Page 16 of More Than Anything

“That you were the most exasperating man she’d ever met!” Dr.Tompkins answered, laughing even harder. “You must’ve made quite an impression on her!”

“I’m guessing I did.” Avery grinned from ear to ear. LydiaKinsey had gone straight to town to bitch about him. He hoped she showed up again. He’d give her hell for sure.

* * *

“We’re gettingready to cart out the old cabinets. Got everything you need?” Mike, the foreman of the construction crew, asked Avery on Friday morning.

“Sure do. Have at it.” Avery watched as the guys took sledgehammers to the kitchen and started busting cabinets, but he was interrupted in his viewing pleasure by a knock at the door.

A deputy stood there and when Avery opened the door, the officer handed him an envelope. “I was asked to bring this to you.”

“What is it?” The deputy shrugged, so Avery opened the envelope and almost fell over. “Are you serious? This can’t be right!”

“What is it?” the deputy echoed, and Avery turned the document around for him to see. “That’s not valid here. It’s signed by some judge in Dallas. Let me get on the horn and see what I can find out about this. You got an attorney?”

“Yes.”

The man gave Avery a sad look. “Then I’d suggest you give him a call ASAP.” As he retreated to his cruiser, Avery pulled out his phone and dialed FrankMartin’s number.

As soon as Avery finished reading the document to Frank, the attorney laughed. “A cease-and-desist? To keep you from working on the house? Are youkidding? What lame-brained judge did she manage to get to sign that?”

“It’s somebody in Dallas,” Avery said. “What do we do?”

“I’ll call JudgeBennett. He’ll call the judge. Can you run that down here to me?”

“Consider me on my way,” Avery said and hung up the phone. Everything in his body hummed with fury. Howdareshe pull a stunt like that!

By the time Avery got to the attorney’s office with the letter, Frank was already on the phone with JudgeBennett. He read the document to the judge, who said he’d call the judge in Dallas and find out what the hell was going on. Ten minutes later, he called back and Frank put him on speaker. “I just talked to JudgeGarrett,” he said.

“And?” Frank asked as Avery sat and listened to the conversation on speakerphone.

“He said he’s thinking about having her brought up on contempt charges. Apparently she flat-out lied and told them Mr.Holcomb’s a squatter. I faxed him the copy of the title and he’s pissed. Of course, I told him he should’ve been looking up land records instead of looking at her tits.”

“You didn’t!” Frank said, howling with laughter, as Avery sat and tried hard not to make a sound.

“I did. He fumbled and sputtered and told me to go fuck myself. But he’s pissed at her, and she won’t be able to do anything like that again. The cease-and-desist is rescinded and you don’t have to worry about it. Tell your client it’s all fine.”

“Thanks, Ernest. I appreciate it.” FrankMartin ended the call. “Well, that’s that. I bet that little lady’s in hot water now.”

“No, she’ll probably just wink her way out of it,” Avery said, shaking his head. “I can’t believe that judge did that to me without even checking to see if her story was true.”

“I suppose he never thought someone would make something like that up. But she’s going to get herself into trouble if she doesn’t stop it. She hasn’t been back to your place, has she?” As Frank waited, Avery could feel his cheeks heating up. “She hasn’t, has she?” Frank asked again.

“Well, yeah. Monday afternoon. I’d brought in the cattle that I’d just bought and I looked up and there she was when I came in with the last load.”

Frank shook his head. “You should’ve told me. I might’ve seen this coming if you had. I would’ve called her attorney and we could’ve stopped this before it happened. Why didn’t you say something?”

“I don’t really want to get her into trouble. I just want her to leave me alone,” Avery said in way of explanation.

Frank’s expression turned to something Avery couldn’t identify, and he finally said, “Well, she’s looking for trouble if she keeps this up. You promise me you’ll let me know if she comes back, okay?”

“Okay. I promise I will.” But deep down inside, Avery wasn’t sure he could keep that promise.

He wanted Lydia to come back out to the farm. Something wasn’t adding up. He wasn’t quite sure what was going on, but he was damn sure going to try to find out.

* * *

It only tookher until the following Tuesday to turn up again, and she was loaded for bear. “What the hell did you do? You damn near got me jailed for contempt!” she screamed at Avery as soon as he came to the door.

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