With one swift step, he grabbed her arm.
Smack!Her other hand stung from the contact with his cheek. “Let. Me. Go.” She ground out the words through her clenched jaw.
He stepped back and held his hands up. “Whitney, please. You must know how much I care about you.” The tone of his voice made her want to scream. How had they all been blinded by him?
“No. I don’t believe you do. Especially not after this.” She fled the room as fast as her feet could carry her.
When the door slammed shut, Judas slapped his palm down on his desk and then threw everything on it to the floor.
His secretary came through the door. “Mr. Reynolds, did you need me?”
With a deep breath, he straightened and adjusted his waistcoat. “Yes ... yes, I do. Please send a message to Judge Beck informing him that I need to see him immediately.”
“Yes, sir.”
The door closed again, and he sat in his chair. So it had come to this. He knew, when he set his sights on Miss Whitney Powell, what she was made of. How stubborn she was. How loyal. How ...
Naive.
So this came as no surprise. Not really.
His reasoning extinguished his anger. After all, in the end, he would have what he wanted. He always did.
Several minutes later, his secretary came through the door and announced the judge.
“Good to see you, Judge Beck.” Judas beamed at him.
“I came as soon as I received your message.” The man lifted his chin and sat in a chair. “What can I do for you? Have you reconsidered one of my proposals?” The smarmy man lifted his eyebrows.
“No. But youaregoing to help me, and I promise you, it will be profitable for you.”
“I’m listening.”
“You are going to meet me out at the Bundrant farm this afternoon. And you will back up everything I say.”
“Of course. Shouldn’t I just accompany you?”
“No. I’m hoping to stay a good deal longer.”
“Oh.” The judge straightened his cuffs. “And what will you give me in return?”
“Five thousand dollars.”
Beck tilted his head and smirked. “What time shall I meet you there?”
TWENTY-SIX
Iwas so mad at him, I could have spit on him.” Whitney leaned up against the sink in the kitchen and faced her sisters.
Madysen’s eyes were wide. “Maybe you misunderstood ... that could be a possibility, right? I mean ... we’ve known Judas forever.”
But Havyn shook her head. “I haven’t wanted to think ill of him, but John and I have talked a good deal about stories we’ve heard the past few months. We thought it amounted to rumors, that people wanted to speak ill of Mr. Reynolds because he was so rich. I certainly would have never thought a man could pull the wool over Granddad’s eyes, but I’m beginning to think that Judas did. And the whole town’s eyes as well.”
That lying snake. Her hands squeezed into fists at her sides. “What are we going to do about this? I mean, we can’t allow for the mercantile to be taken away from Martin ... can we? Judas can’t get away with this. He can’t.”
At the bitterness in her own voice, Whitney swallowed hard. She fought against the anger building in her chest.God, what do we do?She steadied herself and rubbed her eyes. “You should have seen him. Granny was beside herselfbecause Martin has lost the will to live. I left Peter with him, but I don’t know if I did any good.”
“Sounds like Judas taking over the mercantile has already been done.” Their pregnant sister winced. “I hate to say it, but whatcanwe do?”
