Page 50 of River Legacy
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to agree to anything.” But even as she said it, she was aware that her father had never gone this far before. He’d threatened to cut her off financially in the past, but hadn’t. She’d actually never thought he would. He knew she made little at the nonprofit center. But did he also know that she loved teaching there? She doubted it. He’d always encouraged her to quit the job, saying that he made plenty of money for her future.
Victoria now realized how dangerous that was, depending on him. No wonder he thought he could tell her what to do. Still, she didn’t understand why he had cut her off now. That was what scared her. It was as if he’d had enough of her not doing what he wanted. He wasn’t fooling around anymore.
Is that what this was about? Or was it guilt? He was making a move on the Stafford Ranch, and maybe it had nothing to do with her. Maybe he’d given up on trying to force her to do anything. He was just taking the ranch because he wanted it and hadn’t given any thought to her.
She hated to think what he might do to get what he wanted. Worse, maybe there was no way to stop him. Maybe it was too late.
Ahead, the town of Powder Crossing appeared on the horizon. She turned her worry to what the sheriff had to tell them. Her father couldn’t have had anything to do with Brand being shot or the fire out by Oakley’s new house. She knew how cutthroat Wendell Forester could be, but he wouldn’t stoop to violence, would he?
Inside the small hospital, they found the sheriff waiting for them in Brand’s room. Ryder went straight to his brother’s bed. Victoria was happy to see that Brand was sitting up. Even his color looked good, although she could tell he was still in some pain.
“I don’t want this to turn into another McKenna versus Stafford war,” Stuart said. “Brand agrees. The shooter wasn’t trying to kill him.”
“Just as the fire out at Oakley’s wasn’t meant to burn down the house?” Ryder snapped.
“That’s what I’m saying,” the sheriff said. “Someone is using scare tactics.”
“My brother could have been killed,” Ryder said angrily. “Scare tactics, my ass. We all know CJ’s behind it.”
“CJ didn’t fire the shot. Nor did he start the fire,” Stuart said. “He has an alibi for both.”
“Then, it’s one of his buddies,” Ryder said. “You know he’s behind this.”
“Let’s say you’re right,” Stuart said. “What’s his goal? I really doubt it is just to torment the family, given how much he has to lose.”
“My father is trying to buy the Stafford Ranch,” Victoria said. “CJ has been in contact with him.”
“How would these incidents get him the ranch?” the sheriff asked.
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “But I suspect they’re tied to each other.”
Ryder swore. “Wendell Forester is also trying to force Victoria into marriage with a man named Claude Duvall. I hate to think this is his latest tactic.”
She shook her head. “His form of intimidation is legal, threatening lawsuits, dragging people into court for years. This isn’t him.”
“I think she’s right,” Brand said. “This is CJ. So what are you going to do about it, Sheriff?”
Stuart sighed. “I’m going to talk to him. I’ve been trying to find him. He’s been a little hard to pin down.”
“Talking to him won’t help,” Ryder said.
“You’re probably right. That’s why I called you here today,” the sheriff continued. “You need to be on the lookout for more trouble, and don’t—whatever you do—confront CJ. If he’s behind this, we all know that threatening him will only make him worse. I don’t know what your mother was thinking getting him out of jail and seeing that the charges against him were dropped.”
“You aren’t the only one,” Ryder said. “But even from jail or prison, my brother is dangerous. Maybe that’s what he’s trying to tell us. We all know what he wants. The ranch and us gone.”
“Kind of like the same thing Wendell Forester wants,” Brand said and looked over at Vicky. “You think the two of them might be working together?”
She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Is there any way CJ can get his hands on the ranch?”
It was just like his mother to make him come to her, CJ thought. He glared at her, thinking how sorry she was going to be, before finally walkingover to where she stood. She thought she was still in charge. She’d soon find out how mistaken she was.
“Why did you get me out here, CJ?” she asked.
“I wanted to talk to you about something, and I didn’t want to be interrupted.” He could tell that she was annoyed, but she was also nervous. She didn’t like meeting out here, just the two of them. She was afraid of him.
Good, he thought as he hid his smile. She should be afraid.
Not that he wasn’t a little nervous too. He told himself this was going to go just the way he’d planned it. She’d forced him to do this, forced him to move up his timeline, but the plan he’d come up with had always ended this way. He wasn’t backing down. She had pushed him into a corner, and the only way he could survive was to push back.
