Page 23 of The Bitter Heir and the Beauty

“Why?” he asks as if unable to fathom my objection.

Me neither, but the words slipped out. I shift uncomfortably, certainly not attached to the chateau. “I’ve considered taking a sledgehammer to it on more than one occasion, but it’s part of history.”

“It’s rotting into the ground.”

“Maybe if you do a little digging, you’ll find the treasure,” Jesse says.

“There’s no treasure,” I say, my tone flat.

“You don’t know that for sure. I broke the Bling Ring and found Mrs. Swan’s engagement ring,” Jesse says, referring to a recent public scandal and a personal case.

Maddock asks, “If there were, wouldn’t it go to me since I’m now the owner of Hogwash Holler?”

Never mind delirious laughter, I all but cackle. “You can’t own a town.”

The two men exchange a glance.

“Of course you can,” Jesse says.

The corner of Maddock’s mouth peels back with a grin. “Signed the paperwork today.”

“So you’re the mayor? I’d rather have the rooster in charge,” I say, feeling prickly about this whole situation, mostly because of the way Maddock looks at me and my traitorous body’s response.

“No, I’m the owner,” he clarifies.

Jesse holds his hand up with a wave and exits as if he wants no part in our disagreement, leaving Maddock and me in near darkness without the glow of the flashlight.

The floor creaks under his weight when he takes a few steps toward the window.

“I inherited the town in the divorce settlement from my lying, cheating ex-wife.”

“Hence the revenge plot.”

“Exactly.”

“But how would that work?”

“The original plan was to expose her, humiliate her, and then secretly burn it to the ground.”

I narrow my gaze at him. “I thought you said you’re a firefighter.”

“I meant figuratively.”

“Ruin the place and bring disgrace to her family name under the guise of being the good guy? That’s diabolical.”

“Trust me, she’s worse.”

Maddock may be an obnoxiously arrogant nitwit, but I don’t like the idea of someone betraying him. I know the feeling and wouldn’t wish it on anyone. “You sound bitter.”

“Quite.”

“The bitter heir. If you were to succeed in your plan, do you think that would make you feel better?”

“I never said I felt bad.”

“You must, considering you hatched a plot to destroy a town, never mind the collateral damage. Real people live here, you know.” I really don’t like that part of his master plan.

He surveys our surroundings with disappointment. “Yeah, and it turns out someone already did the dirty work.”

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