The Bull Rider's Manager (18 page)

“According to the bailiff, the judge is running a little late. I’ve checked us in, though. They like to know which parties are on time and which ones may take advantage of the judge being busy.” He sat on the bench. “Sit, we might as well be comfortable while we wait.”

Barb scanned the hallway before she sat. Lots of people, but no Angel. “I figured Kati’s aunt would be here.”

Hunter scanned the hallway as well. “So far, no sign of her. I wonder if she’s having problems finding her star witness?”

Barb slipped onto the bench next to him. Sighing, she leaned her head against the wall. “Please tell me you didn’t do anything to Kevin.”

“Would you care?”

“About Kevin, no, but you don’t need to give him more ammunition. Poke a tame dog enough times with a stick and he’ll bite. And Kevin’s not trained in the least.”

Hunter patted her leg in what would have felt like a friendly gesture except he left his hand resting on her thigh way too long. Her gaze couldn’t leave his hand.

“Kevin paid me a visit. He wanted you to pay him on his blackmail scheme. I told him to leave you alone. So if he comes back, you call the cops. Or call me. I’ll take care of him.” Hunter’s voice was cold.

Before Barb could ask another question, or even formulate one in her mind, a slender woman in a police type uniform stepped out of the courtroom. “Mr. Martin? The judge would like to see you and your family in chambers. This way.”

Barb followed Hunter and Kati. Her stomach fluttered. This couldn’t be good. Maybe the hearing had been postponed? Her heart leapt at the chance to stay married to Hunter, even if it was just for a week more.

When they entered the office, the bailiff motioned to the couch near the window. The judge was on the phone and had his back to the three of them. Hunter’s lawyer sat in a wing chair. He nodded to Barb then whispered something to Hunter. His eyebrows scrunched as he squinted at the lawyer. Barb leaned closer to try to pick out their words with no luck. She searched for the man’s name from when they’d been introduced on Sunday. Chance? No, Chase.

No, this didn’t feel good at all.

“Well, let’s get started, shall we?” The judge slipped into the other wing chair facing the couch. “Kati, I’m Judge Patterson. Do you know why we’re here today?”

“My aunt wants me to live with her instead of Uncle Hunter,” Kati responded.

“Exactly.” The judge turned to Chase. “Does the child have a lawyer?”

“I’m representing both Mr. Martin and Kati,” Chase answered.

The judge looked at Chase for a long minute, then sighed. “I would have liked the child’s interest to be separate from the uncle’s, but I guess at this point, that doesn’t matter.”

Barb felt like she was watching a tennis match. But no game she’d ever saw. She felt like there was more said than what she understood, but she kept quiet.

“Kati,” the judge turned his attention back to the little girl. “Where do you want to live? With your uncle or your aunt?”

“With Uncle Hunter. Tony’s mean.” She looked at Barb and smiled.

“Who’s Tony?” The judge glanced down at his file. “The husband?”

“Her cousin,” Chase said. “He’s Angel and Fred Monnet’s son.”

The judge smiled. “Oh, so you don’t like Tony?”

“He pinches me. And then laughs when I cry. And he drinks beer.” Kati glanced at Barb and her look told Barb she thought she’d scored the winning volley.

“Does he now?” The judge leaned back in his chair. “Why do you like living with your uncle?”

“He brushes my hair for school, even though I have to redo most of the ponytails. He lets me take riding lessons on a real horse, and he reads to me before we go to sleep. And he married Barb.” Kati cuddled closer to Barb. “I like Barb a lot. And I like visiting with her mom. She’s in a home because she forgets things. But she remembers me.”

Barb’s heart sank but she smiled and hugged Kati.

“Kati, would you mind going with Amanda for a soda? She’ll take you down to the break room so the grownups can talk for a bit.” The judge nodded to the bailiff who must be Amanda.

Kati looked at Barb. “You’ll be here when I get back?”

“Yes, for a while. I don’t fly out until tomorrow.” Barb’s tongue felt swollen in her mouth.

Kati stood and walked out of the room with Amanda.

Barb felt the judge’s glance on her. She knew she was up next on the hot seat, just by the way he looked at her. And she wasn’t wrong.

“Miss Carico, or Mrs. Martin, I guess is the more appropriate term.” The judge focused on the papers in front of him.

Barb cut him off. “Barb is fine.”

The judge raised his eyebrows, but continued. “So, Barb, tell me about your arrangement with Mr. Martin. Is it true he paid for you to marry him?”

“You don’t have to answer that,” Chase advised Barb. “Judge, I hardly see how my client’s marital arrangement has anything to do with these proceedings.”

“Mrs. Monnet thought it had everything to do with the proceedings. In fact she told me that she’d brought in Barb’s ex-husband to prove a pattern of marriages that seemed to be advantageous to the bride. Although, I don’t see what, if anything, Miss Carico got out of the first marriage, besides just out.” The judge fumbled through his papers. “This Kevin Flavin seems to be a man skirting the edge of the law in many fronts.”

“Kevin has had his issues. And I didn’t marry him to get something. He married me because I wouldn’t agree to be his manager.” Barb felt heat on her face.

“Yet you married him?” the judge prodded.

“It’s a long story. We’d been drinking with a group and the next morning, he showed up with a marriage license and pictures.” Barb hung her head. “Believe me, I’ve regretted it since it happened.”

“You didn’t marry him,” Hunter spoke up.

Barb smiled sadly. “I was drunk and stupid. I let my guard down and he took advantage of me.”

Hunter interrupted. “He drugged you. You were asleep in your bed when he married a look alike.”

“How do you know that? I mean, I suspected, but no one’s ever been able to prove anything.”

“Kevin has a big mouth and likes to brag.” Hunter looked at the judge. “Barb was being blackmailed by the jerk. I told him to leave town and leave her alone.”

“Yes, Mrs. Monnet said she suspected as much.” The judge focused on Hunter. “Of course, she thought your motives were to ruin her custody case. She didn’t realize her financial audit had already disqualified her from being Kati’s guardian based on the terms of your brother and sister-in-law’s will. They must have suspected there would be some fighting over the trust.”

“So Angel can’t get custody?” Barb’s smile brightened. “No matter what?”

“In order to gain custody, one of the guiding factors for custody is the custodial guardian must be financially solvent. Mr. Martin’s audit came back perfect. Now, you, on the other hand, you’re up to your eyeballs in debt, but it seems to be all around your mother’s medical bills and your business. Not a gambling habit.” The judge closed the file and tossed it on to the small coffee table. “Nothing left for me to do but sign off on the custody order.”

Hunter glanced at the file. “Angel has a gambling habit?”

“Sorry, that’s confidential.” The judge looked at Chase. “Your office should be getting the final papers next week.”

“Thank you.” Hunter stood, pulling Barb up off the couch with him. “You’ve made a little girl very happy.”

“I just hope you know what you’ve signed up for, Mr. Martin. Raising a child, even in a two parent household,” the judge stared at Barb then continued, “isn’t easy. At times, my three daughters made me want to run screaming from the house and never return. But the rewards are worth it, if you can get past all the heartache.”

“Kati and I will do just fine.” Hunter nodded at Chase. “Thanks, bro.”

The three of them walked into the hall together, but for some reason, Barb felt like they’d lost instead of won. She should be happy for Kati, for Hunter. But she felt numb.

“Miss Carico? I have annulment papers for you to sign. Hunter had me put in a clause stating he will cover your mom’s residential costs as long as she needs care.” Chase shook his head and stared pointedly at Hunter. “A very generous offer.”

“Hunter, I swear, as soon as I’m able to sell the house, I’ll pay you back everything.” Barb dug in her purse for a pen. “You don’t understand what this means for her, for me. I swear, she’s almost like her old self, before the memory losses.”

“Barb, hold on a second.” Hunter put his hand on her arm. “Look at me.”

Barb caught her breath as she looked up into those blue eyes. Eyes she could lose herself in if she didn’t control her emotions. She had gotten what she wanted, her mom was safe, Kati was safe, and annulment papers were within reach. Once she signed them, the deal would be struck.

Hunter paused, then jumped in. “I’d like you to stay, to move in. Kati loves you. We could be a real family.”

Barb waited for the words she needed to hear. I love you. But Hunter was just looking at her. Waiting for her answer. She shook her head. “Sorry, I can’t. I love Kati like she was my own, but sometimes, a girl has to watch out for herself and make the right decision. I’ll call next week when I’m back from Cody. Maybe I can take her shopping.”

Barb watched Hunter’s face freeze. “Sure. Have a great weekend.” He walked away, aiming for Kati who had just appeared with the bailiff. When he reached the little girl, he swung her up into his arms and headed down the steps.

Barb thought she heard Kati ask about her, but the sound in her ears made it impossible for her to hear anything. Her heart pounded in her eardrum, trying to get her attention. She waved the nausea away and smiled at Chase. “Where do I sign?”

Tears coursed down Barb’s cheeks. She sat cross legged on her mother’s couch, a glass of wine on the table and country music videos playing on the television. She felt numb. Lost, alone, and numb. So much for following her mother’s advice. Hunter had offered an olive branch. And she’d stepped on it. Crushing it into the dirt. And she’d signed the annulment papers.

She was never, ever even
thinking
about getting married again. The next time the boys had a rodeo in Vegas, she was staying home. Or staying away from liquor for the trip’s duration. Two impromptu marriages, two annulments. No wonder she liked country music — if she drove a truck and had a dog, she’d be a walking, talking country song.

She took another sip of the wine and tried to focus on the contract that was in her lap. Martin Dairy’s sponsorship of Jesse. Hell, Hunter had gone all out, sponsoring all her bull riders. Great, everywhere she looked for the next five years, she’d see Hunter Martin’s family business plastered on her clients. Every rodeo, a shirt advertising the dairy. On all four of her bull riders.

She should turn down the sponsorship. Tear this contract up. Break all ties to Hunter Martin, his family, his business, and Kati.

She laid the contract on the table. She wasn’t going to turn it down. This one contract would pay for the expenses for the rest of the rodeos this year. And by the end of the five years, she’d have enough money saved up on her commission to pay her mother’s medical expenses herself, especially if she sold the house.

And bottom line, it wasn’t fair to the bull riders to turn the contract down. James could deal with any promotional contact the riders would be required of in order to fulfill the contract. James had a head for this kind of thing. And he wouldn’t want to tear off Hunter’s clothes and throw him down on the bed every time they met.

Or at least she hoped not.

A knock on the door broke up her mini pity party. She stood and looked down at the tank top and yoga pants she wore. Good enough for a door to door salesman, she decided.

When she opened the door, Jesse Sullivan stood there with a bottle of wine in one hand and a bag of Chinese food in the other. A twelve pack of beer sat on the porch next to him.

“Happy annulment.” Jesse pushed past her into the living room. “Grab the beer, would ya?”

Barb wiped tearstains off her face. She grabbed the carton and closed the door. “Jesse, why are you here?”

“Lizzie can’t be here so she made me come and stand in as your BFF tonight. I’m to listen and nod, and not say anything stupid. Or try to kiss you, even though in that get up you’re making that part of the bargain kind of easy. Did you even brush your hair today?”

“Leave me alone.” Barb messed with her hair, pulling her hair tighter, then resetting the clip. “I don’t need anyone here babysitting me.”

“Now, Lizzie said you’d fight me, so I am supposed to put this into the DVD player.” He pulled out a worn copy of
Sleepless in Seattle
, her and Lizzie’s go-to movie.

Barb slipped back onto the couch. “Okay, you can stay. Give me a box of fried rice.”

Jesse handed her a box with a pair of chopsticks. Then he started the movie. As he grabbed a box of broccoli and beef, he held up the contract. “You got the sponsorship?”

“Divorce present from my ex.” Barb tried to smile.

“You don’t have to accept this, you know.” Jesse thumbed through the pages. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s a huge contract. But we’ll be fine without it. I’m sure the other guys will feel the same.”

“Don’t bet on it. Besides, if Hunter’s stupid enough to sponsor all of you guys, I’m not standing in his way. James can handle the touchy feely part of the agreement.”

Jesse sat the contract down and took a bite of his food. Without looking at her, he said, “Barb, you don’t have to be the successful manager all the time. You can just be Barb.”

And that was where Jesse was wrong. She had to be a successful career woman. Frankly, that was all she had left. “Shut up and watch the movie.”

Jesse smiled and leaned back. “Yes, ma’am.”

• • •

Hunter turned down the street to Lorraine’s house. According to the GPS in his truck, he should be close.

“Is this the way to the ice cream shop?” Kati leaned forward in her seat, glancing out the windows. “It looks like just houses.”

“Hold on, I wanted to check something.” Hunter didn’t want to get the kid’s hopes up. Barb might not be home, or worse. He slowed down when the voice announced he’d reached his destination. “Worse” was right. A blue Silverado sat in the driveway next to Barb’s rental. A truck with a My Other Car is a Braham Bull bumper sticker. He’d seen that truck before, as Jesse and Barb had pulled away from the reception. Jesse Sullivan was consoling the woman that used to be Hunter’s wife. The woman Hunter had let get away.