Page 73 of Parading the Cowboy Billionaire (Bluegrass Ranch 4)

“Your mother was just leaving,” Cayden said smoothly, his voice as melodic and perfect as always. “I think she brought something for you, though.”

Ginny noticed the envelope in her mother’s hand, and her heartbeat started to crash. It was a plain, white envelope, the kind used to mail simple letters and folded bills. There was no writing that Ginny could see, and it couldn’t hold very much as it was very thin.

So not a revised will, Ginny thought. Honestly, at this point, she wasn’t sure she’d go back to Sweet Rose, at least not in the same capacity. She’d been enjoying her time in the kitchen and the garden, at Bluegrass Ranch riding Raven, and spending relaxing evenings with the man she loved.

“Do you love him?” Wendy asked.

“Of course,” Ginny said instantly as a smile touched her soul. She looked up at Cayden, who had everything put together and ready for the day, right down to his big, shiny belt buckle, and his perfectly perched cowboy hat. The only thing he was missing was the cologne, and surely Mother had just interrupted him a little bit too soon.

“I’m madly in love with him.” She smiled as he did, and together, they looked at Mother again. Ginny took a breath and held it for a moment. Then she said, “You don’t get to dictate my life to me anymore, Mother. I love him, and he loves me, and just as soon as this Smash is over, we’re going to start planning our wedding.”

“Is that so?” Cayden whispered, and Ginny bumped into him with her hip.

“That’s so, cowboy,” she murmured, her mouth barely moving. “I figure with the two of us on the job, it’ll be the most spectacular wedding anyone has ever seen in the Bluegrass region.”

“No doubt,” Cayden said, chuckling.

Ginny basked in the love she felt from him, and such happiness flowed through her that she’d almost forgotten about her mother standing there. She focused on her again, her phone buzzing against her thigh. “My phone is ringing, and we really are terribly busy this morning, Mother. What do you need?”

She took her phone out of her pocket and handed it to Cayden.

He stepped away from her and answered the call with, “Lawrence, we’re five minutes out.”

Ginny took the few steps to her mother and embraced her, surprised by her actions. There was something healing about the hug, though, and something powerful moved through her. She could only identify it as forgiveness, and she wanted to give that to her mother as freely as she could.

“It’s good to see you. Drake said you’d be here today. You know which suite we’re in?”

“Sydney has all the details,” Mother said, her voice scratchy and low. She hugged Ginny in response, and Ginny hoped she could feel some measure of healing too. Mother broke the embrace and handed Ginny the envelope. “I wanted you to have this.”

“What is it?” Ginny started to open the envelope, but her mother’s weathered hand came down over her fingers.

“Open it after the race,” she said. With that, she turned and left, calling for Sydney the moment she got to the doorway.

Ginny watched her go, one ear on the conversation Cayden was having with his brother behind her. He finished and came to her side. “What did she say?”

“Nothing,” Ginny said, handing him the envelope. “Well, she did say to open this after the race.”

“Okay,” he said, ripping the flap open. Ginny stared at him, mildly horrified. He didn’t seem to notice as he took the single sheet of paper out of the envelope. His eyes moved side to side, and Ginny’s nerves, excitement, and fear increased with every second he stayed silent.

“It’s the deed to Sweet Rose,” he said quietly.

“What?”

“The land deed,” he said, tilting the paper for her to see. It was a thicker piece of paper, and definitely colored as if it had been soaking in the amber whiskey Sweet Rose produced. “It has your name on it.”

She could see that, right there at the top. “I own it?”

“You own it all,” he said. “The entire square where all of your family’s houses are. The fields. The distillery.” He read from the paper. “The event center located adjacent to the fields, and the one downtown.” He looked up. “Sweet Rose has an event center downtown?”

Ginny couldn’t get her mind to work fast enough to answer his question. Owning the land wasn’t the same as having authority to run the company. Mother had to give that, because Mother…owned the land.

She took the piece of paper from Cayden and studied it. “Yes,” she finally said when she got to the line about the downtown event center. “We own the Palisades Theater.” She looked up. “I’m so confused.”

“We need to talk to Harvey, Elliot, and Drake,” Cayden said. “But I’m afraid Lawrence is going to lose his mind if we don’t get out to the stables in the next, oh, two minutes.”

“Let’s go,” Ginny quickly refolded the deed and slipped it back into the envelope. She tossed that onto Cayden’s desk and turned to leave the office.

“You’re just going to leave it there?” he asked.

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