He was more flustered than I’d possibly ever seen him, so befuddled that beads of sweat formed above his brow. “I might be many things, Kenzie, including a man you obviously don’t care about, but I am not someone who would stoop that low.”
“Are you sure about that?”
My father managed to lock eyes with mine. In them I noticed hurt. “No, Kenzie. I’m sorry you don’t believe me.” He glanced away and there was no doubt something was rolling through his mind.
Maybe I was wrong about this aspect of his life. However, I certainly was not wrong about him.
“So what’s the deal here?” I asked.
“The final approval. I’m getting the runaround about the stamp of approval. That’s it. The plans were approved, all the geographical tests, everything. But until I get their rubber stamp, there can be no certificate of occupancy issued. Since the two new board members were elected, the project has been in a holding pattern.”
There was a ring of truth to what he was saying. If he was right in that he’d taken all the correct steps, there should be no reason for the council to place a hold on the project. “Why do you think there’s been a holdup?”
“I don’t know.”
“Let me venture a guess. The ranch, your interest in the resort, and your investment in the new stadium are all tied together. Aren’t they? If you can’t pay off those balloon loans, you lose everything.”
His shoulders slumped and after a full minute, he finally nodded. He’d invested all he had into what some might consider a speculative deal. In my mind, a fool’s bet.
Sighing, I glanced out the window. “If I find out you’re lying to me, I am gone. In the meantime, I don’t need you meddling in my personal business. It’s unacceptable.”
“I’m not lying. I just want you to have the right person in your life, Kenzie. And I want to protect your mother. She loves the ranch.”
“Yes, she does. So do I. But you only care about your investment. What you never gave me credit for was making good choices. My guess is you allowed Wade’s friendship with Axe under the condition that he pushed some crazy required oath onto Axe not to touch me.” The thought had just popped into my mind.
I wasn’t expecting to be right. I could tell by the look on my father’s face I’d hit the bullseye. Nothing about my father could shock me any longer. Nothing. I thought about what Char had suggested in that I use the opportunity for good.
And for me.
In a way, finalizing my independence.
That’s exactly what I would do. As my mother would say, take the bull by the horns.
“You know what, Daddy? I intend on spending a significant amount of time with the Beckett family. Why? Because I not only like Stephen Beckett, who is a true hero in Missoula, but I think I’m falling in love with him. Or maybe I’ve been in love with him but forced myself to walk away because of you. No longer. No longer.”
I honestly had never felt so damn good in my life. I was finally breaking free of some ridiculous tether my father had wrapped around me.
Love.
My God. I was finally admitting what I’d known years before.
I loved Axe. I’d been in love with him since the first day I met him. I knew it. Love at first sight. Just like what had occurred with my mother. Wow. How freeing. How beautiful.
How terrifying.
I refuse to allow him time to argue with me.
“So here’s how we’re going to play this.” I folded my arms and kept my position in front of his desk. “If I agree to help you, then we do it my way. And I suggest you dare not try and fight me on this. You might not know this but I’m a very powerful attorney in the state of Montana and I have some influential friends. And?—”
“I know exactly how powerful you are, Kenzie. Why do you think I asked for your help? You’re a brilliant attorney and those bastards you worked for should be disbarred. You were brilliant in the case against the Brookfield Company. To know whose executives will be put behind bars for the irreparable harm they caused is a true testament to your abilities.”
My father’s interruption shocked the hell out of me. For him to know details of the case meant he’d been following along with the situation for a while. Maybe. Or maybe he’d found some news article. Either way, I was caught completely off guard.
“If you followed the case or my career then you know I care about right versus wrong. Personal feelings aside, if I agree to help you, your company will be under my scrutiny. If I find any evidence of corruption, I will turn you in to the authorities myself.”
“Understood and you won’t.”
“And I’ll be investigating those on your investment team as well. Do you have any issues with that?”
