Chapter Thirty-Four

Evelyn

 

I was shocked to see the ranch already listed, just a week after the court ruling in the kids’ favor. My banker pulled up the listing, showed me the asking price, and warned me that it wasn’t a good investment.

“It’s not the land I’m investing in,” I insisted.

“Well, the asking price is ridiculous for the market right now,” he stated.

I nodded, agreeing that the price was too much. I knew the kids were eager to sell, and to have money lining their pockets, especially John, who had the judge to pay off, not to mention plenty of gambling debts.

I dialed the realtor's number as I left the bank, everything all squared away for me to make the purchase. The man who answered sounded anxious as he greeted me, mispronouncing his own name and quickly making the correction. I tried not to giggle, figuring Jill would’ve had to been eager to get the place listed if this guy was who she ended up hiring.

“I’d like to speak to you about JJ Ranch,” I spout.

“Are you interested in looking at the place?” he queried, his voice rising in pitch as he spoke.

“No. I’m interested in buying it,” I replied.

Silence fell between us, and then a rustling of papers sounded on his side of the phone.

“So, when would you like to see the property?” he stammered.

“I would prefer to meet with you somewhere else if that’s okay,” I insisted.

More silence. More papers shuffling.

After clearing his throat, he responded, stating that he was fine with wherever I wanted to meet. I gave him the address of a diner just outside of town, at least far enough away that I wouldn’t be spotted talking to the man. I wanted this to be a surprise, and the town was too small to guarantee not being spotted, and word getting back to James.

I sat in the back booth and watched out the window as I sipped on a cup of coffee. My stomach flipped and flopped with anxiety, worried that James would be offended, and refuse to accept my gesture. I’d quit trying to call him, deciding that he would call me when he was ready. I only hoped that I wasn’t making too large of a gesture, that I wasn’t right when I felt his rejection, and that what we had maybe was just sex, and that his feelings were nothing similar to mine.

I pushed back against the booth, deciding that I could handle whatever came my way. If he wasn’t interested in anything serious, then I’d simply sell him the ranch for what I paid, allowing him to pay me as he would any bank.

A growl rolled from my stomach as I thought about that possibility. I wasn’t truly sure I could handle losing James, but that was something I couldn’t control.

A gold Buick pulled up, and a man stepped out, looking around the parking lot before heading towards the front door. He was older than in his picture on the website, but I was certain it was the listing realtor.

I sat up in my booth, back straight and firm as he entered the front door. My arm lifted in the air as he scanned the place, waving him over to where I sat. Nausea rolled through my belly, my throat watering, and then my mouth. I sipped the coffee again, took a deep breath, and swallowed my nervousness down with the caffeine.

I introduced myself to the man, Robert, and then waited until he slid into the booth on the opposite side of the table between us. The waitress brought over the coffee pot, but Robert refused, ordering water instead. He was anxious, a little jumpy, so a cup of coffee could’ve set him off like a rocket ship into orbit.

“I was surprised you didn’t want to meet at the property,” Robert questioned.

“I’m very familiar with the place,” I smiled.

We got down to business right away, discussing the asking price of the property.

“You know that price is unreasonable, right?” I asked.

“It’s a huge ranch, and very well maintained. There’s a nice size herd that comes with it as well,” he stammered.

“It’s priced at the high end of the average acreage price, maybe four years ago. Things since then have declined in the market quite a bit, so it’s far too high; even at the high end of the market today, it’s over,” I commanded.

“I realize it’s above the market value right now, but things are starting on the up,” he stammered.

“The only way you’ll get anywhere near the asking price, is to split the land up, sell it piece by piece, and people around here aren’t buying, so you’d have to find outside buyers, and how likely is that?” I questioned.

I could tell I was getting to him as he wiped the sweat from his brow. He squirmed in his seat as the waitress placed his water in front him, quickly grabbing it and pushing the glass to his dry lips.

“My seller is insistent on selling to one buyer,” he sighed.

I tried not to smile, but I could feel my lips starting to curl and my cheeks beginning to ache. I knew his seller, and she was a bitch, and a man like Robert, weak, simple, anxious, was no match for her, or me for that matter.

“Okay, then this is what I’m willing to offer,” I scribbled my number on a napkin and pushed it across the table.

Robert paused before opening it, his eyes heavy on mine, filled with fear. I watched as his eyebrows rose at the low-ball offer, and waited for his response.

It was low, by about a hundred grand, but fair in comparison to what they asked. His voice reached a high pitch, one I’d only heard on a boy going through puberty, never a man.

“I’ll have to contact my client,” he gasped.

“I have time. Why don’t you go ahead and make the call now,” I smiled, sipping my coffee casually as I watched his anxiety grow.

He nodded, fidgeted for his phone in his pants pocket, and then dialed the number. His speaker was turned up, so I listened to the rings, one, two, three.

Jill’s voice was obnoxiously chipper as she answered, but quickly turned sour once he told her the offer he’d just received. Words that could make a sailor blush roared through the tiny speaker, into Robert’s ear, across the table to mine. I chewed on the side of my cheek to keep from smiling, snickering, or simply busting out laughing as I heard her growling at the poor realtor who was only doing his job.

He hung up, his face pale and lifeless as he shuddered as if he caught a cold chill up his spine. I knew that chill all too well; its name was Jill Jasper.

“I don’t know if you could hear, well, I’m sure you could, along with anyone within a ten-foot radius could hear, she wasn’t pleased,” Robert sighed.

“I’m gonna level with you, Robert. The ranch isn’t going to sell, period. The people in the town know what Jill and her siblings did to James, so they won’t be eager to line their pockets. They’d just as soon let the place sit, force them to sell it piece by piece, or possibly get it seized by the state if they don’t properly care for the livestock,” I explained.

“I’m sorry?” he asked, a confused expression sitting on his face.

“The man who lives there now, James Laurie, he’s a good man, very well respected in this town, a former Navy SEAL, and if it weren’t for the kids corrupting the system with their purchased judge, dirty tricks, and money lined pockets filled with lies, he would still be the rightful owner of the property that was left to him in the former owners will,” I insisted.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know the whole story, but I did meet James when Jill took me out there to get pictures. He didn’t seem too pleased with the situation,” he sighed.

“Well, the entire town does know what went down, and I can assure you, the only one that would show any interest is William Platter, and he’s already spread far too thin, so his offer would be half of my own,” I stated.

“Yes. He actually did call last night as soon as I listed the place. I didn’t dare bring his offer to Ms. Jasper,” Robert whispered.

It was clear that he believed what I told him as his hands began to fidget in front of him on the table.

“I’ll talk to her, see if I can get her to accept,” he breathed.

“Just don’t tell her who made the offer before she signs the contract, otherwise you’ll lose your only chance at a commission on this sale,” I smiled.

He nodded reluctantly but pulled out the paperwork to draw up the formal offer to bring to Jill Jasper and her siblings. I signed my name, handed over a check for the earnest money, and agreed to wait for his call.