Page 19 of Grayson's Angel

“The ranch is yours, not your father’s.”

Kara must have heard him wrong. “Can you repeat that?”

“Your mother’s side of the family knew about the treasure, which is actually a gold mine. Your grandfather knew exactly where it was, but your family always kept it close to the chest and didn’t talk about it.” Grayson took a deep breath. “Your mother never told your father about the gold mine. The mine was exhausted many years ago. From what Noah could find, there is no gold left, but the money from gold sales was put into a trust.” He ran his hand up and down her back before continuing. “The trust is paid out monthly. Your father has been taking your money.”

“I don’t understand why Mom would keep that from me.”

“Noah sent me the Cliffs notes on how the trust works. The ranch is always passed down to the children. The spouse that marries into the family doesn’t get the ranch, only a stipend from the trust.”

At the end of her mother’s life, she didn’t mention that the ranch would go to Kara. Instead, she made Kara promise to be there for her dad, and that was why, when he called, Kara had come running to fulfill her mother's wishes.

“Why was my father suddenly trying to marry me off?”

“When you marry, you get a lump sum from your trust for you and your husband.” Grayson pinched the bridge of his nose. “The lump sum is close to one hundred million dollars.”

Kara could not believe the story Grayson was telling her. Her grandpa on her mother’s side had filled her with all the old wives’ tales, but why had no one told her about the trust?

“Are you sure? We never lived like we had money.” Kara could remember her parents fighting about her father’s gambling troubles. There were times her dad would disappear for days. Mom always said he was away doing things for the ranch. But Kara knew that wasn’t true. When he returned, her mother and father would fight for days.

“The ranch is in your name. Noah checked the accounts. Your fortune is close to a billion dollars. You are paid one hundred million if you get married. Didn’t you ever wonder why the ranch is called Montana Gold?”

“Grandpa said the ranch was named after the golden sunsets.”

When Kara’s grandfather had passed away from a heart attack, the foreman on the farm, Josiah Anderson, took the place of a fatherly figure. Josiah taught her how to ride a bike and a horse.

“Rovshan is marrying me for the hundred-million-dollar payout?”

“We haven’t been able to find proof. But two weeks ago, he flew into Bozeman. A day later, it was rumored that he was getting married. Noah hasn’t been able to find any proof that your father talked to Rovshan, but he was able to hack into Rovshan’s servers and found your father's debt. He owes Rovshan close to ten million dollars. His monthly stipend plus yours that he steals is only ten grand.”

Kara couldn’t believe her father would sell her for money. She also couldn’t believe he was taking money from his own daughter each month to spend gambling.

“When I was running from the church, Rovshan talked about killing my father.”

Kara shifted on Grayson’s lap. She heard his groan before she felt his hard length on her bottom. The thought that she was making him hard set her body on fire. Kara had never had a man respond to her like Grayson did.

“Your father made a deal with the Russian mob. What else would you expect?” Grayson shrugged.“Once the wedding was complete, Rovshan would have had the only thing he needed to access the money. Your father would no longer be any use to him. He used your father as bait.”

Kara had been worrying about her father since she’d been kidnapped. Hank had called Grayson the previous night to say his men hadn’t seen her father yet. Rovshan and his men were staying at the local hotel. They hadn’t made any attempt to head up toward the cabin.

Grayson had also checked in with the sheriff to find out if they could tie the bomb to Rovshan and his thugs. He said they all had an alibi for when the bomb could’ve been planted on the car. No one was able to pin anything on Rovshan and his men.

“I will not stay hidden in this cabin for the rest of my life. I need to get back to Denver in three days.” Kara was sick of jumping every time she heard a sound. “When are we going to come up with a plan?”

“Tomorrow we’ll head into town and meet with Hank, Taz and Bear at Al’s Diner. Hank took a contract out of state to help protect a politician’s daughter. Bear is his only employee able to help.”

She could only hope Rovshan and his men would make their move the next day. She wanted to go out to the ranch to see how it was doing and if the ranch hands needed anything. Kara couldn’t believe the ranch was in her name.

“You said there was a trust and will. Was your brother able to get copies? I’m still in shock that the ranch came to me and notDad. The money I’ll believe when I see it with my own eyes.”

“You can look at the will and trust later. There’s more.”

“Give it to me.”

“The foreman on the farm has been helping your father move your money into his father's account.”

“Can we stop him?”

“Already done. We closed the account in your name, created a new one, and contacted the trustee for Montana Gold. Over the past few years, your father has taken around two hundred thousand dollars from you.”

---