Page 143 of The Guy Who Stole My Ranch

I’d told my dad to fight back, giving him a vague explanation that I had something in the works. He was a bit of a coward and probably would have caved by now if he didn’t have some idea that help was on the way.

Speaking of help…I’d positioned myself so I could see the elevator from the all-glass conference room, and I congratulated myself on not smiling as Courtney walked in. She breezed past the receptionist and came straight for us.

I was always amazed that she could go from hungover to business perfect in less than an hour. She wore a dark power suit with a skirt that actually went to her knees. Her usual heels were within a reasonable height, and she only had one button on her blouse undone.

She strived for somewhat professional in meetings, but this was different. It was like she was here to prove something. She caught my eye as she got to the door, and I jumped up to let her in.

Courtney gave me a little nod. She was ready to bury these people.

Good, then I could get back to worrying about Brooke and me.

“What is this?” Matthew demanded. “You know I don’t allow women in these meetings.”

“What are you doing here?” my father asked.

“You’re not welcome,” Matthew said to my sister as she walked past me.

“I invited her,” I said.

Courtney ignored the two older men as she pulled a laptop out of her satchel and set it on the table. “I have new evidence that I think you’re going to want to consider.”

“What could you have that would help here?” Matthew asked.

My sister stopped for a moment and stared hard at Matthew. I’d rarely been on the receiving end of that look, but those who had usually crumbled.

Matthew wasn’t a simpleton, and he’d been in business for as long as we’d been alive, but Courtney was smart, shrewd, and ready for a fight. Matthew didn’t back down. Courtney gave him a dangerous smile before she opened her laptop and looked at me. “Can you hook me into the big screen?”

“Of course.” I already had the remote in my hand, and it only took the system a moment to recognize the computer. The large screen along one wall lit up with Courtney’s background, which was a photo of the beach from one of our trips.

“What is this about?” Matthew asked. “Iwillcall security.”

“That won’t be necessary.” I took my seat. “As Courtney said, she has new evidence for us. I think you’ll all be interested to see it.”

Our father blinked a few times, then settled back. Adam gave me a questioning glance, and I returned it with a reassuring nod.

Matthew’s lawyer was finally paying attention.

Courtney began pacing. “Mr. Grant, your employee, Ms. Smith, has claimed that she did nothing to provoke my father’s proposition, is that correct?”

He snorted. “Correct.”

Courtney stopped, smiled at him, and pressed a button on her laptop. “Then how do you explain this?”

The video we’d procured played, showing Katrina’s advances from multiple angles.

Matthew’s lawyer started typing notes onto his own computer, and Matthew sat back and crossed his arms.

“If you look at the time stamps, you’ll see this is the event you referred to in the letter you sent us.” Courtney stared at Matthew’s lawyer until he looked up and nodded.

“And, as you can see, my father was the one who was the victim of unwanted advances, not Ms. Smith.” She waited for another segment to play. “You can go back through all of the footage, and our father never touches her. He barely speaks to her.”

“That’s because he knows where the cameras are,” Matthew grumbled.

Richard shot him a warning look that told him to shut up.

“According to the initial report, all of this happened before what you’ve accused our father of.” Courtney put her hands on her hips, and for a moment, I saw Brooke there instead of her. “We can waste a few hours talking about this, or you can drop your charges, take back your pathetic little company, and stay away from our downtown deal.”

Matthew opened his mouth, but Richard held out his hand. “Not a word, sir. Come with me.” He stood, giving Matthew little choice but to follow him out of the conference room and into a nearby office.

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