Chapter 27
Mr. William’s office was at the center of Briar Ridge, just across from green space in the center of Main Street where a white gazebo sat. All around her, the town bustled with movement. It was near lunch time, and the café was packed with people waiting to be sat. Magnolia stood outside the brick building, spinning her keys in her hand. There was so much to tend to in one day, and it all lay behind the white double doors. Adulting sucks. Yesterday, she’d buried her father, and today, she had to get the rest of her life together. There should be a button someone could press to stop life for a moment just so she could catch her breath. Only hours ago, she’d been all in black. In her heart, she felt she should still be. So, she’d worn a black sweater, blue jeans and black boots.
The hinges of the door creaked as she walked through. In the small lobby sat a single desk with a familiar-looking, plump woman filing her nails behind it. To her left and right were aged brown chairs. Magnolia tilted her head to the side, trying to place her. “Hi, I’m Magnolia Reed.”
The woman snapped up her head from her bright red nails. “Oh, Maggie, it’s good to see you.”
“I’m sorry, do I…?” She looked her up and down. “Oh, my gosh, Lydia?”
The woman leapt up from her chair and jiggled her way over to Magnolia, pulling her in for a bear hug that made Maggie more familiar with Lydia’s curves than she wanted to be. Magnolia held her hands stiffly at her sides, waiting for Lydia to drop her unwanted clutch. Lydia shook her back and forth. “Lulu told me you was back in town.”
In high school, Lulu and Lydia were tighter than a southern beauty queen’s girdle. Magnolia took a small step back from her and brushed her hands down her sides. “I didn’t know you worked here.”
Lydia, who stood about half a foot shorter than Maggie, leaned in. “Oh, yeah, and thank goodness I do. I heard y’all are in a quite the pickle.”
“Excuse me?” Magnolia raised her eyebrows.
“Well, the way I hear it from Lulu, y’all got a whole mess goin’ on.” Lydia cupped her hand around her mouth as though she didn’t want anyone else to hear, though they were in an empty room. “You know, with both y’all being married.”
Really? Was this what she was supposed to deal with now? Had things been left unresolved with her and Dax? Absolutely, but the day after her father’s death wasn’t the time nor place for this. “Ah, well, yes. Life is complicated as I’m sure you know.”
Lydia leaned back and playfully smacked her in the arm. “Girl, I know. I heard your husband is still in town, too, with Dax and Lulu, too. And right after your daddy’s death and all.” She sucked in a breath. “I’m so sorry about that.”
“Which part?” Magnolia took a step back toward the door about ready to run for the hills. This was not the visit she expected to have with Mr. Williams, getting ambushed in the lobby of his office by his secretary/her former classmate.
“Oh, honey, all of it.” She giggled then sucked in a breath, looking Magnolia up and down. “So, how are things with you and Dax? Tell me all about it.”
“You know, I’d rather no—”
“Lydia, is Magnolia here yet?” Mr. Williams buzzed on the intercom.
Lydia’s hands flew up and she rounded her desk, hitting the intercom button. As soon as it stopped buzzing, she breathlessly answered, “Yes, she’s here.”
“Well, send her on in.”
“Right away.”
Saved by the buzzer! Lydia cleared her throat and gave her a snide smile while pointing to the tall wooden door. “He’ll see you now.”
She’d almost backed out the door completely, and now a quick change in direction. “Thanks?” She moved past Lydia, leaning away from her lest she get trapped by the town gossip.
“No problem, darlin’.”
Once Magnolia was through the door and into Mr. Williams’ office, a sense of dread overcame her. This was one of the last steps in dealing with her father’s passing and the end of her marriage all in one shot. Mr. Williams rose from his opulent mahogany desk. The office was similar to her father’s, only much larger. Shelves lined the walls from floor to ceiling, each of them covered with volumes of legal books. Mr. Williams extended his hand, offering it to her. “So good to see you, Maggie.”
She took the offered hand, shaking it firmly. “Thank you for having me here, Mr. Williams.”
“Please call me Bob.” He motioned to the chair across from his desk. “I’m sure you have no doubt as to why I’ve asked you here.”
Magnolia sat down slowly, her heart racing in her throat. “I’m guessing Daddy had a will?”
“That’s right.” Bob nodded as he took his seat. “Your father was a great man.”
“Yes, he was.”
“I need to ask you a few questions before we start reading the will, if that’s all right with you.” He steepled his fingers and sat back in the chair. “Seeing how matters of inheritance can be a sensitive subject.”
“Um… inheritance? Mr. Williams—Bob—my father was not a rich man.” Magnolia sat back, resting in the chair.
A smile played on his lips. “Yes, well, we’ll get to that in a moment. First, I wanted to mention something else.”
Utter confusion riddled her mind. She furrowed her brow. “Yes?”
“A few weeks ago, you contacted me regarding your divorce. Is that still the route you want to take in regards to your former husband?” He pressed his fingers to his chin, waiting.
“Um, yes. I believe it is.” This turn of conversation is not what Magnolia expected in the least. She crossed her legs, bouncing them nervously.
Bob pushed his glasses farther up his nose before reaching into his desk drawer and putting a hefty stack of papers down in front of her. “I have been working on this since I heard about your father’s passing.”
Magnolia pulled the stack of papers closer. At the top she read: Divorce Agreement. “You drew these up already?”
“Based on what you told me over the phone, I drew them up to fit the specifications you asked for, as far as custody of your child and all other expenses. However, due to the untimely death of Thomas, I had to make a great deal of changes to it.”
“Like what?” Completely overwhelmed, she sat back in the chair, still unsure of what was going on.
“Magnolia, your father left you a substantial piece of land worth millions. On top of that, there is an inheritance he’d been putting together since the day your mother left town. He wanted you very well taken care of.”
Sweat broke out over her skin. The word millions echoed in her mind, over and over again. Magnolia fanned herself with her hand. “Are you telling me Triple R is worth millions of dollars?”
Bob nodded. “The property alone is worth that.”
Magnolia sucked in a deep breath. “You’re kidding?”
All that time she’d spent worrying about how she’d take care of herself and Hayden, her father had a plan all along. She looked up toward the sky, wanting to tell him to take it all back if he’d come back to her. But in the end, he’d always wanted to take care of her.
“’Fraid not.” He motioned to the divorce papers. “Now, your father was a smart man in leaving what he did to you and only you. However, there’s always a chance your soon-to-be-ex-husband will want a piece of it, seeing how y’all are still married.”
Magnolia narrowed her eyes. “Eric is the type who would want that.”
A half-smirk tilted the corner of his lip. “Many people in this world are.” He sighed, taking out another smaller stack of papers. “If you sign these, they will allow me to serve your husband with divorce papers that he must sign to accept.”
Magnolia took the pen from the top of his desk and held it over the papers, her hands shaking. “And these are specific to our conversation—full custody of Hayden with visitation offered to him?”
“That’s right.” Bob nodded. “Plus, normally I’d add in child support payments, but in this case, they aren’t necessary. The courts use a formula to see how much is to be paid to the caregiver. In this case, if he took charge of Hayden, you’d have to pay.”
Her jaw slacked open. “Are you serious?”
“Yes, I am.” He sat back in his chair, waving his arm over the paperwork. “You’re going to be very well looked after.”
Magnolia tried to listen to every word he spoke, but when her gaze zeroed in on the signature line at the bottom of the pages he pointed out, she silently scribbled her name across each and every one of them. As she closed in on the last page, she felt a lightness in her chest, as though she was finishing a toxic chapter in her long story with a cheating husband. Once she scribbled on the last page, she offered Bob the pen. He raised his hands, motioning for her to hold onto it. “There is still the matter of your father’s will.”
Dazed, she sat back in the chair. “That’s right.”
He reached over to the phone on his desk and hit the intercom button. It buzzed for a second before Lydia’s voice came over it. “Yes, Mr. Williams?”
“Is my one o’clock here, Lydia?”
Her girlish giggle burst on to the intercom before she cleared her throat. “Oh, yes, he certainly is.”
Behind those thick glasses, Bob rolled his eyes. “Send him on in, please.” When he let go of the button, he sighed. “She’s a distant cousin, you know.” As if that one sentence explained exactly why Lydia was still employed by him.
Magnolia sat forward. “If you’re busy with your next appointment,” she hiked her thumb at the door, “I could come back later.”
“Oh, no, you mistake me, Maggie. This has everything to do with you.”
When the door creaked open, Magnolia spun around to look over her shoulder. Her eyebrows rose of their own accord, and she couldn’t hide her shock. “Dax, what are you doing here?”
Dax pulled his beat-up baseball cap from his head, looking as haggard as she felt. Over a day’s worth of whiskers covered his jaw. Though he wore a fitted gray t-shirt that showcased his well sculpted body and his perfect jeans he normally looked so confident in, he hesitated at the door, now holding it open as though he couldn’t decide whether to come or go. “Maggie.” His voice came out as a pained whisper. He cleared his throat. “I’m, uh, here because Mr. Williams asked me to be.”
Seemingly unaware of the tension between them, Bob waved him over. “Come in, come in. Close the door behind you.”
Dax turned and let the door fall shut with a small click. With two big strides, he stood on the other side of the desk, offering Bob Williams his hand. “Mr. Williams, it’s good to see you.”
Bob took his hand, grasping it firmly. “Please call me Bob. I wish it was under better circumstances.” He cast his eyes down at his desk before taking a deep breath. “No doubt you know why I called you here?” He motioned for Dax to take the chair beside Magnolia.
Dax slid Magnolia a sideways glance, then took the chair beside her. He held his hat between both of his hands. His fingers danced along the edge of it as he continually adjusted it. “Yes, sir, I do.”
“Oh, you do?” Magnolia cast him a long sideways glance.
“Thomas was always efficient, Maggie. You know that.”
It was a fair point. Her father would have been prepared for anything, including his death. She waved Bob on. “Please continue.”
The tension between her and Dax was palpable, and it sparked between them. Magnolia fought the urge to reach out and take his hand. Oh, how she wanted to take just a bit of his strength for her own. He’d left his hat to rest on his knee and was now clenching his fist at his side. Only a week ago, she’d been curled up next to him in his bed, feeling as though the world was finally right. And now, how the world around her had gone so wrong! In her heart, she missed her father, but she ached for Dax. He was the only man in the world who understood the way her mind worked, loved her strength, loved her sass, loved her jokes, loved her shapely body. He was the only man who truly… loved her.
“Two years back, Dax Everett was appointed executor of your father’s estate.” Bob nodded to Dax.
Magnolia pursed her lips. “He was?”
“Maggie, your father wanted to make sure you were taken care of. He knew Dax would do it honorably. Simply put, he trusted him.”
“What about my Uncle Mike?”
Bob gave a soft chuckle. “Maggie, your father loved your uncle more than anything, but even he knew the man could barely get the grocery list done, let alone run a ranch.”
Thinking back on all the things her big-hearted uncle had messed up, forgotten, or when he even nearly cut off his own finger, she knew her father had been right not to leave him completely in charge of Triple R. Heat flooded her cheeks as she admitted, “I guess I can see that.”
Bob pulled two large envelopes from a drawer in his desk and dropped one in front of each of them. “This outlines your father’s wishes… for the two of you.”
“The two of us?” Dax furrowed his eyebrows. “This is not what Thomas discussed with me.”
Appalled, Magnolia shot him an accusing look. “You discussed this?”
Dax turned to face her head on, his maple eyes boring into her. “It’s not something people like to discuss, but again, Thomas was efficient, and I gave him my word I would adhere to all his wishes.” He turned to Bob and in a commanding voice, he demanded, “I know what his wishes included, and it’s not me.”
Bob shook his head. “Originally, no, they didn’t include you. But two weeks ago, Thomas stopped in to change the terms of his will and give me this.” He pulled a thinner white envelope with the Triple R logo printed on the front of it. “He wanted me to read it to you if ever the occasion arose.”
Magnolia sucked in a sharp breath. “Is that from him?”
“Yes, ma’am. Wrote it himself.” Bob opened the letter and pulled out a single slip of paper and cleared his throat. “If I may, I’d like to read it to y’all now?”
Magnolia shot a look at Dax, swallowing around the ball in her throat. As if sensing her distress, he reached out and took her hand, intertwining his fingers with hers. She looked down at her pale skin against his sun-kissed tan, how her fingers fit perfectly within his, like two puzzle pieces coming together. “Go ahead.”
“To my dearest children, Magnolia and Dax. If you are reading this, then I have moved on from this life and am now in the wide open fields of God’s Ranch looking down on y’all, watching you move through life. Magnolia, my beautiful daughter, always remember the things I have taught you. Be strong, know I will always love you even from afar, and I am so proud of the woman and mother you have become.” Bob paused. Pulling his handkerchief from his pocket, he dabbed at his eyes. Magnolia, too, swiped at the silent tears running down her cheek.
Bob continued, “Dax, the son I never expected to have. How we went from me waiting on the porch with a shotgun for you to welcoming you as my partner on the ranch, I’ll never know. You are a good man, a man who overcame things and lived through things that would break others. I love you, my boy. I don’t know if y’all will work things out or not, but I do know y’all are stronger together than you are apart. No two people were more made for each other.”
Magnolia couldn’t stop from squeezing Dax’s hand. When he squeezed it back, she knew he felt her father’s words were true. But where would they go from here? How would they fix this, fix them? Drawing her back from her thoughts, she zeroed in on the next words the lawyer spoke. “Which is why I am leaving my most prized possession to the two of you. Magnolia, you now own fifty-one percent of Triple R Ranch. My boy, Dax, I wish for you to take on more than the twenty percent you now own. In this, I will be leaving you exactly twenty-nine percent more of Triple R Ranch.”
Dax dropped Magnolia’s hand and put his head in his hands, whispering, “It’s not supposed to be like this.”
As though he didn’t hear his words, Bob continued, “There are also two trusts, one set up for each of you, each containing five million dollars. I have no doubt this will be more than enough to keep Triple R in the family for years to come and put my most beloved grandson through college. He’s as bright and beautiful as you are, my Maggie. I always knew you’d come home someday, and as I write this letter now, I’m so glad you did. For a tired old man, you and Hayden have been everything to me. Remember, Maggie girl, forget the hub-bub. Put me in a pine box and bury me in a field somewhere. All my love, Thomas Reed, your adoring father.”
Shocked silence hung in the room for moments, and though Magnolia cried for the man she lost, she couldn’t stop smiling at his demands of a pine box. Thomas Reed, her father, had been one hell of a man.
Dax shot to his feet. “No! I don’t accept this.”
“Excuse me?” Bob sat back in his chair.
“This is not what Thomas signed on for. It was all supposed to go to Maggie. It should go to Maggie. I don’t want the money or the the extra percentage in the ranch.” Magnolia had never seen him so determined. That muscle in his jaw ticked, and he pounded his finger down on the papers in front of him. “You fix this. You fix it so it all goes to her.”
Magnolia’s jaw dropped. She looked up at him in stunned silence, then shook herself. “Dax, this is what he wanted.”
“This isn’t okay, Magnolia. I didn’t work with Thomas to get money from him or ownership of something that isn’t mine.” He turned to Bob. “I don’t want it. Give it all to her.”
Bob’s hands waved over the papers, shaking. “I-I don’t… I didn’t expect this.”
Of all the things Magnolia thought would happen, this wasn’t even a possibility in her mind. But sitting here, hearing her father’s wishes, she couldn’t think of a better way to honor him than listening to his wishes. Especially knowing he’d written this within the last few weeks. Magnolia reached out and took Dax’s hand, tugging him down to sit next to her. At first, he resisted but eventually he sat down facing her. “Dax, this was what Dad wanted. I don’t need all that money, and I’m happy he gave it to you.”
“Magnolia, I can’t accept this.” Dax looked away, shaking his head. “It’s too much.”
“Well, you don’t have to decide this exact second,” Bob pipped in. “Maybe just think about it for a day and let me know tomorrow.”
Dax looked from Magnolia and back to Mr. Williams. “I’ll think on it, but I doubt I’ll change my mind.”
Magnolia rose to her feet. “We’ll be back tomorrow, is that okay?”
“I must say I didn’t expect this, but one more day won’t hold anything up.”
“Good.” Magnolia wrapped her hand around Dax’s arm and pulled him toward the door. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”
When they exited his office, Dax slid his arm from Magnolia’s grip. “I can’t go with you.”
“What? Why not?” Magnolia glanced around the lobby, and locked gazes with Lulu sitting next to Lydia, chatting away. “Oh.”
“I’ve got some things to do.” Dax lowered his head, not meeting her eye.
It was odd for him to be so stand-offish, so distant from her. But after the way things had been for the past few days, why wouldn’t he be? “Dax, I… ah, I think we need to talk some things out.”
“Not now, Magnolia. Okay?” He shoved his hands in his pockets, looking anywhere else but at her.
His coldness washed over her, sending a ball of worry to the pit of her stomach. Had she pushed him away so much that they would never work out? “Oh, um, okay. Sure.”
Gathering what little pride she felt she had left, she turned from him and began walking toward the front door. Just when she reached the handle, the door creaked open and Eric stepped through. Wearing his white dress slacks and light blue shirt, he looked more put together today than the last three times she’d seen him. His face was clean shaven, and his hair was combed back neatly. She turned to glance back at Dax, who was eyeballing Eric like he was about to get tackled.
“Eric? What are you doing here?” She took a step back. “Are you following me?”
He cracked that perfect white smile while he removed his sunglasses. “No, I stopped by the house looking for you. Your mom said you had some things in town to handle. I just saw the truck outside and figured I’d step in and say hi.”
Magnolia crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t want to say hi to you.”
“Well, I’m leaving town.” He paused, looking around the office. “Is this your lawyer? Are you seriously getting divorce papers together the day after your father’s funeral?”
“Ugh, not that it’s any of your business, but that wasn’t the only thing I’m doing here.”
His face lit up with a smile. “Ohhhh, the old man had some things to leave for you. Well, wife, how’d we do?”
“Excuse me?” Magnolia took a step back and narrowed her eyes at him.
“Are we well-off now?” He gave her half a chuckle. “What’s mine is yours, and what’s yours is mine, honey.”
Magnolia was about to turn away from him when she felt Dax step up behind her. “How’s it going, Eric?”
The smile dropped from her soon-to-be-ex-husband’s face. “Just fine. What was it again? Jax? Dax? Dick? I can never remember.”
“You know damn well what his name is.” Magnolia’s voice began to rise. Of all the asshole things to do, this was getting close to the top of the list.
Mr. Williams popped his head out of his office. “Is everything okay here?”
“My soon-to-be-ex-husband was just leaving,” Magnolia grumbled.
Mr. Williams asked, “This is Eric?”
Magnolia nodded, and Mr. Williams disappeared back into his office.
Behind her, she could hear Lydia twittering. “Oh, that’s the husband. He’s cute, too.”
“Some girls have all the luck,” Lulu muttered back.
“Do you two mind?” Magnolia turned and snapped, “This isn’t a soap opera.”
“As good as.” Lulu sauntered up to the rest of them. They all stood in a small circle, facing each other. “Here we are, all together again.”
Mr. Williams came back out of his office, marching up to the group, standing in between them with a clipboard in his hand. “I don’t want any trouble here.” He glanced from Dax to Eric. “You got it, guys?”
Dax nodded, never taking his eyes off Eric. “I got it.”
“Got it.” Eric met Dax’s stare, never breaking eye contact.
“Good.” Mr. Williams handed Eric the clipboard. “Sign this.”
Without looking, Eric took the board and signed. Only when he handed it back did he realize he’d done something. “Wait, what’s this?”
Mr. Williams handed Eric a thick envelope. “You’ve just been served.”
Eric’s jaw dropped as he held the thick envelope in his hands, studying it. “Are these divorce papers?”
For the first time in days, Magnolia smiled from ear to ear. “Yep, signed, sealed and delivered.”
Eric stepped forward and grabbed her arm, yanking her to him. He shook her hard, causing Magnolia’s head to whip back and forth. Her hair fell into her face. Eric leaned into her ear. “I’m not letting you go.”
“Geez, what does this girl have? Beer flavored skin?” Lulu rolled her eyes.
“Let her go, now.” Dax stepped up next them, his chest and arms puffing out as if he were going to hit Eric.
“Dax, don’t.” Magnolia pulled her arm free of Eric’s pinching grip. “He was just leaving.”
Eric pointed a finger in her face. “This is going to be a fight, honey.”
Bob stepped up. “I’ll expect a call from your lawyer any day now. Upon which I will be more than happy to provide the video of you assaulting my client.” He gestured to the security camera unobtrusively in the corner.
Dax stepped forward, his fist raised in the air. But before he could strike, Magnolia blocked him. “Let it go.”
He sucked in a deep breath then spoke between gritted teeth. “You touch her again, I have a shotgun and a shovel. I doubt anyone will miss you.”
“Did you hear that?” Eric pointed at him. “He threatened me.”
Magnolia snickered. “I didn’t hear anything. Did you, Mr. Williams?”
“Not a word. Did you, Lydia?”
“Hmm, what? I wasn’t payin’ attention.” She turned to Lulu. “Did you hear anything?”
Lulu examined her nails. “Funny, I thought I almost did. But nope, I got nothing.”
Eric spun on his heels, yanking the door wide open. “This whole town is nuts!” He slammed the door behind him.
Magnolia breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank God that’s over.”
“Did you really just serve him with divorce papers?” Dax shifted from one foot to the other and put his hands on his hips.
“Hell, yes, I did. I wouldn’t lie to you.” Standing in a room surrounded with people she didn’t want witnessing her private business made her blush, yet she held herself in place. Though she wanted nothing more than to pull him away so they could talk, she stood waiting.
Dax gave her a single nod. “I’m glad. Why don’t you go on back home now.” He pointed toward the door. “I’m sure your momma is waiting for you.”
“Um, okay.” Was he dismissing her? Were things really at an end for them? Magnolia knew things hadn’t been right since the night Lulu arrived, and with the death of her father they hadn’t had a chance to work things out… but it just couldn’t be over between them.
Her stomach dropped to her toes and she felt color leach from her face. Nausea rose in her throat. How could it be over? She and Dax were written in the stars, she just knew it. But when the door clicked shut behind her and he didn’t come out after her, she couldn’t help but wonder… was it too late for them?