Page 39 of The Bride's Desire

“I feel the same way, but I’m not going to let it change anything, and I’m guessing our feelings for each other will only grow with time.”

She nodded. “There is something else. What pushed me to tell you sooner was that I got a letter from my lawyer. He wrote that Diana was trying to get funds from the house account I set up. I didn’t want the staff to worry about anything, so their wages come out of it, and any house repairs.”

His brows snapped together. “Why would she do that?”

“She’s trying to get as much money from me as possible. There’s more. The letter also said they hired a private investigator to find me, and I’m afraid it will be easy. I didn’t hide. I didn’t know how to.”

He hugged her to his chest. “It doesn’t matter what they do. Give me the lawyer’s number, and we’ll get them evicted. They can’t take you from me, Love. I’d love to see them try. I’ve got a thousand acres of land I could bury them on.”

She gasped and then sputtered out a laugh.

Joe continued. “Let’s talk more about our plans. My first thoughts are building another barn and placing your things from the house in it until you can go through it at your leisure. Thelawyer can set us up with great movers and a real estate agent. You won’t have to go back at all unless you want to.”

She thought about it a moment. “No. There’s nothing there I need to see before we sell. What about the staff?”

She watched and waited as he thought about it.

“How many are there?”

“There’s the cook, two maids, and a gardener.”

“If you like them and they agree, bring them here. I’m not going to want you to overdo it, and when the child is born, maybe we can get one or both maids to help with the child.”

Her eyes widened. “Oh, wow, I would love that. They are both incredibly sweet.”

“Good. The house we have now is big, but it sounds like our family will be growing.” He smirked. “Let’s think about adding on another wing just for the staff.”

“I love that idea. Your house is huge, and I’ve only peeked into several of the rooms, but we only spend time in our bedroom, kitchen, family room, and here in the office. It will be nice to get help with everything, and our cook is awesome.”

“We’ll call them tomorrow and ask what they think. If they agree, I know of a construction company around here that does great work and is very fast. You and I will have to sit down and plan what we want and then have an architect draw up the plans,” he said.

“That’s a lot. Are you sure you have time?”

He pressed his lips to her forehead. “I was thinking about hiring a few more men, so that will help take some of the work off me. Damn, the construction crew is going to have their hands full with the building, the expansion for the pool, the wing for the servants, and the two or three more houses for the new guys.”

“Oh, my.” She was dizzy just thinking about it. “What should they start on first?”

“The building, because that won’t take long, and then the servants’ quarters. Do you think we can put off the pool for a month so they can get the cabins built?”

“As long as I have you, I’m content,” she told him, and it was the absolute truth. And she meant every word.

Chapter Twenty-One

The next few months were busy, but with all the help they had hired, the construction company, and the ranch hands, everything was getting done faster than he thought possible.

Joe stood out on the front porch with a cup of coffee, looking at the building they had already finished across from the barns. They were still waiting on the things from her house, and at one point, they thought they’d have to go there.

Elliot was finally able to evict Diana and Robert. The two quickly found that coming near Naomi would be something they’d regret. They hadn’t heard from them since they left.

The lawyer suspected things were missing from the house, but he didn’t know what. We got on a conference call with Elliot and the realtor. They slowly walked through every room so Naomi could see everything. The lawyer made a list while the female realtor held the camera. Some of the things missing infuriated her, but she had help getting what she could back. The fact that they thought they could steal from her and get away with it was absurd. The last thing his wife needed was more stress.

Elliot was involved with every step, and Joe had come to trust and admire the man. The lawyer was a close friend of Naomi’s father and wanted to help with whatever they needed. The talks between the two men had turned into a friendship that pleased Joe. Joe had mentioned that Elliot should come visit when he could, and the older man agreed.

There were two safes in the house, so Naomi gave Elliot the combination to both. Fortunately, Diana had never known about the safes. The things inside Elliot packed into a very secure metal box. They hired a special bonded carrier and a security guard who brought it to the ranch. They all had been a little nervous about that since there were thousands of dollars,jewelry, and papers that were very valuable. When it came with everything intact, they breathed in relief.

When the house went up for sale, it only took a few days before it was sold. Naomi had been a bit sad, but not enough to keep it or even see it one last time.

The servant wing was built. Every wall was up, and electricity, plumbing, and bathroom fixtures were installed. All that was left was the paint and flooring, which the contractor promised would be done by the end of the week. The people from Naomi’s old house would be there in two weeks. They were taking a much-needed vacation and visiting family or friends before heading to the ranch. Joe had yet to meet them, but he trusted Naomi, and if she loved them, he was fine.

---