Page 68 of A Mile of Ocean

“But that’s what I’m trying to tell you, Trent,” Eastlyn explained. “Cooper discovered that that’s the kind of dirty dealings the de Havilands are known for throughout Wyoming. They didn’t discover gold, at least not on their own, not the way the Duchess told the story. Her grandfather, William de Haviland, stole someone’s mine and claimed it as his own. That was another court battle—from 1900 to 1920—that raged on for two decades until the man pursuing it died of a heart attack.”

Trent scrubbed his hands over his face. “So, what you’re saying is the de Havilands have a history of deceit and underhanded dealings that go back a hundred years or more, and it seems like it’s all coming to a head now with the land dispute and a very determined, maybe even demented, relative of Josiah Bohannon.”

“That about sums it up.”

“Noble Colter’s family has been fighting to reclaim the Triple C Ranch for years, convinced that Deanne de Haviland swindled it from him. And now, with Colter Bohannon taking matters into his own hands, things have escalated to where we are now, the toxicity reaching a violent level.”

Trent paced the kitchen, the weight of the revelations settling heavily on his shoulders. “So, we’re caught in a battle that spans decades, all because of one woman’s greed and deception.”

“Do you think she swindled Colter out of his land?”

“There’s only one way to find out. Tate’s already gunning to confront her. Cooper’s meeting gives us the perfect opportunity to do that.”

“In the meantime, we have a warrant out for Colter Bohannon,” Eastlyn noted. “There were no human remains found in the debris at the shack. So, it figures his ploy didn’t work. I know all about trying to lure him in, hoping he takes the bait. But be careful, Trent. I don’t think this Bohannon guy thinks he has anything to lose. And he’s not going down without a fight.”

“I know that. We’ll all be sitting ducks if this doesn’t work.”

Trent, Savannah, andTate entered the main house during breakfast when all the guests—Birk and Beckett, Lucien and Brogan, Hawk, Lincoln, Drum, and Brock Childers, who was still recovering from his injury—were enjoying their meal in the dining room.

“I hear the genealogy project is going well,” Tate announced as she forked over two pieces of cinnamon toast onto her plate.

“And I hear Cooper has scheduled a meeting with you at nine this morning to go over what he found out,” Trent said to his grandmother, who looked surprised.

“I’m still deciding whether or not I want to talk to the two of you,” Duchess replied, her voice laced with an icy tone.

“Doesn’t matter,” Tate said with a shrug. “We’ll do most of the talking. We’d like to invite our guests to hear what Cooper has to say.”

Duchess glanced around the table. “Absolutely not. The project is a private family matter. I’m not even sure I want you two attending.”

“We invited ourselves,” Trent said, spreading his arms wide. “We decided the more, the merrier. Everyone in this room is fighting to hold onto the ranch, right? They deserve to know what’s going on. Tate and I want everyone to learn what Cooper discovered about the Callumsandespecially the de Havilands. It’s only fair.”

Duchess remained silent for a moment, eyeing Trent and Tate warily, her grip tightening around the handle of her coffee cup. “And just what have you discovered that’s so notable you want to air it publicly?”

Tate exchanged a knowing look with Trent before answering, “We didn’t discover anything. You wanted Cooper to dig deep, and he has. He’s uncovered some unsettling information about the history of the de Havilands and their connection to just about everyone in Wyoming. It’s not the pretty picture you painted.”

“It seems your family goes back a long way,” Trent said, sipping his coffee. “They have a notorious history. We should let Cooper lay it all out on the table. He probably has a spreadsheet, maybe even a PowerPoint presentation.”

The other guests exchanged curious glances, their interest piqued by the cryptic conversation unfolding before them.

“We thought it best to gather everyone together to shed light on the truth,” Trent added, his tone firm. Duchess’s composure faltered briefly before she regained her icy demeanor. “I’m notsure what game you two think you’re playing, but this is hardly the time or the place for such discussions.”

“Oh, but it is, Duchess. It’s the perfect time to air our family secrets,” Tate proclaimed. “I mean, I’ve done nothing to be ashamed of, and neither has Trent. Granddad was pretty honest in his dealings with everyone. That only leaves you with something to hide. And we really need to turn the spotlight on that dark corner you’ve been keeping to yourself.”

The grande dame’s eyes darted between Trent and Tate in cold fury. Eventually, she set her cup down, her hands trembling. “We’ll see what Cooper Richmond offers up. It doesn’t mean any of it is true.”

“Genealogy is all about digging deep into public records,” Trent explained. “Hard to proclaim it’s all a lie before you’ve heard the evidence.”

“What’s going on, Trent?” Birk asked.

“Before we try to pull off a ruse this afternoon, we need to listen to what Cooper has to say. I had a long talk with Eastlyn this morning. She knows the identity of our mystery guy,” Trent said, staring straight at his grandmother. “We need to ask our hostess if she knows a man named Josiah Bohannon from Stillwater, Oklahoma?”

“I don’t know who you mean,” Duchess stated haughtily.

“Are you sure about that?” Tate prompted. “Because you’ve been fighting him in court for the last fifty years in some way or another. That’s a long time not to know his name. You’ve repeatedly promised him one thing but failed to deliver on anything. We think your decisions have finally caught up with you because Josiah has this son who’s not taking losing his great-uncle’s ranch as well as his dad did all those years ago.”

The doorbell rang, breaking the bombshell moment.

When Dolly showed Cooper into the dining room, the silence was deafening. The man with chestnut hair grayingslightly at the temples carried a laptop bag and a briefcase. He sent everyone a wide smile, his blue eyes glowing with a neighborly demeanor. “Sorry to interrupt breakfast, but I have a list of questions before continuing the research,” he announced. “Nothing seems to be adding up.”

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