Page 44 of Ask for Moore

I found myself in the unexpected position of actually wanting the asshole to make that call, only because then Waverly would have a reason—besides me—to stay in Mooreville.

22

Waverly

Idecided that Ryland’s uncle’s offer was best presented in person to my client, so I headed out to the farm yet again. I was hoping it was the last trip I needed to make out here, but at least this time around, I knew to wear my gym shoes instead of heels. And for the first time in my legal career, I didn’t bother to wear a suit for a client meeting. Instead, I opted for a feminine version of the business casual attire Ryland wore whenever he wasn’t in court—khaki pants and a blue blouse.

Parking my rental car next to one of the trucks in front of the farmhouse, I stared out at the fields and hoped the land would be put to better use if it changed hands. Then I grabbed the paperwork off the passenger seat and climbed out.

I hadn’t told my client why I needed to see him so urgently, and he was waiting for me with his hands planted on his hips and a scowl on his ruddy face. “This had better be good.”

“I believe you will find the news I’ve brought with me to be better than good.”

“Really?” His beady eyes flashed with satisfaction. “Did you talk your man into seeing reason? Has he gotten the commission to finally pull their heads out of their asses?”

“Not exactly.” Before he could blow a gasket, I thrust the purchase agreement toward him. “But Ryland did approach me with a settlement offer of sorts.”

He yanked the paperwork out of my hand, his eyes going wide when he scanned them. “They have someone willing to buy the land for this much?”

“Yes.”

He rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. “Even though I had you petition the court to get the purchase agreement rescinded, I never expected it to actually happen.”

“The odds are against us on that claim, and winning against the commission is an uphill battle that could take months, if not years if the court decides against us and we’re forced to appeal.” I gestured toward the document I had given him. “This offer gives you an out that will allow you to walk away without losing anything.”

He stared out at the empty fields and muttered, “Except for the subdivision I wanted to build on this land.”

“If you want that more than the money, I’ll keep fighting for you.”

“No.” He shook his head. “As much as I’d like to stick it to the small-town yahoos who stood in my way, it’s not worth losing even the small profit this deal represents. Like I told you before, time is money, and I’m not going to waste more of it in this backwater county. Maybe that lawyer you’re dating will do a better job of pulling strings for whichever of his relatives is paying me to go away.”

I bit my bottom lip to stop myself from saying something I would regret later, murmuring a noncommittal, “Mm-hmm,” instead.

“At least one good thing came out of this mess.”

“Pardon?”

“I found myself a lawyer who’s willing to go the extra mile for me and can handle all of my deals.” He beamed me a satisfied grin. “It’ll make my life easier being able to consolidate my business with your firm.”

“Oh.” This was exactly what I’d been hoping for ever since my initial meeting with Mr. Arnoult, but I found myself feeling sick to my stomach at the thought of dealing with this guy on a regular basis for the foreseeable future. Even worse, my partnership would be riding on him.

“You can be damn sure I’ll be calling Bradley to let him know how well you handled this business for me,” he promised. “And now that it’s all over, I’ve gotta admit that I wasn’t sure when Bradley sent you down here to take care of this. But he seemed positive you were the gal for this situation, and I’m a big enough man to admit he was right. If he’d sent someone else down here, I doubt they would’ve been able to pull this off.”

His praise made me want to puke—to the point where my stomach actually roiled. Offering him a weak smile, I inclined my head. “I’m glad I was able to obtain a satisfactory result for you.”

“Satisfactory, indeed.”

His slimy gaze landed on my chest, and I was beyond ready to end this conversation. “I’ll let Mr. Moore know you’re accepting the offer. Then we’ll work on executing the purchase agreement with a quick closing since the buyer is paying cash.”

He thanked me again before I headed to my vehicle, wiping my hand on my pants because he’d insisted on shaking it. I called Ryland on my way back into town, and he promised to let his uncle know the deal was a go. Then he suggested I meet him at his house since he was already headed there.

When I pulled into his driveway, I still couldn’t believe Mr. Burkhart had accepted the offer. The case that had brought me to Mooreville had been wrapped up in a neat little bow, with only a small amount of paperwork left to do. Which wouldn’t take long since the New York lawyer handling the purchase had told Ryland that they would have the documents to me by this evening.

“Today was weird,” I announced as I walked through his door.

“It definitely didn’t go how I expected,” he agreed. “You know what I fucking hate about this solution?”

I shook my head. “What?”

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