“Of course he owns it,” the woman said in mocking tones. “He is the Reyes Corporation, Thaddeus. He told me that himself.”
Lucas looked at her and saw what the problem was. Felix had bought this useless place. Now McDonough was dead, and his mistress, his lover, call her what you liked, was furious. She’d expected to inherit the property.
Greedy bitch.
A moment ago, he’d happily have solved his problem by donating El Rancho Grande to charity. Now, he knew he would fight this taunting female to the end to keep it—and then give it to charity.
“And you want it for yourself,” he told her softly. “That’s it, isn’t it? That’s the so-called ‘stipulation.’”
“The ranch belongs to me,” she said, drawing herself up. “By all that’s right, that’s legal, that’s—that’s human and decent, it’s mine!”
“Of course it is, amada.” Lucas’s voice was silken. “Just think of all you did to earn it.”
Her face colored. “You don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“I promise you, I do. I know the sacrifices you made, sleeping with an old man, doing his bidding in bed—”
“You—you disgusting son of a bitch! I’m going to take this damnable contract stipulation to court and I’ll win.”
“Do you have a million dollars? Because that is what it will cost you just to see me and my attorneys in a courtroom.”
The woman glared at him. “You’re more than pompous, Mr. Reyes. You’re also a fool!”
Lucas took a step forward. The attorney moved quickly between him and the woman.
“Alyssa. Prince Lucas. My client is deceased but I’m honor-bound to continue representing him.”
Norton’s sudden show of backbone was a surprise but he had a point. There was a legal matter to be settled here, and Lucas wouldn’t permit his anger at the rider to get in the way.
“Fine,” he said coldly. “Then, let’s get to the bottom line—or did we just reach it? Did you bring me all this distance to alert me to the fact that this woman is going to try to convince the courts the sale of the ranch was improper? That she should have inherited it? Because if that’s the case, I must tell you, I suspect she has no legal grounds.”
“I agree, sir. And that’s not the problem.”
“Then, what is?” Dios, he was tired. He wanted a meal and a shower and a night’s sleep, but he damned well suspected he wasn’t about to get them any time soon.
“Tell him, Thaddeus,” the woman said.
Lucas looked at her. Her face was blank but hatred for him shone in her eyes.
Suddenly his exhaustion dropped away.
He thought of how he could change that look by taking her into his arms again and kissing her into submission. How she would respond to him. How she would beg him to make love to her.
Damn it, he thought, and strode to the window, stared into the black night while the wind shook the trees and the rain pelted the roof. He had nowhere to go until morning or, more precisely, he had no way to leave this place until then.
He had to calm down.
A deep breath. Then he turned to the attorney.
“She’s right for once, Norton. Tell me the rest. I’m sure I’ll find it amusing.”
The lawyer pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and mopped his face.
“First, you must understand, sir. The ranch was not always the way it is today.”
Lucas glanced at the photos on the wall. “So what? For all I give a damn, it might have been the finest ranch in all Texas.”
“It was,” the woman said in defiance.