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Monty handed her another envelope. “This is the will Duke Wilder recently filed at the county clerk’s office in Wildflower Canyon. It clearly states his wishes with regards to what is to happen with the Wilder Ranch.”
Romy waited.
Monty then spoke to the mirror, to…us?
“Miss Novak is no longer interested in purchasing Wilder Ranch. She will not be interfering with any rezoning efforts or any other matters with regard to Mr. Wilder’s property. Miss Novak is right now working on a big project close to Bozeman, and that will remain her focus for the near and distant future.”
Elena shifted close to me. “Is he…like telling us that she’s backing off?”
“Yeah.” I looked at Kaz for an explanation, who looked grim.
Monty wasn’t finished. “Miss Novak has proof of crimes committed by Fiona Turner and Mrs. Gloria Wilder that we will be happy to share with you.”
He now slid what looked like a USB stick toward Romy.
“You’re just a fountain of information, counselor,” Agent Boudreaux chirped. “What do you want in return?”
“Nothing,” Monty said confidently. “Miss Novak is just doing her civic duty.”
After a while, Piper left with Monty, and Agent Boudreaux walked into the observation room.
“What does all this mean?” Elena asked.
Agent Super Model grinned. “This is just the start, Miss Rivera, and like all good negotiations, we go back and forth and back and forth until we can arrest her tight ass and put it on trial.”
“And you’re confident you can do that?” I wasn’t so sure.
“Oh, yeah.” She patted her stomach. “I’m starvin’. Should we get something to eat?” Then she looked at me again. “We will, however, be talking to your mama shortly. She’s in a room across the bullpen. Between her, Piper, and Fiona, I think we can make at least two of them fall.”
CHAPTER 46
elena
Amonth later, we were back in Dallas.
I thought Duke would be climbing the walls, demanding updates on the case every hour, but instead, he’d checked out completely, claiming he didn’t give a damn. He’d done what he had to do, and now he was looking forward—not back. To my surprise, part of that meant selling Ironwood Development Group.
“Why?” I asked him when he first floated the idea.
“Don’t like the business,” he replied flatly. “I want to protect the land for the future, not develop it until there’s no nature left.”
I’d have worried about what this would mean for him emotionally, but for the fact he was content. I liked being on the ranch. He liked working with Hunt, me, and the hands. He liked being with me. He didn’t like working on land development deals.
“We don’t need the money,” he told me one night. “We got plenty. Even after paying all those inheritance taxes and stuff, we’re still loaded.”
“Who is this we you keep talkin’ about?” I wondered.
“Don’t be impertinent,” he snapped.
“Again, with those big words. I just have a GED, bossman,” I teased.
Being together had healed us both, and he wasn’t the only one who had noticeably changed; I had as well. I was more relaxed and less of a “bitch with a stick up her ass,” according to Roy.
The ranch was finding its way after the crazy months we’d had following Nash’s death. We were rebuilding the barn and stable, making plans on how to make the ranch more profitable while safeguarding the land from greedy developers like Piper Novak.
I kept an eye on Duke, and just when I started to think he was finally settling, Kaz called.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Dallas wanted a meet with Duke. Neither of us was comfortable with the idea. We didn’t want to get tangled up in legal battles—we just wanted to move on and live the quiet life we’d built.