The Maverick Meets His Match (Hearts of Wyoming Book 2)(4)

Beneath the table, she felt her mother’s cool, soft hand close over hers. A squeeze followed. It was her mother’s way of telling her to stay calm. Mandy squeezed back. Her mother didn’t remove her hand.

“As a privately held company, your grandfather had more flexibility to do as he saw fit than if it was a publicly held company. And JM took advantage of that fact, as you will soon learn.” Brian raised his gaze from the sheaf of papers he held. “I feel obligated to tell you all that I do not countenance everything he did in this document, but I don’t think any of you can question whether he was in his right mind a month ago when he drew up this new will. I’ll also caution that I am a fairly good lawyer, so I don’t expect there will be grounds to break his will.”

Sheila squeezed Mandy’s hand harder. This was going to be worse than she ever imagined. She couldn’t bear to look at Ty. If the man had duped her grandfather, she might not be able to do anything about it.

“Mandy, you and Ty Martin have been named as trustees of the scholarship fund named in your father’s honor for a worthy student from the local community college who wishes to go on for a four-year degree. I believe, Ty, you were the first recipient of that scholarship.”

Ty nodded.

Maybe that was why Ty was here. Nothing to do with PRC directly. Of course, that would make sense. Mandy began to relax. She was worrying about nothing. She might have to see Ty more than usual, but that wouldn’t be as horrible as him running her company.

She met Ty the summer following her father’s death, her life having been upended by that catastrophic event. In what would become a tradition, her grandfather offered the recipient of the scholarship a summer job helping out. She remembered stumbling upon Ty in the barn, his shirt off, as he cleaned the stalls. It had been hot, and the flies were biting as her seventeen-year-old self had sauntered in to fetch a bridle out of the tack room. She’d wanted to take a dip and planned to ride out to the creek that ran through the western side of the ranch.

She’d been stopped in her tracks by flexing muscle and slick flesh. With dark, cropped hair, angular features, and a lean, lanky body, it had been crush at first sight. And he’d barely noticed her as he cleaned out the barn stalls. As she’d scooted into the tack room to catch her breath, she’d vowed to make him notice her—and soon. Little did she realize what a mistake she was making.

“In addition, Sheila, JM left the Prescott ranch land and ranch herds in your trust for Mandy and Tucker, who hold equal shares of the ranch enterprise, which, as you know, is a separate entity from Prescott Rodeo Company. He made provisions for Prescott Rodeo Company to continue to lease from the trust the portion of land it uses for its enterprise at reasonable fees. The will grants half of those rent monies to you as income for as long as you live and the ranch stays in Prescott hands. There are provisions, should the company change hands, for you to continue to receive a stipend from the proceeds of that sale equivalent to the projected rental stream, as if the company continued to lease the land from the trust.”

“JM was always generous,” Sheila said as she dabbed a hankie to her glistening eyes.

During his lifetime, JM had provided for her mother, given she was his only child’s widow and the mother of his grandchildren, but now her mother would have her own income, making her an independent and well-to-do woman. As to the company changing hands, that would never happen as long as Mandy had breath left in her.

Brian laid aside the sheet of paper he’d been reading and turned his attention to the next page.

“Harold, you are bequeathed shares equal to nine percent of Prescott Rodeo Company and, at a minimum, your current salary for the rest of your life, whether you work or not, to be paid out of company funds.”

“I know. JM told me. And of course I’ll be working as long as the young’uns need me to.” He spared a smile with a nod in Sheila’s direction as if the two had already spoken about it.

“Of course we need you, Harold,” Mandy piped up. People were the fabric of the company and, regardless of who was running it, Mandy would let nothing destroy that fabric.

“Tucker, you inherit a twenty percent stake in the rodeo business. JM wants me to note that it could have been more if you’d been willing to help run the company.”

“So he told me,” Tucker said with good-natured resignation. “I’m okay with the way things are.”

Brian raised his gaze and stared at Mandy a moment too long for good news. Her heart sputtered in her chest like an engine choke that couldn’t take hold. JM, it seemed, had spoken to everyone but her about the contents of the new will.

“I guess I should mention that before JM made this will, he also completed a transaction with Mr. Martin here. Ty currently owns twenty percent of Prescott Rodeo Company, bought and paid for under terms advantageous to Prescott, I might add.”

Mandy couldn’t stifle the gasp that left her lips, even as her mother’s hand tightened its hold. It was just as she’d suspected. Ty had wormed his way into her family’s business for reasons that eluded her. Tension pressed in on her chest, making it hard to breathe. She couldn’t, wouldn’t, look in his direction. But she could see his hands, half-fisted, on the table. Large hands. Masculine hands barely weathered by the outdoors but no doubt used to doing dirty work.

“I imagine you all must be wondering what has happened to the other fifty-one percent.” Brian stated the obvious. “Mandy, you will receive twenty percent of the company outright, bringing you equal to Tucker and Ty. But because Mandy is willing to take over the business one day…”