Kentucky Heat (10 page)

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Authors: Fern Michaels

BOOK: Kentucky Heat
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Nealy stifled her laughter. “Sounds like things are moving along smoothly. No problems, no crisis, just smooth sailing. Until the court case comes up.”
“Are you worried about that, Nealy?” Metaxas asked.
“Yes and no. I don't want to see my brothers lose the farm. They aren't fighters. Rhy and Pyne can't even comprehend any of this. All they've ever done is work. They just want to be left alone in peace. They never even got married for God's sake. They don't understand how family can do this. Hell, I don't understand it either. What I do understand for certain is, the Colemans are not going to get away with it.”
“Eat up, ladies. I won't be doing this after today, so enjoy it now. By the way, Nealy, did you dump Ken?”
Nealy blinked. “Well, that's one way of putting it, I guess. I hope he changes and starts to do what the doctors tell him to do. I tried my best when I was there to get him to take walks, to do things, but he was always so anxious and kept wanting to go back to the house, where he felt safe and secure. I can't live like that. I won't live like that. He's your friend, Metaxas, maybe you can get him to get off his duff and join the world.”
“I tried,” Metaxas said, sitting down next to Nealy. “I know where you're coming from because I tried, too. He wants to sell me his interest in the restaurants. I agreed because I don't want his apathy to ruin the business. The deal should close in a few weeks. I'll stay in touch and do what I can, but don't look for any miracles. They ain't gonna happen where he's concerned. I feel bad because he's such a nice guy.”
“What are you going to do today, Nealy?” Ruby asked as she stacked her dishes on the counter.
“I'm going to exercise Flyby, and I've got a full load on my plate. If you guys can handle Misty and Shufly, I'm good to go. I'll clean up here, you cooked. Go on, I know you want to get back to the barn. I'll call you for lunch.”
“Let's go, sweet baby,” Metaxas chortled.
Nealy smiled as Metaxas wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulder. Would she ever be as happy as the two of them? The smile stayed with her as she loaded the dishwasher and wiped off the counter and table. Satisfied that the kitchen was spic-and-span, she sat down with a fresh cup of coffee to wait for Smitty.
The minute the office manager walked through the kitchen door, Nealy bombarded her with a list of things to be done for the day. “And, Smitty, call Dagmar Doolittle and get us some press for that big Derby Ball you said I should throw. Since this is going to be my first, so-called, coming-out ball, I want to make sure we really make a splash. Have some of the office girls work on it. Invitation only. Figure out what we can realistically charge, with all the monies going to the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah. Work it up so people
beg
to be invited. Dagmar will be good at that. And, I think you should limit the number of people we invite. Get the biggest hall, the best band, the best caterer around. In fact, I know of a set of twins, Kitty and Josie Dupré, who run a catering business in New Orleans that would be just perfect. Pay them whatever they want to come here. And you might want to hire the Butterfuncks, a band from New Orleans, too. Hire a decorator. I'll pay for all of it. Just get the ball rolling.”
“Okay, boss. Anything else?”
“Plenty. I'll feed it to you as I go along. I'll be in the dining room with all my stuff spread out. If it's the last thing I do, I'm going to find my mother's people.”
Smitty whistled. “Attagirl! Call me if you need me. Hey, our new housekeeper arrives today, right?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Oh, shit!”
 
 
“So, what are you telling me, Clem?” Nealy asked three days before she was scheduled to appear in court.
“I'm saying Valentine Mitchell says the Colemans are not interested in settling the case out of court. Val said her clients are willing to take their chances in a court of law in front of a judge. She could have something or she could have nothing and be bluffing. Up until the minute we walk into court it could change. And she doesn't know about those two little surprises you sprang on me two weeks ago. If you have any other aces up your sleeve, this would be a good time to bring them out so I can look at them. The way it stands right now, your old Virginia homestead is going to the Colemans—lock, stock, and barrel. I can almost guarantee they won't want it when they find out there are no horses to sell. However, you and your brothers will get a percentage of Sunbridge since we can prove through DNA that you are indeed Seth Coleman's children. Your children will also receive a share. Since you and your brothers are the only three blood children remaining, the percentage will be higher. The others are grandchildren and great-grandchildren. As far as SunStar Farms go, the Colemans still think they're getting horses. It's a damn mess no matter how you look at it.”
“How is it those horses didn't show up on discovery?”
“They did. Val got a little cocky and wasn't careful enough in her wording. All it asked was the name of each horse and the value placed on it. It didn't say anything about ownership. I'm having a hard time believing she was that sloppy. The flip side to all of this is she probably doesn't approve of this suit any more than I do. Are you sure, Nealy, absolutely sure, that Metaxas has receipts for board for all those horses, not to mention the bills of sale?”
Nealy rummaged through the stacks and files on the dining-room table. “Got them right here. Smitty can make copies for you.”
“When do your brothers plan on leaving for Texas? I have to go over their testimony with them.”
“They're leaving the night before. I'm leaving late this afternoon. I'll meet up with all of you at the hotel in the morning. Don't worry about my brothers. All they can do is tell the truth. There's no need to rehearse them. If you do, they'll get nervous.”
“And you are going to do . . . what when you get there? Is there a reason why you're going early?”
“As a matter of fact there is. I have a lead on my mother's family I want to follow up on. Smitty came across it, and, strangely enough, it wasn't all that hard to find, according to her. It makes me wonder why both those detectives I hired earlier couldn't find this family. With my suspicious mind I'm thinking there was some kind of intervention. Then again, maybe not. I'll get to the bottom of it. I guess I'll see you in the Austin courthouse two days from now.”
Nealy's eyes were hard and cold when she leaned over to tweak Clem's cheek. “Think about all those high-end shoes you can buy when you send me your bill.”
“Nealy . . . I know what you're planning. At least I think I do. And I know you didn't ask for my advice, but I'm going to give it to you anyway. Don't do it.”
Nealy clucked her tongue. “You're right, I didn't ask for your advice. See you in Texas, and make sure you wear a Stetson or they won't take you seriously.”
Nealy watched the lawyer from the kitchen window as she started up her car, the wheels spinning in the gravel.
“What's she got her panties in a wad over?” Smitty asked.
“She doesn't like what I'm doing. In the beginning she couldn't wait to sink her teeth into this case. She saw dollar signs, and that was all she saw. Somewhere along the way she switched up on me. She likes and favors compromise. She knows I don't need the money; therefore, I should cave in and suck it up. Her idea would be for me to buy my brothers a new farm and let them run it. She doesn't understand, Smitty. I don't know if anyone but my brothers or I understand what's going on. I'm not doing this for me; I'm doing it for them. For Nick and Emmie, too. That old man in Texas just threw us away. Threw us away, Smitty. It was like we weren't human. He turned us over to that ugly, hateful man we thought was our father. He didn't care if we lived or died. We weren't good enough to be part of his fine upstanding
legitimate
family. We were just a dirty little secret that he palmed off on his hateful brother. It's my turn now. If you don't approve of what I'm doing, don't tell me because I'm going to do it anyway.”
“Kiddo, go for the jugular and kick some ass. You're right, it's your turn. You just make damn sure you can live with whatever you do. Call me and let me know how it's going, okay?”
“I will. You never judged me, Smitty. Why is that?”
“Because you never judged me. You always took my side with Carmela, and you always listened when I had something to say. By the way, calls have been coming in thick and fast. Everyone wants to be invited to your Derby Ball. I told Dagmar ten thousand a ticket and somehow or other it turned into twenty-five thousand. It doesn't seem to make a difference. It's like a presidential ball or something.”
“Dollars?” Nealy gasped.
Smitty laughed. “Yep, dollars. You can make a lot of animals happy with that contribution. Multiply that by one hundred people. We'll be able to save a lot of animals with all that money. Very worthy cause, Nealy. You did good. What's it going to be next year?”
“Spousal abuse. If this flies, hike the price next year. There are a lot of women's shelters in this state that can use the money. You're working on all those good charities you said I needed to donate to, right?”
“I'm donating your money left and right, Nealy.”
“Good. I feel better already,” Nealy muttered, her thoughts on Hatch Littletree and his philanthropic activities. “So, I'm a little slow at this. I'm getting there,” she continued to mutter as she made her way upstairs.
5
They sat around the dining-room table, their faces solemn, coffee cups and whiskey glasses at their elbows. In the center of the table were legal pads and legal papers. Piles and piles of legal papers.
“This is just a guess on my part, but I'd say there's at least fifty pounds of legalese in the center of this table. And for all this we get to pay money. On top of that we're going to boot our relatives' asses out of their home. Does that about sum it up, family?” the ever-blunt Sawyer demanded angrily.
“Shut up, Sawyer. None of us likes what's going on. In this world you do what you have to do to survive. It's too late for recriminations. You voted along with the rest of us,” Riley said, his face haggard and gaunt. “Do you believe this rain?”
Cole Tanner stood up. He shoved his hands into his pockets. “Look, this is how I see it. Once we get Sunbridge back on its feet and the market stays steady, we can give back the farm and the money. We won't feel any better, but it's something maybe we can live with.”
Maggie Coleman Tanaka stared up at her son as though he'd lost his mind. “Earth to Cole,” she said, waving her hand in front of her son. “Are you the one who is going to stand up there in court and say, hey, listen, we're stealing your home out from under you and your horses that we plan to sell to the highest bidder and when we're satisfied that we have enough money we'll start to pay you back? That has to be the dumbest, the stupidest thing I've ever heard of. No.”
Cole sat down and poured whiskey into his coffee cup. He gulped at it, his eyes watering. “Then what's our answer?”
“There is no answer, you asshole,” Sawyer shot back. “I hate all of us for this. I do. I'm going to work for Lockheed Martin. They made me an offer I can't refuse. Adam and I gave you every last cent we had and you pissed it away on interest for all those goddamn loans you took out, Riley. I'm outta here. You can go to the slaughter by yourself.”
“Will you just shut the hell up, Sawyer? That mouth of yours is always running. You have to appear in court. You were subpoenaed. None of us wants to do this. We have no other choice. Legal is legal.”
“You're an asshole, too, Riley. You started this damn mess. I just hate it. Do you hear me, I hate it. I want out. I don't care if I have to pick shit with the chickens, I want out.”
“After tomorrow you're out,” Riley roared. “Now just shut up.”
“Your doorbell is ringing, Riley,” Sawyer sniped. “That means you have company. It's probably someone else with papers to serve us. Us. All of us. Don't recognize the car,” she said, peering out the kitchen window. “Oh, Jesus, God, it's Nealy Clay!”
They rushed from the table to peer out the window.
“She looks like a woman with a mission,” Sawyer sniped again. “Just for the fucking record, I like her. Isn't somebody going to go to the door?”
“I'll go,” Maggie said quietly.
Nealy's heart had started to pound the moment she turned off the ignition. The windshield wipers squeaked to a halt as rain continued to roll down the window. Within seconds, outside visibility was practically zero. Without the sound of the radio and the hum of the heater, the now-silent car took on an ominous silence. She shivered inside her suede jacket. She wished for an umbrella, knowing she was going to get soaked the moment she stepped out of the rental car. She had to run across the compound to the wide back porch with its green-and-white-striped awning. Six hundred feet at least. She looked down at the thick yellow envelope on the seat next to her, wondering again what she hoped to gain by coming here.
Get out of the damn car, Nealy, and do what you came here to do,
a voice inside her head prompted.
Through the pouring rain she could almost make out a neat line of cars. That had to mean the whole family was here, and ready to go to court to strip her and her family of what belonged to them. She clenched her jaw so tight she thought she heard it crack. “That's why
I'm
here,” she muttered.
Clem had been dead set against her doing anything but fighting things out in court. Ruby, even though she'd said, “Do what you gotta do,” didn't really mean it. Nealy could read the disappointment in her eyes.
Black heart.
How many times had her husband told her she had a black heart? Hundreds, probably, in the years before his death. For reasons she never quite understood, she had been a great disappointment to him. More than once it had occurred to her that he had expected too much of her. It had also occurred to her that she usually expected too much of herself. How had that happened?
You're procrastinating. Get out of the damn car, Nealy, and do what you came here to do. Just do it.
Her hand was on the latch that would open the door when a different voice, Smitty's, thundered in her ears. “Just make damn sure you can live with whatever you do.” Could she? Hell, yes, she could. She grabbed for the yellow envelope.
Somehow the door opened. She couldn't remember exerting any pressure to make it swing wide on its hinges. She wished it were a bright, sunny day so she could really see this place called Sunbridge that was now hers, thanks to the contents of the envelope in her hand. According to the papers she was carrying, everything belonged to her, Sunbridge with all its thousands of acres and all the other Coleman enterprises.
Black heart.
Nealy ran across the compound, counting the line of cars. Five.
Black heart.
The door opened before she had a second chance to ring the bell on the side of the screen door. “Come in, Nealy,” Maggie Tanaka said. She held out a green-and-white-checkered hand towel. Nealy shrugged aside the offering. Rain dripped off the Stetson. She reached up to remove her hat, gave it a gentle shake, then settled it more firmly on her head.
She saw it all in one wide glance, the dust bunnies under the table, the coffee cups, the whiskey bottles, half-eaten sandwiches. She saw the sick, miserable expressions on all their faces, the slump of their shoulders.
Maggie Tanaka cleared her throat. “Would you like some coffee, Nealy? It's fresh.”
Black heart.
“No thank you. I won't be here long enough to drink it.”
“Why
are
you here, Nealy?” Sawyer asked.
She had rehearsed the answer to that question all day. “That smart-ass lawyer you all hired to file suit against me made a little mistake,” she said, pausing to create a moment of tension. “The horses at SunStar Farms belong to Metaxas Parish. In your lawyer's discovery, she asked the value of the horses, not who owned them. I hold a multimillion dollar lien on SunStar Farms. So you see, you get nothing but land, barns, and a house.” If she'd said the Devil himself was dancing with the Archangel in the middle of the Houston Astrodome, she couldn't have hoped for a better reaction. As one they shrank before her very eyes.
Blackheartblackheartblackheart.
Nealy took a step forward and slid the padded yellow envelope across the table. All eyes followed it until it came to rest in front of Riley Coleman. He made no move to touch it. One by one, they raised their eyes to stare directly at her.
Black heart.
Anger roiling inside her, Nealy was hard-pressed to maintain a calm, even voice, as she said, “You might want to think twice before you open that envelope,
Mister
Coleman, and show everyone just how much in debt you really were.” Riley raised his eyes to meet hers. “I'll give you credit for one thing. You sure do have a knack for making poor investments.”
A surge of gratification ran through Nealy at his anxious look. “That envelope contains paid-in-full receipts for
all
your outstanding loans. I, Nealy Clay, paid them off.” She gave him a cold, hard smile. “Legally,” she added, opening her arms wide, “everything you have belongs to me now.” The magnitude of her words washed over her with such force it made her light-headed. “But since I don't want to be like you, like any of you,” she said, giving her conscience a chance to speak, “I'm giving it all back, free and clear.” She stepped away from the table and blinked back the threatening tears. “I thought I wanted to belong to this family. I know now that isn't what I wanted at all. I don't like you people. And I hate what you tried to do to my brothers. Someday, someone far wiser than I will hold you all accountable. This is the end of it, do you hear me? The end. I hope I never have to set eyes on any of you again!”
In the time it took her heart to beat twice, she was outside in the pouring rain. It felt cold and wonderful. So wonderful she drove away with her windows rolled down, the rain pelting her through the window. She wished she could tell someone what she'd just done. “Hey, Hunt, if you're up there, can you hear me?”
“
I hear you, Nealy. You did good back there. I'm proud of you.
”
“Do you still think I have a black heart, Hunt?”
“
You aren't out of the woods yet. One good deed isn't going to cut it.
”
Nealy laughed, a joyous sound. “Now why did I know you were going to say that?”
“
You okay with all of this, Nealy?
”
“I'm okay with it, Hunt. Anything else you want me to do?”
“
Now that you mention it, you could make nice to my buddy Hatch.
”
Nealy laughed aloud. “Don't push it, Hunt.”
“
Think about it, Nealy. That's all I ask. Just think about it. Give old Hatch the benefit of the doubt. For me. For old times' sake.
”
Nealy nodded. “I'll think about it.”
The laughter was warm and intimate. Nealy flushed all the way down to her toes.
“
See ya, Nealy.
”
“Yeah. You're watching the kids, right?”
“
Every minute.
”
“Thanks.”
“
My pleasure.
”
The smile stayed on Nealy's face all the way back to the hotel.
Inside her room, which was toasty warm, Nealy shed her wet clothes and availed herself of the thirsty robe folded neatly on top of the long vanity, compliments of the hotel. Within seconds she had the phone in one hand, a cigarette in the other. Her brother Pyne picked up the phone on the third ring. He sounded stressed. “It's Nealy, Pyne. Listen, you don't have to go to court. Cancel your flights. I'm here, and I've taken care of everything. No one is going to take the farm. No one. Do you hear what I'm saying? We're in the clear.”
“Jesus, Nealy, how'd you manage that? You sure they aren't going to pull some more of their magic tricks? Wait a minute, what did you have to give up to get them to agree?”
Nealy laughed. She heard the anxiousness in his voice and explained what she had done. “Their homestead. I wish you could have seen them, Pyne. They couldn't believe it. Hell, I don't believe I did it either, but it feels good. This is going to sound strange, but I felt sorry for them. They looked so . . . so beaten. I think we would have won in court, but I decided that wasn't good for any of us. It's over. How's everything?”
“Thank God. Things are pretty good. No complaints. Be nice if you came for a visit.”
Hearing the relief in Pyne's voice was all the proof she needed that she'd done the right thing. “We can move on now, Pyne. All of us. You can get back to making SunStar Farms everything it can be and I . . . I'm going to go in search of Mama's people. I've got some leads on Mama I'm going to follow up on today. I'll call you tonight if anything pans out. Hug Rhy for me, okay?”
“I'm not hugging Rhy, Nealy,” Pyne grumbled.
“Okay, okay, slap him on the back for me.”
“Nealy?”
“Yes.”
“Thanks. I guess I should say more, but I don't know the words.”

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