“Are you giving him Loki?” I asked. “I was thinking Doug might be a better choice. Maybe you could walk them into a field of butterflies or something.” Walt knew I was joking because Doug would buck if a big winged insect like a butterfly came his way.
“I take it we want this guy to suffer?” Walt asked.
“Mild suffering,” I said. “Nothing deadly.”
Walt’s mustache twitched as he held back a smile. “I never took you for the vengeful type.”
I tapped the toe of my boot against the floor. “I’m not. Put him on Banjo or Loki and make sure he has a nice ride.” Sometimes being the ranch owner was a tough gig. Duty always came before vengeance.
“Oh, I’m giving him Alma today,” Walt said. “Let him try to show off his riding skills on the laziest horse in southern Wyoming.”
I laughed, imagining Freddy trying to urge Alma into a gallop when she was busy eating clover. “Thanks, buddy.” I started to leave the barn, then stopped and looked back at him over my shoulder. “Hey, Walt? I like her a lot.”
“I’m not surprised,” he said. “I’ve spent a little time with her now, and I can see why you like her so much.”
“Were you checking her out for me?” Suddenly, it made sense why he was sitting with her at dinner the other night.
“With your dad gone, I feel like I should do better looking out for you boys. Maybe I did want to make sure she was a good person. I’m a little worried about the fact she lives in New York and that her ex is here at the ranch, but I suppose a little woman trouble is more fun than none at all.”
I laughed and shook my head. “That’s your personal motto, huh?”
“You can’t say it isn’t true, can you?”
He was right. Life might be more complicated with Lauren in it, but as far as I could tell, she was worth it.
CHAPTER18
LAUREN
On the menu that evening was pan seared trout and haricot vert, which was a fancy name for green beans. Normally, I would vigorously enjoy my food, but with Freddy sitting next to me, everything lost its flavor.
“This fish isn’t fresh,” he said sourly after taking a tiny bite.
“Kyra said it was caught locally today,” I said. “I don’t think they froze and defrosted it that quickly, do you?”
Freddy shrugged one shoulder. “She lied.”
In the past, I would have tried to placate him to avoid him being condescending to our server, but I wasn’t going to baby Freddy anymore.
“And you’re insufferable. Can we please talk about our settlement now?” Freddy had pushed off this discussion all day long, insisting that we take a trail ride together so we could relax before getting down to business. I had to hide my amusement when Walt put him on Alma. Taking off on my new mount, a glossy brown quarter horse named Banjo, and leaving Freddy in the dust was a priceless moment.
He took a sip of his wine, the only part of the meal he hadn’t found a reason to criticize yet. “I know you’d like me to leave, and I’m happy to fly home tomorrow. You know what I want, and you have the power to give it to me.”
“Believe me when I say that I’d love for you to leave immediately.” I steadied my voice to take the waver out of it. “But you’re not getting Ms. Match. I’ve made a very generous offer that I suggest you take because even a sliver of our company will never belong to you.”
He blotted his mouth with his napkin. “You’re being spiteful. You have plenty of money for your retirement. Don’t you think I should, too? Having a piece of the company guarantees me a certain amount of security.”
Giving him my hard-earned money was going to be a difficult pill to swallow, but giving him a piece of the company I’d built with my sister? Never.
I clenched my fists together under the table. “If you can’t save some of the fortune I’ll be paying you in alimony, that’s on you, Freddy. Learn to live like a normal person, and you’ll be fine. I accept that I was the working spouse in our marriage, and you’re owed a certain amount, but you’ve never been a part of the company and you never will.”
“I wasn’t a part of it? Then why was I on your television show? Explain that to me.”
“You were on three, maybe four, times in five years.” I had to work hard not to snarl at him. “And, may I remind you, you were paid for those appearances.”
Kyra came by our table to refill our water glasses, and we immediately stopped bickering and pasted fake smiles on our faces. We’d been playing this sick game for a long time.
“Let me know if you need anything,” she said brightly, oblivious to what she’d walked into.
