Page 21 of When It Reins
I tilt my head, wondering about that myself. I don’t like that the feelings I am having don’t point toward that, but more of what an idiot I am for believing him in the first place. How I could have placed trust in him, let him hold and touch me and be with him, and not know what kind of man he truly is?
“I don’t know.” I shrug, being far more vulnerable with this woman, a mere stranger, than I am with my own family. “I guess I need the answers to my questions before I can worry about any of that.”
Rosemary takes a sip of her tea and sighs. “Well, then I’ll tell you. Some company by the name of Biller Holdings wants to come in here and buy houses. They’re telling residents that they’re doing it for the good of the community, kind of taking over the loans for the bank, is what they’re saying.” Rosemary shakes her head. “Except, I know that the Rawlings didn’t leaveof their own accord. Those are the neighbors down the road,” she explains when she sees my confusion. “They got a lien bought out and got evicted. Wanna guess who paid their unpaid taxes?”
“Biller Holdings,” I murmur, and somehow, hearing the words I knew were going to come from her didn’t lessen the sting.
“Yes, honey. Biller Holdings has a contract with one of those big box stores, and they want to put it right here.” She points to her kitchen table. “I won’t let them.”
I frown. “But how would you even go about stopping that?”
“What are they going to do? Demolish an old lady?” She waves a hand. “I’m trying to get the community together and get them to not sell out. They don’t all understand what’s happening. Some have already signed off on things, being told it’s for something else and not reading the fine print. Then there are the ones that didn’t get around to paying those taxes and now are being evicted.”
“Those poor families,” I say, running a finger over my brow. I can’t imagine just trying to live life and then getting the rug pulled out from under you because you didn’t pay a tax.
“Yup. Some have family they left to live with, but I know one family’s over at the shelter, trying to figure it out.”
My heart breaks hearing the words, and my eyes fill with tears. I have no right to feel this way, but how could I have not known this is what David’s company is doing?
“Honey, tears won’t fix it.” Rosemary pats my hand, and I feel another wave of sadness hit me. My mom used to say the same thing whenever us girls would get upset over something.
“I’m sorry. I just feel awful.”
“Well…” Rosemary sits back in her chair and lets out a great sigh. “There’s not much us civilians can do.” Something passes over her expression, but I don’t stop to wonder what she’s thinking because my brain’s already rapidly firing.
“What if the owners could pay the lien off first?” My brain starts to come up with ideas, and I feel my first bit of hope rise to the surface.
“If they could afford it, they would have already.” Rosemary shakes her head and takes a sip of tea. “They just can’t afford it.”
“But we could help them, couldn’t we?” I stand, starting to pace the little area in her house as I think. “We could hold some sort of charity function, proceeds go to paying off the liens so these people can get their homes back.”
Rosemary frowns at me. “And why would you do that? Because you feel guilty?”
I stop, turning to the woman, and sigh. “Yes. I do. I feel guilty that I had no idea what he was doing, but you’re right. Tears don’t help. We need a plan of action.”
“I don’t know why people would donate funds.”
“They wouldn’t have to be donating anything,” I say, my brain clicking with ideas. “They would pay for something great and the proceeds of that would go toward the lien. They’d be helping out their neighbors but not losing anything in the process.”
Rosemary sits back and looks at me, a confused but intrigued look on her face. “Why would you do all of this?”
“Because,” I say, grabbing my coat. “I’m responsible for some of this, and now that I know the truth, I’m going to help get these people their homes back.”
“And what about the boyfriend?”
I pause, unsure of what to say. I couldn’t be with someone like that, couldn’t stand living with the way he made his money, by kicking people out of their homes and buying the liens they couldn’t afford.
No, David and I are done. I just have to find the right time to end it.
“I’ll think of something.”
12
mitch
The smellof a barn should not be comforting, but it is. I inhale deeply and appreciate the fact that Stetson is keeping his opinions to himself.
Logan called this morning and asked me to come and help Stetson out with his horses today. Apparently my little nephew is sick, and he is home helping out his wife. I couldn’t say no, and for the first time in a long time, I didn’t want to.
