Hidden Hills (23 page)

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The negotiations on the partnership went without a hitch. Charlotte knew she had Jake to thank. He'd picked the right people. Best of all, they'd agreed to keep things quiet until she'd confronted Tom McGregor.

Charlotte debated on going to the judge's office or to his house, finally deciding on the latter for one simple fact. If they had a yelling match, it would be in private. He'd waited thirty-five years for Charles Wills to die and leave the estate to Ellen, and another three had passed since then. She hated confrontations, but this one was unavoidable and it wouldn't be pretty. Nervous fingers clutched the purse she carried, fearful the check might disappear if she relaxed her hold.

The stark elegance of the McGregor house was worlds apart from anything she'd ever want to call home, but it suited their lifestyle. With her head held high, she followed Ellen through the wide entrance hall past hand-painted portraits of their ancestors — Wills' men on the left, McGregors' on the right.

Charlotte had been in their home on numerous occasions with Mitch, but she'd never felt welcome. Ellen led her into the den, where the judge sat reading the daily news. He glanced up, then folded the paper, clearly unhappy with the intrusion.

“I was planning to give you a call after dinner,” he said, laying the paper aside. “We ran into your agent today. It seems Wilson Realty has agreed to buy Hidden Hills. Now I know their price is well below what you're asking, but it'll just about cover the loan. The market's soft in your price range, so I'm advising you to take it.”

“No — I'm not losing everything Mitch and I put into the place.”

His entire manner shifted before her eyes, becoming sharp and fierce, as if ready to attack. The intense hatred would have been daunting, had she not faced it before.

“Don't be crazy, girl. At least you'll be out from under the mortgage. You had nothing when you married into this family, and you'll take nothing out. I'll see to it.”

Charlotte held her tongue. She'd expected him to place an offer after the foreclosure, but there was a chance of someone else bidding higher. This was practically foolproof. No one would think twice if she sold to Wilson Realty, not even Mr. Grant, since it wasn't public knowledge the judge owned it. His next step would be to put Hidden Hills in his name. “No thanks, I've decided to keep it.”

“What's this?” he said, taking the check from her outstretched hand and reading the amount.

“It's the money you gave Mitch before we bought the house.”

His jaw snapped. “Where's the interest?”

She'd been in the family long enough to expect the unexpected. Her gaze remained steady in the face of his attack.

“There is no interest,” she said, steeling her voice to remain calm. ”Just as there's no proof it was a loan and not a gift.”

“You owed the money!”

“And I paid it!” she shot back, relieved she was no longer tied to Mitch's family.

The check shook in his hand. “So help me, if this bounces I'll have you under the jail!” he threatened, as if she was a common criminal. “I know for a fact you don't have this kind of money.”

Her chin shot up. “Take another look at the bank's name. You don't have a snitch on their payroll, so you don't know
what
I've got!”

“You watch what you're implying, girl!” he said, nostrils flaring. “You've not got Mitch to protect you.”

“Neither do you, old man!”

“I should—”

“Does the name Samuel Jones and Associates mean anything to you?”

At the mention of the Texas firm, Ellen joined her husband on the sofa. Charlotte knew it was a ploy to give the judge time to regroup. “I don't recall…”

“You should,” Charlotte informed him, still fed-up with all she'd learned. “I have copies of the e-mails you sent from Mitch's computer. Thought you'd get your hands on Hidden Hills before they got around to leasing the mineral rights, didn't you? You lied about me being out of the country and having my power of attorney — so they wouldn't try to contact me.”

“I don't know what you're talking about.”

“Yes, you do!” She was more than ready to leave, but first it was time to finish wiping the pompous smirk from his face. “But like I said, Hidden Hills is mine, and I'm keeping it.”

“There's a contract…”

“But I can, and will, turn down any offer.”

“You're talking lunacy. There's no guarantee they'll find gas or oil. Do you honestly think you can pay off the debt with what you get from leasing the mineral rights?”

“Of course not,” she said. “So I've decided to turn it into a resort.”

Anger, making his face glow a dark crimson against his white hair, was no surprise. She'd been the cause of it countless times, but she was a little dismayed when his forehead splotched, and the veins in his neck popped like a frog on a lily pad. The thought of him stroking had never crossed her mind.

“It takes capital!” he hissed, actually shaking. “The world is full of get-rich schemes not even warranting a line of credit. You might as well get it out of your head, missy.”

His attitude hadn't changed one bit since he'd learned of her plans to open a beauty salon. But this time, it didn't matter. With God's help, she'd faced the fears of raising her girls alone, and now, with the additional help of Jake and his friends, her biggest liability had a chance to become her most valuable asset.

Having finished all she'd come to do, Charlotte crossed to the door, then stopped. “You know, Judge, it seems as if everything you've tried to do to me was meant for evil, but God's used it for good. I'm sorry you hate me so much.”

“Mitch should never have married you,” he said, seething. “My boy was going places!”

She was a gnat's hair from unloading her full contempt for him, when a strange calmness descended on her shoulders like a cooling blanket. In an instant, she saw the judge, not as the greedy, corrupt man she knew him to be, but as a lost sinner who'd gone through the agony of losing a son without God's strength to lean on. For the first time in her life, she felt compassion for the man.

“Mitch went to the best place of all. He's in heaven.”

“How do you know?”

“Because we discussed our faith before we married. Mitch told me he'd given his heart to the Lord when he was a junior in college.”

The judge squirmed. “About the time he started talking his silly nonsense about saving those kids.”

Tom McGregor needed someone to witness to him, but he hadn't listened to Mitch so there was no way he'd listen to her, not even if he was standing at hell's gate. She'd made it to the end of the hallway when she felt a light touch on her arm.

“Mitch would have been proud of you in there,” Ellen said, glancing back toward the den. “He never had the courage to confront his father, but I sensed he wanted to many times.”

Charlotte blinked. Not in her wildest dreams had she ever expected an ally in Mitch's mother. “Thank you?”

Ellen laughed. “I've never wanted anything to do with the house — mercy me, I grew up there. All of those floors! To this day I won't touch a mop!”

“Mitch said his grandpa was tough, but fair.”

“Sure,” she agreed. “If you were a boy. With me he was just tough… Charlotte, I want you to know your money will go into college funds for the girls.”

Charlotte had a new respect for the woman. Living with a man like the judge had to be difficult.

“You know,” Ellen continued when they reached the door, “I used to go to church when our boys were little. Maybe it's time I got started back. And who knows, if Tom gets tired of being alone, he might even go with me.”

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