking. For some of us family, friends and our home were all we had. You didn’t need to be dripping in diamonds as long as you had a roof over your head for you and your family. That’s what used to matter to this town. Firing up my laptop, I Google searched the company. Immediately I noticed the company was based in Avery. Right away, I was shocked that someone from Avery would try to destroy its people. It just didn’t seem right to me. In a small town, there were two things you never did, talk about someone’s mama and try to harm your fellow neighbor. When all else failed, your farm, friends, and families were the only thing you had. Seeing as this company was from Avery, they breached this agreement, which now, made it personal.

            Scanning down the page, I came across the name of the company; Wilson & Wilson Developments. I had this horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach that was all-in-all unsettling.
Please be wrong.
Tell me I miss-keyed the entry.
I felt nauseous, but mostly I felt heartbroken. The room started to spin, and I felt like I was going to pass out. Taking a seat on the bench, I quickly stuffed the papers in my bag including the property line sketches. I needed to get out of here,
now
. Reaching the top of the stairs, I felt out of breath and began struggling. Tossing my hand in the air, I waved to Martha.

            “Carrington, did you find what you were looking for sugar?” she asked as I ran out the front door not answering her. It was horribly rude, but I needed to get out of there. I needed to go somewhere I felt safe and secure. I couldn’t go to Colt’s; I was still trying to process the fact that his father owned the company that was attempting to take away my father’s farm. And, I couldn’t go to Dad’s; I wouldn’t be able to look him in the face.

            Pulling up to Ole’ Man Johnson’s farm I immediately jumped out, almost forgetting to turn off the truck. Running at full speed, I collapsed just as I reached for the tire swing. Gripping the rubber, I bowed my head and sobbed.
Please tell me Colt had nothing to do with this.
I’m not sure I could handle two huge heartbreaks at once losing Colt and losing our farm. I had finally hit that low I was so afraid of, and this time, it was warranted.
How am I going to get through this?
I just need some time to process myself.
I’m almost positive Colt didn’t know about this, but what if he did? Would he really hide this from me? Was he playing me this whole time, or acting as a distracted while him and his father swooped in and took everything we had?
I know Colt, and this is not the type of man he is, but I’m terrified to confront him. Part of me doesn’t want to hear what comes out of his mouth.
What if he did know about this?
That would forever change us. I couldn’t see myself being with someone who was willing to go to such depths to hurt my family and me. I couldn’t breathe as the sobs poured out of me.

Chapter 20

Man of my dreams
: Carr, I just left the historical society, and I’m headed to your house right now.

The hell you are.

“I can’t believe that asshole,” Harley said.

“But guys, when have you ever known Colt to be anything like his father? He would never do that,” Skye said defending Colt.

“That’s the point of being a liar, you can bullshit anyone with a poker face,” Harley added.

“I just feel like everything we said to one another last night doesn’t matter,” I said with tears in my eyes. “I put myself out there and now I feel like an idiot. This is worse than ripping the band-aid by telling him I loved him, Harley,” I added snorting into a Kleenex. “He purposely lied to me. Looked me right in the face and played me like a fiddle. I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” I added.

“Let’s just take a minute and look at the facts here before we jump to any conclusions,” Skye interjected.

“What do we need to look at? He’s a fucking dirt ball, and Carr should be done with him,” Harley proclaimed.

“I just don’t believe it,” Skye said. “I mean, how could he have known about this for so long, and not told Carr, especially since he hates his father? Do you really think he could fake liking her since Kindergarten?” Skye challenged.

“He’s had that same stupid grin on his face ever since he was little. You can’t fake that,” she defended.

“She has a valid point. He cried in my arms last night,” I added.

“Exactly!” Skye cheered. “No man willingly cries in front of anyone!” Skye added.

“The fact of the matter is how did he not know about this?” Harley said.

“He works in the same office with his father; it was bound to come across his desk at some point in time,” Harley interjected.

“What if I’m the reason? What if he didn’t notice the papers because I was a distraction? I mean, I didn’t know it was his company until today maybe he didn’t either!” I said with hope. “He did say he was just a paper pusher over there. Perhaps he didn’t see the documents until recently.”

“Always give a person the benefit of the doubt,” Skye said.

“No way, fuck that. You have come too far to let another person knock you down. You stand your ground girl,” Harley pleaded.

“You guys are like a good angel and a evil angel on my shoulders. It makes a girl confused sometimes,” I half smiled.

“I know we are giving you a hard time, but to be fair, we care too much about you to get fucked over,” Harley said trying to sound sympathetic.

“I don’t know anyone else that makes the word “Fuck” sound so endearing,” I said giving her a hug.

“I must look like a blotchy mess right now. My face is all puffy and swollen,” I said grabbing my cheeks with both hands.

“It’s ok. If your Dad asks, we’ll just tell him a bee stung your face or some other bullshit,” Harley chimed in.

“I love you guys. No matter what, I can always count on you bitches to pull me through it,” I said giving them a giant hug.

“I think at this point. We are more than friends; we’re sisters,” Skye said.

“But not one of those sisterhoods of the traveling vagina’s, right? I don’t do chick flicks. You two know me better than that,” Harley squawked.

“How bout this. Harley and I will go out and get a bunch of junk food; we can stay up and watch movies and stuff our faces? Just like our sleepovers as kids.”

That actually did sound pretty good to me.

“No dramas or romance or any of that bullshit,” I said wiping my face.

“Horror,” Harley broke through.

“I can do that,” I said trying to sound a little better than before.

Just as we were settling our plans, I heard the familiar crunch of gravel in the driveway.
Shit!
I forgot Colt said he was coming by.

“Oh, hell no,” Harley said running downstairs.

“This douche is going to get a piece of my mind,” she charged. Sitting on the top of the staircase with Skye, we watched Harley open the door and lean on the doorframe.

“What the fuck do you want? Come to mess with my girl again? I told you what would happen if you hurt her,” she said simulating cocking a shotgun chamber.

Why do I need Daddy, when I have Harley to bust men’s balls? It was quite entertaining if you ask me.

“I just need to talk to Carr for a second,” he said trying to take a step forward. Harley jammed her foot into the doorframe stopping his advances.

“Fuck that! You’re not going anywhere near my girl. You’ve already done plenty of damage,” Harley defended.

“I just need a chance to explain. It’s not at all what it looks like,” he pleaded.

A part of me wanted to tell Harley to back down her bark, but then again, another part of me didn’t want to hear it. I loved Colt, but sometimes love isn’t enough. He sounded genuine, which is what broke my heart. What could he possibly say that could make up for the inexcusable actions he had done today? Watching Harley give Colt a hard time for about ten minutes was enough. I stood up from the stairs and walked down to meet them.

“Harley, I can handle this,” I said with disappointed in my voice.

“Thank God, baby. I just need you to listen to me for five minutes. This is all a big misunderstanding,” he pleaded.

“Colt, you lied to me,” I began. Before allowing him to speak I held up my hand silencing him.

“There are some things in life I can deal with and some things I can’t, and lying is one of them,” I started.

“But I didn’t lie about anything. I’ve always been truthful with you,” he pleaded his case.

“So you mean to tell me you had no idea that your father and his company were trying to take away our family farm? That he wants to build a shopping mall right where we are standing? Colt, I took my first steps on this porch. My Granny used to braid my hair for school on that swing. Now, that might not mean anything to your father or even you for that matter, but it sure as hell means something to me. This is all I have to remember my mother by, and if you take that away I will never forgive you,” I said with tears flooding down my face. I wanted so badly to run into his arms to make it better, but I needed to stand my ground. I will not let anyone hold me back.

“This is killing me right now seeing you cry like this,” he said choked up.

“How the hell am I supposed to stand in front of a courtroom tomorrow knowing that the love of my life is the reason we are standing there in the first place? I won’t be able to stand there and hold my composure, especially seeing you sitting next to your father. It’s going to kill me,” I said letting the tears fall freely now.

“You won’t have too. I quit today when I found out what was going on,” he said wincing and holding his hand.

“What do you mean? Oh my God, Colt? What did you do?” I said looking at his bruised and bleeding knuckles.

“I hit the son of a bitch,” he said with disappointment.

“But, why?” I said moving closer to him examining the damage.

“Well, the day didn’t start quite as I expected it to.

“Warning! Warning. It’s your father calling!” my cell phone echoed through my bedroom.

Pick up on the third ring, “Colt, get your ass to the office, now!” Oh shit!

“Dad, calm down. What’s going on?”

“Where are the blueprints, and property line enlargements I asked for?” he yelled.

“Dad, can you calm down so we can talk about this rationally?” I pleaded.

“I needed those done!” he screamed not listening to a word I said.

“No, Dad. What you said was you needed them by Monday. It’s Sunday you know the day of the Lord?” trying to make him feel sorry.

“I don’t care. Office.
Now
!” he shrieked. What’s with the dramatics? I’ve never heard him so angry before.

“Fine, Dad. I’ll be there in twenty,” I said casually. “Ten is more like it,” he pushed.

Pulling up to the office, Dad was already on the curb waiting for me. Before I had a chance to get out of the truck, he tossed the documents into the passenger seat of the cab.

“I told you not to fuck this up and, as usual, you did,” he said with no remorse walking away. What the hell? I have got to find a way to get the fuck out of here. I can’t work for him anymore. It’s too difficult. Soon as this deal is done, I’m outta here.

Walking up to the printers I rolled out the documents to see what needed to be enlarged. I knew Dad had a big case he was working on, but he seemed to be pretty uptight about these documents. What’s so important that he needed them right now? Glancing at the curled corner, I recognize the name, Mason. What the hell? Unraveling them completely, the documents were blueprints of Carrington’s farm, along with the adjoining property where Ole’ Man Johnson’s property was. The blueprints were for a shopping mall to be built directly on top of her farm. You have got to be kidding me. This doesn’t even make sense. How can my father even do this?

Looking at the other documents, I saw Grandpa Corbin’s will. Leave it to Dad to capitalize on someone’s death even his own father. Papa’s will stated the land in the document belonged to the Wilson family. These documents were nearly forty years old. Seems pretty weak for the validity to hold up in court. There have to be more current records then these. It doesn’t make sense that Papa wouldn’t have updated them, even after all these years. Papa was my best friend growing up; he would have updated these. I know he would have. I knew him better than he knew his own son - my Dad. Papa was smarter than that.

Deciding to confront Dad, I called our former family attorney first to get a copy of Papa’s will drawn up for my reference. Something seemed off to me, and I needed to get down to the bottom of this before they try to close on Friday. Our old family attorney, William Tully must know something. Grabbing the documents, I headed to William Tully’s office to pick up a copy of the will. Walking in, I was on the verge of going off on “Bill”. He must have had a hand in this. “Hey Bill,” I said ringing his desk bell over and over trying to get his attention. “Colton, geez, one would have sufficed,” he said coming around the corner of the counter. Handing over the manila envelope, he didn’t release it at first, but only stared at me.

“Really think about what you’re doing here, son. This could rock the boat in your family, and ultimately destroy your relationship with your father,” he said concerned.

“If this document says what I think it says, I have no problem rocking that boat, sir. In fact, I’ll make the fucking waves,” I said snatching the documents away.

Racing into the parking lot of the office, I busted through Dad’s door.

“Colton, can’t you see I’m in the middle of something,” as he excused himself from his attorneys.

“I don’t give a
fuck
what you’re doing right now,” I said with anger raging in my voice.

“What the hell are you trying to do? Are you trying to destroy this town and my relationship with Carrington? I saw the blueprints and the will, Dad,” I said fuming.

“I’m surprised it took you so long to actually read the documents I was having you copy and enlarge. Really shows me you aren’t worthy of this company,” he confessed.

“Go ahead Dad, say what you’ve been trying to say for years,” I looked with desperation.

“Wanna do this here? Right now?” he asked with an egotistical look upon his face. Just staring at him with my arms cross, I raised an eyebrow waiting for him to blow.