Рита Браун - Outfoxed

“I hate that you work for him.”

“I’m learning a lot and much as you dislike him, he’s been very good to me. Only good to me and a gentleman . . . and I’d like to open my own landscaping business someday. I really love it.”

“The only reason he’s a gentleman to you is I’d kill him if he weren’t.”

“Craw, in the beginning you didn’t care. You were happy to be rid of me and he truly helped me through that awful first year. It was awful. If I learned nothing else, I learned that divorce lawyers have everything to gain by fanning the flames. They don’t want to settle. They don’t want people to work it out. My lawyer was as reprehensible as your lawyer, except he preyed on my being a woman. He was ‘taking care’ of me and I fell for it.”

“A plague on both their houses. I should have given you all the money I paid that bastard. Well, it’s over. We’re going to go on. I’m a different man, Martha. I truly am.”

“Parts of the old one were quite wonderful, you know.” She smiled flirtatiously and suddenly looked like the beautiful Kappa Kappa Gamma he’d met at Indiana University all those years ago.

He smiled magnanimously. “I owe you a great deal. You believed in me when I was young, and I wouldn’t be foxhunting had it not been for you. You got me up on a horse and I will always be grateful for that.”

“At first I didn’t know if you’d stick it out. If you’d learn to ride. When you did, well, I think it made me love you more than I could ever imagine. You did it for me.”

“Yes.” He folded his hands together. “Now I can’t imagine not hunting. I’ve put a lot of myself into the club, you know. I hope it pays off.”

Crawford couldn’t give to give. There had to be a payback.

“Sister visited Fontaine. . . .” Realizing she might be betraying a confidence, she quickly shut up.

Crawford tensed. “There’s no reason for her to visit him unless it’s about the mastership.”

Fumbling, Martha finally squealed, “Maybe not. He has to fix the coop he smashed.”

“He didn’t say?”

“No.”

“How long was she there?”

“Oh, twenty minutes.”

He cracked his knuckles. “Damn! Fontaine is such a lightweight.”

“Well, we were kind of talking about that. There’s this part of Fontaine that wants to prove he’s not. He’s been cooking up some business deal he won’t discuss. I only know it because I see the name Gordon Smith penciled in on his daybook occasionally.” Gordon Smith was a commercial contractor building large office buildings in northern Virginia, especially around Dulles airport. Wealthy, highly intelligent, and driven, he lived in Upperville. “I also saw Peter Wheeler’s name penciled in last week.”

“Fontaine doesn’t know the first thing about commercial real estate.” He thought a moment. “Why would Gordon Smith waste his time with Fontaine? Peter Wheeler, though, that is bad news. I’d better get over there to see him.”

“Don’t underestimate Fontaine.”

He grimaced, then smiled indulgently. “You’re fond of him. He protected you when I was at my worst. I suppose I should be grateful to him. I’m not sure I’ve evolved that much. Just once I’d like to knock his fucking block off. I want to hear his teeth rattle across the floor.”

“That’s graphic.”

“Sorry.” He drained his cup. “I can’t help it. I hate that bastard.”

“And you want to be joint-master.”

Downcast, he said, “Sister hasn’t paid a call to me.”

“Sister is full of surprises.”

CHAPTER 9

Sister was full of surprises. She walked out into the Sunday drizzle just as Cody Jean Franklin pulled into the kennels. Cody was furious about Doug dumping her at her door. She’d had a whole night to get even more angry.

“Cody,” Sister called out, Raleigh at her heels.

Cody turned, her baseball cap low over her eyes. She pushed the cap back. “Good morning. You must have gone to church early this morning.”

“Six-thirty service. I get claustrophobic sitting there with the eight o’clock rush. Where are you working now?”

“Freelancing. I catch a ride in the mornings and work at Shear Power in the afternoons. I quit waiting on tables.”

“I didn’t know you could cut hair.”

“I’m the receptionist.”

“Cody, what’s wrong with you?” Sister bore down. “Learn the print business. Your parents spent their whole lives building that business. It hasn’t made them rich but they paid for their home and sent you to college, and Jennifer will go, too.”

“Jennifer can run the business.” Cody feared Sister, but then most people did have a touch of fear about the dynamic old lady. “I’m not cut out for that.”

“Well, what are you cut out for? You’re twenty-five. You can’t just do nothing.”

“Not quite twenty-five.”

“Don’t quibble. You know exactly what I mean.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“You must have a special interest.”

“Horses.”

Sister whistled to Raleigh, who had walked on ahead. He hurried back. “Hard way to make a living but if you love it, truly love it, then do it. You’ve only got one life and you spend most of it working. Do what you love. I did.”

“You had Mr. Arnold.” Cody showed some backbone.

“I didn’t start life with Raymond. I taught geology at Mary Baldwin College. Of course, I graduated with a degree in English but they needed a geology teacher so I learned. Funny, it’s helped me so much in hunting. Anyway, I worked. I taught even after Raymond and I were married. That was long before your time. I stopped when I had the baby. So there. Find something you like and stop wasting your life.”

“I wish I knew. You make it sound so easy.”

“It is easy. You’re waiting for someone to live your life for you, Cody.”

“I’m not. I’m a little, uh, rudderless right now.”

“I’m talking to you because no one else will.”

“Guess they’re talking behind my back.”

“This is a small town. The time to worry is when they’re not talking about you.”

Cody laughed. “That’s one way to look at it.”

“There’s a rabbit over there.” Raleigh could see it hop off in the drizzle.

Sister put her hand on the sleek black head. “I don’t have any cookies.” She returned her attention to Cody. “I’m glad you came out to help with the hounds.”

Cody pretended she was there for hound walk. “They need to go out.”

“Missed a day hunting. Do you know last year I only canceled twice. Twice. And here it is cubbing and I’ve already canceled once.”

“The weather is—” Cody shrugged.

“Have your parents talked to you? About direction, I mean.”

“Dad huffs. Mother is sympathetic.”

“I see.”

“I don’t want to leave here. There’s more opportunities in Richmond but I love it here by the mountains. I’d rather bump along than move there or go down to Charlotte.”

“Charlotte is totally unrecognizable to me.” Sister recalled the small textile town in North Carolina from her youth. “Here I’ve peppered you with questions but I haven’t provided any answers. Can’t, you know. Has to come from you.”

“Well, when Jennifer gets out of college I think we’ll start our own business. Maybe if she really takes over Mom and Dad’s business I could work with her. I’m hoping—” She broke her train of thought and couldn’t quite get back to it.

“Will you go out Tuesday?”

“I’m trying a new horse for Fontaine. Could be a rodeo show.” Cody pulled her cap down again.

“Ride in the back of the field, then.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“And Cody . . .”